By Nick Jenkinson-SCINN Sports Director
The Indiana Hoosiers Men’s Basketball team are 2-0 in exhibition play after a 76-58 win over the North Carolina Tar Heels Sunday Evening at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Indiana will wrap up Exhibition play Next Sunday when they face the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at the Ford Center in Evansville at 4 PM Bloomington Time and 3 PM Evansville Time.
Bryce Lindsay led Indiana with 26 points off the bench and had 18 in the first half. The Baltimore, Maryland Native and Villanova Transfer played 28 minutes going 8-14 from the field, 4-9 form three-point range and 6-6 from the free throw line. “I thought Bryce did a great job” Indiana Head Coach Darian DeVries said after the game. ” I thought he made some really good plays. You know some of the threes and things we see a lot.”
Darren Harris and Markus Burton added 11 points apiece and Sam Alexis scored 10 points. Indiana’s seven-foot combination of Samet Yigitoglu and Aiden Sherrell combined for 21 rebounds as Yigitoglu had 11 and had 10 as the Hoosiers dominated the Tar Heels on the glass 53-31. The Hoosiers were 25-69 from the field for 36%, 9-27 from three-point range for 33% and 17-22 from the free throw line for 77%. Indiana had 13 assists, 8 steals, 5 blocks and 15 turnovers. The Hoosiers had 37 bench points, 22 points in the paint, 19 points off turnovers, 17 second chance points and 7 fast break points.
Sayon Keita led North Carolina with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Matt Able scored 11 points and Jaydon Young added 10 points. The Tar Heels were 22-63 from the field for 35%, 7–22 from three point range for 31% and 7-13 from the free throw line for 53%. The Tar Heels had 14 assists, 10 steals, 5 blocks and 15 turnovers. North Carolina had 28 points in the paint, 19 bench points, 12 fast break points and 11 points off turnovers. The game saw 5 lead changes and three times. Indiana led 41-29 at halftime and the Hoosiers outscored North Carolina 35-29 in the second half.
North Carolina is led by Michael Malone who was NBA Coach for the Sacramento Kings from 2013-2015 and the Denver Nuggets from 2015-2025 and led the Nuggets to the NBA Championship in 2023. Malone is back in the college game for the first time since 2001 when he was an assistant coach at Manhattan. Malone was impressed with Bryce Lindsay’s performance. “It was a hell of night. He’s a good player. Markus went out early and right away (Lindsay) put his fingerprints all over the game. He is poised to have a helluva of season. To have a weapon like that off the bench is big of them.”
North Carolina beat USC 88-70 on October 9, in Greensboro North Carolina and will host Charlotte Next Tuesday in Chapel Hill at 7:30 PM before they open the season on November 2, at 7 PM against Western Carolina. For Coach Malone this game was enlightening. “Getting our butts kicked was great, it’s a hell of a learning experience if you take ownership of it.”