Fueled by Lamar Wilkerson, Indiana's offense will try to 'manufacture confusion'

Entering Saturday’s game inside Rupp Arena, the Indiana Hoosiers are coming off a 113-point offensive performance against Penn State.

Lamar Wilkerson was the star of the night, exploding for 44 points thanks to a program-record 10 three-pointers. It was a much-needed win for the Hoosiers after back-to-back losses to Minnesota and Louisville. Tayton Conerway added 17 points and seven assists, Tucker DeVries chipped in 12 points and six assists, while Reed Bailey went for 18 points and five rebounds. It was an overall team effort from Indiana in what was a 41-point drubbing of the Nittany Lions.

Indiana will look to replicate that performance tonight against Kentucky in Lexington. Mark Pope is prepared for IU head coach Darian DeVries to create as much offensive chaos as possible.

“They bring two players together in every different conceivable way,” Pope said Friday, adding that Indiana’s ability to run plenty of two-man action helps them “manufacture confusion” within opposing defenses. It can be slip screens, push screens, physical screens, guard-on-guard screens, and everything in between. Pope says Indiana will even bring in a third player sometimes to try and “trick it up”.

Indiana has the guard play to make that work, too. Wilkerson, DeVries, Conerway, and Conor Enright all average more than 2.6 assists per outing while shooting 42.9 percent or better from the field. Per KenPom, the Hoosiers rank 12th nationally in effective field goal percentage at 59.5 and 22nd in turnover percentage at just 13.8.

Indiana guard Lamar Wilkerson had one of the best shooting performances you'll ever see in a college game 🔥

– 44 points
– 24 minutes
– 16-22 FG (10-15 3PT) pic.twitter.com/bqtFjFQqZq

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) December 10, 2025

But context matters. Indiana has faced just one team ranked better than 75th in KenPom, an 87-78 loss to Louisville. It was just 10 days ago that the Hoosiers lost to Minnesota (115th in KenPom) by a final score of 73-64. Penn State checks in at 110th in KenPom. And while Wilkerson was an incredible shot-maker against the Nittany Lions just a few days ago, it came after a cold streak.

“He made every shot, and he got it out of his hands quick,” Pope said of Wilkerson’s 44-point outing. “He was really good. I mean, they scored 113 points in a game that actually didn’t have incredible tempo to it. I think they’re doing an unbelievable job with how they’re playing offense right now. They’re really explosive. They have really talented guys, and they’re really leaning into the skillset they have.

“You know, (Wilkerson) had been shooting poorly, actually, for four or five games. I think he was down in the low 20s percentage-wise in his previous five games before that, and he had an eruption that was pretty significant. He played a great game.”

Prior to facing Penn State, Wilkerson had shot just 10-40 (25 percent) from deep over Indiana’s previous six games. That was preceded by a red-hot clip of 15-26 (57.7 percent) from beyond the arc in the Hoosiers’ first three games. But for about a three-week stretch after that, Wilkerson struggled to find his groove until Penn State came to town.

Regardless, Wilkerson is still one of the best shooters in all of college basketball. Indiana, as a whole, is among the best outside shooting teams in the country (38.2 percent). Meanwhile, Kentucky has not shot the ball well from deep (32.9 percent) so far this season. And considering Wilkerson chose IU over UK when in the transfer portal, it would not be a fun night for the Big Blue Nation if he comes into Rupp Arena and shoots his way into another Kentucky loss.

“We love shooters. We love guys that make shots, and he’s made a career of doing that,” Pope said of Wilkerson. “He’s got a toughness to him that’s pretty great. I love him as a kid. He’s actually a great young man. He’s all the good things. He earned his way, he worked his way up to where he is right now. He’s a terrific player.”

Slowing down Wilkerson and Indiana’s two-man game will be a top priority for Kentucky tonight against the Hoosiers (7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN).

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