CJ Gunn Energizes Indiana With Outside Shooting, Defense in Win Over Ohio State

CJ Gunn has had an inconsistent sophomore season, but during Indiana's 71-65 win over Ohio State Saturday at Assembly Hall, he showed the kind of outside shooting and defense that can help this Indiana team moving forward.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – CJ Gunn didn’t get his name called Wednesday at Nebraska until midway through the second half. And when he checked in, Gunn missed two shots and picked up two fouls. Back to the bench. 

Indiana coach Mike Woodson gave the 6-foot-6 sophomore another run about seven minutes later, and Gunn poked away a steal and knocked down a three. But by then, Nebraska had blown the game open, and Gunn’s contributions in six minutes of play would largely be forgotten in the 86-70 loss.

His role in the rotation moving forward was unresolved, especially with senior point guard Xavier Johnson returning from injury and senior guard Anthony Leal’s play improving.

That didn’t deter Gunn from working hard in practice to earn his minutes back, though, with a near must-win game against Ohio State on the docket. And Woodson has been known to ride the hot hand on a game-by-game basis.

“[Gunn's] last few days of practice have been tremendous,” Woodson said. “I'm telling all these guys, you know, it's how you practice, man, that carries over into a real basketball game.”

Indiana Hoosiers guard CJ Gunn (11) makes a three-point basket over Ohio State Buckeyes forward Jamison Battle (10) during the second half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Gunn said Woodson emphasized the need to be more in tune with what Indiana was doing on both ends of the floor heading into the Ohio State game. So he spent hours watching film with Indiana staff members Brian Walsh and Jordan Hulls, which Gunn said brought more comfort to his game.

That preparation translated to a 10-point performance from Gunn, who played a career-high 24 minutes and a key role in Indiana’s 71-65 win over Ohio State Saturday night at Assembly Hall.

“That just comes from work he puts in,” Johnson said of Gunn. “CJ is in the gym all the time, and now you're just seeing the results.”

Gunn got his first chance against the Buckeyes with eight minutes left in the first half, when Indiana trailed by five. A pass from Ohio State’s Scotty Middleton ricocheted off Felix Okpara’s chest directly to Indiana center Kel’el Ware, who advanced the ball to a running Gunn.

Gunn blew past the Ohio State defense and slammed home a massive fast-break dunk while being fouled by Okpara. He flexed in celebration, then sunk the and-one free throw.

Oh My GOODNESS CJ GUNN! 🔥 @CJ_Gunn22 x @IndianaMBB pic.twitter.com/ENYB2HuLUk

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 7, 2024

Indiana Hoosiers guard CJ Gunn (11) dunks the ball against Ohio State Buckeyes center Felix Okpara (34) during the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Though Gunn’s dunk energized the Assembly Hall crowd more than any play to that point, Indiana still found itself down seven points with five minutes left in the first half. That’s when Woodson dug into his deep playbook of baseline-out-of-bounds calls to free up Gunn. Screens from Malik Reneau and Ware allowed Gunn to slither through the Ohio State defense, then catch the in-bounds pass from Galloway and let it fly for another bucket.

Gunn’s solid minutes in the first half gave Woodson confidence that he could execute down the stretch in a crucial game. Indiana had just taken its first lead of the second half, 53-52, with 9:50 left in the game after a corner three from Johnson.

A few possessions later, Gunn caught a kick-out pass from a driving Trey Galloway. He made a smart decision to shot-fake and get Ohio State’s Jamison Battle out of position, take one dribble, then pull up for a mid-range jumper. He knocked down that one, too.

Indiana's CJ Gunn (11) celebrates during the second half of the Indiana versus Ohio State men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024 :: Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

His next bucket gave Indiana more breathing room than it had since the 13:56 mark of the first half. On yet another drive-and-kick from Galloway, Gunn caught the ball on the right wing and didn’t hesitate. Soon after the ball ripped through the net, Gunn pointed to the crowd in celebration and even high-fived a fan sitting court side.

Confidence oozed from the sophomore, something his teammates see all the time.

“He's a guy that has high confidence in himself and fears nothing,” Johnson said postgame.

Johnson, Galloway and Gunn also led an Indiana perimeter defense that limited Ohio State leading scorers Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr. all night. The sophomore Buckeye guards combined for 18 points – they average 17.4 and 14.9 points per game, respectively – on an ugly 7-for-34 shooting, or 20.6%, including an 0-for-12 mark from 3-point range.

Woodson gave Gunn and Johnson the game balls afterward.

“That’s Hoosier defense,” Woodson said in his postgame locker room speech. “I ride you a lot, but I love every one of you guys. You have to play with this type of intensity."

Hoosier defense! Game balls for @CJ_Gunn22 and @XavierJ0hnson. pic.twitter.com/jiKq9DsqqN

— Mike Woodson (@MikeWoodsonNBA) January 7, 2024

Gunn has shown an ability to knock down outside shots and play strong defense before, but it’s been far too inconsistent, seen through his up-and-down minutes throughout his sophomore season. He had a similar performance in Indiana’s win at Michigan, scoring eight points and poking away four steals. But he combined for just 14 points across the following six games.

Woodson believes Gunn becoming a more consistent performer for Indiana starts with his mentality.

“A lot of it is, for the young guys, it's the mental part of it, knowing exactly what we're doing when we go into a game setting and putting the game plan together,” Woodson said. “It's mentally, your mental approach has to be on par.”

“If I don't see that, then how can I have confidence in playing you? I thought these last two days [Gunn] was right on par, man, in terms of what we wanted. Kaleb [Banks] as well. He didn't play as much but I thought tonight I was going to play him. I came into the game with the attitude I was going to play them both. CJ stepped up and gave us some important minutes tonight.”

Indiana Hoosiers guard CJ Gunn (11) goes up for a dunk past Ohio State Buckeyes center Felix Okpara (34) during the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

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