The Indiana Hoosiers picked up a hard-fought 83-80 win over Syracuse on Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The victory moved the Hoosiers to 3-0 on the young season, and handed the Orange their first loss of the campaign.
The contest was evenly-matched from start to finish. There were 13 lead changes and 11 ties throughout the game, with the largest lead coming by just seven points courtesy of Syracuse.
Indiana's next game on the docket comes on Thursday, November 12 against Tennessee Tech at Assembly Hall. But before we move on to that matchup, let's take a look back at two key areas that led the Hoosiers to a much-needed win over the Orange.
Indiana made Syracuse pay with points off turnovers
In a back-and-forth game that featured plenty of momentum swings, Indiana held a key advantage when it came to points off turnovers. The Hoosiers were able to turn Syracuse's 12 turnovers into 20 points on the other end. Meanwhile, the Orange only managed to score eight points on Indiana's 11 turnovers. In a close game, that margin played a vital role in Indiana's path to victory.
As a team, the Hoosiers shot 42% from the floor, and went 9-for-25 (36%) from three-point range. On the other side, the Orange shot 51% from the floor and knocked down eight of their 19 (42%) three-point tries. Indiana went 22-for-26 from the free throw line while Syracuse went 16-for-20. Indiana held a solid 37-28 edge on the glass, including a 14-7 advantage in regard to offensive rebounds.
The Hoosiers got plenty of reliable scoring depth
Indiana had a strong showing on the scoreboard, and wasn't too reliant on one single player to put up points. The Hoosiers had four players score in the double-digits: Markus Burton (20), Darren Harris (20), Jaeden Mustaf (18), and Bryce Lindsay (11). Burton was doing most of the damage, and put on a show at times. But solid contributions from fellow guards Harris, Mustaf, and Lindsay, gave Syracuse fits defensively. The Orange weren't able to hone in on any one player, and keeping a well-rounded scoring attack served the Hoosiers well in this one.
Last season, Indiana was far too reliant on Lamar Wilkerson to generate scoring. Wilkerson had a great season, but far too much was asked of him. As Darian DeVries and the Hoosiers look to take a big step forward in 2026-27, getting more consistent and reliable scoring depth will be a big point of emphasis all throughout the season.
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