Indiana's Yigitoglu takes elbow to face, gets stitches at halftime, returns to lead Hoosiers past Tennessee Tech

Samet Yigitoglu had scored all six of Indiana's first points — three straight pick-and-roll layups in the opening two minutes — when Tennessee Tech sophomore forward Caleb Sanders swiped at the ball and caught the 7-foot-2 center across the face with his elbow instead. Yigitoglu doubled over on the Branch McCracken hardwood inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, blood running down the right side of his face, and walked to the locker room with a towel pressed against his eye.

He was gone for roughly ten minutes, received stitches, and came back to a crowd ovation around the 7:14 mark of the first half. By the final buzzer, Yigitoglu had a game-high 18 points and six rebounds on 9-for-10 shooting in just 17 minutes of play — Indiana's most efficient performance of the night — as the Hoosiers beat Tennessee Tech 90-66.

Yigitoglu said postgame that even while in the locker room he planned to return and never thought he would leave the floor, according to idsnews.com. He received stitches but "didn't even feel it." Officials reviewed the play but ruled the contact incidental — no flagrant foul was called on Sanders.

The time Yigitoglu spent in the locker room exposed a real vulnerability in Indiana's offense. Without him, the Hoosiers stagnated in the post. At halftime, senior guard Markus Burton and junior guard Darren Harris were scoreless. Senior guard Bryce Lindsay and junior forward Aiden Sherrell had combined for 16 points but were a combined 1-for-4 from the field.

In the second half, we wanted to ball screen more, and get those guys out in space. I thought it opened the floor a lot more for us, and gave us driving lanes. And then we were still able to throw it inside and get advantages that way.— Darian DeVries, Indiana head coach

Tennessee Tech's tallest starter was 6-foot-9 senior forward De'ante Green, who was tasked with guarding Yigitoglu on the interior — a mismatch Indiana exploited from the opening possession. When Tennessee Tech began doubling Yigitoglu in the post in the second half, he used it to create open looks on the perimeter for Burton, Lindsay, and Sherrell.

Whenever they double the post, like, somebody will be open on the perimeter. Like Markus, like Bryce, like Aiden. So, I'm just creating space for them in the low post.— Samet Yigitoglu, Indiana junior center

Indiana's frontcourt also wore down Tennessee Tech through physicality, drawing 17 fouls and going to the free-throw line 23 times in the first half alone. Over the full game, the Hoosiers shot 26-for-36 at the charity stripe. Sherrell led with six free-throw attempts at the half, though he described the frontcourt's rebounding in the first half — Indiana lost the glass 21-18 — as "lackluster." DeVries' halftime message was simple: bring more intensity. Indiana outrebounded Tennessee Tech in the second half.

Sometimes in the first half, we didn't crash. But coach made it a message to crash every time, and with a lot of effort.— Aiden Sherrell, Indiana junior forward

No further injury concerns for Yigitoglu were reported following the game. Indiana's next test will come against stiffer competition — the Hoosiers' size advantage over Tennessee Tech was exceptional even by non-conference standards.

Why it matters — Yigitoglu's rapid return from a facial laceration underscored how central the 7-foot-2 center is to Indiana's offense — and how exposed the Hoosiers looked in the roughly ten minutes they played without him.

Reported by yahoo.com, cbssports.com, indystar.com, idsnews.com