That was fun. IU grabbed a signature win over No. 4 Purdue on Thursday, beating the Boilermakers, 68-65. It was an odd game to some degree, with Trayce Jackson-Davis beleaguered by foul trouble and the bench playing a major role in the win. Which combinations made the biggest impact?
Notes:
- Three Hoosiers showed up in each of IU’s three best lineups: Rob Phinisee, Trey Galloway, and Jordan Geronimo. The bench was outstanding for the Hoosiers, outscoring Purdue 32-4 on Thursday.
- With Phinisee, Galloway, and Geronimo on the court, IU is +16 in 38:40 since Galloway returned vs. Ohio State.
- Phinisee and Galloway were actually in IU’s four best lineups.
- Shockingly, IU’s best lineup of Phinisee, Xavier Johnson, Galloway, Geronimo, and Race Thompson had not played together all season. Their shift started with 4:41 left in the first half, with IU leading 27-24. When Geronimo came out for Michael Durr with 2:17 left, it was a 34-24 ballgame.
- All five of IU’s starters had a negative +/- on Thursday night. Purdue presents uncomfortable matchups across the board, and IU’s starting five, normally strong, finished a team-worst -9.
- However, Johnson prospered when he played alongside Phinisee. Johnson was +4 with Phinisee on Thursday, but -12 without him.
- Johnson and Phinisee have worked well together on the court this season. They’re +61 on the year. Digging deeper, in the six games since the start of 2022, they’ve gone +27 in 51:30. In the other 189:30 with just one point guard on the floor, IU has gone +0.
- Phinisee and Johnson played the final 13:16 together without coming off the floor.
- In fact, Johnson played the entire second half, and the final 24:41 overall. Meanwhile, Parker Stewart, who played the entire second half at Nebraska, stayed on the bench for the final 13:16 vs. Purdue.
- Geronimo led IU in +/- at +17. However, it was Tamar Bates who had the highest +/- per minute. Bates went +11 in just 7:09 of playing time.
- IU’s offense was at its best on Thursday when Galloway was on floor, among the eight Hoosiers who played at least 15 minutes. IU scored 45 points in Galloway’s 24:17, or 1.85 points per minute (PPM). In the 15:43 Galloway was sidelined, IU scored just 23 points, or 1.46 PPM.
- IU’s defense was at its best with Phinisee in the game. IU gave up just 32 points in his 25:59, or 1.23 PPM. In the 14:01 he was on the bench, IU gave up 33 points, or 2.35 PPM.
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