Jack’s Take: Bryson Tucker a Luxury Indiana Didn’t Have Last Year

Bryson Tucker scored 14 points off the bench in Thursday’s win over UNC Greensboro, stepping up at a critical time when other Indiana guards and wings were struggling.

Indiana's Bryson Tucker (8) drives against UNC Greensboro at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Last year, Indiana may have lost this kind of game.

Of course, that hypothetical comes with many variables due to the roster changes from both teams. But considering Indiana’s makeup in 2023-24 compared to the lineups it rolled out in Thursday’s 69-58 win against UNC Greensboro, the changes are a big reason it avoided a costly loss to a mid-major opponent. 

Indiana starting shooting guard Kanaan Carlyle finished with 3 points on 1-for-7 shooting. Small forward Mackenzie Mgbako played well early, but he faded in the second half to the tune of a 2-for-11 night. Off the bench, Trey Galloway was held scoreless in 15 minutes, and Luke Goode scored just three points in 17 minutes. 

Last year, when many Hoosiers had off nights, Indiana coach Mike Woodson would often go searching for solutions and find no answers. Four Hoosiers averaged double-digit points last year, but after that group, Indiana lacked reliable depth.

Thursday’s game tested the new-look Hoosiers’ depth. And when Woodson looked for a spark off the bench on Thursday, freshman Bryson Tucker stepped up in a crucial way.

“I had to go somewhere,” Woodson said. “We struggled a little bit off the bench. Gallo was a little bit slow tonight, and I've just got to be careful with Gallo. He's going to have some moments where he looks -- because he hasn't played.”

Indiana's Bryson Tucker (8) shoots against UNC Greensboro at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Tucker’s 14 points are more than any Hoosier scored off the bench in a game last season, except for CJ Gunn’s 17-point performance in a 93-66 loss to Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament. And all 17 of Gunn’s points came in the second half after the outcome had essentially been decided, as Indiana trailed 50-27 at halftime.

Across 33 games last season, a Hoosier scored in double figures off the bench just nine times. Anthony Walker accounted for four. Gunn had three. Kaleb Banks, Xavier Johnson and Anthony Leal each had one.

Tucker, a 6-foot-7 freshman who came to Indiana as a McDonald’s All-American with five-star accolades, has the most talent out of that bunch. He has a confident, smooth offensive game, especially in the mid-range. And he’s a long, eager defender who can give smaller guards serious fits.

Tucker is a luxury off the bench that Indiana didn’t have last season. If he continues to play like he did Thursday, Woodson will have a hard time keeping him there. He played 16 of those minutes in the second half – more than Mgbako, Carlyle, Galloway and Goode did in the final 20.

“Tucker came in and he shined for a freshman,” Woodson said. “… ​​He's a guy that can help us. I leaned on him tonight, and he came through and did some positive things.”

The freshman’s best stretch against UNC Greensboro came in the second half after subbing in at the 15:57 mark, with the game tied 40-40. Several Indiana guards and wings were having off-nights offensively, but Tucker had a chance to change that. 

On his second possession, Tucker drove hard, converted a layup through contact for an and-one and sank the free throw. Woodson drew up an out-of-bounds play on Indiana’s next possession, instructing Malik Reneau to screen Tucker open. He caught the ball at the free throw line, patiently backed his defender down, then turned around and made a fadeaway jumper. 

On a similar looking play in the half-court offense, Reneau screened for Tucker on the right wing. He caught the ball at the right elbow and immediately rose up for his shot, recognizing that the defense had sagged off to limit the kind of drive he previously scored on.

Tucker deflected a UNC Greensboro shot two possessions later, which ignited an Indiana fast break and a Goode 3-pointer. That pushed Indiana’s lead to 10 points, its largest at that point of the second half. Tucker was in the zone, knocking down two more jumpers and a free throw in the final 10 minutes. 

The freshman finished with 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting in 25 minutes. If some combination of Mgbako, Carlyle, Goode and Galloway struggle, Tucker has proven – now twice through his first four collegiate games – that he can be a double-digit scorer off the bench. 

Indiana has plenty to clean up after an 11-point win over UNC Greensboro, its lowest-scoring game of the season by 11 points and its worst shooting night by almost 10%. Woodson said Greensboro came to play and Indiana didn’t, and he described the Hoosiers’ 16-assist night as “selfish as hell.”

He thinks Indiana can be a good team in time, saying it’s made a lot of progress since the summer but still has a long way to go. With performances like Tucker’s on Thursday, he can feel good about having more scoring options off the bench than any of his previous three teams.

“He's still learning. He has a ways to go, but he just has a nice feel for the game,” Woodson said. “I have no problems playing Tuck in critical times. I think he can make basketball plays to help you win. But like I mentioned earlier, we need more than just Tuck.”

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• BRYSON TUCKER BURST LIFTS INDIANA PAST GREENSBORO: Bryson Tucker's second-half scoring burst broke Indiana out of an offensive slump and led the Hoosiers to a 69-58 victory on Thursday at Assembly Hall. CLICK HERE.

• LIVE BLOG: Read about the Greensboro game as it unfolded. CLICK HERE.

• BRYSON TUCKER NEXT GENERATION: Instead of playing AAU basketball growing up, Indiana freshman Bryson Tucker played against older competition and refined his game with his father. That upbringing is reflected in his style of play and personality, which teammates and coaches consider uncommon for players his age. CLICK HERE