'Real coach Woody came out': Trailing at halftime, IU responds vs. UIndy in exhibition

BLOOMINGTON – Anyone who showed up to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday afternoon not sure what to expect of these new Hoosiers got an eyeful, quickly.

The highlights? Length, athleticism, more of it from the bench, size like we haven’t seen from an Indiana team in years. The lowlights? A team that played offensively like it’s still answering those expectations questions for itself, a lack of engagement with the 3-point line and the sheer fact that an exhibition opponent led at halftime.

Sunday’s eventually comfortable 74-52 win against UIndy in its exhibition opener reaffirmed that we’re not likely to see champagne basketball from these Hoosiers too often too early in the season. But it also emphasized what a fascinating journey the first two months of this season ought to be.

“I thought, to start the game, we were a little tight,” IU coach Mike Woodson said. “Guys not really familiar the first time playing in front of a crowd.”

The crowd was only marginally more familiar with them. Just two players in Indiana’s starting lineup return from last season, and one was only a returning starters because he filled in when the other lost his season to a broken foot.

For the first time in five years, IU fans considered life without Trayce Jackson-Davis.

The Hoosiers played like a team still figuring one another out on offense in the first half, blowing layups and throwing the ball to empty holes in the floor. The universal chest-tapping “my fault” gesture got as much use as any play call.

That led, apparently, to some strong words from Woodson at halftime.

“Real coach Woody came out,” Miami transfer forward Anthony Walker said. “He wanted us to play Indiana basketball like he's been coaching us all summer and the way he's coached since he's been here. That's exactly what I feel like we did in the second half.”

If a first half IU lost 27-25 was concerning, then a second half the Hoosiers dominated (49-25) was equally encouraging.

Indiana made close to 65% of its field goals in the second 20 minutes, including all three made 3-pointers. The Hoosiers handed out 14 assists on 20 baskets. They turned the ball over just three times, but turned UIndy over 10, in the final 20 minutes.

Fruits which sprouted from the same seed — a pronounced step up in collective length and athleticism.

“That's something (Woodson) stated at the beginning of the year when he assembled this team, put the team together,” Walker said. “This team is a lot taller than last year, and a lot longer. We plan to use it to the best of our ability on offense and defense.”

It’s one thing to have length, another to know how to use it.

As Sunday’s exhibition wore on, the Greyhounds wore out. They struggled to split passing lanes made narrower by longer arms and quicker legs. When the Hoosiers turned UIndy over, or secured longer rebounds, Woodson’s team made a point of springing quickly the other way, forgoing last season’s halfcourt patience for fullcourt attack made more dangerous by the long, athletic bodies that poured forward into the lanes of every break.

“The way we try to play is, (Xavier Johnson) isn’t always the guy that’s got to lead the break,” Woodson said. “I just don’t want to live in a halfcourt game this season, and I think we’ve got enough talent out there that guys can make plays.”

Six different Hoosiers handed out multiple assists, a number that will be music in Woodson’s ears.

When it worked, it was impressive. It worked often enough to tease this team’s potential, which might outpace last year’s ceiling. And it failed enough to remind everyone the floor is almost certainly lower this winter as well.

Woodson has one more of these preseason games to put his team through its paces, Friday against Marian. He’ll hope for good luck with injuries, and no more scares like he got when Peyton Sparks went down awkwardly in the second half Sunday.

“He’s gonna be fine,” Woodson said. “He’s a tough dude, man. He’ll be back on the floor for the Marian game.”

After that comes the opener, and just four games into the season, UConn at Madison Square Garden. The road between now and the new year might not always be even, but it already looks fascinating.

Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana basketball: IU responds after first-half deficit in exhibition