Game 2: Indiana vs. North Dakota State (Legends Classic - 1st Round)

Zeller, Abell and Company Roll Right on Past the Bison
By Ryan Bramwell

     NDSU     29   32     61   (1-1)
#1 Indiana  42   45     87   (2-0)

 Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana


Individual Performances:

• Surprise, surprise, Cody Zeller led all scorers with 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting.  He also snatched down nine rebounds (three offensive) and blocked two shots
• Remy Abell was outstanding as he drilled all five of his shots including three 3-pointers to finish with 14 points.  He also had three offensive boards and five rebounds all in all. 
• Jeremy Hollowell aslo scored 14 points while nabbing two boards as well as getting a block
• Victor Oladipo was the 'Mr. Everything' player in this affair.  He finished with seven points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals
• Jordy Hulls hit a few three's (3-for-6) and scored 11 points to go alongside his four assists and two steals

Team Effort:

• IU shot 28-for-58, good for 48.3%, while they held the Bison to 41% on 23-for-56 shooting
• The Hoosiers continued to get to the line at an efficient clip as they were 22-for-30.  Although the FT percentage is lower than we'd like, they did manage to get to the line 21 more times leading them to outscore NDSU 22 to 7 from the stripe
• The Cream and Crimson managed to commit only 10 turnovers on the night, while the Bison had 16
• Indiana outperformed North Dakota State in FGM, FG%, FTM, 3PM, rebounds, assists and steals

Thoughts:

• Although I don't necessarily think Indiana played any better, or even as good as they did in their first outing of the year, I do believe we saw some progress and solid consistency.
• My biggest concern was the defense.  This is the area where Indiana absolutely must improve if they want to be NCAA champions.  I would certainly like to see the Hoosiers hold a team like NDSU to a lower field goal percentage especially when you consider the caliber of the schools in the B1G conference this year.  Giving up eight 3-pointers against the lowly Bison still proves that the Hoosiers have some work to do on perimeter defense, positioning and recovery.  We know they're going to be more athletic than ninety percent of the teams they meet, so there's no reason for them to allow as many outside open shots as last season.  On a good note, Indiana did force plenty of turnovers, deflected balls all night, and just flat-out caused disruption on the defensive end.  Good work overall.
• Cody Zeller is good.  
• Remy Abell is quickly showing Hoosier Nation that he may be the most important player on this team.  He can handle the rock, makes terrific decisions, and so far, has yet to miss a shot in the early going. Most importantly though, Abell at the point allows for Hulls to stay in the game as the two-guard which allows for more spot-up shots for Jordy.
• Next game is against a Sam Houston State squad that is very small with the exception of the starting center.  I am expecting a huge point differential.