Indiana University Athletics
Wednesday, November 22
Bloomington, Ind.
7:00 PM
Indiana University
3-2
87
vs
70
Arkansas State
2-3
1
2
F
Arkansas State
33
37
70
Indiana
47
40
87
Morgan Gets 'Dog Points' in Indiana Victory
11/22/2017 9:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana – Sometimes when you're Indiana's Juwan Morgan and the moments to thrive keep coming, you capitalize.
Or, as teammate DeRon Davis puts it, you get "dog points."
And if that means borrowing a little shoulder shimmy free throw action from NBA superstar Kevin Durant, all the better.
Case in point -- Wednesday night's 87-70 victory over Arkansas State, which was Morgan's latest example of dominance through hustle.
The 6-7 junior forward totaled a career-high 28 points (10 more than ever before) on just 11 shots, none of which came from three-point range. His 10-for-10 free throw shooting makes him 19-for-20 in the last two games. It was a major follow-up to the 15-point, 10-rebound effort he had three days earlier against South Florida.
But those are just numbers. To get to the heart of a guy no longer overshadowed by more heralded former teammates such as Yogi Ferrell, Troy Williams, Thomas Bryant, OG Anunoboy and James Blackmon Jr., let's turn to Davis.
"It's his work ethic. He's always pushing us in practice, our defensive drills, our rebounding drills. We have to have eyes on Juwan. He's a real simple player. He just does the dog points. He's a big help to our team."
What are "dog points?"
"It's everything we need as a team," Davis said. "Rebounds. Loose balls. Fifty-50 balls.
"If I tip a ball out, Juwan will get it. If there's a loose ball, Juwan is getting it. Those are the dog points I'm talking about."
Morgan is fine with the "dog" label.
"I've always taken pride in it. I knew when I got here, I wasn't going to be the man with Yogi and Troy, then James, Rob, OG and Thomas. I knew I was going to be in the background. If I can get us extra possessions, and everybody else shines, I'm fine with that."
Morgan's performance didn't surprise Arkansas State coach Mike Balado.
"He's an excellent player. He's going to be a big player in the Big Ten. He is mobile, very skilled and plays hard."
Morgan's early season inconsistency has become a thing of the past, and is likely to stay that way.
"Early on I was trying to force things," he said. "I was trying to be something I wasn't. I knew the things I was great at, to keep emphasizing that. I knew I could get just about every offensive rebound I really wanted to. I kept telling myself, go get it, go get it. Everything else seemed to flow."
Added coach Archie Miller: "He's playing with great confidence, and it has nothing to do with jump shots. He's playing hard. He has the ability to get on the glass. In general, he's finished better."
As for his hot free throw shooting, Morgan said, "It's from watching Kevin Durant. His whole shimmy and everything. I felt comfortable doing that. I give credit to him."
Davis' response – "Wow."
IU (3-2) didn't wow its way to victory (Miller was especially unhappy about the transition defense), but it did shoot 50 percent from the field with 15 assists against eight turnovers. The 87 points are a season high.
The Hoosiers got 12 points from Devonte Green, and 10 each from Davis (who added eight rebounds) and Robert Johnson (who also had eight rebounds).
"We did enough to win," Miller said. "Arkansas State did a lot of things that challenged us."
IU started slowly, falling behind 16-12, then took control for a 47-33 halftime lead.
A blowout seemed imminent.
It wasn't.
The Red Wolves (2-3) rallied to within three points three times in the second half before Indiana surged in the final eight minutes.
"In the last four to five minutes, we capitalized on some really good opportunities," Miller said.
IU has less that 48 hours to prepare for Eastern Michigan (4-0), which uses the 2-3 matchup zone defense to offense-stifling affect. It's the final game of the Hoosier Tip-off Classic. The winner takes the tourney title.
The Eastern Michigan zone's similarities to Syracuse's formidable defense isn't by accident. Eastern Michigan coach Rob Murphy is a former Syracuse assistant.
"The zone we see on Friday," Miller said, "will be the best zone we see all season."
Or, as teammate DeRon Davis puts it, you get "dog points."
