Indiana Basketball: 3 reasons why Hoosiers’ start is no fluke

1. Rebounding

One of the main reasons for the downfall of Indiana’s season last year was not just its lack of shooting ability, but also lack of rebounding. Because most of the shots they were taking ended up with rebound potential, it was crucial for the Hoosiers to secure as many as they could if they wanted to remain competitive.

This year, however, they are making shots, leading the Big Ten in field goal percentage (51.8), and third in three-point percentage (36.1), as well as rebounding the ball, hence the dominance early in the season.

Whether it be on the offensive or defensive glass, the Hoosiers are outrebounding their opponents by a margin of 11 boards/game this season, 6th in the NCAA, with 40 rebounds per game.

Led by Trayce Jackson-Davis, at 9.4 rebounds per game, Indiana currently has four players averaging over four rebounds a game, something they have seen only twice since 2010. With guys like Race Thompson and Justin Smith to play alongside Jackson-Davis, that gives Indiana three guys with higher than a 12 percent offensive rebound rate, a rotation that usually sees two of the three on the floor at the same time. Added to the mix this season is Joey Brunk who is much better on the defensive glass, but still provides a big body and a 9 percent offensive rebound rate as well.

Defensively, there are seven players with a rebound rate greater than 10 percent and three additional guys who see their rates between nine and 10. Why is this so important? It means everyone is in the action and contributing to the rebound margin.

Rebounding is one of the most important parts to a successful basketball team, and while it does take skill to be a good rebounder, hustle and will also have a large part in it as well, something Indiana has shown a lot of early in the season.