Hoosier State of Mind
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Indiana Basketball: 3 Takeaways from win vs. Troy

By Trevor Gersmehl

BLOOMINGTON, IN - JANUARY 14: Archie Miller the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers gives instructions to his team against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Assembly Hall on January 14, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - JANUARY 14: Archie Miller the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers gives instructions to his team against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Assembly Hall on January 14, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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MARIETTA, GA – MARCH 25: (L-R) Wendell Moore Jr., Isaiah Stewart, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Matthew Hurt pose during the 2019 Powerade Jam Fest on March 25, 2019 in Marietta, Georgia. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images for Powerade)
MARIETTA, GA – MARCH 25: (L-R) Wendell Moore Jr., Isaiah Stewart, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Matthew Hurt pose during the 2019 Powerade Jam Fest on March 25, 2019 in Marietta, Georgia. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images for Powerade) /

Trayce Jackson-Davis Shines, Also Adjusting

My oh my, am I glad Trayce Jackson-Davis is rocking crimson and cream. Jackson-Davis set the tone for Indiana from the opening tip with his smart, physical play. In the first six minutes of the game, he tallied 10 points and five rebounds, with five free throw attempts. He finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds, going 6-of-6 from the field.

You could attribute Jackson-Davis’s dominance to the mid major level competition, but it is impressive for a freshman to come out with that kind of confidence and physicality, no matter the opponent.

We saw the version of him that Indiana needs to have all season in order to reach its potential. He played well within the offense, committing very few freshman mistakes. On top of that, he rebounded like an animal and held nothing back when attacking the rim. He has very effortless, natural timing for judging when to leap for a rebound, and is active and slippery while the ball is still in the air, fighting around box-outs instead of watching. He has a knack for knowing how to be in the right place at the right time for putbacks and dump-offs.

I’m not convinced on the Jackson-Davis/Joey Brunk lineup, however. Brunk hasn’t stood out much these first four games and eats up space down low that Jackson-Davis could use to operate. He had a good stretch at the start of the second half, but also had some poor moments, especially on defense. Midway through the first half, Troy ran three straight actions for Zay Williams who scored two buckets and drew a shooting foul, all on Brunk. Troy was also able to somewhat neutralize Jackson-Davis in the post, and most of his points came off of dump offs or put backs. If the Hoosiers want to get more points from the low block, they may need to experiment with some four-out options.

The defensive fit with those two is also somewhat improvable. Sure, Indiana had success tonight, but with Brunk out there, sometimes Jackson-Davis is required to guard more of a floor-spacer, and isn’t available to sit around the paint and protect the rim. Blocking shots isn’t really Brunk’s specialty, and if Indiana closes out on threes as hard as they did this game, then smarter teams in Big Ten play will back cut or pump fake and drive their way to the rim. When they do, Jackson-Davis needs to be down there as some kind of insurance.

He showed his potential against North Alabama, and once again proved it wasn’t a fluke.

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