Staying Ready – Sisley, Miles Produce Whenever Called Upon

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Sometimes, if you're Indiana's Trent Sisley and Jasai Miles, you just have to be ready, no matter the minutes, no matter the timing, no matter what you think should happen.

Against No. 12/12 Purdue, they were and, boy, did it matter in the Hoosiers' 72-67 upset victory. Now comes more potential opportunity with a West Coast swing to UCLA (15-6 overall, 7-3 in the Big Ten) on Saturday and USC (15-6, 4-6) on Tuesday.

"I love the mindset Jasai has had, and Trent's had," coach Darian DeVries says. "They do the work every day and don't always get the minutes that they want. But when their number's got called, they produce. That's great."

For Sisley, that meant a pair of important late-game free throws against Purdue despite playing just three minutes.

While Sisley, a 6-foot-8 freshman, has played in every game, and averages 16.5 minutes a contest, he only played a combined seven minutes against Rutgers and the Boilers. He averages 5.5 points and 3.6 boards.

For Miles against Purdue, he had five points and two rebounds in 15 minutes. The 6-foot-6 junior transfer guard from North Florida averages 1.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 7.6 minutes over 15 games. Last season at North Florida, he averaged 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.

"The last two games, Jasai and Trent gave us some big moments," Darian DeVries says. "Trent didn't get a lot of time (against Purdue), but he came in and made two free throws at a big, big time. That says a lot about him. He's all about the team. He's all about winning. And when his number got called -- that's what we've kind of been telling the guys, when you get your number called, whatever amount of time it is, 30 seconds, five minutes, 10 minutes, just leave it out there. They've really bought into that and done a good job."

As for Miles, Darian DeVries said, "Jasai hadn't played a lot. It would've been really easy for him, when his number was called, to not be ready, but he's continued to work even though he hadn't been rewarded for it in terms of playing time.

"Now, when his number's called, he's able to go out there and do the things he needs to do to continue to grow."

IU (14-7, 5-5) made enough down-the-stretch plays to negate a fierce Purdue crunch-time rally. It's the kind of competitiveness crucial in conference play, and beyond.

"I thought our fight throughout the game, we were exhausted," Darian DeVries says. "We were a little shorthanded. We had guys play a lot of minutes. It was hot in (Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall), and guys were giving great effort throughout.

"For a team that hasn't been in a lot of those situations together as a group, two minutes to go, big game, coming down to the wire, I thought guys made some really big plays.

"There was a little stretch where we had a couple of turnovers, but other than that, we did what we were supposed to do. We got fouled. We got to the free-throw line. We took care of the ball. We got a couple of big stops to finish it off. I thought our execution down the stretch was great."

That included guard Nick Dorn, who has thrived with added playtime created by Tayton Conerway's ankle injury. In the last three games, the 6-7 Dorn has scored 14, 23, and 18 points while shooting 14-for-28 from 3-point range. He's also grabbed eight rebounds.

Purdue coach Matt Painter says Dorn was "probably the difference in the game. He was really good.

"A couple of times, he hit a couple of tough ones. Other times, our guys gave him space (to shoot). You can't give him space. He just hit six threes at Rutgers."

Painter adds that, overall, the Hoosiers were "tougher than we were" in some key moments.

Until Tuesday night, these Hoosier players and coaches had never experienced the impact of a large and fully energized Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall crowd, which is why after the game, coaches and players went over to thank the fans.

"It is always special just to be able to do this against Purdue in this environment -- sold-out crowd," Dorn says. "There's nothing like it. I could barely hear. I really enjoy playing in it."

IU's two-game winning streak has restored its NCAA tourney-making prospects. It comes, guard Conor Enright says, because the Hoosiers are "starting to play more for each other and playing hard."

What will this mean against UCLA?

The Bruins have won three straight, including their own home upset victory over Purdue that started the Boilers' three-game slide. They are 12-0 at home.

Forward Tyler Biloudeau averages a team-leading 18.2 points with 38 3-pointers. Guard Skyy Clark averages 13.5 points. Donovan Dent, a preseason all-Big Ten guard, averages 13.1 points and 6.6 assists. Guard Trent Perry averages 11.6 points. Swingman Eric Dailey Jr. averages 10.8 points and 6.0 rebounds.

UCLA is coached by Mick Cronin who has won 518 games over 23 seasons, including 153 with the Bruins. He also won 296 games at Cincinnati and 69 at Murray State.

The Bruins lead the series with Indiana, 7-6, including a 72-68 win last season at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. UCLA has won 11 national championships to the Hoosiers' five.

Staying Ready – Sisley, Miles Produce Whenever Called Upon

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tayton Conerway

Nick Dorn

Conor Enright

Jasai Miles

Trent Sisley

Indiana University Athletics