5 quick thoughts from Indiana men’s basketball’s 83-80 win over Syracuse

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 9: Jaeden Mustaf #3 of the Indiana Hoosiers rebounds the ball against Mark Morano #12 of the Syracuse Orange during the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on November 9, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) | Getty Images Indiana men’s basketball pulled off an 83-80 win over Syracuse on Monday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.Wins are far, far better than losses but there were more than a few discouraging signs from the Hoosiers’ first real outing against a high-major opponent. Indiana dominated North Carolina in this same building in exhibition play not long ago at all. This serves as a nice cement as to how much that game did not matter.Here’s a few thoughts on the game:Download the SB Nation app on iOS or Android for coverage of the Hoosiers and all your favorite teams!The halfcourt offense really leaves something to be desired. There were a few possessions there in the first half when Indiana got out running and the offense looked great. When things slowed down and the Hoosiers had to find points in the halfcourt, the efficiency went away. These Hoosiers probe a bit, trying to find a weakness, and sometimes there isn’t one. The offense seems pretty individual in that area, with guys looking to score rather than work around for the ideal shot. Which can work when…The rebounding is about as advertised, which Indiana is really going to need. Indiana owned a 37-28 advantage on the glass against Syracuse, which is pretty good. The Hoosiers pulled in 14 offensive rebounds and turned them into 12 second chance points that proved necessary when the game came down to the final possession.Indiana’s frontcourt is part of its identity, it can’t play like it did against Syracuse. Aiden Sherrrell struggled with foul trouble, but took just a pair of shots and both came from 3-point range. Samet Yigitoglu finished with a team-leading 10 rebounds, but let a few get away from him that proved costly. Yigitoglu deserves a ton of credit for draining two late free-throws, but Indiana’s frontcourt is crucial to its identity and the Hoosiers had to lean almost entirely on the backcourt on offense to just barely pull off a win.Aiden Sherrell’s going to need to do way more. Sherrell, as stated above, finished with six points on a pair of 3-pointers. He picked up a pair of early fouls and had a ton of trouble getting into the game from there, pulling down just a single rebound. Sherrell is way too valuable to what this team needs to be to have nights like that. One way or another, he needs to be more involved either as a rebounding force or a scorer on the interior.Jaeden Mustaf, take a bow. Indiana doesn’t win this one without Mustaf’s efforts tonight. He finished with 18 points on 7-11 shooting from the field including 2-3 from 3-point range, seven rebounds and an assist while providing some valuable defensive pressure in key situations. All of that as an auxiliary piece to the offense that doesn’t spend a ton of time with the ball or looking to score right out of the gate. That’s as good as his role on this team gets.Join the conversation!Sign up for a user account and get:Improved notifications system!Fewer adsCreate community postsComment on articles, community postsRec comments, community postsDownload the SB Nation app on iOS or Android.