Despite IU’s disastrous Bahamas trip, here are 5 reasons to still believe in this team

[ad_1]

MIAMI – Indiana’s traveling party woke with the sun Saturday morning for a charter flight home from the Battle 4 Atlantis, the Hoosiers working their way through security and customs at Lynden Pindling International Airport still smarting from a difficult trip to The Bahamas.

IU lost its first two games in an event it had eyes on attending the moment it last left Nassau, following a preseason tour in Mike Woodson’s first summer on the job. Indiana was as much an idea as anything then, but it is firmly formed now — talented, well-resourced, full of potential and deeply frustrating to its fans.

INSIDER: IU can’t wipe away Atlantis losses, but must learn from them.

A firm thumping of worn-out Providence in the 7th-place game Friday at least salvaged something from an otherwise disappointing week.

The national ranking will be gone from Indiana’s scorelines for a while, and with it the shine of a potential Big Ten contender. Perhaps that’s for the best. This team as currently constituted needs time to work through its shortcomings, if it is going to realize its preseason promise.

And yes, that promise still exists. There are reasons to believe in this group long term, with a lot of season left to play. Let’s examine some of them.

Offensive punch

At its best, this team can score with anyone on its schedule. Even through a 1-2 swing through The Bahamas, four different Hoosiers scored in double figures at least once. Malik Reneau scored 21 points twice. Mackenzie Mgbako had 25 in the Providence win, Trey Galloway 18.

The Hoosiers shot nearly 36% from behind the arc and 74.6% (44-of-59) from the free-throw line, continuing promising, if limited, trend lines of improvement in those two previously frustrating areas.

IU Insider: Sign up for our Hoosiers sports newsletter

And they did that with Kanaan Carlyle out in Game 3 against Providence, Myles Rice struggling all week and Galloway just now approaching full fitness following offseason knee surgery.

This has since the summer…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/despite-ius-disastrous-bahamas-trip-094638573.html

Author : IndyStar | The Indianapolis Star

Publish date : 2024-12-02 09:46:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.