Five takeaways from Indiana's win against Minnesota

Indiana never trailed on Friday night and rolled past Minnesota, 74-62, at Assembly Hall. The victory improved the Hoosiers to 12-5 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play.

Here are five takeaways from the win against the Golden Gophers:

Indiana’s energy was excellent from the opening tip

The Hoosiers needed to exhibit more energy, fight and cohesiveness following Tuesday’s loss to Rutgers at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

That’s precisely what happened from the opening tip against Minnesota.

Indiana made things difficult with a solid defensive effort against the Gophers and took care of the ball offensively, which helped fuel a hot start.

The Hoosiers raced to an 11-2 lead and never looked back, leading by as many as 21 points in the second half. Minnesota coach Ben Johnson said postgame that his team played catch-up all evening.

“I thought the scouting report was perfectly fit going into the game, and they followed it right from the start,” Mike Woodson said. “We really defended the ball. We didn’t let their guards really get away from us in terms of getting downhill, so we really focused in on not giving straight-line drives where we had to help as much.”

The defensive pressure on the ball was more intense than usual and seemed to make Minnesota uncomfortable.

Several of Minnesota’s early shots were wild misses and the Gophers never got comfortable from beyond the 3-point line, shooting a dismal 3-for-20.

Mackenzie Mgbako’s best game yet as a Hoosier

Freshman Mackenzie Mgbako showed off his complete offensive package in Friday’s win.

The five-star forward from Gladstone, New Jersey has primarily been a perimeter shooter but used his strength to get to the rim repeatedly against Minnesota.

When Mgbako wasn’t finishing at the rim, he was getting to the line. The 6-foot-8 forward attempted a team-high seven free throws, connecting on five.

He finished with a team-high 19 points in 34 minutes.

More important, however, was Mgbako’s defense. His minutes have often been limited this season due to his defensive shortcomings. He held his own on Friday, which allowed him to stay on the floor for a career-high 34 minutes.

“He’s put the work in,” Woodson said. “He’s continuing to work, along with the rest of our young players. All we can do as coaches is continue to teach and push and try to get as much out of them as we can as we continue this journey.”

Trey Galloway scores efficiently, dishes out seven assists and defends

It was a night to forget for Indiana’s point guards, Gabe Cupps and Xavier Johnson. The duo combined for just two assists and two points in 47 minutes and 0-for-7 shooting from the field.

With both players struggling to score or distribute, Trey Galloway stepped up with one of his best all-around games of the season.

Galloway shot 4-for-5 from the field and made two of his three 3-point attempts.

More important, though, were Galloway’s seven assists. Five of those assists came in the second half as he found multiple teammates – Mgbako, Kel’el Ware and Malik Reneau – for buckets.

Galloway also made his mark defensively as he helped hold starting Minnesota two-guard Mike Mitchell Jr. scoreless in 20 minutes. It was the first time this season the Pepperdine transfer, who has scored in double figures eight times, didn’t register a point.

Indiana shortens the rotation

After 11 players logged minutes at Rutgers, Indiana shortened the rotation against Minnesota.

The Hoosiers played nine players, and only eight logged double-figure minutes, as Kaleb Banks only entered the game briefly after Anthony Walker had a bloody nose late in the first half.

There were also no stretches in the first half with four subs in the game simultaneously. Even with the tighter rotation, Indiana did allow an 11-0 run in the first half that allowed Minnesota to climb within five points.

However, the Hoosiers dictated the game from the opening tip and Minnesota never seriously threatened to take control, particularly in the second half.

While plus-minus numbers aren’t a perfect stat, all of Indiana’s starters logged a +16 or better in the win, while Johnson (-13), Walker (-12), and Gunn (-7) were all in the negative despite each playing at least 13 minutes.

Through six Big Ten games, Indiana has the league’s best defense and third-worst offense

Despite a pair of ugly losses at Nebraska and Rutgers, Indiana’s Big Ten record is solid at 4-2. The schedule gets much more challenging now with No. 1 Purdue coming to town and road trips to Wisconsin and Illinois.

Through six league games, Indiana is winning because of its defense.

The Hoosiers have allowed just .973 points per possession so far against Big Ten opponents, the top mark in the conference. Indiana held Minnesota to .872 points per possession, a season-low for the Gophers.

Offensively, however, the Hoosiers rank just 12th in the league with .992 points per possession.

Several issues are contributing to Indiana’s offensive woes in conference play.

Indiana is turning the ball over on 19.1 percent of its possessions against Big Ten opponents, the third worst in the league. And its free throw shooting ranks last at 60.3 percent.

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

Filed to: Mackenzie Mgbako, Minnesota Golden Gophers