hmhernan
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1. Thomas Bryant After some highs and lows over the past few weeks, Bryant played well Tuesday night finishing 8 of 9 from the field with a career-high of 20 points. Bryant also pulled down five rebounds and added two assists and two blocks. Going in to Tuesday night’s game, Bryant was first on the team and 7th in the nation in 2-point percentage, shooting 74.6 percent on 50 of 67 shots. Bryant was active in the paint on the offensive end, proving he can be effective, if and when, IU’s guards feed him the ball. He had 10 points early with 11:45 left in the first half, running the floor and adding some good, strong finishes for the Hoosiers. He is likely to be a big factor for IU with its remaining schedule if it continues to feed him the ball inside, if he can keep up and compete with guys who are bigger and stronger than him, with more experience. Bryant led the way for IU with 14 points in the first half. Kennesaw State proved to be a good opportunity for Bryant to tune-up, offensively, before IU begins Big Ten play. He has the heart, the passion and the offense, but Bryant still struggled some on defense. After being torn up by Notre Dame, Bryant didn’t show much improvement against Kennesaw State. All of Bryant’s highlights Tuesday night came offensively, while he remains fairly quiet on defense. If IU has any hope at hanging with the bigs in conference play, Bryant has to learn how to defend under the basket and not get in foul trouble. After Tuesday night’s game, he addressed the team is aware of this and needs to improve as a group before moving forward. IU is likely to struggle if it cannot figure out what to do on defense in the coming weeks. The Hoosiers simply won’t be able to win games while letting players drive into the lane to shoot easy layups. 2. OG Anunoby Anunoby had 11 minutes off the bench Tuesday night for the Hoosiers with five points, two rebounds and one block. He made his first collegiate three with a hand in his face as the shot clock was running down in the final minute of the game. His other two points came from a layup. He seems to be emerging as a player with a lot of potential for IU, judging by his highlight performance against Notre Dame and then Tuesday night against Kennesaw State. It was nice to see Anunoby getting more minutes as IU continues to struggle to find a lineup of guys that will consistently exert 110% effort, while playing defense. His numbers offensively don’t suggest a key player, but defense and rebounding is where Anunoby matters. I think Anunoby is a good option off the bench for the Hoosiers. Anunoby has been playing more defense than other IU forwards, like Troy Williams, and is also calm and composed when he has the ball. For being a freshman, he goes out there and will do whatever job needs to be done, whether it be rebounding or on defense, and he has the ability to make plays on offense. He’s a player that doesn’t have too many turnovers and I think coach Tom Crean should be considering giving him significant minutes as the Big Ten season begins. He has shown he can have an impact in tight situations and he could be useful for IU down the stretch. 3. Juwan Morgan Morgan entered the game early in the second half and showed right away that he has the potential to be a key defender for IU when he is fully healthy. He had 11 minutes Tuesday night and although his presence is not there yet offensively, on the other end, he was a breath of fresh air for an IU team lacking in defense. I thought it was good to see him get some quality minutes and be rewarded for his effort of play while other IU starters sat the bench for not playing defense. He finished with a dunk, two rebounds, one block and one steal against Kennesaw State and the crowd definitely noticed his efforts to contest shots, get defensive stops and hustle on both ends of the court. After missing some time due to injuries, it may be too early to say, but Morgan showed he has potential to be one of IU’s best defensive players right now. His presence is key and he could find himself seeing more minutes when IU really needs the help on defense. For a freshman, the offensive threat will come with experience as he gets more comfortable and I think he has definitely shown he deserves to play with his ability to change the outcome on defense. On an IU team full of shooters, Morgan is one guy who looks like he sees the importance of the other end of the court as well. 4. Harrison Niego Niego only had three minutes of playing time Tuesday night and spent some time as the point guard for IU towards the final minute of the game. With Yogi Ferrell, Collin Hartman, Robert Johnson and James Blackmon Jr. dominating the guard positions, Niego will be likely to remain on the bench and it looks like this won’t change-no matter how large of a lead IU has. 5. Quentin Taylor Taylor and Niego remain the only freshmen that have yet to see significant minutes for the Hoosiers. Against Kennesaw State, Taylor only had about 30 seconds of playing time.
