Indiana Is 3–0. The Syracuse Win Showed Who Darian DeVries Trusts Late

The biggest possession in Indiana’s 83–80 win over Syracuse ended with Darren Harris at the foul line. The game was tied, a little more than a minute remained, and Harris had three free throws. He made all three. A night with 13 lead changes and 11 ties finally tilted toward the Hoosiers, who left Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 3–0.

Indiana had already shown it could overwhelm an opponent with depth. Against Syracuse, Darian DeVries got a more useful look at who could make a play when the Hoosiers had little time to recover from a mistake. Harris and Markus Burton each scored 20, Jaeden Mustaf added 18, and Bryce Lindsay gave Indiana 11 off the bench. They showed different ways to keep a tight game from slipping away.

Harris gave Indiana a second way to close

Harris scored 14 of his 20 points after halftime. He opened the second half with a three, three free throws, and a steal that led to a layup. Then he was back at the line to break the last tie. The Hoosiers can put the ball in Burton’s hands late, but Harris’s shooting gives them another way to start a possession. Run him off a screen, make the defense decide how to cover it, and Burton can attack the next opening. Harris can get a good look from the first action or help create one for someone else.

Burton and Mustaf offered a glimpse of that flexibility in the final stretch. Syracuse led by five with about six minutes left. Burton and Mustaf hit threes during the response, and two Lindsay free throws put Indiana ahead 69–68 with 3:52 to go. Mustaf had already scored five straight first-half points while Samet Yigitoglu and Aiden Sherrell were on the bench. His value in those moments is that the offense still has someone who can put pressure on a defender while Indiana works through foul trouble or gives Burton a different look.

The bench numbers tell two stories

Syracuse won the bench scoring battle 40–11. Lindsay accounted for all 11 Indiana points and did it without making a three. His five free throws matter here because his ability to contribute in a close game extended beyond the skill that usually gets him on the floor. When DeVries wants another guard late, Lindsay can help even if the first shot he gets from the perimeter misses.

The other side of that number is worth tracking. If one reserve supplies all the bench scoring on a night when Sherrell picks up two early fouls, the starters can end up doing a lot of the work that keeps the game close. Indiana still won the rebound count 37–28, with Yigitoglu grabbing 10. That’s an argument for keeping a dependable rebounder on the floor late, particularly against a team that has already shot well. A defensive stop only counts once someone secures the ball.

DeVries has options for different possessions

My read after Syracuse is that Burton and Harris have earned the first look when Indiana needs a basket. Mustaf gives DeVries another attacker, and Lindsay’s minutes can depend on whether the matchup calls for another guard who can handle the ball and draw a defender away from the paint. When Indiana is protecting a lead, I’d put more weight on having enough size to rebound and limiting the opponent to one shot. Those are decisions DeVries can make possession by possession.

The next time the Hoosiers are down five late, watch who gets the first touch and who stays on the floor after the next timeout. Against Syracuse, Indiana recovered because several players could make a useful play without everything being called for the same scorer. That’s a better starting point for a closing lineup than anything DeVries could have learned from another comfortable November win.