"We’ve come a long way since June.": Indiana basketball continuing to make strides on the defensive end

It is not really a secret at this point — Indiana basketball is expected to be a very good offensive team. Sure, they may have off nights shooting, like every team in the country, but their bread and butter will be their offensive game.

New Indiana basketball head coach Darian DeVries made it clear that he was going to get guys who play fast and can shoot the ball. He delivered on that this offseason, and based on the practices and exhibition games we’ve seen so far, this Hoosier team can space the floor and flat-out score.

Yes, Indiana basketball will win some games solely because of its elite scoring ability at nearly all levels. However, if the Hoosiers want to reach the level of success they are aiming for this season, their defense must at least be serviceable.

When this team was quickly put together, it was fair to say that most of the players who came to play under Darian DeVries did not arrive with strong defensive reputations. Many of the transfers were brought in because of what they provided on the offensive end.

It was very clear from the start that Indiana was going to have to hit it hard this offseason on the defensive end, which Darian DeVries has put an emphasis on from the start of summer to the fall workouts.

“I like the progress we’ve made,” said Darian DeVries after Indiana’s open practice last week. “There’s still room, plenty of room to grow there. But they’ll continue to work at it, so that’s something I think we’ve come a long way since June. A lot of you saw it back in June; I don’t think you would have said that maybe back then that we were a good defensive team. So I think we’ve made some strides and still got some work to do for sure.”

At the college level, communication is key on defense. In the competitive settings we saw this summer, the Hoosiers communicated well. However, it’s the other aspects of defense that they haven’t fully grasped yet and are still working to improve.

Knowing when to switch, when to be physical, and understanding your assignment are all things that any new team has to figure out. Indiana basketball is no exception this offseason.

Yeah, what I think always takes a little bit of time in how we play is we don’t give them a ton of rules, so there’s not a defined, hey, you’re switching this, or a definite you’re switching this or not switching this,” said DeVries. “Some of it is we’re trying to be really physical but if he gets hit you have to switch.” 

“It takes a while for them to kind of figure out, okay, did he get hit enough, not hit enough for us to switch, and then the communication piece is the second part of it. A lot of times they’re a little hesitant because they’re not sure on the call or whatever, but as time goes on, you can see that connectivity really starting to build.”

Watch: Indiana basketball Cream & Crimson scrimmage

One of the bigger questions for Indiana’s defense is in the frontcourt and how well they can protect the rim this season. Right now, the frontcourt is made up of Reed Bailey, Sam Alexis, Josh Harris, and Andrej Acimovic.

Out of that froncourt group, not a single one of them are primarily known for their rim protection skills. By the way things look, Indiana will rely heavily on getting stops up at the perimeter level and taking pressure off of guys like Bailey or Alexis allowing them to have chance to get that defensive rebound and get the ball out in transition.

While they are not know for their rim protecting skills, the frontcourt does have confidence in their ability to protect the rim when it does call for it.

“It’s being able to play a defensive team and just being interconnected and that’s what we really work on a lot,” said Indiana starting forward Reed Bailey. “Me and Sam (Alexis), I mean we have that ability (to rim protect) but it really comes down to us like all five guys out of the court when we are playing defense.”

“Just knowing we’re on the same page, knowing where to help and knowing that guys will be there to back you up when you get beat or you’re in a compromised position.”

Defense will make or break this Indiana basketball team at times throughout the season. With continued work, they have the potential to be a solid defensive group. They have the speed, toughness, athleticism, and will to compete.

There will be times this season where their best defense is their offense, but this group is making progress right now on the defensive end and that is crucial with the season quickly approaching.

“You can see it now and they’re becoming more confident in what they’re doing, more physical, they can play faster because of that, and that’s something, again, that we have to be really good at,” said Darian DeVries. “We have to be very connected as a defense and still have the ability to play hard and fast without slowing them down with a lot of rules.”

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