Indiana coach Mike Woodson will be looking for more consistency, especially on the defensive end, when the No. 16 Hoosiers host South Carolina on Saturday in Bloomington, Ind.
In its 90-55 rout against Eastern Illinois on Sunday, Indiana (2-0) actually trailed 37-36 at intermission and was down 43-38 early in the second half. The Panthers were shooting nearly 60 percent from the field, getting open layups and 3-pointers almost any time they wished.
And then the Hoosiers started doing things like applying ball pressure and playing passing lanes. In the final 18-plus minutes, they outscored Eastern Illinois by a whopping 52-12. Woodson knows outscoring every opponent by 40 points in a half won’t happen but he’d like a continuation of that exertion and intensity.
“That starting group struggled the first half to defend,” Woodson said. “When we got the stops, we were able to rebound the ball and get it out, and get down. We (got) quick strikes up the floor. I was pleased with the way they played the second half.”
Or as forward Malik Reneau explained it, “We just changed our mindset going into the second half.”
In Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako, Indiana has more than enough firepower to beat anyone. Mgbako is averaging 24.5 points per game and has made 20 of 27 shots in two games, while Reneau and Oumar Ballo are averaging 16 points per contest.
Ballo, an Arizona transfer, is adding 7.5 rebounds per game. As a team, the Hoosiers are sixth in Division I in field goal percentage at 57.1, thanks largely to Woodson’s insistence on playing inside-out like the Bob Knight-coached teams he played for at Indiana.
The Hoosiers should see more resistance in this game than they’ve encountered from two Ohio Valley Conference opponents. The Gamecocks (2-1) are coming off an 80-54 rout of Towson on Tuesday night, their second straight win after a surprising loss to North Florida in their season opener.
Third-year coach Lamont Paris was most pleased with the defensive effort. South Carolina limited the Tigers to 29.6 percent shooting from the field, including 5 of 25 from the 3-point line, and earned a 39-31 rebounding advantage.
“That needs to be who we are,” Paris said. “I think it needs to start with having that sort of commitment and effort on what we’re doing on the defensive end. We did try to make a concerted effort that the looks that they did get would be more challenged.”
Offensively, South Carolina plays through Colin Murray-Boyles, a 6-foot-8 forward who collected 27 points and nine rebounds against Towson. Murray-Boyles is recording 21 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
Paris is high on Murray-Boyles’ potential.
“He’s got one of the highest ceilings of any player that I’ve ever been around,” Paris said.
Jacobi Wright (16.0 points per game) and Norfolk State transfer Jamarii Thomas (10.7) are the Gamecocks’ other double-figure scorers.
The programs are meeting for just the fourth time and the first in 26 years. Indiana owns a 2-1 series lead, taking the last matchup 76-55, on Nov. 6, 1988.