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These three games for IU in between Duke and Notre Dame are its only chance to improve and hopefully get that defense under control. My only guess would be that Crean left the starters in to reinforce some of these fundamentals and basics, but regardless, everyone looked sloppy at times so I think giving the freshmen a chance would have been a nice break, especially if Crean comments on how run-down his starters are. I'm right with you on the fact that Bryant has never experienced a game like Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. I think it was good for him to experience this early on to know what he could potentially be up against for the rest of the season. Maui and Duke could have been a fluke and Bryant might actually show that he can be a great player on the road. I think it is just too early to tell with IU's only away games outside of Assembly Hall coming from a neutral-setting in Maui and the debacle at Duke.
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Yes, good news on Morgan. I'll update if I hear anything more on his status. I agree, I think Anunoby has the potential to make a big impact as a Hoosier in his years to come. But if IU handles IPFW and McNeese State in the same fashion as Morehead State and Anunoby still only has four minutes, then a dreaded injury may be the only other chance Anunoby has to increase his playing time. We've seen a little bit of that already with Anunoby being the first freshman off the bench, while Morgan is hurt.
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Indiana basketball silenced some of the unrest of its fans Saturday night in a must-win 92-59 victory against Morehead State. Here’s an up-to-date section of the Freshman Tracker, done by IU student Hailey Hernandez. Here's the latest installment of our Freshman Tracker looking at how Indiana's freshmen fared in the most recent game of the season. 1. Thomas Bryant After Bryant struggled in a tough game against Duke, he performed much better Saturday night with 14 points, six rebounds and one block. Crean said Bryant has been banged up and missing some practice time, so he didn’t know how Bryant would play. But Bryant looked fine for the most part, shooting 4 for 4 from the field. He had more action in the post, breaking out a nice reverse layup and going to the line for the chance at a three-point play, where he missed his only free throw of the game. He was 6 of 7 from behind the line. Bryant had some competition from the IU bench from forward Max Bielfeldt. Bielfeldt had 12 points, four rebounds and three blocks. I think this could have been a wake-up call for Bryant to realize that his position can somewhat be threatened. Bryant had 21 minutes of play and was loaning some of his minutes to Bielfeldt, who was holding the Hoosiers accountable for the little things both on offense and defense. Bielfeldt has a couple years of experience ahead of Bryant, and he stepped up Saturday night. Crean saw Bielfeldt take on this leadership spot on the court, as Bryant sat the bench while Bielfeldt was doing well. Bryant’s big moment came from back-to-back dunks in the second half, which made the crowd go wild. His energy was back near the normal 'Thomas-Bryant level'. He is the kind of player fans and teammates alike all feed off of. He seemed to have some of his confidence back he was lacking against Duke. I think this was a good game for Bryant, and the rest of the team, to get back to the basics and reinforce some of the fundamentals. So far, we’ve seen Bryant plays well against teams that are less of a competition for the Hoosiers. He’s had good games against teams like Creighton and Morehead State, but he’s a different player against teams a team like Duke.. Additionally, he plays well at home and seems to struggle on the road. Something about him falls asleep or cracks under the pressure of a highly anticipated game. I can see his consistency improving as the season goes on and he has more experience playing at the college level. He needs to have it figured out sooner, rather than later though, because the first Big Ten game for IU will take place on the road on Dec. 30 at Rutgers. Bryant needs to continue taking these steps in the right direction during IU’s next two games against IPFW on Dec. 9 and McNeese State on Dec. 12, both at Assembly Hall. The next real test for IU will be in Indianapolis Dec. 19 to play in the Crossroads Classic, where it will take on Notre Dame. 2. O.G. Anunoby Anunoby only saw four minutes on the court Saturday night and I think he should have seen a lot more. IU won by more than 30 points and its largest lead of the game was 41 points. I’m not sure what Crean was trying to accomplish leaving the starters in for that long, but Anunoby entered the game Saturday night for the first time with 12:17 left in the second half. Anunoby had two defensive rebounds and one block. I think Crean should have left him in there long enough to at least give him a chance to shoot the ball. Anunoby did have two turnovers and two fouls, but with a lead that large, I hoped he would have some significant minutes and I was disappointed with how long he remained on the bench. It would have been a good opportunity for Anunoby to get experience and become more comfortable on the court. 3. Harrison Niego Niego was another freshman who only played four minutes Saturday night when I thought he should have seen more. Niego was 0 for 1 from the field with a missed shot from a drive in the paint. He had one defensive rebound. He did not have any turnovers. In my opinion, he handled the ball well. Although it is hard to get a good look at the type of player Niego is with how limited his playing time has been. 4. Quentin Taylor Taylor didn’t enter the game until the last minute of the second half. Again, when IU is winning by more than 30 points, I don’t know why Crean didn’t put the subs in sooner. It would have been good for these guys to see game time because it is next to impossible to know how they will perform in a real situation, outside of practice. 5. Juwan Morgan After being injured back in Maui, Morgan remained on the bench Saturday night. He was not wearing a walking boot on his right foot anymore, which should be a good sign. [url=https://btownbanners.com/page/index.html/_/basketball/freshman-tracker-morehead-state-r281]Click here to view the article[/url]
