Thomas Bryant demonstrated why he was one of the top recruits in America.
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“The lion came out of me”, Bryant said afterward, flashing a smile to a packed press room inside Assembly Hall.
“Luckily it was my game for me to get the game in the post, and I just went to work in it”, Bryant said.
Bryant even hit a 3-pointer, drawing even more cheers from the crowd.
Bryant soaked in a few rousing ovations, and a live student section – which Crean thanked afterward for not fleeing for Thanksgiving break – chanted Bryant’s name. IU coach Tom Crean has said previously that establishing a high-low game will be an ongoing development for his Hoosiers as they learn to work with more natural low-post options like Bryant. Crean also said Ferrell played with great emotion. “He’s having a lot of fun”.
IN had five players score in double-figures and after the game Bryant talked about his performance. Thomas was the only other Bluejay in double-figures, finishing with 11 points. “He gives them a dimension they didn’t have previous year”, McDermott said.
The Hoosiers (3-0) made it look easy. IN cruised to a win in the inaugural Gavitt Tipoff Games, moving the Big Ten to a 3-3 tie with the Big East in the overall series. But tonight, the Hoosiers clamped down, holding the Bluejays to only 65 points on 0.87 PPP.
McCaffery (350-252) also won his 99th at Iowa (99-75) in his sixth season since being named head coach in 2010.
Throughout the second half, IN maintained a comfortable advantage.
IN led 51-32 at halftime, and the Blue Jays never inched closer than 17 points in the second half. He now has 1,429 points…. But Coleman’s 3-pointer ended the drought and started the 15-2 run that put Temple back in front. This season, they’ve already done it twice.
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Nate Mason scored a career-high 20 points to lead Minnesota. On Tuesday it will play either St. John’s or top-20 Vanderbilt. IN is 2-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Did it help? Well, Williams had 13 points, four rebounds. But Bishop Daniels lost control near midcourt after getting bumped by Felix Balamou. IU took charge midway through the first half, especially with its three-point defense. Mike Williams added 13. The Hoosiers were on fire, however, as they shot 50 percent from the field and that was just too much for Creighton to handle on this night. Ferrell, the team’s senior floor captain, was terrific against Austin Peay in totaling 22 points, nine assists and six rebounds while shooting 4-of-5 from the arc.
