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Indiana basketball beat Peru 115-36 on Tuesday to open the group stage of the the FISU America Games. The Hoosiers, representing Team USA, never trailed in the win after opening the game on a 12-0 run. Here's what coach Darian DeVries had to say:
Indiana basketball had overwhelming talent advantage over Peru
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DeVries: "No. 1 thing we talked about before the game was just making sure whatever the scoreboard says that we're continuing to just work on the things that we're prioritizing and I thought the guys did a really good job of that. Especially in the second half, I thought the first half, as it kind of went on, we started gambling, got a little aggressive and lacked a little discipline of what we would normally do. But I thought as the game went on, we really settled into some of the things that we want to establish on the defensive end.
"And I thought we really made things hard in that second half. And then the offensive rebounding, that was probably our second biggest thing we talked about was just making sure we continue to establish that type of effort. That we got guys consistently going in the glass and going in the glass with force and creating those second and third chance opportunities.
"I thought overall, from start to finish, you guys did a really good job of staying focused and maintaining, trying to work on the things that we thought were gonna be important. Because this is an opportunity for us to play in the summertime when we wanna make use of every opportunity we get."
Indiana basketball tried to stay focused as lead ballooned to 50-plus points
DeVries: "Sometimes when you get those leads, guys just start to hunt and take bad shots and things. I thought our guys did a really good job of continuing to move the ball, share the ball, make plays for one another. And then defensively, just stayed sound in what we were trying to do and allowed us to work on a few different things.
"Not crazy noticeable maybe on film, but just some switching and some trapping in the post, that type of stuff that we've been working on here throughout the summer, so just gave us a chance to do that as well. But overall, we're really pleased just with the way the guys approached it and the way they finished out the game."
Indiana basketball happy to add Sam Alexis' leadership to roster for FISU America Games
DeVries: "Adding Sam just gives us some more versatility without two of our other bigs, just to be able to sub a little bit more. Also, potentially slide eight into the four or some, just so we have enough bodies to be able to do that. So we'll look for some opportunities to do that as well.
"And just having his experience from last year, being around the guys, so it's a great opportunity for us to take advantage of him. Being able to participate and kind of provide some leadership from his knowledge of last year and going into this year for this group."
Is former IU basketball forward Sam Alexis seeking a fifth year of eligibility?
DeVries: "Right now, our intention is just to have that body. That's why we brought him here, is just to add to it. Again, like I said, we originally were gonna have to play six games in eight days, and we just didn't think with the bodies that we had that it was gonna be enough.
"Thankfully, Sam was able to do it. The timing worked out with him getting done with OKC on Sunday, and he was able to get here earlier this morning. So it just helps us to take full advantage of this trip."
How Indiana basketball coaches are balancing team success and development
DeVries: "I think the hardest part when you're doing events like this is you're, we're only allowed to play 12 guys a night. There's gonna be a couple guys every night that we're not allowed to participate. ... But overall, it can be a little challenging just with rotations and things because you're trying to get everybody some time, trying to give them reps, trying to give them experience.
"But at the same time, trying to see maybe some of those guys that are potential starters and giving them the opportunity to play together as well, because they're all new to each other too. We wanna be able to do a mixture of both, get the young guys their minutes, but also get some of those older vets a chance to play with one another in different types of situations."
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: What Indiana basketball coach Darien DeVries said after his team's 115-36 win vs Peru
