BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It took just one game under new coach Darian DeVries for Indiana to show off its stylistic changes. DeVries brought his motion offense to Bloomington, and the Hoosiers almost hit the century mark in his debut, winning 98-51 over Alabama A&M.

Indiana’s players are still getting accustomed to each other’s games. None of the scholarship players on this team played for Indiana last season, which makes gaining chemistry one of the biggest challenges this team will face. Despite that, this team looked like one that had plenty of experience together on the offensive end.

Indiana shot 62% from the field, 42% on 3s and 100% at the free throw line in the win. The Hoosiers were clinical offensively.

“We've got a group that has a really good IQ and feel,” DeVries said. “And for a group that hasn't been together very long, they really play well off of each other and have a great understanding of some of the concepts that we're trying to do, but they're just out there playing. I think that's allowed them to play fast and really trust their instincts.”

Twenty-three of Indiana’s 36 made field goals were assisted, as this team moved the ball well. DeVries emphasized player and ball movement when speaking to the media on Tuesday, and the Hoosiers displayed that well in their first outing.

The superb ball movement led to a balanced scoring attack. Five different Hoosiers scored in double figures against Alabama A&M. Reed Bailey (21 points), Lamar Wilkerson (19), Tucker DeVries (18), Sam Alexis (17), and Tayton Conerway (14) all had excellent moments offensively.

“Coach DeVries is big on just moving the ball, being unselfish,” Wilkerson said. “I think it was one practice, like two weeks ago, we had 31 assists to two turnovers. The ball is always moving. We feel like we're better playing when the ball is moving, moving off ball again, getting us open shots.” 

What truly distinguished the Hoosiers on Wednesday from their past teams is the shot selection. Indiana — which was known for its shooting when Tom Crean was head coach from 2008-17 — hadn’t had teams that shot the ball frequently or well under its past two coaches, Archie Miller (2017-21) and Mike Woodson (2021-25).

Indiana attempted 24 3s, knocking down 10. In Woodson’s four years at the helm, Indiana took 24 or more 3s in just 16 of his 135 games.

Meanwhile, Alabama A&M was 5-of-15 on its 3-point attempts. The Hoosiers could’ve beaten the Bulldogs without taking a single 3, but shooting 3s at a high volume can give this team a constant advantage in the numbers game. They won’t shoot 42% from deep every night, but shooting this many 3s might help negate other weaknesses this team has while giving it a chance to beat anyone.

Effective field goal percentage is a stat that weighs 3-pointers as being 1.5 times more valuable than 2s in an attempt to accurately convey how efficiently a team or player shoots. The Hoosiers had an effective field goal percentage of 70.7% on Wednesday, which is well above last season’s national average of 50.9% (per KenPom). That percentage is higher than Indiana had in any game under Woodson (per Bart Torvik).

“I thought we shot it great,” Bailey said. “We had our guys there. Lamar, everybody, they were looking for their shots and they were going down. It was a lot of fun to be out there to play.”

If the Hoosiers weren’t shooting a 3, they were shooting a layup. Indiana scored 52 points in the paint, made 16 free throws, and hit 10 3s (30 points). Those numbers amount to all 98 of the team’s points.

Modern-day basketball focuses on getting shots at the rim or beyond the arc, and that’s what Indiana did against Alabama A&M. DeVries said he doesn’t discourage mid-range shots, but the offense he runs lends itself to more looks by the basket.

“Tonight they did a really good job because of the spacing,” DeVries said. “And when you start to make those 3s, the defense can tend to get stretched, and then we were able to get some slips and some rolls to the rim as guys are chasing shooters out the backside, and they just didn't have a lot of help. I thought the guys did a good job of taking what the defense gave them tonight.”

Whether the Hoosiers will be better offensively this season is yet to be determined. But it’s clear that under DeVries, this offense will be modernized, giving Indiana opportunities to maximize its efficiency.