Numbers that stand out from Indiana basketball's three Battle 4 Atlantis games

Indiana finished a disappointing 1-2 in three games last week in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.

Here are numbers that stand out from IU’s play over three days on Paradise Island:

Indiana took 24 fewer 3-pointers than its opponents

Over three games in the Battle 4 Atlantis, the Hoosiers attempted 53 3-pointers or 17.6 per game.

Its three opponents – Louisville, Gonzaga and Providence – attempted 77 or 25.6 per game.

As of Monday morning, Indiana ranks 350th out of 364 Division I programs in 3PA/FGA, which measures the percentage of a team’s field goals that are 3-point attempts.

Just over a month ago, after an exhibition win at Tennessee, Mike Woodson told reporters that his team had been attempting 27 or 28 3-pointers in intrasquad scrimmages in the preseason. Through seven regular-season games, the Hoosiers have not attempted more than 20 3-pointers in one game.

Defensive rebounding remains a glaring issue

Indiana’s defensive rebounding was poor last season, and so far, it’s worse this season.

The Hoosiers surrendered 41 offensive rebounds and 47 second-chance points in the Bahamas.

Indiana finished last season as the nation’s 211th-best defensive-rebounding team. According to KenPom, it currently ranks 292nd nationally in defensive rebounding percentage.

According to KenPom, the Hoosiers rank fifth in average height among Division I teams. So, despite having one of the nation’s tallest teams, Indiana is among the bottom 75 teams in the country in cleaning up the defensive glass.

Indiana’s 2-point field goal percentage defense was poor

While IU’s overall 2-point field goal percentage defense ranks a respectable – but not great – 121st in the country as of today, the numbers in the Bahamas were poor.

Louisville, Gonzaga and Providence combined to shoot 67-for-116 on 2s against the Hoosiers or 57.8 percent.

All three teams scored at least 1.1 points per possession against the Hoosiers, including Providence, which is 131st nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom.

Free throw shooting percentage has been a strength for Indiana

Despite its poor 1-2 seventh place finish at the Battle 4 Atlantis, Indiana has shown early season improvement from the free throw line.

In three games in the Bahamas, Indiana went 44-for-59 (74.5 percent) from the free throw line.

Through seven regular season games, the Hoosiers are 107-for-137 (78.1 percent) at the line. As of Monday morning, Indiana ranks 33rd in the country in free throw shooting percentage.

Indiana has not finished a season ranked in the top 100 nationally in free-throw shooting percentage since 2016-17, Tom Crean’s last season in Bloomington.

Indiana damaged its computer rankings with two blowout losses

The Hoosiers tipped off Battle 4 Atlantis as the 38th-ranked team in KenPom, a slight improvement from its beginning-of-season ranking of 42.

By the end of Wednesday’s blowout 89-61 loss to Louisville, Indiana was No. 60 in KenPom.

After two more games – a loss to Gonzaga and a win against Providence – Indiana moved back up to No. 53 nationally.

The NCAA released its first NET rankings on Monday and Indiana is ranked No. 71 in the first edition. These rankings are heavily considered in the tournament selection process.

Filed to: Battle 4 Atlantis