Game Review, Exhibition 1: Anderson University

Last night, IUPUI Men's Basketball team played their first of two exhibition games against Indianapolis lower-division opponents. Task one, Anderson University from just up I-69.

Stats and Summary
Alex Young- 36 minutes; 8-14 (2-6, 2-2) 20 points; 7 rebounds; 2 assists; 3 turnovers; 2 steals;
Alex looked just like he did last year, with a hint of rust from the off-season. He'll need to shoot better from three, though 33% isn't exactly horrible for a whole season. In his interview with Scott McCauley, Alex said he was looking to be more selfless and it absolutely showed.
Leroy Nobles- 35 minutes; 9-13 (3-6, 2-2) 23 points; 4 rebounds; 0 assists; 1 turnover; 0 steals
Leroy looked the best out of anyone last night. He came out hot and slowly cooled down from there. The biggest improvement from last year would be his on-the-ball skills, he seems much more willing (and capable) to dribble and score inside in addition to his typical M.O. of catch-and-shoot from deep.
Stephen Thomas- 35 minutes; 6-12 (0-2, 2-2) 14 points; 0 rebounds; 6 assists; 1 turnover; 3 steals
Stephen came out slow, looking confused and shaky, but in the second half he really showed who he is. His ability to do everything from driving the lane and netting a floater to finding the open man on the perimeter will only improve as the year goes on. I'm especially excited to watch him improve.
John Ashworth- 32 minutes; 2-3 (0-1, 0-0) 4 points; 3 rebounds; 5 assists; 2 turnovers; 2 steals
John will need to remember he is the shooting guard when Stephen is on floor. His numbers resembled last year's, which was good then, but he needs to take more shots. The more he and the two wingmen can spread the floor, the easier it will be to score for everyone.
Christian Siakam- 19 minutes; 5-7 (0-0, 3-3) 13 points; 8 rebounds; 0 assists; 2 turnovers; 0 steals
Christian looked very good on offense, but shaky on defense. I would be shocked if he went all season with less than five double-doubles. He MUST stop being in such horrible foul trouble. Even last year when he played a support role he had similar problems. Just because he can speak four languages doesn't mean he has to pick up four fouls every game.
----------Key Subs
Donovan Gibbs- 13 minutes; 1-2 (0-0, 0-2) 2 points; 1 rebound; 0 assists; 1 turnover; 0 steals
Donovan looked lost. I hear he has been doing great work at practice, but it didn't translate to the game. He'll get there, but the game needs to slow down in his mind first.
Mitchell Patton- 7 minutes; 2-4 (0-1, 0-0) 4 points; 2 rebounds; 0 assists; 1 turnover; 1 steal
Mitch was not the force inside he has been heralded to be. Whispers of another Bill Van Senus (one of the biggest flops in IUPUI recruiting history) have already started. He needs to control the ball better in the post. Even in warm ups he was struggling to get the ball from the floor to the net.
Sean Esposito- 6 minutes; 0-1 (0-1, 0-0) 0 points; 0 rebounds; 0 assists; 0 turnovers; 0 steals
Sean didn't have many opportunities to shoot but his contributions on defense are obvious. He is one of the best lock-down, in your face defenders on the team. When he heats up, he'll be a great 2-guard sub.
Nick DeSchepper- 4 minutes; 0-1 (0-1, 2-2) 2 points; 0 rebounds; 0 assists; 0 turnovers; 0 steals
Nick didn't see as much time as he would have liked (per our pre-game talk), but that will change. With Greg and PJ in boots, he is currently fourth in line (after Stephen, John, and Sean) at the guard spot.
Greg Rice- Did Not Play (Injury)
----------Other Subs
Anthony Williams- 7 minutes; 1-2 (0-0, 0-0) 2 points; 2 rebounds; 0 assists; 0 turnovers; 0 steals
Anthony proved just about everybody - including myself - wrong with his play last night. With Christian in foul trouble and the other two inside guys playing horribly, Anthony stepped up huge. His basket was a great catch-spin-layup, and his ability to run the court with the other guys was absolutely refreshing.
Nick Kitcoff- 6 minutes; 0-0 (0-0, 0-0) 0 points; 0 rebounds; 0 assists; 0 turnovers; 0 steals
Nick seemed lost on the court, especially on defense. That would/will change with more play time, but that might be few and far between with the current roster.
David Mazanowski- 0+  minutes; 0-0 (0-0, 0-0) 0 points; 0 rebounds; 0 assists' 0 turnovers; 0 steals
PJ Hubert- Did Not Play (Injury)


Keys, Revisited
1) Win. (Check!)
Though the game got a lot closer than anyone watching would have liked (the lead was shortened to 2 with 12:31 left), but skill took over and the Jaguars eventually pulled away.
2) Develop a rhythm early. (Nope...)
There never really was a good rhythm established until about late in the second half. Christian picked up fouls quickly, the bench was only able to score 10 points, and newcomer Stephen Thomas had a hard time getting used to his teammates in a game setting. Freshman Gibbs and Patton really struggled, going 3-6 (0-1, 0-2) for 6 points and 20 total minutes.
3) Don't allow more than 60 points. (Check!)
Just like last year, the Jaguars allowed exactly 60 points while a couple Anderson Ravens shot well and the rest didn't. 
4) Shoot better than 45%. (Check!)
A horrible shooting night from deep (27.8%) was countered by a great job inside the arc (57.6%) and especially at the line (84.6%).


Injury Report
Greg Rice- Wore a boot to the game, did not play, but it appears to all be precautionary.
PJ Hubert- Wore a boot to the game, did not play, however his injury seems to be more serious. A stress fracture that might mean he is out 6-8 weeks. Depending on how to the team is doing, he could be medically red-shirted.