CHICAGO — Forward Tucker DeVries couldn’t miss. Wouldn’t miss. Guard Lamar Wilkerson was right with him. Guard Conor Enright made Indiana’s second-biggest jaw-dropping play of the weekend (hint – think football).
Welcome to Indiana basketball domination. That it came 100-77 Sunday afternoon against Big East power Marquette at Chicago’s United Center, that it showcased shot making (14-for-28 on 3-pointers), passing (27 assists on 33 baskets), and defensive ferocity (forcing 15 turnovers) was a big step for a veteran team still getting to know each other.
“Our guys were unselfish on offense,” coach Darian DeVries told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer during the post-game radio show. “Defensively, we did a good job of taking away what we thought were their strengths. We got a little handsy at times with the fouls, so there are some things we can clean up.”
It was IU’s first time reaching 100 points in two years and followed the 98 points it scored in the season-opening win over Alabama A&M. It came with impressive perimeter shooting (14-for-28 from 3-point range) and solid execution — only eight turnovers against fierce Marquette defensive pressure. Not even major foul trouble — 25 fouls to give the Golden Eagles (2-1) 33 free throw attempts — slowed down the Hoosiers.
“I was proud of the effort they put out,” DeVries told Fischer. “It was the second game of the year and we had to go against full-court press, three-quarter press, a bunch of changing defenses. Our guys did a great job in prep to get ready to handle all of those things.”
Forward Tucker DeVries set the first-half tone with 24 of his game-high 27 points. He was 6-for-9 on 3-pointers. Wilkerson had 23 points with 6-for-10 3-point shooting, plus eight assists. Enright was a highlight with a half-court, first-half-ending 3-pointer.
“When the ball is going in like that,” Tucker DeVries said, “it makes you more confident and aggressive. You stay in the moment and play within the offense.
“The offense did a great job of playing well together and being really good against their pressure.”
It was a homecoming for Enright, who is from Illinois and played a year at DePaul in Chicago. He had seven points and five assists before fouling out.
“It was cool,” he said about the Chicago opportunity. “I had a lot of family and friends here. It’s awesome to get a big win.”
IU forward Sam Alexis added 13 points and five rebounds. Freshman Trent Sisley finished with 15 points and five rebounds.
“We had great balance,” Darian DeVries told Fisher. “Tucker had it going in the first half. In the second half, we were able to get Lamar going, and when the game got tight, Lamar was the one to hit a couple of big ones to stretch that lead back out.
“Trent had some big plays. Reed had a nice stretch. Everybody contributed in different ways. Guys stepped into their roles in a good fashion.”
Foul trouble surfaced early. Enright, Reed Bailey, and Jasai Miles picked up two in the first half. Tayton Conerway had three.
No matter. The Hoosiers built an 18-point halftime lead while shooting 50.0% on 3-pointers (7-for-14), and 48.6% overall. They also were 15-for-16 on free throws and had 12 assists against three turnovers. Tucker DeVries led with 24 points.
“(Marquette is) challenging to play against,” DeVries told Fischer. “They have a lot of guys who can pressure the ball. We did a good job of staying composed. They never got sped up. They played within themselves.”
Darian DeVries was happy about the Hoosiers’ “connectivity on defense,” but wanted to see more physicality in rebounding. Marquette won that battle, 39-34.
“We continue to stress it,” DeVries told Fischer. “It’s a priority for us to make it a physical fight down there hitting bodies. Our guys are getting better at it.”
Tucker DeVries opened the scoring with a 3-pointer.
Wilkerson’s acrobatic basket couldn’t offset a flurry of Hoosier fouls. Marquette went 8-for-8 from the line to take a 10-8 lead. IU countered with a Tucker DeVries three-point play, then two straight DeVries 3-pointers and then a long pass to Trent Sisley for a dunk as it went ahead 20-15.
A DeVries bank shot gave the Hoosiers a 30-24 lead. Wilkerson’s 3-pointer made it 37-30. DeVries’ fourth 3-pointer capped an 8-0 run for a 42-30 score. His fifth 3-pointer gave IU a 45-34 lead with three minutes left.
Enright’s half-court 3-pointer made it 56-38 at halftime.
The big second-half key — could the Hoosiers sustain their play?
Marquette surged within 12 points. Wilkerson hit his third 3-pointer. A Marquette 3-point cut the lead to 65-55 with 14 minutes left. Darian DeVries called a timeout to set up a play for his son, who buried a 3-pointer off a screen, then picked up his fourth foul and went to the bench. A Sisley basket made it 70-55. Wilkerson’s 3-pointer gave the Hoosiers a 73-57 lead with 12 minutes left. Wikerson’s fifth 3-pointer gave IU its biggest lead of the game at 78-57 as the clock approached 10 minutes.
Marquette was finished.
Next up is Wednesday’s home game against Milwaukee.