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Here's the latest installment of our Freshman Tracker looking at how Indiana's freshmen fared in the most recent game of the season. 1. Thomas Bryant After Bryant struggled in a tough game against Duke, he performed much better Saturday night with 14 points, six rebounds and one block. Crean said Bryant has been banged up and missing some practice time, so he didn’t know how Bryant would play. But Bryant looked fine for the most part, shooting 4 for 4 from the field. He had more action in the post, breaking out a nice reverse layup and going to the line for the chance at a three-point play, where he missed his only free throw of the game. He was 6 of 7 from behind the line. Bryant had some competition from the IU bench from forward Max Bielfeldt. Bielfeldt had 12 points, four rebounds and three blocks. I think this could have been a wake-up call for Bryant to realize that his position can somewhat be threatened. Bryant had 21 minutes of play and was loaning some of his minutes to Bielfeldt, who was holding the Hoosiers accountable for the little things both on offense and defense. Bielfeldt has a couple years of experience ahead of Bryant, and he stepped up Saturday night. Crean saw Bielfeldt take on this leadership spot on the court, as Bryant sat the bench while Bielfeldt was doing well. Bryant’s big moment came from back-to-back dunks in the second half, which made the crowd go wild. His energy was back near the normal 'Thomas-Bryant level'. He is the kind of player fans and teammates alike all feed off of. He seemed to have some of his confidence back he was lacking against Duke. I think this was a good game for Bryant, and the rest of the team, to get back to the basics and reinforce some of the fundamentals. So far, we’ve seen Bryant plays well against teams that are less of a competition for the Hoosiers. He’s had good games against teams like Creighton and Morehead State, but he’s a different player against teams a team like Duke.. Additionally, he plays well at home and seems to struggle on the road. Something about him falls asleep or cracks under the pressure of a highly anticipated game. I can see his consistency improving as the season goes on and he has more experience playing at the college level. He needs to have it figured out sooner, rather than later though, because the first Big Ten game for IU will take place on the road on Dec. 30 at Rutgers. Bryant needs to continue taking these steps in the right direction during IU’s next two games against IPFW on Dec. 9 and McNeese State on Dec. 12, both at Assembly Hall. The next real test for IU will be in Indianapolis Dec. 19 to play in the Crossroads Classic, where it will take on Notre Dame. 2. O.G. Anunoby Anunoby only saw four minutes on the court Saturday night and I think he should have seen a lot more. IU won by more than 30 points and its largest lead of the game was 41 points. I’m not sure what Crean was trying to accomplish leaving the starters in for that long, but Anunoby entered the game Saturday night for the first time with 12:17 left in the second half. Anunoby had two defensive rebounds and one block. I think Crean should have left him in there long enough to at least give him a chance to shoot the ball. Anunoby did have two turnovers and two fouls, but with a lead that large, I hoped he would have some significant minutes and I was disappointed with how long he remained on the bench. It would have been a good opportunity for Anunoby to get experience and become more comfortable on the court. 3. Harrison Niego Niego was another freshman who only played four minutes Saturday night when I thought he should have seen more. Niego was 0 for 1 from the field with a missed shot from a drive in the paint. He had one defensive rebound. He did not have any turnovers. In my opinion, he handled the ball well. Although it is hard to get a good look at the type of player Niego is with how limited his playing time has been. 4. Quentin Taylor Taylor didn’t enter the game until the last minute of the second half. Again, when IU is winning by more than 30 points, I don’t know why Crean didn’t put the subs in sooner. It would have been good for these guys to see game time because it is next to impossible to know how they will perform in a real situation, outside of practice. 5. Juwan Morgan After being injured back in Maui, Morgan remained on the bench Saturday night. He was not wearing a walking boot on his right foot anymore, which should be a good sign. -
If IU is winning by that much, I think O.G. should definitely be getting a chance to play more minutes. I would expect the Hoosiers shouldn't have much a problem the next three games, but then again at this point I really don't know what to expect from them anymore
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Thanks for reading. I also expected Bryant to want to come out and play well. His energy and emotion played a part in some of IU's early games, and I thought that would be demonstrated against Duke, but I was wrong. He has ability and talent, so there's really no excuse for his performance Wednesday night, except lack of effort. Bryant needs to learn quickly that if he isn't doing his job, he will sit the bench and IU will be without a big man again. But first...on the other hand, coaches need to enforce that if you aren't doing your job, you will be sitting the bench.
