Indiana basketball had its best performance of the season in a win over South Carolina on Saturday. Here are observations from the Hoosiers' victory.

Indiana's men's basketball team tries to get to 3-0 as the Gamecocks visit Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

After falling behind 4-0 in the first 90 seconds, Indiana scored 14 unanswered points, surging to a double-digit lead with 14:34 to play in the first half. The Gamecocks responded to the Hoosiers’ surge with a run of their own, trimming the deficit to 22-19, but Indiana outscored South Carolina 21-13 over the final 7:09 leading into the break.

Last year, South Carolina posted its best season in nearly a decade under second-year head coach Lamont Paris. Yet, hopes are higher in Bloomington, where head coach Mike Woodson has recruited an impressive group of talent to play for the Hoosiers. That’s reflected in the spread, where the Hoosiers are seven-point favorites.

Indiana men’s basketball might’ve put up 87 points in today’s win over South Carolina, but it was the defensive effort from tipoff until the end that made the largest impact on the game. Collin Murray-Boyles,

With a pair of wins over mid-majors, No. 16 Indiana men’s basketball will get its first taste of power conference basketball when it hosts the University of South Carolina, a team that earned a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season.