Paint Play and Possession Control Hold the Keys to Indiana’s Season Opener

The most revealing part of Indiana’s season opener against Eastern Illinois could happen before a shot reaches the rim.

Watch the positioning. Watch the screens. Watch whether the Hoosiers secure the rebound and make the correct first pass. Monday’s game offers Indiana an opportunity to demonstrate that its new personnel can turn physical tools into dependable basketball.

The matchup tips at 7 p.m. ET on Nov. 2 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall and will stream on B1G+. Indiana leads the series 3–0, including a 90–55 victory in the teams’ most recent meeting in November 2024. 

This edition of the Hoosiers has an intriguing interior pairing. Samet Yigitoglu arrived from SMU, while Aiden Sherrell transferred from Alabama. During preseason preparations, Indiana emphasized physicality and pace, with Yigitoglu describing demanding work involving positioning, contact and activity in the paint. Monday provides an opportunity to see those priorities translate into regular-season possessions. 

Offensively, Indiana should make Eastern Illinois defend the interior early. That does not require forcing every possession through a post-up. Strong screens, purposeful cuts and timely passes to rolling big men can create pressure just as effectively. The objective should be making defenders choose between protecting the basket and staying attached to shooters.

Sherrell’s play will be one storyline to follow. He enters the season on the Karl Malone Award preseason watchlist, which recognizes candidates for the nation’s top power forward honor. The opener gives him a chance to begin converting that recognition into production within Indiana’s offense. 

The defensive challenge is maintaining organization while playing aggressively. Indiana’s big men can influence action near the basket, but perimeter defenders must do their part. Allowing straight-line drives forces help, creates scrambling rotations and leaves rebounders vulnerable. Keeping the ball in front should make everyone’s assignment more manageable.

Possession control also deserves attention. A team can shoot well and still complicate an otherwise favorable matchup through careless passes, unnecessary fouls and missed box-outs. Indiana should aim to make Eastern Illinois earn its scoring opportunities rather than supplying extra ones.

The Hoosiers’ final exhibition, a 79–74 win over Western Kentucky, produced a much closer result than their earlier victories over Butler and North Carolina. The regular-season opener now offers another setting in which to assess execution as the game develops. 

Substitutions will provide another useful measure. Indiana needs the same attention to screening, defensive communication and rebounding when its combinations change. A productive bench stint should preserve the team’s structure while adding energy.

The clearest path to an opening victory is straightforward: establish the paint, protect the basketball and complete defensive stops. If Indiana consistently handles those responsibilities, its scoring opportunities should become easier—and its first performance should provide something substantial to build upon.