BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The Hoosiers take care of business once again in arguably their most complete performance this season. Archie Miller’s squad handle the Troy Trojans with a final score of 100 to 62 in a game where Indiana never really looked back after the initial tip. Indiana moves to 4-0 on the season.
The energy that may have been lacking in the past contests for the Hoosiers showed up tonight in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Offensively the Hoosiers scored through the paint as the point of emphasis. Indiana’s guards consistently looked for the feed into the interior. Among those fed, freshman Trayce Jackson-Davis controlled the paint with an early 10 points and 5 rebounds that he quickly converted into a double-double in the second half. He had no problem scoring face-up or with his back to the basket against the undersized Troy defenders. The Center Grove high school graduate finished the evening with a final line of 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Aside from Jackson-Davis, veterans Justin Smith and Al Durham played very comfortably against a Troy team that struggled to find any method to slow down the Hoosiers. The two did more of what they have been known to do. Smith finished effectively around the rim with a number of easy layins and athletic put-backs. Durham displayed his versatility and all-around with his ability to shoot the three and also be effective in the interior. The pair finished with a combined 39 points and led both teams in scoring.
Also worth noting, sophomore Damezi Anderson played a career game with solid shooting in the first half. He drilled two mid-range shots from the baseline and added a pair of threes from the distance. Anderson was heralded for his shooting when he was recruited by Indiana, but fans have yet to see him show off his skills in a game setting. He finally backed up the comments we have heard from Archie and other players tonight.
The only way that Troy could really stop the Hoosiers was by fouling, which is exactly what they did. Indiana reached the foul line 14 times in the first half and and another 15 times in the second. This Indiana team is going to heavily rely on the charity stripe and the early set of games have shown that in full force. IU converted 21 of 30 tonight.
If you are gonna play a bunch of cupcakes, at least schedule a road game in there. It’s the end of the season that counts, and those tourney games won’t be at Assembly Hall.