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I certainly agree with you. There is no reason why O.G. should still be sitting the bench when IU has a lead. There really isn't a reason why he is sitting when the starters are doing so poorly either, but I think its the easy way out for Crean to just depend on a few players to do the job.
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I'm not sure either why Bryant has struggled so much in the past few games, but then again, so has the rest of the team. If he can get back to how he was playing against Creighton, then I can see him taking some much-needed steps in the right direction. I think it's just a matter of someone enforcing the fact that if he doesn't rebound- he is useless and he will be sitting. There isn't any reason to have him on the court if he's not going to do his job. The bad air all started in Maui, and I don't think IU has had time to recover yet. I'm really hoping they pick up the intensity a little because this season is far from being over. I agree with the fact that O.G. could potentially be the missing piece that IU drastically needs, but in his defense, he hasn't had enough time to prove himself yet. I hope he gets some significant minutes in the next few games, because at this point, the Hoosiers really don't have that much more to lose.
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The players even talked after the Alcorn State game about being ready to go and Troy mentioned he came to Indiana to play big-time games like this, but they simply just didn't have the energy or momentum and I haven't been able to figure out why. Bryant can only do so much, and I think part of that responsibility of getting the team in the right mindset falls on guys like Yogi, Troy, Zeisloft or even Hartman. I agree with you that Bryant was following the lead of the upperclassmen, and he quit when they did. It will be a tough cycle to break if a lack of motivation keeps circling around this team. The group of freshman do seem like a good group of guys who are eager to play, so maybe some fresh bodies will be what IU needs to help get over all of the frustration so far this season. It should be interesting to see if they get anymore playing time during IU's next three games before it faces Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic. I certainly don't think Niego or Taylor can do any worse than the performance the starters had against Duke, but that will just be a matter of whether Crean is willing to give them a chance. Thanks for following the article.
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Thanks for the read, I appreciate it. Bryant knew he was going to be tested against Plumlee, and not only did he fail that test, but I think he failed to compete against any of the Duke players, on the defensive end especially. I thought the Hoosiers just showed a huge lack of effort and that was disappointing. As for O.G., hopefully in the next stretch of games he will get more of a chance to develop himself into a player that Crean would consider using as a threat off the bench. I did like the idea of Johnson possibly working his way into the starting lineup, though.
