Indiana Basketball: Al Durham’s career night a preview of what’s to come
By Alec Lasley
Indiana basketball sophomore guard Al Durham had a career-night in their NIT opener, opening eyes on what his future can look like.
One of the forgotten – in terms of hype – members of the Hoosiers, Al Durham reminded us once again what is to come in the next two years.
The sophomore guard put up a career-high 22 points in their NIT opening win against St. Francis (PA), showing fans the scoring ability that he has, and could show next year.
With Romeo Langford sidelined, Durham was looked to be much more of a threat on offense, as the main scoring option on the wing.
Averaging just 8.2 points on 42 percent shooting this season, the Georgia native has been somewhat inconsistent this season, not in his hustle, but just his output.
Last night though, was anything but
From the opening tip, Durham found his groove from distance – 35.6 percent on the year – hitting two threes in the first half, while remaining aggressive driving to the basket.
In the second half though was when he really shined. Scoring 14 of his 22 in the final 20 minutes, Durham looked the case of an All-Big Ten guard.
On an efficient 9-of-15 shooting, he found most of his success in the second half in transition and mid-range areas.
Often times the fourth scoring option on the team, Durham has made the most of his opportunities this year, with only four games – including Tuesday night – with 10+ shot attempts.
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Due to the combination of his size – 6-foot-4 – and length, Durham has the skills to be a lethal scorer form the wing. Showing it at times this season, with 11 games of 10+ points, he has also been that of an inconsistent sophomore guard still trying to find his way in the offense with a top-10 pick alongside of him.
With Langford uncertain to play in their second round game against Arkansas, or anymore as far as they advance, the next few weeks could be a time to Durham to cement himself as one of the go-to players for Indiana heading into next season, something they will need.