Indiana proves itself once again by dropping surging North Carolina

Nineteen days after upsetting Kansas, the Hoosiers toppled another elite team (AP)

Indiana rocketed to No. 6 in the polls three weeks ago with a season-opening upset win over third-ranked Kansas. The Hoosiers then plummeted right back out of the top 10 a mere eight days later with a stunning loss at Fort Wayne.

So who’s the real Indiana? At last, the Hoosiers have offered some clarity.

Indiana reasserted itself as an elite team Wednesday night with an impressive 76-67 victory over previously undefeated North Carolina. The Hoosiers controlled the game from start to finish, opening a 17-point cushion midway through the first half and holding the lead the rest of the game.

Only once did the third-ranked Tar Heels mount a serious push, a 9-1 surge that closed the gap to four with just under five minutes to play in the second half. It was then that Indiana guard James Blackmon sunk the biggest shot of the game, a 3-pointer that halted North Carolina’s momentum and helped the Hoosiers close out a big victory.

Few thought that Indiana would win so comfortably because North Carolina entered the game playing as well as anyone in the nation. The Tar Heels steamrolled a loaded field at the Maui Invitational last week, winning all three games by an average of 30 points.

North Carolina was at its most dominant in Maui in the paint. On the off chance the Tar Heels didn’t score in transition or around the rim, Isaiah Hicks, Kennedy Meeks and Justin Jackson bludgeoned opponents on the offensive glass, helping their team amass the nation’s second best offensive rebounding rate.

Indiana defeated North Carolina on Wednesday by neutralizing the Tar Heels’ strengths for long stretches of the game.

Josh Newkirk hounded star point guard Joel Berry into 3-for-13 shooting. Meeks and Hicks were ineffective on the low block and scored a combined six first-half points. And while North Carolina collected 13 offensive boards, the Tar Heels’ rebounding percentage was still far below their season average.

Indiana’s own offense lacks a point guard who creates off the dribble as effectively as Yogi Ferrell has the past few years, so the Hoosiers have to manufacture points through ball movement and paint touches. That bogged down in stretches during the second half, but overall the Hoosiers were effective.

O.G. Anunoby led five players in double figures with 16 points including a pair of big dunks. Blackmon had 14 points and Thomas Bryant had 10 of his 12 after halftime.

One topsy-turvy month into the season, we now have a better idea of who Indiana will be.

Erratic defense and a reliance on 3-pointers gives Indiana a lower floor than some of this year’s other title contenders. But as victories over Kansas and North Carolina attest, when the Hoosiers are engaged defensively and in rhythm offensively, they can beat anybody.