SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — For a few minutes before tipoff, it was hard to look away.
During Indiana’s pregame warmups Wednesday night, the ball zipped from player to player. While one Hoosier drove to the rim, two more slid to the wing for 3-point attempts. Three balls were in motion at once — and neither players nor passes stopped moving.
Head coach Darian DeVries had seen the routine countless times in practice. But watching his brand-new roster execute it in front of an audience — and against an opponent — was new. Any worries about whether it would translate to game action vanished quickly.
Indiana piled up 32 assists to just 13 turnovers in a 98–47 exhibition win over Universidad de Bayamón.
“I thought the biggest thing for us was just making sure we carried into the game — even though it’s an exhibition — what we’ve been talking about as important to us,” DeVries said. “I thought we did a really good job sharing the ball.”
The crowd inside Coliseo Guillermo Angulo was sparse, and Indiana likely won’t see another opponent this overmatched all season. Still, the Hoosiers left the comfort of Cook Hall for a gym with family, boosters, media, and a sprinkling of fans.
If there were nerves, they didn’t show.
Indiana shot just 9-for-33 from deep, but nearly all of those looks were open — the product of constant ball movement. In the second quarter, senior guard Conor Enright pushed the ball in transition, fed Lamar Wilkerson on the wing, who kicked to the corner, then got it back from forward Tucker DeVries for a quick three.
Isolation plays were rare. Post-ups were scarce. Instead, Indiana leaned on spacing, quick decisions, and extra passes — a style on display in their July 30 open practice and again under brighter lights.
“We didn’t shoot it great tonight, but I thought our ball movement and unselfishness were really good,” DeVries said. “I’ve seen that for eight weeks in practice, and then to have it show up in front of people — that’s a big deal.”
Forward Sam Alexis, who posted a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double, said that style is second nature.
“At practice every day, we move the ball,” Alexis said. “So it wasn’t anything new to come out here, play a new team, and execute the same way.”
Sometimes, the Hoosiers were almost too unselfish. Enright passed up an open layup for a kick-out three, and DeVries later said he would’ve preferred the easy bucket — though he appreciated the intent.
“I just like the fact that that’s the way he thinks,” DeVries said. “He’s all about winning and making that extra play.”
Indiana’s speed was also on display. Despite starting three guards — Enright, Wilkerson, and Tayton Conerway — the Hoosiers had frontcourt versatility, too. At one point, 6-foot-10 forward Reed Bailey grabbed a rebound, pushed the ball upcourt himself, and found Wilkerson for a corner three.
DeVries wants his team fast and fearless, and they were both Wednesday. Indiana scored 15 fast-break points off 18 UCB turnovers, turning defense into offense with aggressive on-ball pressure and length.
“I thought our transition game was pretty good,” DeVries said. “We want to keep putting pressure on defenses to get back, and I thought our whole roster did a good job of that tonight.”
Tucker DeVries tossed three lobs — two to Bailey for dunks and one to Conerway for a layup — as the Hoosiers threaded passes through tight windows on backdoor cuts. They assisted on 32 of their 41 made baskets.
The opponent and the setting mean this game won’t define Indiana’s season. But as DeVries lays the foundation for his first Hoosier squad, Wednesday’s tempo, selflessness, spacing, and effort were the kind of early signs any coach would want.
“Coach is big on sharing the ball,” said freshman forward Trent Sisley, who scored a game-high 21 points. “As long as we keep doing that, it’s a good formula for winning.”
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