As Markus Burton sees it, his job as Indiana’s point guard is simple.
“We’ve got a team full of guys who can get in the paint and create,” the Notre Dame transfer said. “For me, that’s always been who I am. It’s making my teammates better. That’s what I’m here to do.”
After filling that role perfectly in the Hoosiers’ season-opening 91-57 rout of Eastern Illinois on Monday, Burton will look to do it again on Thursday night when Indiana meets Bellarmine in Bloomington, Ind., in a non-conference matchup.
Burton scored a team-high 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field and added five assists and only one turnover in 24 efficient minutes. That highlighted a performance that saw Indiana connect on 50% of its field-goal attempts, including 9 of 24 from 3-point range.
Second-year coach Darian DeVries said Burton’s outing didn’t surprise him.
“His aggressiveness has really cranked up,” DeVries said. “It’s not just scoring. He’s being aggressive, making plays. He’s getting into the paint, making everybody collapse, and then he’s passing it out.”
The Hoosiers also flashed some depth, getting at least six points from nine players. And they grabbed 13 offensive rebounds.
As Indiana was cruising, the Knights were taking a bruising in their season opener Monday night at No. 24 Vanderbilt. In their 93-47 loss, the Knights shot just 37% from the field and were outrebounded 37-17.
Bellarmine relies on its backcourt. Guard Kenyon Goodin is a preseason All-Atlantic Sun Conference pick after averaging 11.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game last year. Tyler Doyle averaged 10 points and 3.8 assists.
DeMarcus Surratt had a team-high nine points on Monday.
The Knights were tabbed for a fourth-place finish in the A-Sun this year after going 13-19 in coach Doug Davenport’s first season. He took over from his father, Scott, who brought the program into Division I and won the ASUN tourney in 2022 but couldn’t advance into the NCAA Tournament because they hadn’t completed their transition to Division I.
“We’re trying to find the right guys that can thrive in how we do stuff,” Davenport said.