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Many people hoped the Maui trip was the wake-up call that IU basketball needed, but in the Hoosiers' Wednesday night 94-74 loss at Duke, it is clear they just aren’t ready for this sort of a matchup. It was the same story all over again with tragic defense, although this time it was magnified. Here’s the latest installment of the freshman tracker done by IU student Hailey Hernandez. 1. Thomas Bryant IU needed a big performance from Bryant Wednesday night if it had any chance at running with Duke, and unfortunately Bryant fell short. Very short. He had just six points. He did add two assists, two blocks and one steal, but the most unimpressive category for him on Wednesday night was his zero rebounds. There were too many times on defense where Bryant was caught standing around and guarding empty space- if you can even call it guarding. Although one can argue size was a factor, he let many Duke players continue to drive and score in the paint. The height of the Blue Devils did not matter. Their guards, centers and forwards all had uncontested layups and were given too many second, third and fourth chances to score with each possession. Bryant wasn’t boxing out, he wasn’t rebounding and he wasn’t playing defense. The lack of his boxing out tonight was something concerning for me. Even if your shots aren’t falling or you’re not getting good looks or if you get lost on defense for a second, the easiest thing to do is find someone to block out to get a rebound. It looked like Bryant had given up after the game started to go sour and no one made any effort to correct him. Against less-competitive teams, he has shown he does have the ability to play a significant part of the IU starting lineup, but against Duke, he was just not a factor. He scored all six of his points during the first half and didn’t help the Hoosiers after things started to drastically fall apart after halftime. Bryant shot 2 of 4 from the field with a short jumper and after receiving a nice pass from James Blackmon Jr., Bryant finished with a dunk. Bryant added two free throws, and now averages 58.3 percent from behind the line. Bryant had spurts of hustle and was fouled into a cameraman on the baseline, but thankfully wasn’t injured. Overall, Bryant moved up and down the court fairly well but at times it was evident he was tired after long stretches of play. I only noticed a few times during Bryant’s 26 minutes of play where he was getting the team together to bring up the tempo. Part of this could be attributed to the fact that it wasn’t shown on television, or just the fact that he didn’t really know how to handle the opposing energy on and off the court. If Bryant is to take away anything from this game, I would hope he realizes how important he is for IU in all aspects- rebounding, defense and offense. When he watches the game film, maybe someone will tell him that feeding a bounce pass to the feet of his teammate cutting backdoor won’t get him anywhere the first time, or the second time. This was Bryant’s first experience with a true road game for IU and maybe it is just bad luck that this first test came in Cameron Indoor Stadium. I’m going to go ahead and give him the benefit of the doubt saying maybe his nerves and inexperience got the best of him. Wednesday night he showed he still has a lot to learn, but the Hoosiers are just eight games into their season. I hope that Bryant is just getting started and that he doesn’t get complacent. With the pressure and high expectations for this season, he will need to show he can handle the pressure. 2. O.G. Anunoby Anunoby entered the game for the first time pretty early on for Collin Hartman with 9:31 left in the first half. In 7 minutes of play, he had a good layup right off the bat and looked promising at times on defense – he was moving his feet. Although on Wednesday night, any attempt at playing defense would look better than some of the performances from IU’s starters or off its bench. 3. Harrison Niego, Quentin Taylor and Juwan Morgan Niego and Taylor did not have any playing time against Duke, while Morgan still remains injured and in a walking boot after IU’s game against UNLV back in Maui. [url=https://btownbanners.com/page/index.html/_/basketball/freshman-tracker-duke-r278]Click here to view the article[/url]
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1. Thomas Bryant IU needed a big performance from Bryant Wednesday night if it had any chance at running with Duke, and unfortunately Bryant fell short. Very short. He had just six points. He did add two assists, two blocks and one steal, but the most unimpressive category for him on Wednesday night was his zero rebounds. There were too many times on defense where Bryant was caught standing around and guarding empty space- if you can even call it guarding. Although one can argue size was a factor, he let many Duke players continue to drive and score in the paint. The height of the Blue Devils did not matter. Their guards, centers and forwards all had uncontested layups and were given too many second, third and fourth chances to score with each possession. Bryant wasn’t boxing out, he wasn’t rebounding and he wasn’t playing defense. The lack of his boxing out tonight was something concerning for me. Even if your shots aren’t falling or you’re not getting good looks or if you get lost on defense for a second, the easiest thing to do is find someone to block out to get a rebound. It looked like Bryant had given up after the game started to go sour and no one made any effort to correct him. Against less-competitive teams, he has shown he does have the ability to play a significant part of the IU starting lineup, but against Duke, he