Luke Goode, Anthony Leal and Bryson Tucker Provided Heart And Soul In Winning Indiana Effort

Mike Woodson put that trio on the floor together for extended periods and it paid dividends for the Hoosiers in 97-71 victory over Sam Houston.

Indiana Hoosiers forward Luke Goode (10) guard Anthony Leal (3) and Sam Houston State Bearkats forward Kian Scroggins (40) dive for a loose ball in the second half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – During the offseason, Indiana men’s basketball coach Mike Woodson extolled the virtues of the lineup flexibility the Hoosiers would have.

If Indiana wanted to play big? Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau were at the ready.

If Indiana wanted to play small? One of Ballo and Reneau could play with the army of guards that the Hoosiers have on their roster.

Through Indiana’s 6-2 start, there have been glimpses of the lineup flexibility the Hoosiers have, but Tuesday’s game against Sam Houston might have provided the best evidence of what Indiana has at its disposal.

Indiana locked in a small-ish lineup that proved to be very productive in the 97-71 victory over Sam Houston at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Indiana's Bryson Tucker (8) scores during the Indiana versus Sam Houston men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The core group consisted of Luke Goode, Anthony Leal and Bryson Tucker. In the first half, they were paired with Ballo and Galloway. In the second, they were paired with several different Hoosiers.

In both halves, those combinations gave the Hoosiers an immediate lift on both ends of the floor. It’s a lineup that puts pressure on the opponent.

“The energy they gave early coming off the bench. I mean, they were into it and did a lot of good things, especially on the defensive end to get us a nice little cushion going into halftime. I thought they had a lot to do with it,” Woodson said.

What made these combinations work? Goode’s revived 3-point shooting - he was 5 of 7 from long range - was part of it, but putting Goode, Leal and Tucker on the floor at the same time forces defenses into a choice.

You have to account for Goode on the arc. Tucker is already very confident at penetrating off the dribble for mid-range jumpers he’s loves to take. Leal isn’t a scorer, but he’s a very good distributor. Leave him alone and he’ll go to work on an opposing defense with his passing like a scalpel.

The pieces around that trio help too. In the first half, Galloway stretched the defense by making himself available on the arc. Ballo is Ballo, he mans the post, but he’s a hard matchup when the defense is stretched and Indiana can score from anywhere on the floor.

In the second half combinations that included Reneau, the junior forward can receive the ball away from the rim, put it on the floor, and bully his way to scoring chances. Myles Rice can use the space he gets from others spreading the defense to dribble-penetrate or take a pull-up jumper.

It worked very well on the offensive end, but the insertion of Leal made a big difference on the defensive end.

Leal seems to perpetually have to prove himself to the coaching staff. He had good stretches of play in the 2024 season – only to see his role wiped out by the many new backcourt teammates acquired in the offseason.

When Leal plays, he provides a high basketball IQ and a relentless defensive effort. From the time he entered the game with 12:40 left in the first half, Sam Houston didn’t score again until the 10:22 mark. That was not a coincidence. Leal’s defensive effort was exactly what the Hoosiers needed at the time.

Sam Houston State Bearkats guard Lamar Wilkerson (3) shoots the ball while Indiana Hoosiers guard Anthony Leal (3) defends in the second half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

“Anthony has always been there when we needed him. I thought tonight he stepped up and played a solid game for us,” Woodson said.

His efforts are appreciated by his teammates.

“I think Anthony is one of the best teammates I've ever played with. He is put in tough positions all the time. Being in the lineup, out of the lineup, being called on last year and making big plays,” said Goode, who noted he watched Leal from afar when he was at Illinois last season.

“When you have a guy like that that you can depend on that's so selfless to take a step back and not get minutes and still be a great teammate, and then to come in like he did today, it's special,” Goode continued.

“He played 25 minutes this game and he was still a great teammate. When you have that and you have that winning mentality, it really helps everybody else realize it's bigger than themselves,” Goode concluded.

As Goode said these words, Reneau nodded in agreement sitting next to him.

It paid off for the Hoosiers too. Indiana had the Ballo-Galloway-Goode-Leal-Tucker lineup on the floor from the 9:24 to the 5:40 mark of the first half. During that time, Indiana’s lead went from nine to 20 points.

Leal and Tucker played 16 minutes in the second half in various combinations.

While plus-minus can be a flawed measure, there’s interpretive value in Tuesday’s numbers. Leal had a plus-39, Tucker at plus-31 and Goode at plus-23.

In traditional stats, Goode had 18 points. Leal had four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Tucker had eight points and three assists.

If Woodson wants a combination of players who can get things done? Building around that trio might be a path to explore going forward.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• INDIANA DELIVERS TENSION-FREE VICTORY: Indiana kept Sam Houston at arm's length and the Indiana bench delivered in a 97-71 triumph for the Hoosiers. CLICK HERE.

• GOODE REALIZING DREAM: He struggled to start the season, but Luke Goode is starting to heat up and the Hoosiers are reaping the benefits. CLICK HERE.

• WHAT WOODSON SAID: Everything Indiana coach Mike Woodson said after Indiana's victory over Sam Houston. CLICK HERE.

• MEET THE OPPONENT: Sam Houston has the nation’s 17th best 3-point shooting percentage going into Tuesday’s game against Indiana. CLICK HERE

• 3 THINGS TO WATCH: The Bearkats come to Bloomington as the Hoosiers try to find themselves after a disappointing trip to the Bahamas. CLICK HERE