Friday, November 25
Bloomington, Ind.
12:30 PM
Indiana University
6-0,0-0Big Ten
90
vs
51
Jackson State
0-5,0-0SWAC
1
2
F
Jackson St.
28
23
51
Indiana
44
46
90
Bates Sets New Career-Highs in 90-51 Victory Over Jackson State
11/25/2022 2:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Xavier Johnson backpedaled without losing shooting form. Crisp ball movement had found him in the corner; the 3-point shot was launched; the Indiana senior guard's right hand stayed extended; and everyone waited for the inevitable swish.
When it came, giving Johnson his fourth 3-pointer of Friday afternoon against Jackson State, he quickly ran back on defense and more Hoosier dominance.
Welcome to a snap-shot moment of IU's 90-51 victory at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall that clinched a Hoosier Classic championship and ensured the No. 11 Hoosiers (6-0) would be undefeated for next Wednesday's Big Ten-ACC Challenge showdown with top-ranked North Carolina, also at Assembly Hall.
"North Carolina is a big team with wonderful perimeter players," coach Mike Woodson said. "They're well coached. Come Wednesday, we'll see where we are."
Johnson and sophomore guard Tamar Bates were Friday's catalysts. Johnson delivered starting dominance with 16 points and strong run-the-show direction. Bates came off the bench for a career-high 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting in 24 minutes. Both had four three-pointers and four assists.
They led IU's offensive clinic that produced 23 assists on 34 baskets with 58% shooting, 45.5% from three-point range. All 11 Hoosiers who played scored.
As the point guard, Johnson sets the tone. In his last three games, he has 18 assists against four turnovers, and made 11-of-22 shots. He's basically averaged 14 points over his last four games.
"The first couple of games, I didn't know where X was," Woodson said. "The Xavier game, he was back. He's played well since then. He made shots, ran our offense, got the ball where it need to go and defended. He has to keep it going. We need him to run our team."
Johnson said it took him a couple of games to get a "feel" for a new team that included freshmen Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau. With Hood-Schifino as a second point guard, Johnson said it took time to adjust.
"I was trying to figure out my role," he said. "Now I want to keep my teammates rolling."
Johnson said the freshman Bates arrived at IU talking trash. Last summer, now a father and steeled by a college season, he was more locked in.
"He came back with a different attitude," Johnson said. "He was more mature."
Added Woodson: "He finally had a breakout game. I'm not surprised or shocked. Last summer, he was one of best players. Today he put it all together. He made shots. He defended well. He did a lot of good things in the short minutes he played."
Maturity came from being a father. Bates arrived at Friday's press conference with eight-month-old daughter Leilani Nicole.
Balancing fatherhood with college basketball is the result, he said, of "Having an army behind me. My family does a great job when she's not here with me. It takes a lot of stress off me."
Then he got creative.
"We were trying to find our sound. It's like learning how to play the trombone. We found that sound, and now we're playing music."
Woodson took a more traditional approach in evaluating Bates.
"He had a baby. That's a big responsibility for a young kid. This summer he accepted what he was going through. He had no choice. He started to grow up. We need that from him. He can make shots and do things from an offensive standpoint we need him to do."
Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis was back after missing Wednesday's Little Rock game for precautionary reasons. In 19 minutes, he had 11 points and five rebounds.
"He didn't play a lot of minutes," Woodson said. "We'll assess where he is. He has the next few days to get ready. Guys are a little beat up. They have to get treatment and get ready for Wednesday."
Jackson State (0-5) was coming off a 78-68 loss at Michigan during which it pushed the Wolverines for most of the first half. The Tigers' first 14 games are on the road. They don't play at home until Jan. 7.
Jackson State played IU to a 9-9, six-minute tie. Then Reneau came in for a basket. Johnson hit consecutive 3-pointers after a 0-for-4 Indiana start. The Hoosiers, who had an 8-1 edge in points off turnovers, led 17-10.
A Reneau basket, a Jordan Geronimo steal and dunk, a Johnson driving layup and a Geronimo basket off a Johnson assist pushed Indiana to a 25-13 lead with nine minutes left in the half.
Then the Hoosiers ratcheted up the defense. A 19-2 run boosted the lead to 36-15. IU had forced 10 turnovers, made five steals and turned Jackson State's offense to rubble.
After a mini Jackson State surge, Bates ended the half with a 3-pointer off a Johnson assist for a 44-28 Hoosier lead.
Jackson-Davis opened the second half with a basket. Miller Kopp buried a 3-pointer. The 21-point lead was restored and then extended to 24 when Johnson hit a 3-pointer, all in the first three minutes of the second half.
"I didn't think we finished the first half well," Woodson said. "The last two to three minutes, they had their way. We had a lot of miscues. We didn't close it the way I'd like to have seen it.
"In the second half, we came out clicking and did all the things we needed to do to stretch the lead and secure the win."
With a fifth blowout home victory in hand, IU can now focus on North Carolina.