was just not a factor. He scored all six of his points during the first half and didn’t help the Hoosiers after things started to drastically fall apart after halftime. Bryant shot 2 of 4 from the field with a short jumper and after receiving a nice pass from James Blackmon Jr., Bryant finished with a dunk. Bryant added two free throws, and now averages 58.3 percent from behind the line. Bryant had spurts of hustle and was fouled into a cameraman on the baseline, but thankfully wasn’t injured. Overall, Bryant moved up and down the court fairly well but at times it was evident he was tired after long stretches of play. I only noticed a few times during Bryant’s 26 minutes of play where he was getting the team together to bring up the tempo. Part of this could be attributed to the fact that it wasn’t shown on television, or just the fact that he didn’t really know how to handle the opposing energy on and off the court. If Bryant is to take away anything from this game, I would hope he realizes how important he is for IU in all aspects- rebounding, defense and offense. When he watches the game film, maybe someone will tell him that feeding a bounce pass to the feet of his teammate cutting backdoor won’t get him anywhere the first time, or the second time. This was Bryant’s first experience with a true road game for IU and maybe it is just bad luck that this first test came in Cameron Indoor Stadium. I’m going to go ahead and give him the benefit of the doubt saying maybe his nerves and inexperience got the best of him. Wednesday night he showed he still has a lot to learn, but the Hoosiers are just eight games into their season. I hope that Bryant is just getting started and that he doesn’t get complacent. With the pressure and high expectations for this season, he will need to show he can handle the pressure. 2. O.G. Anunoby Anunoby entered the game for the first time pretty early on for Collin Hartman with 9:31 left in the first half. In 7 minutes of play, he had a good layup right off the bat and looked promising at times on defense – he was moving his feet. Although on Wednesday night, any attempt at playing defense would look better than some of the performances from IU’s starters or off its bench. 3. Harrison Niego, Quentin Taylor and Juwan Morgan Niego and Taylor did not have any playing time against Duke, while Morgan still remains injured and in a walking boot after IU’s game against UNLV back in Maui. -
1. Thomas Bryant Bryant went 5 for 7 from the field, and 3 for 5 in free throws. He was the second-leading scorer for the Hoosiers with 13 points. Yogi Ferrell also had 13 and James Blackmon Jr. led the Hoosiers with 33 points. Bryant had five rebounds, two assists one block and one steal in his 20 minutes on the court. He did lead the team in turnovers though, with three of IU’s 12. After the disastrous trip to Maui, Bryant looked like his normal self on Monday night coming out right away with his energy. This could have to do with the fact that he just plays better at home. On Wednesday night the Hoosiers will travel to Durham to play Duke, which will be a true road game and the most important test for IU so far. Bryant, 6’ 10” will have to face 7’ 0” center, Marshall Plumlee. Bryant had some better defense tonight and hustled up and down the court, even when IU was up 40 points. Bryant battled inside for the Hoosiers, taking good shots and working to get open. He knows which shots he can make and he quickly learned after Creighton, he’s not going to be the one shooting all of the three-pointers. One thing I’ve noticed about Bryant is how strong he is down low, on offense and defense. On offense, he continues to have a presence down low that is a good option for IU, on nights where its outside shots aren’t falling. He always goes up and finishes strong, which helps him keep a consistent spot on the Hoosiers starting lineup. 2. O.G. Anunoby Anunoby played 17 minutes and had four points with one field goal and two free throws. He also added four rebounds and one assist Monday night. He looked more comfortable on the court, compared to IU’s overall sloppy performance last week against Wake Forest during the Maui Invitational. Anunoby also had two turnovers immediately following two of his rebounds. Although he didn’t enter the game until 8:59 left in the first half, with his athleticism and a little bit more experience and control, he has the ability to be a threat on both ends of the court. With freshman teammate Juwan Morgan in a walking boot, he may see more playing time coming in to give forward Collin Hartman a breather. 3. Harrison Niego Niego came in off the bench and made a three-pointer from deep in the corner to give him his first points as a Hoosier. After he hit the shot, the IU bench was on its feet, clearly enthused for the guard’s first made shot. He didn’t look anxious or nervous out there, and in his three minutes of play, he showed composure and hustle. He also added a steal and a turnover. It was clear he wanted to take advantage of his chance on the court and he brought fresh energy that was easy to see after IU had a 47-point lead. 4. Quentin Taylor Taylor had about two minutes of play on Monday night, entering the game after IU had a 47-point lead. In my opinion, it would have been nice to give Niego and Taylor a few more minutes of action with such a substantial lead, but then again Crean could argue he was using every available minute to allow the starters a chance to work on fundamentals before taking on the Blue Devils on Wednesday. 5. Juwan Morgan Morgan remained on the bench with a walking boot on his right foot after being hurt in the UNLV game. According to Crean, the Hoosiers will be without Morgan for a little while.
