Indiana basketball grabbed its fourth win of the season Thursday night, defeating Tennessee Tech 90-66 at Simon Skojdt Assembly Hall, but the real story wasn’t just the final score. Third-year center Samet Yigitoglu went absolutely off, dropping 18 points on an insane 9-of-10 shooting performance *after* suffering a bloody eye injury early in the game. That’s pure grit, people!
DeVries’ Big Gamble Is Paying Off, Literally Bleeding Success
Coach Darian DeVries made it clear this offseason: rebounding was the “whole focus.” Indiana ranked among the worst rebounding teams in the Big Ten last year, so they brought in the heavy artillery: 7-footers Aiden Sherrell and Samet Yigitoglu, plus 6-9 forward Trevor Manhertz. And holy cow, are these guys delivering! Thursday proved they’re way more than just rebounders. Manhertz, the first-year forward, added 10 points on 80% shooting, driving to the basket for a dunk and even getting fouled on a made 3-point attempt. Then there was Sherrell, another third-year forward, who put up 11 points, going a perfect 6 for 6 from the free throw line. He hit a pivotal 3-pointer with 5:19 left in the first half that extended Indiana’s lead to 33-24, preventing Tennessee Tech from sticking around after they’d taken a 13-12 lead earlier in the half.
And Yigitoglu? The dude is a warrior. He went to the locker room less than three minutes into the game after getting hit elevating for a shot, blood gushing near his right eye. But did he stay down? Nope! He returned with 7:14 left and immediately dished an assist to Bryce Lindsay with 6:29 remaining. He ended up with 18 points, smashing his previous 6.7 points per game average. Star guards Markus Burton and Bryce Lindsay also chipped in with 12 and 15 points respectively. This undefeated Hoosiers squad is showing some serious depth and resilience, thanks in huge part to their new bigs.
But Hold Up, These Turnover Numbers Are NOT Good
Look, it’s awesome to be 4-0, but we gotta talk about the elephant in the room: turnovers. Indiana had more turnovers than Tennessee Tech at halftime, nine to eight. Early on, the Hoosiers led 10-7 while only having one turnover to Tennessee Tech’s five, which was great. But the Golden Eagles, who were pretty stymied by Indiana’s defense early on (3 for 11 with 13:57 left in the first half), totally capitalized on IU’s recklessness. They hit nine of their next 21 shots, keeping things way too close at halftime with Indiana only up 41-37.
Now, credit where it’s due: the Hoosiers showed some serious resilience in the second half. They kicked things off with a crucial 16-7 run in the first five minutes and had just *one* turnover during that entire run, and only five for the whole second half. That’s the kind of adjustment we need to see consistently.
Indiana is sitting pretty at 4-0 right now, and that’s fantastic! But the coaching staff has gotta clean up those first-half turnovers if they want to keep this undefeated streak going and really compete against tougher competition. We’ve seen the bigs can do it all, Yigitoglu’s toughness is undeniable, and this team has serious potential. Let’s see if they can iron out these early issues and continue their strong start.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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