Coming off a tough yet inspiring road trip on the East Coast, the men’s basketball team needed a momentum-shifting win. Considering the final score of this game (107-49), that would be an understatement.

USI returned from the road after an admirable performance in the Duke Blue Devil Challenge. They lost to La Salle University by one point (78-79) and dropped a tough game to Bucknell University due to an unlucky ice-cold second half (56-67). This road trip concluded at Cameron Indoor Stadium, home of the Duke Blue Devils. Going into that game, USI were heavy underdogs. They led the first half, 35-31, but ultimately dropped that one by a score of 62-80. I was very impressed by their performances on the road and believe this trip as a whole will make them tougher. It will also bring the team together from a chemistry standpoint. This theory reached its apex during the Duke game, in which the team was in great spirits and seemed like a band of brothers going to war.

I asked Stan Gouard, head coach, how the experience at Cameron Indoor Stadium was.

“It was great,” he said. “A great experience. The only bad part about it, I didn’t get to enjoy it, because we didn’t win. But our guys enjoyed it. I think that was the most important thing to our guys. Enjoying their time there. That’s a very historic place, and they’ll probably never go there another day in their life.”

While watching the games last week, a couple of things stood out to me.

Firstly, Jack Mielke, junior forward, is a consistent three-point marksman and takes great shots. Excluding his performance against Duke, he’s shot 50% from the field, and he’s shooting a red-hot 55% from three. I swear, every time he shoots from beyond the arc, I think it’s going in.

Sam Mervis, junior guard, is a stable guard. He knows how to control the pace and set up plays. In my opinion, he should be getting the bulk of the point guard crunchtime minutes (the period of time when there are less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter or overtime). However, this doesn’t take away from the other point guard on the team, Jack Campion, sophomore guard, who plays with a lot of intensity and aggression. He just brings it every time he plays, similar to NBA guard Russell Westbrook. The key is figuring out when to control it, but that takes time and more reps, which I’m sure Gouard will give him.

AJ Smith, sophomore guard/forward, and Jeremiah Hernandez, junior guard, have been consistently good for the most part. Although, with Smith missing the game Tuesday, others on the team had a chance to step up and get those touches. For me, Jordan Tillmon, junior guard, and Ryan Hall, sophomore guard, will be the next guys up. Hall had recently been in a slump but looked to bounce back in the game against East-West.

Another takeaway from the trip was the late emergence of Javius Moore, junior guard/forward. Early in the year, he fell out of the rotation, but recently, with Tillmon Smith missing time, Moore has found a bit of a resurgence in the game against Duke, scoring 11 points. I really like his game. He’s versatile, like Smith, as he can be plugged in alongside Hernandez and Smith to play a run-and-gun style of offense.

Going into the game, USI was seen as the heavy favorite, as East-West University came in with a 0-12 record.

Starting Lineups:

USI: Mervis, Hernandez and Moore were at the guard spots while Mielke and Nolan Causwell, senior forward/center, played in the frontcourt. Moore started in place of Smith, who had been out due to a non-injury illness.

East-West: Tareeq Roper, junior guard, Vasean Daniels, freshman guard, Jaha Jackson, junior guard, Charles Harris, freshman forward, and Jabriel Johnson, freshman forward, started for the East-West Phantoms.

The Game:

I’m not going to lie, this game was a rough watch from the media table. It wasn’t really even a contest, as USI led for the entire game. East-West University was sloppy with the ball, giving up the ball 18 times, 13 of those in the first half. At halftime, I told the play-by-play broadcasters next to me they should start preparing some blowout material, which was an accurate prediction. USI led the game at halftime, 55-18. Throughout the second half, I thought USI might let off the gas a bit, but they didn’t. The lead eventually ballooned to 58, which is where it remained.

Final Score: USI- 107, East-West University- 49

Chronicles from the Hoops Haven:

This is a game most USI fans won’t forget, and East-West fans will try to forget. For East-West, Roper, Daniels and Jackson scored in double figures and were the only super impactful players.

For USI, it was, in essence, a scrimmage, where Southern Indiana experimented with different lineups and styles. Moore, Hernandez, Mervis, Hall and Nick Hittle, junior forward, scored in double figures. Gouard utilized the “Jumbo” lineup, featuring two big guys and putting an emphasis on owning the paint. Yarin Hasson, sophomore forward, Luther Smith Jr., freshman guard, and Johnny Semany, sophomore guard, scored their first points of the season.

Key Takeaways:

Hall played with confidence tonight and took some of his opponents off the dribble for his baskets, like Prime Dwyane Wade. Hopefully, this performance gets him going. Moore filled in for Smith and did an excellent job. He showed some real aggression and heart, getting three steals and four rebounds as well. He even picked up a technical foul, but fortunately, USI was leading at that point. Turnovers were not particularly an issue tonight, same with three-pointers, as the team is starting to improve on that as well. The only negative thing I can say is I wish USI would’ve let off a bit, as beating a team by 58 is a bit much. Call me a traditionalist in that regard, although it’s not really a negative.