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1. Thomas Bryant Bryant had a season-high 19 points and was the second leading scorer for the Hoosiers, behind Yogi Ferrell with 22 points. Bryant went 7 for 9 from the field and 5 for 7 in free throws. In his five games with IU, Bryant is averaging 73.5 percent in field goals. He only had three rebounds in his 22 minutes of play, also adding an assist, turnover and block. In the first half, Bryant led IU in scoring with 15 points. He played more aggressively and showed some hustle moving up and down the court that he didn’t have against Wake Forest. Overall, he looked more active on both offense and defense, again using his favorite move with the baseline spin. Bryant was out-rebounded by teammates Ferrell, Collin Hartman and Troy Williams but he seemed ready to play today. Most of his action came in the first half, but he was able to find the energy and emotion that he lacked on Monday night. St. John’s didn’t have anyone for Bryant to really compete with, and after only scoring eight points against Wake Forest in IU’s first loss of the season, Bryant needed a game to pick himself back up before he could move forward. IU will face UNLV on Wednesday for fifth place. UNLV’s freshman center, Stephen Zimmerman, will be a tough matchup for Bryant and the Hoosiers will need Bryant to show up ready to go in terms of rebounds and scoring down low. Although Bryant has high expectations and has proven he is a valuable piece to the team, he is still a freshman and he will have his fair share of good games and bad games until he is able to find a level of consistency through his offensive and defensive play as the season progresses. 2. Juwan Morgan Morgan found himself checking in early as the second sub off the bench to play 11 minutes on Tuesday. He had two points, going 1 for 2 in field goals, and also added one offensive rebound. This is the most playing time Morgan has seen so far this season, however he still doesn’t have a huge presence on the floor. Whether he played because he deserved it or he played because Coach Tom Crean was punishing Williams, he did well. He looked more relaxed on the court than he did last week against Creighton. Collin Hartman subbed in for Morgan, after being whistled for his only foul of the game. Morgan went back in the game for Williams six minutes later, in the first half. In the second half, Morgan took James Blackmon Jr.’s place after Blackmon Jr. committed his third personal foul. It was in the second half that Morgan had his only shot attempts, points and rebound. The fact that he was ready to go when called upon is something to be noted about Morgan. Crean sat two of his starters with Blackmon Jr. and Williams and this allowed for Morgan to have a chance in the game. Without much of an impact for the freshman, Morgan didn’t necessarily do much of anything that was either right or wrong. 3. IU freshman O.G. Anunoby, Harrison Niego and Quentin Taylor didn’t see any playing time against St. John’s.
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Yes, he hasn't had much of a chance yet. Thanks for reading.
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Here is the latest installment done by IU student Hailey Hernandez following Indiana’s freshmen in their first loss of the season Monday night against Wake Forest 82-78, in the first round of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. 1. Thomas Bryant After being awarded Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Bryant certainly played like a freshman on Monday night. In what should have been a win for IU, the Hoosiers fell apart on defense and couldn’t produce when it mattered most. Bryant looked inexperienced and lost at times against Wake Forest physical play and senior Devin Thomas. The Demon Deacons potentially exposed a big weakness in Bryant, his inability to guard the ball screen and his poor footwork. In 28 minutes of play, Bryant didn’t have the same presence on the floor and didn’t have his normal level of emotion he has quickly been known to bring. He just looked flat and unaware of what was happening on the court with missed passes, missed free throws, going 4 for 7, and a missed dunk. He finished with eight points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots. Bryant also added two assists, two turnovers and one steal. He was 2 for 5 from the field, and he did look to have his shooting under better control Monday night, without taking too many contested shots from the perimeter. Although I was expecting Bryant to perform at a higher level, he could have used this experience against Wake Forest as an opportunity to grow and improve. Especially when IU isn’t shooting lights out from behind the arc, he has to learn to have control on the inside. At times, he looked effortless when rebounding and I didn’t see him make any adjustments throughout the game or after the half, which was disappointing because the Hoosiers could’ve really used him. In his first few games at Assembly Hall, Bryant has brought the crowd to its feet and brought an excessive amount of energy and excitement to fans and players alike. But in all of those instances, IU has been winning the game, and has been at home. I didn’t see that from him tonight, during an away game when IU was losing. Even if Bryant was not making the impact IU needed from its big man in terms of inside shooting and rebounds, it would have been nice to see him continue to play with that same emotion even when the Hoosiers are doing poorly. He clearly has the ability to spark enthusiasm on the court, so I would like to see him express that during the full 40 minutes of the game, regardless of the score. I think he will be more effective after the test provided by Wake Forest. Bryant has played well for a freshman, but once things fell apart for Indiana, he was essentially done. Bryant seems hungry and determined enough to want to improve and bring success to the team, so it will be interesting to see how he fares in the rest of the Maui Invite and before the conference season begins if he chooses to work on aspects of his game, or if he sits back and lets IU’s opponents continue to dominate him while he stands around on defense. 