The atmosphere inside of Assembly Hall was electric tonight. Unfortunately for the cream and crimson crazies, the Hoosiers performance on the floor did not follow suit.
Behind an unstoppable performance by Zach Edey, the Boilermakers were in control of this one from start to finish and came out on top 87-66 when it was all said and done. The 7'4" big man dropped a monstrous 33 points and 14 rebounds, and it was clear from the jump that the Hoosiers had no match for him inside. One of the keys to victory for the Hoosiers leading up to tipoff was going to be winning (or at least strongly competing) in the battle of the paint. The talented frontcourt duo of Kel'el Ware and Malik Reneau was completely off their game in this one, combining for a mere 13 points and 15 rebounds. When your core guys are not getting it done, it tends to reflect on the scoreboard.
One guy who did get it done for Indiana was senior captain Trey Galloway, who led the Hoosiers with 17 points and 5 assists. His playmaking ability was once again on full display, and it is safe to pencil Trey into the lead point guard spot for this team moving forward. He has struggled mightily with his jumpshot this year, so it was a breath of fresh air seeing him knock down a trio of treys as well. Mackenzie Mgbako did what he could to support Galloway, dropping 15 points and 2 triples of his own. The freshman continued an ongoing stretch of strong play for the Hoosiers, and it will be vital for this program that he sustains that consistency as we proceed.
There is not much else to say aside from this one was simply a good old-fashioned whooping. The Hoosiers will need to come together and figure some things out as a collective unit if they are going to turn things around this season. As of this moment, things are looking pretty bleak in terms of their outlook in the foreseeable future.