The Indiana Hoosiers picked up a 91-57 win over Eastern Illinois in their season opener on Monday night at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers took care of business from start to finish, giving Year 2 of the Darian DeVries era a strong boost of momentum early on.
Indiana's next game is slated for Thursday, November 5 against Bellarmine. But before we start looking at that contest, let's break down some key takeaways from the Eastern Illinois game.
The frontcourt is much-improved
Heading into the offseason, DeVries knew he had to bolster the frontcourt. Last season, the Hoosiers lacked the size and athleticism at the 4 and 5 spots that is needed to compete in the Big Ten. Bringing in 6'11" power forward Aiden Sherrell and 7'2" center Samet Yigitoglu through the transfer portal helped with that effort, and both put forth solid first games as Hoosiers.
Sherrell went just 3-for-11 from the floor, but he scored 9 points and brought down 6 rebounds. Yigitoglu scored 8 points on 4-of-5 shooting and totaled a team-high 7 rebounds. Furthermore, Sherrell and Yigitoglu combined for 3 blocks. Together Sherrell and Yigitoglu could be among the best frontcourt duos in the Big Ten this season.
Markus Burton and Bryce Lindsay make for a lethal scoring duo
Notre Dame transfer point guard paced the Hoosiers in scoring with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting. He also brought down 2 rebounds and dished out a team-high 5 assists. The offense figures to run through Burton this season, and his strong debut was encouraging to see after he suffered a season-ending injury at Notre Dame last November.
Coming off the bench, Villanova transfer Bryce Lindsay was 2nd on the team with 14 points. He shot 4-for-9 from the field and went 3-for-5 from behind the arc. Lindsay shined in Indiana's exhibition games last month, and he picked up right where he left off with this strong showing in the opener. Indiana fans have a lot to be excited about when it comes to Burton and Linday's scoring potential.
Indiana has plenty of scoring depth
Last season, too much pressure was put on Lamar Wilkerson to generate offense. Wilkerson had a great season, but too much weight was put on his shoulders. It's just one game, but Indiana's well-rounded scoring depth against Eastern Illinois was encouraging to see. Here is the scoring breakdown from Monday night:
Markus Burton* - 19
Bryce Lindsay - 14
Trevor Manhertz - 11
Aiden Sherrell* - 9
Samet Yigitoglu* - 8
Jaeden Mustaf* - 8
Darren Harris* - 7
Trent Sisley - 7
Sam Alexis - 6
Clemens Sokolov - 2
* - starters
Only two Hoosiers scored in double-digits, but as you can see, the scoring distribution was spread out pretty evenly. Indiana wasn't too reliant on one player to get hot, and did a good job of moving the ball around to find the open shot. That is something that needs to continue as the season moves on.
Trevor Manhertz can be a key rotational piece as a freshman
Indiana's incoming freshmen class is full of potential. But the rookie who made the biggest impact on Monday night was Trevor Manhertz. A 6'9" forward, Manhertz chipped in 11 points in 15 minutes of playing time. He shot 3-of-6 from the floor which included a 2-for-5 mark from three-point land. With plenty of length and shooting ability, Manhertz has the ability to stretch the floor and keep opposing defenses honest. It will be interesting to see how much playing time he gets moving forward.
Prince-Alexander Moody will miss some time
Another Hoosier freshmen, Prince-Alexander Moody, put together a strong offseason and was looking to make an immediate impact this season. Unfortunately, Moody wasn't available for the season opener against EIU. He was wearing street clothes when the Hoosiers took the floor and was using crutches on the sidelines. According to Alex Lasley of On3, Moody is expected to miss "an extended period of time" with a knee injury. It's a tough blow for Moody, but hopefully he is able to get back to full health sooner rather than later.
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