After an unconvincing season-opening win over Florida Gulf Coast, IU coach Mike Woodson said, “I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
With the Hoosiers locked in a tight game with Army team — who lost to Marist and Stonehill — it’s obvious IU is very much a work in progress.
IU was a 26.5-point favorite and trailed in the game as much as Army did (17:54 to 17:45). The Hoosiers eventually pulled away for a 72-64 win, but it was nervy.
Player ratings on a scale of 1 to 10.
STARTERS
∎ Xavier Johnson — Johnson scored 15 of IU’s 32 points in the first half, hit two 3s and dished out three assists in what was otherwise a pretty dismal first 20 minutes. It was fair to wonder: “Where would IU be without its sixth-year point guard?” That question creeped near reality for a brief moment when Johnson landed awkwardly and was forced to the bench holding his leg. It turned out to be just a cramp, but it was heart-in-throat there for a moment. He returned but was less effective in the second half, scoring just four free throws in the second half, all in the final minute. He finished with 19 points and 5 assists. Rating: 6.0
∎ Kel’el Ware — After an impressive debut vs. FGCU, the Oregon transfer picked up where he left off. He opened the game scoring off a lob and then provided another early block. He was held in check pretty much the rest of the first half, other than a dunk off a nice feed from Malik Reneau. But in the second half, Mike Woodson made a concerted effort to get the ball inside to the 7-footer. At one point, Ware scored nine straight points for the Hoosiers, turning a deficit into a small lead. He was a popular target for lobs and alley-oops with the last one giving an IU a 68-61 lead after Ware started the play with active hands to poke the ball free. He finished with 20 points (9-of-11 shooting) with six rebounds and a team-best +15 in +/-. Rating: 8.0
∎ Malik Reneau — An overall decent outing from Reneau, who you’d like to see be more dominant against smaller and less-talented opponents. Once IU made it a point to get the ball in the paint, Reneau’s play started to pick up. He had some defensive moments, too, and he hit four big free throws late in the second half to keep the Hoosiers at arm’s length of Army’s comeback bid. He finished with 14 points, a team-high seven rebounds (after just one vs. FGCU), five assists and three blocks. Rating: 7.0
∎ Mackenzie Mgbako — It’s been a bumpy start for the 5-star freshman. He was guilty of some rough defensive possessions and he took an unnecessary fadeaway jumper early on which caused BTN analyst Robbie Hummel to say, “If you’re going to take that, you better make it.” Mgbako hit his only other field goal attempt, a wide open jumper with two minutes left in the first half. He played just five minutes in the second half (none in crunch time), a clear sign Woodson doesn’t quite trust his star freshman yet. After the game, Woodson said he wanted to see Mgbako “play harder.” As they say, the bench is a great motivator. Rating: 3.5
∎ Trey Galloway — An overall quiet night for the senior guard, who had the unfortunate luck of being on wrong end of two Army shot-clock buzzer-beating 3s. He had three assists, including two alley-oop lobs to Ware and a swing pass to Gabe Cupps for a big 3. He also had a nice drive and spin to finish through contact when IU was making its second half run. Rating: 5.0
BENCH
∎ Gabe Cupps — The first player off the bench, he injected a little energy into a flat Assembly Hall by being a nudge on defense and knocking the ball away while IU trailed early on. He hit a nice jumper out of a timeout in the second half and added a big 3 (like he did against FGCU) to give IU a 64-58 lead with 2:05 left. He played 14 minutes in the second half, a clear sign Woodson trusts him with the game in the balance (on both ends of the floor). Rating: 6.0
∎ CJ Gunn — He was better defensively and more active vs. Army than he was vs. FGCU. He was part of an all-bench lineup that struggled mightily to score and was 0-for-2 from the field, including a wild jumper he airballed. He played just four minutes in the second half. Rating: 4.0
∎ Payton Sparks — He made his IU debut and grabbed three rebounds in six first-half minutes, showing some effort (even if that dive to the floor was ill-advised). He had a nice up-and-under for a layup to give IU a 56-50 lead for his only points of the game. He finished with four rebounds and looks like a useful energy bench piece. Rating: 5.0
∎ Kaleb Banks — He hit his only shot of the game, a big corner 3 to end an 8-0 Army run in the first half and played nearly as many minutes as Mgbako (13 to 16) primarily for defensive reasons. Rating: 5.0
∎ Anthony Walker — The Miami transfer saw some of his minutes go to Sparks and in his eight minutes, he was largely ineffective with some poor defensive decisions and no rebounds. Rating: 3.0
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