By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Cody Zeller and his teammates were not themselves Monday night.
The 7-foot center had an excuse — he was sick. His teammates looked like they caught the same bug.
Fortunately, the Hoosiers found a remedy at halftime.
Zeller, Remy Abell and Jeremy Hollowell turned the game with a second-half run that finally allowed No. 1 Indiana to pull away to an 87-61 victory over pesky North Dakota State in the first round of the Progressive Legends Classic.
“Your fundamentals, your technique, all your experiences, all those things are really, really important, but there’s nothing bigger than energy and toughness. It’s got to be there constantly,” Indiana coach Tom Crean said. “Once we got that figured out tonight and we had some guys that figured it out from the beginning, but we didn’t have a team of guys that figured it out from the beginning, and once we did, I thought we played pretty well.”
It just took so long to find that winning combination.
This was the kind of game that had given Indiana problems in previous seasons. Fans, and perhaps Indiana’s players, figured those struggles were over since the Hoosiers (2-0) reclaimed their spot on top of the college basketball world.
But North Dakota State proved how dangerous assumptions can be.
The Bison (1-1) were content to challenge every shot Indiana shot took — regardless of the cost.
It took a toll, too.
When the Hoosiers couldn’t get their up-tempo, inside-out game in sync, the offense sank. The grind-it-out style made Indiana look like, well, ordinary.
Their outside shooters were just 4 of 11 from the 3-point arc in the first half and 1 of 2 in the second half. The energy that persisted throughout Friday night’s season-opening rout over Bryant was missing, too.
No. 17 MEMPHIS 81
NORTH FLORIDA 66
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tarik Black had 18 points and seven rebounds to lead No. 17 Memphis in its season opener.
Joe Jackson finished with 14 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Antonio Barton, who keyed Memphis’ rally, scored 11 points.
Jerron Granberry led the Ospreys (1-1) with 17 points, including 13 in the second half. Parker Smith scored 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from outside the arc.
No. 20 NOTRE DAME 84
MONMOUTH 57
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Garrick Sherman had 22 points and seven rebounds to lead No. 20 Notre Dame.
Jack Cooley added 16 points for the Irish (2-0) and Pat Connaughton had 13.
Dion Nesmith led the Hawks with 13 points.
AP Top 25 fared
Monday
1. Indiana (2-0) beat North Dakota State 87-61. Next: vs. Sam Houston State, Thursday.
2. Louisville (1-0) did not play. Next: vs. Samford, Thursday.
3. Kentucky (1-0) did not play. Next: vs. No. 9 Duke, Tuesday.
4. Ohio State (1-0) did not play. Next: vs. Rhode Island, Saturday.
5. Michigan (2-0) beat IUPUI 91-54. Next: vs. Cleveland State, Tuesday.
6. N.C. State (1-0) did not play. Next: vs. Penn State, Thursday.
7. Kansas (1-0) did not play. Next: vs. No. 21 Michigan State, Tuesday.
8. Syracuse (1-0) did not play. Next: vs. Wagner, Sunday.
9. Duke (1-0) did not play. Next: vs. No. 3 Kentucky, Tuesday.
10. Florida (1-0) did not play. Next: vs. No. 22 Wisconsin, Wednesday.
11. North Carolina (2-0) did not play. Next: at Long Beach State, Friday.
12. Arizona (1-0) did not play. Next: vs. UTEP, Thursday.
13. UCLA (1-0) did not play. Next: vs. UC Irvine, Tuesday.
14. Missouri (1-0) did not play. Next: vs. Alcorn State, Tuesday.
15. Creighton (1-0) did not play. Next: vs. UAB, Wednesday.
16. Baylor (2-0) did not play. Next: vs. Boston College, Thursday.
17. Memphis (1-0) beat North Florida 81-66. Next: vs. Samford, Saturday.
18. UNLV (0-0) vs. Northern Arizona. Next: vs. Jacksonville State, Saturday.
19. Gonzaga (1-0) vs. West Virginia. Next: vs. South Dakota, Sunday.
20. Notre Dame (2-0) beat Monmouth (NJ) 84-57. Next: vs. Saint Joseph’s, Friday.
21. Michigan State (0-1) did not play. Next: vs. No. 7 Kansas, Tuesday.
22. Wisconsin (1-0) did not play. Next: at No. 10 Florida, Wednesday.
23. UConn (1-0) did not play. Next: vs. Vermont, Tuesday.
24. Cincinnati (1-0) did not play. Next: vs. MVSU, Tuesday.
25. San Diego State (0-1) did not play. Next: at Missouri State, Saturday.
