“We’re fortunate to have him down there just because he brings so much attention to himself,” Bates said of Jackson-Davis. “He’s executing at a high level right now, and that’s what we expect of him.”
Indiana (4-0) led 43-26 at half, a margin that grew to 34 at one point in the second half.
“You want to send the whole cavalry at him,” Miami coach Travis Steele said of Jackson-Davis. “He’s a monster down there. And he can make you pay with a pass. He’s seen double teams his entire life.”
It was a homecoming of sorts for Jackson-Davis, who was a star at Center Grove High School in the Indianapolis suburbs. He had his first double-double of the season by halftime with 13 points and 10 rebounds and finished with 16 rebounds for the 33rd double-double of his career.
Jalen Hood-Schifino added 12 points for the Hoosiers, who had 10 players contribute at least five points.
Julian Lewis and Mekhi Lairy each had 12 points for the Redhawks (1-3).
Miami came out firing and mostly missing from 3-point range, but the Redhawks stayed close early on. The Redhawks were 7 of 22 from beyond the arc in the first half and finished 10 of 34.
“We’ve got to grow up,” Steele said. “We’ve got a very inexperienced group. We’re trying to figure out what wins at college basketball. This ain’t high school anymore. This has been a pattern we’ve had up until this point. We go through these lulls where all of a sudden they go on a big run. Give Indiana credit, they made us pay.”
BIG PICTURE
Miami: A rough start for first-year coach Travis Steele, whose team was unable to bounce back from an ugly 95-69 home loss to Marshall. The Redhawks’ only win so far is against Goshen.
Indiana: After taking in a Pacers home win on Friday night, the Hoosiers took care of business on the same floor against an outmanned Mid-American Conference foe. Three of Indiana’s four victories have been by double digits.
UP NEXT
Miami: Host Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday.
Indiana: Host Arkansas-Little Rock on Wednesday.
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