Key takeaways from the Indiana basketball 89-73 win over Providence

Indiana basketball got its first win down in The Bahamas on Friday with an 89-73 win over Providence.

The Hoosiers finished with a 1-2 record, with losses to Louisville and Gonzaga.

Here are the key takeaways from IU’s win.

Trey Galloway’s ‘get right’ game: It had been a real struggle for Galloway the last few games, especially in Atlantis but he found his groove on Friday. Galloway finished with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting. The previous three games he had four points on 2-of-12 from the floor. He also added six assists on Friday after just 10 assists over the last four games. Galloway looked fresher and confident in his ability against Providence as the main ball handler — in a role he had last year and excelled in. The senior guard is critically important to the ceiling of Indiana this season and it starts and ends with his creation and playmaking ability.

Perimeter defense still an issue: Mike Woodson called this part of his team’s play this week ‘awful’. Well, it’s still an issue. Whether it was guarding the 3, or limiting dribble-drives, Indiana’s perimeter defense struggled again. The Friars hit 10 3s in the first 25 minutes before their legs gave out on them — missing the final eight they took. IU’s inability to contain middle drives was also again on display. There were numerous times opponents got by the initial IU defender, causing Oumar Ballo to leave his man and help at the rim, creating room for multiple offensive rebounds and potential second chance points — finishing with 17 and 21 respectively. Indiana needs to clean this part of its D up because it’s going to make or break Indiana’s success on that end of the floor this year with limited shot blocking options.

Offensive efficient in ways it hasn’t been this week: After a few lackluster offensive performances, Friday was terrific. Indiana basketball shot 53.3 percent from the floor, hit 8 3s and was 17-of-20 from the line. But the number stat stands out is the efficiency of 20 assists to just 10 turnovers. It was a season-low in turnovers and the second-highest assist total of the year. Overall, Indiana scored 1.271 points per possession and 1.500 in the second half alone. The ball was moving, players were cutting and Indiana used its speed in the open floor, getting 16 fast break points. Five players had 8+ points, while all but one player who saw the floor scored — with Mackenzie Mgbako leading the way with 25 points. He was terrific all game long, hitting from the perimeter, using his strength on drives, and getting to his spots in the mid range. Four players also had at least three assists.

Energy needed in a must-win game: After two blowout losses, and an 11 am tip, there was no telling how Indiana basketball would respond. It did so the exact way you would hope. IU led for 37:31 of the game, trailing for just 40 seconds. Its largest lead was 19 points in the second half and led by double-digits most of the 20 minutes following halftime. Even when Providence cut it to 9 with 9:06 left, Indiana responded and held the Friars to just 9 points after that. It wasn’t the result this week that Indiana wanted, but in a must-win game, it showed up.

Make sure to follow Hoosier Illustrated, part of the Full Ride Network, on Twitter @Indiana_FRN, Facebook and YouTube to stay up to date on all of the news, updates and coverage of Indiana University athletics. You can also listen to the Talking’ Bout the Hoosiers podcast on Spotify.

Looking for a place to get more Indiana content? Hoosier Illustrated has partnered with Tom Brady’s company ‘Autograph’ to streamline our coverage, so you can continue to do what you do best – follow IU sports. Use the CODE: Indianafr to get started today. For more info, you can start here.