For an hour or so Thursday night, Miller Kopp channeled Steve Alford.

Bethune-Cookman paid the price.

There was Indiana's fifth-year senior forward, draining 3-pointers as easily as getting a tan (more on this in a moment) -- or as Alford once did during his 1987 All-America senior season -- during a 101-49 victory at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

It was not easy, of course. It reflected an enormous amount of off-season work, the confidence of a coach who believed in him and a roster well-suited for catch-and-shoot guys.

Guys such as Kopp.

A double shot of penetrating guards in Xavier Johnson and Jalen Hood-Schifino left Kopp open and ready from the perimeter.

Boy, was he ready.

He went 4-for-6 beyond the arc, part of IU's 10-of-24 3-point-shooting barrage. Add 21-for-22 free throw shooting and, at least for one night, the biggest questions for what looms as a special Cream 'n Crimson season were answered. The No. 13 Hoosiers are 2-0 and don't play again until a Nov. 18 trip to Xavier as part of the Gavitt Games.
"It's being able to spread the floor and make shots," guard Trey Galloway said about the strong shooting. "We've been working on that. Shoot with confidence. We know we have guys who can make shots."

As far as free throw shooting, Galloway added, "It's mental. Go in with the mindset to knock them down. We take free throws serious in practice."

Kopp is 6-for-8 from the perimeter this season after shooting 36.1% from the arc last year. The improvement, he said with a trace of a smile, came from work -- and golfing.

"You always want to shoot better, dribble better," he said. "Over the summer, my focus was on getting reps and being cognitive of how mental shooting is."

And then it got quirky.

"I spent a lot of work on my golf swing and tried to get outside and get tan a lot. Mentally, that helped. You look at the best players, Michael Jordan and Steph Curry, they are all great golfers."

Coach Mike Woodson had a more conventional answer.

"He's put in the work. He spent a lot of time shooting. I'm not shocked he's making them. He's in a good place, mentally wise. It helps us."

With Bethune-Cookman (0-2) surging early, IU (2-0) turned ruthless on offense and defense. In a five-minute stretch, it forced seven turnovers and scored 12 points off of them. It made three of its four 3-pointers. Galloway had two straight. A 20-2 run built a 29-12 lead.

Bethune-Cookman never recovered.

Forward Trayce Jackson-Davis dominated with 21 points (on 9-for-10 shooting, plus 3-for-3 from the line) in 21 minutes. Jordan Geronimo added 11. Galloway had 10.

IU had 27 assists. Hood-Schifino led with eight. Johnson had six.

"We should average 20 to 25 assists a game," Woodson said. "If we're unselfish and a guy is open, give him the ball. We shared it.

"To win at a high level, you have to have good point-guard play and good perimeter play. X has come into his own. Jalen is still learning, but he's ahead of schedule in terms of how he's performed."
It was the Bethune-Cookman's second-straight blowout loss. It lost at Iowa on Monday night, 89-58.

IU scored the game's first seven points. Bethune-Cookman countered with a 10-2 run for a one-point lead before a Kopp three-pointer put the Hoosiers ahead 12-10.

Indiana went to its second unit. Johnson stayed in to provide leadership and defense as no one wants to face. He was physical without fouling to force a turnover. Five-straight Geronimo points, including a 3-pointer, and boosted the Hoosiers to a 21-12 lead.

Galloway added consecutive 3-pointers as IU pushed ahead 29-12, then 34-14, then 44-19. By halftime, the Hoosiers led 49-23. Kopp had three 3-pointers for nine points. Jackson-Davis matched those nine points.

IU was 8-for-16 on 3-pointers, and 5-for-5 from the line. It forced 10 turnovers and had a 14-5 edge on points off turnovers.

The big halftime message -- no letdown.

There was -- for about 30 seconds. Bethune-Cookman scored the second half's first four points.

Then Johnson and Kopp hit 3-pointers. Jackson-Davis converted a three-point play. The lead swelled to 33, and beyond.

After two games, IU's average victory margin is 43.5 points.

"This team is competitive," Woodson said. "They go at each other in practice, and there's a nice carryover to the game.

"They all want to play. There are only so many minutes, and they're making the most of the minutes when they're out there."