"You've got two teams that will probably be undefeated on Wednesday," Woodson said. "Something will have to give."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Xavier Johnson backpedaled without losing shooting form. Crisp ball movement had found him in the corner; the 3-point shot was launched; the Indiana senior guard's right hand stayed extended; and everyone waited for the inevitable swish.
When it came, giving Johnson his fourth 3-pointer of Friday afternoon against Jackson State, he quickly ran back on defense and more Hoosier dominance.
Welcome to a snap-shot moment of IU's 90-51 victory at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall that clinched a Hoosier Classic championship and ensured the No. 11 Hoosiers (6-0) would be undefeated for next Wednesday's Big Ten-ACC Challenge showdown with top-ranked North Carolina, also at Assembly Hall.
"North Carolina is a big team with wonderful perimeter players," coach Mike Woodson said. "They're well coached. Come Wednesday, we'll see where we are."
Johnson and sophomore guard Tamar Bates were Friday's catalysts. Johnson delivered starting dominance with 16 points and strong run-the-show direction. Bates came off the bench for a career-high 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting in 24 minutes. Both had four three-pointers and four assists.
They led IU's offensive clinic that produced 23 assists on 34 baskets with 58% shooting, 45.5% from three-point range. All 11 Hoosiers who played scored.
As the point guard, Johnson sets the tone. In his last three games, he has 18 assists against four turnovers, and made 11-of-22 shots. He's basically averaged 14 points over his last four games.
"The first couple of games, I didn't know where X was," Woodson said. "The Xavier game, he was back. He's played well since then. He made shots, ran our offense, got the ball where it need to go and defended. He has to keep it going. We need him to run our team."
Johnson said it took him a couple of games to get a "feel" for a new team that included freshmen Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau. With Hood-Schifino as a second point guard, Johnson said it took time to adjust.
"I was trying to figure out my role," he said. "Now I want to keep my teammates rolling."
Johnson said the freshman Bates arrived at IU talking trash. Last summer, now a father and steeled by a college season, he was more locked in.
"He came back with a different attitude," Johnson said. "He was more mature."
Added Woodson: "He finally had a breakout game. I'm not surprised or shocked. Last summer, he was one of best players. Today he put it all together. He made shots. He defended well. He did a lot of good things in the short minutes he played."
Maturity came from being a father. Bates arrived at Friday's press conference with eight-month-old daughter Leilani Nicole.
Balancing fatherhood with college basketball is the result, he said, of "Having an army behind me. My family does a great job when she's not here with me. It takes a lot of stress off me."
Then he got creative.
"We were trying to find our sound. It's like learning how to play the trombone. We found that sound, and now we're playing music."
Woodson took a more traditional approach in evaluating Bates.
"He had a baby. That's a big responsibility for a young kid. This summer he accepted what he was going through. He had no choice. He started to grow up. We need that from him. He can make shots and do things from an offensive standpoint we need him to do."
Senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis was back after missing Wednesday's Little Rock game for precautionary reasons. In 19 minutes, he had 11 points and five rebounds.
"He didn't play a lot of minutes," Woodson said. "We'll assess where he is. He has the next few days to get ready. Guys are a little beat up. They have to get treatment and get ready for Wednesday."
Jackson State (0-5) was coming off a 78-68 loss at Michigan during which it pushed the Wolverines for most of the first half. The Tigers' first 14 games are on the road. They don't play at home until Jan. 7.
Jackson State played IU to a 9-9, six-minute tie. Then Reneau came in for a basket. Johnson hit consecutive 3-pointers after a 0-for-4 Indiana start. The Hoosiers, who had an 8-1 edge in points off turnovers, led 17-10.
A Reneau basket, a Jordan Geronimo steal and dunk, a Johnson driving layup and a Geronimo basket off a Johnson assist pushed Indiana to a 25-13 lead with nine minutes left in the half.
Then the Hoosiers ratcheted up the defense. A 19-2 run boosted the lead to 36-15. IU had forced 10 turnovers, made five steals and turned Jackson State's offense to rubble.
After a mini Jackson State surge, Bates ended the half with a 3-pointer off a Johnson assist for a 44-28 Hoosier lead.
Jackson-Davis opened the second half with a basket. Miller Kopp buried a 3-pointer. The 21-point lead was restored and then extended to 24 when Johnson hit a 3-pointer, all in the first three minutes of the second half.
"I didn't think we finished the first half well," Woodson said. "The last two to three minutes, they had their way. We had a lot of miscues. We didn't close it the way I'd like to have seen it.
"In the second half, we came out clicking and did all the things we needed to do to stretch the lead and secure the win."
With a fifth blowout home victory in hand, IU can now focus on North Carolina.
"You've got two teams that will probably be undefeated on Wednesday," Woodson said. "Something will have to give."
Team Stats
JSU
IND
FG%
.358
.576
3FG%
.273
.455
FT%
.538
.750
RB
30
32
TO
22
10
STL
7
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
Forward
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