Threes were pouring down at Assembly Hall all night in Indiana’s 101-49 win over Bethune-Cookman on Thursday. IU got its second consecutive lopsided victory to begin the season 2-0.
The Hoosiers had a fantastic shooting performance on Thursday, knocking down 10 of their 24 3s. Indiana was 8-for-16 from downtown in the first half. The perimeter eruption was led by forward Miller Kopp, who shot 4-for-6 from deep to account for his 12 points.
“Going into the offseason was big for me just focusing on getting reps and mentally being cognitive of how big mentally shooting is,” Kopp said. “So I did a lot of work on my golf swing this summer and tried to get outside and get tan a lot. So mentally I think that helped, and I think, if you look at the best basketball players, they all—Michael Jordan, Steph Curry—they all are great golfers too. So I think that helped.”
Six different IU players hit a triple on Thursday. This 3-point outbreak comes after Indiana was just 4-for-11 from beyond the arc against Morehead State on Monday.
“Shooting the ball with confidence is a big thing for us because we know we've got guys that can make shots,” Indiana guard Trey Galloway, who made two 3s Thursday, said. “So just continuous repetition of that and having guys be ready to step up and knock it down.”
IU’s incredible shooting wasn’t just from long range. The team was an astounding 21-for-22 from the foul line after being 12-for-21 in the win over Morehead State.
“We've been shooting a lot of [free throws], I know that,” Indiana head coach Mike Woodson said after Thursday’s game. “Nobody wants to go up and miss free throws. I think it's a mental thing, man. I mean, somebody gives you free free throws, you've got to take advantage of it.”
“You've got to go up to the line with that mentality that you're going to step up and knock it down,” Galloway said. “We've been really focused on taking free throws seriously during practice and walking in and taking them serious and just knocking them down.”
For the second straight game, Indiana’s defense stifled its opponent. Bethune-Cookman shot only 39.2% from the field. The Wildcats also committed 19 turnovers in Thursday’s affair, with 10 coming from Indiana steals.
“I've just always believed if you defend and rebound, you're going to be in every game,” Woodson said. “Our defense was solid last year, and it's been a nice carryover into this early season.”
The Hoosiers won’t play again until next Friday when they face Xavier at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati. That matchup will represent Indiana’s first big test of the year in the annual Gavitt Games between the Big Ten and Big East.
