Mackenzie Mgbako had a simple explanation for his career-high 31 points in Indiana’s season-opening 80-61 win Wednesday night against SIU Edwardsville.
“I was playing within the offense and being aggressive, taking what they gave me,” he said. “I was going with moving the ball, finding great shots and taking them.”
Mgbako and the No. 17 Hoosiers will try to make it 2-0 Sunday when they welcome Eastern Illinois for another nonconference clash in Bloomington, Ind.
Mgbako nailed 13 of 17 shots from the field, including 4 of 5 from the 3-point line, and also chipped in nine rebounds. His performance stood out on a night where Indiana never trailed and wasn’t pushed in the second half, but it didn’t play at the level coach Mike Woodson hoped it would.
“Offensively, we came out with great intentions,” Woodson said. “The ball moved early, but then we got stale in terms of moving and making the extra pass. We’ve been having some good practices. … I’ve got to get us better in that area.”
Woodson wasn’t happy that his team committed 16 turnovers against an opponent that probably won’t bring the same level of ball pressure they’ll see in the Big Ten Conference. Washington State transfer Myles Rice had 11 points in his first game but also coughed up five turnovers.
Woodson said most of the turnovers were correctible, but he added that Rice must be more patient and develop into more of a true point guard. Rice played as more of a combo guard last year when he helped the Cougars reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
One solid aspect of the Hoosiers’ opener was their defense. They allowed the Cougars to make only 35.2 percent of their shots, including 5 of 26 on 3-pointers, and earned a 43-34 advantage on the boards.
Meanwhile, Eastern Illinois (1-1) followed up a season-opening blowout loss at Illinois by routing Division III opponent Earlham (Ind.) 97-61 on Wednesday. Six players scored in double figures for the Panthers, led by Artese Stapleton’s 17 points, as they shot 52.2 percent from the field.
Eastern Illinois is coming off a 14-18 season and was picked for a middle-of-the-pack finish in the Ohio Valley Conference. Panthers coach Marty Simmons knows all about the atmosphere his team will face in Assembly Hall. He played for the late Bob Knight before transferring to Evansville and playing for former Knight assistant Jim Crews.
Simmons, in his fourth season at Eastern Illinois, says this will be his best group of players since he took the helm.
“I think we’re moving in the right direction,” he said. “We made a good step last year. We have our best returning class. I think this team has a chance to be pretty good.”
Simmons said the key to his team will be the progress it makes defensively. Opponents made 44 percent of their shots against the Panthers last season.
“We have to be more consistent,” he said.
Indiana has won both meetings in the series, earning an 88-49 win nine years ago in their last matchup.
–Field Level Media
