Indiana will play its second and final exhibition contest Friday night against Marian University in Bloomington.

The exhibition is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. ET tip on B1G+. Here's what you should pay attention to on Friday evening in the auditorium:

Will Indiana shoot better from distance?

Indiana's 3-point shooting was the dominant storyline surrounding the program in the preseason. In Sunday's exhibition win, the Hoosiers attempted 19 three-pointers against Tennessee at the Food City Center in Knoxville.

But it was a tale of two halves, as Indiana went 0-for-11 in the first 20 minutes before settling down and making four of its eight attempts in the second half.

After the game, Mike Woodson stated that Indiana attempted more 3-pointers in their intrasquad scrimmages than they shot against the Volunteers. On Monday's radio show with Don Fischer, Woodson noted that Tennessee's defense contributed to IU's poor 3-point shooting percentage.

“We shot 37 percent (on 3s),” Woodson said. “Tennessee will force you to miss shots depending on how they play.”

While Indiana would like to shoot more 3-pointers this season to become more balanced offensively, the Hoosiers will need to produce a respectable shooting percentage to justify more volume. Friday is IU’s next opportunity to do just that.

Who is available to play?

Indiana was without three scholarship players in Sunday's win at Tennessee. Jakai Newton was sidelined with a knee injury, Trey Galloway is continuing his rehab from offseason knee surgery, and Bryson Tucker suffered a hamstring injury during a recent practice.

In Woodson's comments on the radio show with Fischer, he mentioned that Kanaan Carlyle and Anthony Leal were both banged up in the Tennessee game. According to Woodson, Carlyle missed practice on Monday.

With its regular season opener next Wednesday against SIU-Edwardsville, Indiana's health is one of the biggest storylines surrounding the program.

Woodson said Monday he hoped Galloway would be in the uniform Friday. However, his tone towards Newton was less optimistic. He noted that IU “can't seem to keep Newton healthy enough to practice every day.”

The Hoosiers have two games in hand that should be a comfortable win to start the season, but the schedule quickly heats up in mid-November when South Carolina comes to Assembly Hall.

Making Canaan Carlyle more comfortable

Stanford transfer Kanaan Carlyle was one of the most sought-after guards in the transfer portal last spring. Carlyle showed off his explosive scoring ability at times last season in the Pac-12 and is embracing his role as a defender.

However, Carlyle had the ball in his hands often last season at Stanford and will have to adjust to playing more without the ball this winter, with Myles Rice serving as the program's primary ball handler.

Woodson said earlier this week that he is working to make Carlyle more comfortable in his role with the Hoosiers.

Carlyle finished Sunday's show with five points, four assists, three rebounds and two turnovers in 31 minutes.

“I think he’s still trying to find himself. He just picks his spots,” Woodson said of Carlyle. I just have to make him more comfortable. He had a good ground game last night (against Tennessee). He defended his ass. At the end of the day, he is capable of having big nights. I just have to get him comfortable with his role and what is expected of him because he can really defend the ball and is also able to put the ball in the basket.”

Can IU continue to push the tempo while keeping the ball?

One of the most encouraging statistics from Sunday's exhibition win was how well the Hoosiers handled the ball in the second half.

Indiana committed 10 turnovers in a sloppy first half at Food City Center, including four in the first four possessions of the game.

But the Hoosiers settled down after halftime, scoring just three goals in the final 20 minutes. Myles Rice's performance was particularly impressive. Rice played 31 minutes and didn't convert once, despite attacking tirelessly off the dribble.

Since taking over in 2021, Woodson has stated that he would like to see 12 or fewer turnovers per game. Indiana finished Sunday with 13 turnovers against a program that has been in the top five of KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency rankings for the past four seasons.

If Indiana can continue to advance the ball in transition while limiting its mistakes, the offense should be significantly better than it was last winter. IU's 18 fast break points against Tennessee were a solid start and something to build on.

More options for the bank

Sunday's show was close throughout, with Indiana playing all of its starters for 30 or more minutes.

That likely won't be the case against Marian on Friday, which should give some key reserve players a chance to get more minutes.

While the status of Galloway, Tucker and Newton remains uncertain, Friday should provide an opportunity for Luke Goode to bounce back from Sunday's 0-for-5 shooting performance.

Langdon Hatton gave the Hoosiers six good minutes in Knoxville, but was unable to capitalize on two close-range shots. Gabe Cupps looked more confident and aggressive off the dribble and was the only Hoosier to score in 10 minutes at Tennessee. Leal played six minutes against Tennessee and had a steal while missing his only shot.

Look for Indiana to go to the bench and experiment with lineups more on Friday than they did on Sunday afternoon.

(Image credit: IU Athletics)

Submitted to: Marian University Knights