IU 95 UNC Wilmington 71

Well, it was another horrible start for the Hoosiers. UNC-Wilmington got out to a 18-8 start by the first TV timeout. Once again, horrendous defense. Big Dre had it going early with 6 of IU's first 8 points, but that was the only bright spot out of the first 5 minutes of the game. In addition, Gordon started 0-3 and picked up 2 quick fouls. Gordon had not scored as of the 10 1/2 minute mark. Then, by the 10 minute mark, he had 5 points, and then added another layup a minute or two later. So, he can fill it up quickly even when it seems like he might be a little off. Stemler was a big spark off the bench with several hustle plays and IU finally took their first lead of the game with about 8 minutes to go after a couple nice drives to the basket by Bassett. From that point on through halftime, Bassett and Gordon took over with each of them scoring 16 first half points. The best backcourt in the nation might just be in Bloomington, IN. After the 18-8 start, IU outscored them 44-14 for the rest of the half. Also, after a couple timeouts, you could really see the defensive intensity pick up. Once this IU team decides to play defense, it's lights out. They forced 17 turnovers in the 1st half, which is what you want to see out of an athletic IU team that is playing a team like UNC Wilmington. Overall Team Performance: B They need to play 40 minutes of defense, not only 10 minutes. Eric Gordon: A- Well, the 3-pointer wasn't falling early. So, what does Gordon do? How about taking the ball to the basket and either finishing himself, going to the FT line, or finding a teammate for an easy basket. And another thunderous dunk. This dunk was frickin' awesome. Gordon got the ball at about half-court and had a 2-on-1 fast break. He took a couple dribbles and then just went hard to the rack and threw it down with authority. He puts his dunks down with such power that it scares me that he will hurt his shooting hand. By the way, I mentioned the 3s weren't falling for Gordon. Well, I just checked the box score and he was 2-5 from the arc. If 40% is an off night, I think we're still in good shape. He also went 12-13 from the line, which is why he is so tough to stop. Add on 5 assists and 3 steals to his 30 points and that is not a bad night's work. Armon Bassett: A- Bassett continues to impress. He had a couple bad turnovers and some defensive lapses, but his offense is looking stellar this year. 4-5 from the arc for 19 points. D.J. White: B- Again, I think DJ will show his value in lower-scoring games against better opponents. However, I would still like to see DJ be more aggressive. He had some nice dunks on good passes from teammates, but other than that, he just seemed to go with the flow. We will definitely need more out of him once the schedule starts to get more difficult. Jamarcus Ellis: B- Didn't seem as active in tonight's game, but still pretty solid. Lance Stemler: A- Stemler was everywhere tonight. He did a nice job on the boards, was diving left and right for loose balls, and played some tough defense. Unfortunately, Holman and Stemler bumped heads and the fear would be if Stemler suffers another concussion. So, we'll try to keep our eye on any word on Stemler. DeAndre Thomas: A- Big Dre did a great job opening both halves with some really nice post moves. He does a nice job posting and then using his big body to back the defender down. He opened the game with 6 early points and then also had 4 early points to start the second half. I think starting a fresh DeAndre and bringing Stemler off the bench for a spark has already proven to be a good move. Also banked in a FT, which seems to be a lost art. Jordan Crawford: B- Jordan got an early earful from Sampson for bad defense, but responded very well to play pretty good the rest of the 1st half. Another guy that can put some points on the board in a hurry. He also had 2 dunks in half-court sets. I would have to say that he is probably the guy that gives Sampson the most headaches. Tons of talent -- makes some incredibly good plays, but also makes some bonehead plays. Eli Holman: B+ Probably only played 20 seconds in the first half, but had an offensive rebound and kicked it to Bassett for a trey. Also played decent in the garbage minutes. McGee, Taber, and Ahlfeld also got some garbage minutes, but I had stopped paying attention at that point. Go Hoosiers!