Indiana cruises past Mississippi Valley State 85-52

Indiana’s 85-52 win over Mississippi Valley State was exactly what this team needed to get its confidence back, following their upset loss to IPFW earlier this week.

Though, it is hard to get excited about a home victory against a winless team in the SWAC. It was clear right from the get-go that they had nowhere near the caliber of players that Indiana has.

Nov 27, 2016; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward OG Anunoby (3) rebounds the ball in the second half of the game against the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils at Assembly Hall. Indiana defeated Mississippi Valley State 85-52. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The most obvious case was when Zach McRoberts ripped an offensive rebound away from a Delta Devil player following a missed free-throw, who then found Curtis Jones, who was able to dish a no-look pass to Thomas Bryant for an and-1 dunk.

There was nothing Mississippi Valley State could have done. Indiana shot nearly 50 percent from the field, won the rebounding battle 48-26 and doubled their assists with 20. The Hoosiers were in sync, and the Delta Devils were outmatched.

It appears that OG Anunoby is at full strength, as well. He was essentially non-existence in their loss to IPFW due to an illness, that was confirmed to be pretty serious by Tom Crean, who told the media that he did not even get back to practice until Friday. He finished the game with 21 points and 8 rebounds, on 7-12 shooting.

Other strong performances included Thomas Bryant and Robert Johnson. Bryant recorded his third double-double of the season, consisting of 13 points and 11 rebounds. He efficiently shot 5-6 from the field. Johnson finished with 14 points, three rebounds and 3 assists.

Zach McRoberts made his first start as a Hoosier. Though he played the fewest amount of minutes of the starters, no one that came off the bench had more. It has been evident the last few days that Crean has taken a liking to McRobert’s hustle, and will be interesting to see if he plays a bigger role for the Hoosiers moving forward.

Though this game means virtually nothing to the selection committee or analysts across the nation, it means a great deal for the Hoosiers. Coming off what has to be one of the biggest upsets in program history, they needed to get a W before taking on a very talented North Carolina team. UNC is one of the hottest teams in the nation right now, sitting undefeated and cruising past their opposition, most recently against Wisconsin, routing them 71-56.

James Blackmon Jr. was sidelined with yet another knee injury. Though it appears to not be serious, it is unclear whether he will be ready against North Carolina. His absence would be a huge blow for the Hoosiers, as he provides a bulk of the scoring. If he is out, expect Curtis Jones and Devonte Green to be more aggressive shooting the ball.