2. O.G. Anunoby Anunoby was 0 for 1 in field goals Monday night with a missed layup in the first half. He only saw three minutes on the court. With the way IU was struggling, it appeared Crean had Anunoby check in to see if he could get something going for IU in terms of rebounds, and he did not do any better than the rest of the team. As the Hoosiers get into tougher competition, Anunoby will likely be spending time with the other freshman, with the exception of Bryant, on the bench averaging a few minutes here and there. Like the rest of the players for IU, defense is an area in which everyone can, and should, improve. 3. Juwan Morgan Morgan had a little more than a minute of play on Monday night, barely touching the ball. After having some poor defense against Creighton, Morgan looked timid and afraid to make a mistake. Although if he has the patience to stick around, along with Anunoby, they could have a significant part of the lineup when junior forwards Troy Williams and Collin Hartman and fifth-year senior Max Bielfeldt graduate or leave. 4. Harrison Niego and Quentin Taylor didn’t play Monday night against Wake Forest. [url=https://btownbanners.com/page/index.html/_/basketball/freshman-tracker-wake-forest-r270]Click here to view the article[/url]
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1. Thomas Bryant After being awarded Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Bryant certainly played like a freshman on Monday night. In what should have been a win for IU, the Hoosiers fell apart on defense and couldn’t produce when it mattered most. Bryant looked inexperienced and lost at times against Wake Forest physical play and senior Devin Thomas. The Demon Deacons potentially exposed a big weakness in Bryant, his inability to guard the ball screen and his poor footwork. In 28 minutes of play, Bryant didn’t have the same presence on the floor and didn’t have his normal level of emotion he has quickly been known to bring. He just looked flat and unaware of what was happening on the court with missed passes, missed free throws, going 4 for 7, and a missed dunk. He finished with eight points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots. Bryant also added two assists, two turnovers and one steal. He was 2 for 5 from the field, and he did look to have his shooting under better control Monday night, without taking too many contested shots from the perimeter. Although I was expecting Bryant to perform at a higher level, he could have used this experience against Wake Forest as an opportunity to grow and improve. Especially when IU isn’t shooting lights out from behind the arc, he has to learn to have control on the inside. At times, he looked effortless when rebounding and I didn’t see him make any adjustments throughout the game or after the half, which was disappointing because the Hoosiers could’ve really used him. In his first few games at Assembly Hall, Bryant has brought the crowd to its feet and brought an excessive amount of energy and excitement to fans and players alike. But in all of those instances, IU has been winning the game, and has been at home. I didn’t see that from him tonight, during an away game when IU was losing. Even if Bryant was not making the impact IU needed from its big man in terms of inside shooting and rebounds, it would have been nice to see him continue to play with that same emotion even when the Hoosiers are doing poorly. He clearly has the ability to spark enthusiasm on the court, so I would like to see him express that during the full 40 minutes of the game, regardless of the score. I think he will be more effective after the test provided by Wake Forest. Bryant has played well for a freshman, but once things fell apart for Indiana, he was essentially done. Bryant seems hungry and determined enough to want to improve and bring success to the team, so it will be interesting to see how he fares in the rest of the Maui Invite and before the conference season begins if he chooses to work on aspects of his game, or if he sits back and lets IU’s opponents continue to dominate him while he stands around on defense. 2. O.G. Anunoby Anunoby was 0 for 1 in field goals Monday night with a missed layup in the first half. He only saw three minutes on the court. With the way IU was struggling, it appeared Crean had Anunoby check in to see if he could get something going for IU in terms of rebounds, and he did not do any better than the rest of the team. As the Hoosiers get into tougher competition, Anunoby will likely be spending time with the other freshman, with the exception of Bryant, on the bench averaging a few minutes here and there. Like the rest of the players for IU, defense is an area in which everyone can, and should, improve. 3. Juwan Morgan Morgan had a little more than a minute of play on Monday night, barely touching the ball. After having some poor defense against Creighton, Morgan looked timid and afraid to make a mistake. Although if he has the patience to stick around, along with Anunoby, they could have a significant part of the lineup when junior forwards Troy Williams and Collin Hartman and fifth-year senior Max Bielfeldt graduate or leave. 4. Harrison Niego and Quentin Taylor didn’t play Monday night against Wake Forest.