And if that means borrowing a little shoulder shimmy free throw action from NBA superstar Kevin Durant, all the better.
Case in point -- Wednesday night's 87-70 victory over Arkansas State, which was Morgan's latest example of dominance through hustle.
The 6-7 junior forward totaled a career-high 28 points (10 more than ever before) on just 11 shots, none of which came from three-point range. His 10-for-10 free throw shooting makes him 19-for-20 in the last two games. It was a major follow-up to the 15-point, 10-rebound effort he had three days earlier against South Florida.
But those are just numbers. To get to the heart of a guy no longer overshadowed by more heralded former teammates such as Yogi Ferrell, Troy Williams, Thomas Bryant, OG Anunoboy and James Blackmon Jr., let's turn to Davis.
"It's his work ethic. He's always pushing us in practice, our defensive drills, our rebounding drills. We have to have eyes on Juwan. He's a real simple player. He just does the dog points. He's a big help to our team."
What are "dog points?"
"It's everything we need as a team," Davis said. "Rebounds. Loose balls. Fifty-50 balls.
"If I tip a ball out, Juwan will get it. If there's a loose ball, Juwan is getting it. Those are the dog points I'm talking about."
Morgan is fine with the "dog" label.
"I've always taken pride in it. I knew when I got here, I wasn't going to be the man with Yogi and Troy, then James, Rob, OG and Thomas. I knew I was going to be in the background. If I can get us extra possessions, and everybody else shines, I'm fine with that."
Morgan's performance didn't surprise Arkansas State coach Mike Balado.
"He's an excellent player. He's going to be a big player in the Big Ten. He is mobile, very skilled and plays hard."
Morgan's early season inconsistency has become a thing of the past, and is likely to stay that way.
"Early on I was trying to force things," he said. "I was trying to be something I wasn't. I knew the things I was great at, to keep emphasizing that. I knew I could get just about every offensive rebound I really wanted to. I kept telling myself, go get it, go get it. Everything else seemed to flow."
Added coach Archie Miller: "He's playing with great confidence, and it has nothing to do with jump shots. He's playing hard. He has the ability to get on the glass. In general, he's finished better."
As for his hot free throw shooting, Morgan said, "It's from watching Kevin Durant. His whole shimmy and everything. I felt comfortable doing that. I give credit to him."
Davis' response – "Wow."
IU (3-2) didn't wow its way to victory (Miller was especially unhappy about the transition defense), but it did shoot 50 percent from the field with 15 assists against eight turnovers. The 87 points are a season high.
The Hoosiers got 12 points from Devonte Green, and 10 each from Davis (who added eight rebounds) and Robert Johnson (who also had eight rebounds).
"We did enough to win," Miller said. "Arkansas State did a lot of things that challenged us."
IU started slowly, falling behind 16-12, then took control for a 47-33 halftime lead.
A blowout seemed imminent.
It wasn't.
The Red Wolves (2-3) rallied to within three points three times in the second half before Indiana surged in the final eight minutes.
"In the last four to five minutes, we capitalized on some really good opportunities," Miller said.
IU has less that 48 hours to prepare for Eastern Michigan (4-0), which uses the 2-3 matchup zone defense to offense-stifling affect. It's the final game of the Hoosier Tip-off Classic. The winner takes the tourney title.
The Eastern Michigan zone's similarities to Syracuse's formidable defense isn't by accident. Eastern Michigan coach Rob Murphy is a former Syracuse assistant.
"The zone we see on Friday," Miller said, "will be the best zone we see all season."
Team Stats
ASU
IND
FG%
.419
.500
3FG%
.368
.278
FT%
.733
.762
RB
33
43
TO
11
8
STL
4
5
Game Leaders
Pts
28
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
10
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's BasketballIUVB vs. Michigan: Highlights
Saturday, October 11
FB: Under the Hood with Indiana Football - Week 7 (at Oregon)
Thursday, October 09
IUWBB at 2025 Big Ten Media Day
Wednesday, October 08
FB: Aiden Fisher Media Availability (10/7/25)
Tuesday, October 07