Midseason report card: USI men's basketball enters the new year with confidence

EVANSVILLE -- It was nearly 5 a.m. by the time Stan Gouard walked into his home last Tuesday morning.

The University of Southern Indiana men's basketball team had just returned after a seven-hour trek from Grand Valley State University. It was the conclusion of a three-day trip up to Michigan and the final non-conference weekend of the season.

But it was undeniably the most successful weekend for the Screaming Eagles yet.

USI notched two impressive road wins to close out the first part of the schedule with a 6-2 record. It now will go nearly two weeks without a game before returning to action after the new year at McKendree.

Here are some of the biggest takeaways from USI's season to this point.

Final non-conference stretch provides boost

Gouard couldn't have asked for a better way to close out 2021.

USI went on the road and snagged two important region victories in three days. It outlasted Northwood 81-78 in overtime and then knocked off No. 22 Grand Valley State 68-63.

An important road sweep could pay dividends in the future.

"We dropped the ball at Cedarville and we dropped the ball at home against Indy. This was our chance to get back in good graces from a regional standpoint," Gouard said. "Confidence-wise, it's great momentum to have going into second semester."

Offensively, USI shot well in both games, finishing 44 percent from the field against Northwood with Tyler Henry and Tre Cunningham both notching 20-point outings.

It improved on that by shooting 50 percent against the Lakers. Mateo Rivera (18 points, 8 rebounds) made some big plays down the stretch, including a clutch 3-pointer. Jelani Simmons (21 points) and Jacob Polakovich (12 points, 10 rebounds) also gave the offense life.

"Offensively, I thought we did a great job of executing and riding the hot hand. It was one of those games where our guys willed each other to victory," Gouard said. "Everything is starting to come full circle because we did a great job on both ends of the court.

Biggest positive: Fighting through adversity

USI is holding opponents under 70 points per game, on average.

It also has handled some tough situations well late in games. Gouard knew these early non-conference tests wouldn't be easy. And even though they've lost a couple, he's proud of the way they've dealt with things.

"When we put this schedule together, I envisioned us in a better place in terms of our record. But I'm satisfied with how we're coming together," Gouard said. "These tough road trips will help you out down the stretch."

The two overtime wins highlight overcoming adversity. Against Kentucky Wesleyan, USI used a late stretch from freshman Isaiah Swope to gain momentum into the extra period. At Northwood, Henry scored nine points in overtime including a key 3-pointer.

If those games would've gone the other way, USI would have a 4-4 record with all four losses coming in region play — something that could have impacted its NCAA Tournament odds.

That's the importance of closing out games when most needed.

"In both of those overtime wins, our execution was pretty good down the stretch," Gouard said. "It proves that we're fighters and we can finish close games."

Area of improvement: Offensive selection

USI has already seen growth in this area over the past few weeks. But it was something that Gouard noted after seeing his team struggle in a 68-62 home loss to conference rival Indianapolis.

Early in the season, the Screaming Eagles were averaging just under 0.8 points per possession. Shots were being rushed too early in the shot clock. This led to sloppy possessions and easy buckets on the other end for the opponent.

Crisper passes and a tweaked offensive game have changed that.

"Most of those quick shots were contested," Gouard said. "We went back and re-evaluated our offense. Now, we're averaging about 1.2 to 1.3 points per possession. That's predicated on better ball movement."

USI has begun to flow the offense through big man Jacob Polakovich, who posted a 28-point, 12-rebound outing at Illinois-Springfield and double-doubles against Loras and Grand Valley State. He's averaging 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds over the past four games.

"When we can get the ball inside to guys like Jacob, (Tyler) Dancy and (K'Suan) Casey, we can develop an inside-outside attack," Gouard said. "We're able to drive the ball better now and get great shots late in the shot clock."

Gouard has also wanted to see better free-throw shooting. They're currently at 67 percent but have seen better performances from the line in recent wins over Northwood (70 percent) and Grand Valley State (73 percent).

"I'm happy that we're starting to make some shots," Gouard said. "Once we do that and continue to defend the way we're defending, we can be really good."

Other notes

Best player: Is it bad to say that this is a tie? Jelani Simmons and Jacob Polakovich have helped USI play at a high level. Simmons' athleticism has allowed to him create highlight plays seemingly every game while Polakovich's size and strength have caused mismatches for opposing defenses.

Most improved player: Several have taken leaps but the growth Tyler Henry has shown has been impressive. He's scored over 20 points twice after not reaching that mark once last year. Gouard has also called him the team's "defensive stopper".

Top individual performance: There are a few who could be chosen for this. But I'm going with Jacob Polakovich's 28-point, 12-rebound performance in a conference win at Illinois-Springfield. Coming off of a GLVC loss, USI needed a big outing on the road and Polakovich helped get it done. Honorable mention: Isaiah Swope's heroics against Kentucky Wesleyan and Mateo Rivera's clutch shots down the stretch at Grand Valley State.

Best highlight play: Do I need to say anything more?

Contact Courier & Press sports reporter Hendrix Magley via email at hendrix.magley@courierpress.com or via Twitter @TweetsOfHendrix.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: USI men's basketball enters the new year with confidence