Key takeaways from the IU basketball 66-62 exhibition win over Tennessee

The IU basketball program traveled to Knoxville on Sunday to take on the No. 12 Tennessee Volunteers in a charity exhibition — coming out with a 66-62 win.

It was Indiana’s first time facing a new opponent other than itself in a practice setting and there were a lot of ups and downs. But, Indiana clearly showed it is a much different team than a season ago.

Here are some main takeaways from IU’s win.

Myles Rice is legit: The biggest and most important addition for Indiana this offseason was Myles Rice and Sunday proved just that. He was tremendous in every area of the game — from scoring to playmaking and everything in between. Rice finished with 20 points on 7-of-14 from the field with four assists and zero turnovers in 31 minutes. He had a +/- of +12 which was a game high. Rice not only set the tone for Indiana offensively but he was one of the few players who was able to get his shot whenever he wanted. He was so impressive getting into the paint and although he struggled at times around the rim, he always made the right play and was able to finish through contact more often times than not. Typically best off of ball screens, IU rarely had any in their offensive sets on Sunday and Rice was still able to maneuver his way through the defense at will.

Indiana starters carried the load: Now, this won’t always be the case when its roster is fully healthy, but on Sunday it was the starters, the starters and the starters some more. IU’s starting unit accounted for 64 of the 66 points — with all playing over 30 minutes. Additionally, the reserves were a combined 0-of-8 on the afternoon, with the two points coming from Gabe Cupps off of free throws. Luke Goode — one of the more impactful reserves in the Big Ten last year — was 0-of-5 from the field and 0-of-3 from three. Albeit it good looks, he just wasn’t able to knock them down. Once Trey Galloway comes back, that’ll either move Kanaan Carlyle to the bench, or Galloway off the bench. That’ll be a welcomed addition to that group. Bryson Tucker also didn’t play on Sunday, adding another member to the rotation that will be effective.

Mackenzie Mgbako’s second half: After zero points in the first half, Mackenzie Mgbako was terrific after halftime. He finished with 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting and two made 3s. He was at his most aggressive points in the game when Myles Rice and Malik Reneau were off the floor, but Mgbako showcased a very well put together afternoon. He was aggressive with the ball in his hands, not hunting his shot, but confident in his ability to create at any point, and also impactful on the defensive end. He 5-of-7 from the field with both of his 3s after halftime.

The offense is still a work in progress: The talk of the offseason was surrounding the offense and the style of play — quicker and more uptempo. Throughout Sunday’s game, you could tell the new style of play was impactful but had its growing pains. Indiana pushed the ball whenever it could and had numerous different players bring the ball up and lead the break. The best part of that is the ability for easy points on the secondary break. IU basketball finished with 18 fast break points. In the first half, IU had 10 turnovers — a lot of which coming while trying to be aggressive. The second half, however, they had just three turnovers. The half court offense was clearly different — the spacing was there and the dynamic guards were attacking downhill. IU was 0-of-11 from three in the first half but converted 4-of-8 3s after halftime.

Malik Reneau shined: The junior forward had a game-high 21 points on 8-of-12 from the field and added eight rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes. Reneau was terrific all over the floor. He showed his ability to handle the ball more frequently and still had the good ability to finish around the rim with his back to the basket. Reneau looked slimmer and trimmer and more importantly — more confident and settled into his game. Sunday was just one game, but it was a great spot to see Reneau shine. Reneau even went on his own 10-0 run when IU was down 54-50. He carried the Hoosiers from the 8:58 mark to 4:17, giving IU everything they needed to come away with the win.

Indiana’s defense on full display: The IU basketball defense has always been the backbone for Mike Woodson and that was the case on Sunday. IU held Tennessee to 31 percent shooting with 15 turnovers. The Vols also were just 8-of-35 from deep. Tennessee is a physical style of basketball but Indiana responded in major ways with its physicality. Its defense was on full display when they held Tennessee without a field goal for the final 3:50 of the game, and one make in its final 11 attempts. Indiana’s offense will continue to get better, but if this is going to be the low point of the Indiana defense — it’ll be one of the top defensive teams in the country.

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