Indiana coach Mike Woodson is happy that his team has won three straight games but concerned that it’s committing too many turnovers.
Limiting miscues is at the top of his wish list for Monday night’s Big Ten Conference opener against visiting Minnesota in Bloomington, Ind.
While the Hoosiers (7-2) shot 53.8 percent and dominated Miami (Ohio) 46-29 on the glass during a 76-57 win at home Friday night, they also had more turnovers (16) than assists (15). Having played for Bob Knight at Indiana, Woodson is fanatical about his team executing its offense without making mistakes.
“We were taking chances on passes that weren’t there,” Woodson said. “We have to fix it. If we start Big Ten play like that, it puts you in a hole.”
In between careless mistakes, the Hoosiers got a huge game out of Oumar Ballo, the Arizona transfer who had 14 points, 18 rebounds and six assists. It was his 35th career double-double but his first at Indiana.
Ballo (12.7 points per game, 9.3 rebounds) is one of four players averaging double figures for the Hoosiers. They’re led by Malik Reneau, who’s hitting for 15.4 ppg on 58.9 percent shooting.
While Indiana tries to fine-tune its game, the Golden Gophers (6-4, 0-1 Big Ten) aim to get to the .500 mark in conference play after absorbing a 90-72 beating Wednesday night against visiting Michigan State.
There was good news for Minnesota in that game. Mike Mitchell Jr. returned to the lineup after missing seven games with a high ankle sprain and drilled 5 of 9 3-pointers in a 17-point performance. Mitchell’s shooting should aid an attack that ranks 311th in Division I in 3-point percentage at 29.7 percent as of Sunday.
“He’s a difference-maker in terms of being able to space the floor,” Gophers coach Ben Johnson said of Mitchell. “He provides offensive firepower and a guy who can make shots and take pressure off our offense.”
Dawson Garcia leads the team at 19 ppg, while Lu’Cye Patterson and Mitchell are scoring 10 ppg.
The Hoosiers own a 109-69 lead in the all-time series.
–Field Level Media
