Indiana 100, Longwood 49.
I didn't get a chance to see this game, but it is waiting on my Tivo. Given the lopsided outcome and another game tomorrow, I might not get there at all. So, this review is for the sake of completeness and is based entirely on the box score.
As I noted in the preview, Longwood was an overmatched team, 7-22 last season and now in its first season of full-fledged Division I status. Still, even by that standard IU's defense was fairly impressive. Every team has guys who can shoot, so holding any team to 25 percent shooting says something good about the defense. Even with the IU starters on the bench for the last five minutes, Longwood was only 5-29 from the field in the second half. IU shot 58.5 percent for the game and 64 percent from the field in the first half. IU made 61 percent of its 18 three point shots. IU's offensive rebounding numbers were more on par with last season: IU boarded 9 of its 27 misses while Longwood grabbed only 26 percent of its opportunities. The Hoosiers managed 22 assists on 38 field goals. Despite IU's high scoring total, this game was slower than the Chattanooga game, with about 67 possessions per team. That means IU managed a stellar 1.5 points per possession. Again, consider the competition, but still, a nice performance.
Of the guys who played more than ten minutes, only Brandon McGee and Eli Holman averaged less than a point per shot. DJ White was very efficient, scoring 12 points on 4-5 from the field and 4-5 from the line. Eric Gordon, while not as superhuman as against the Mocs, scored 21 points on 14 shots, including 5-8 from three point range. The only red flags in EJ's line are three turnovers and only one free throw attempt. Jamarcus Ellis certainly seems like he will be, if you'll pardon the cliche, IU's glue guy, the guy who holds things together by doing a bit of everything. Ellis scored 9 points on 7 shots, had 5 assists to one turnover, and pulled down 11 of Longwood's misses (nearly as many as the entire Longwood team). Armon Basset may have had the best line of the night: 14 points on six shots, 5 assists/one turnover.
Again, it's tough to take much from a game against such an overmatched opponent, but there certainly can be no complaints after two games. IU's offense has been consistently outstanding and the defense has been stifling for three of four halves. Next up is UNC-Wilmington, with some marginally tougher competition over the weekend and Georgia Tech just a week from tomorrow. By next Wednesday, we will have a better handle on this team.
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