Ferrell, Sheehey Star in Record-Setting U.S. Win

The U.S. men’s basketball team opened the World University Games on Sunday with a record-setting victory over the United Arab Emirates, winning its first-round contest 140–46 in Russia.

A pair of Indiana University players put up big numbers, as sophomore Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell and senior Will Sheehey scored 15 points apiece in the lopsided win, in which nine Americans scored in double figures. Ferrell, an Indianapolis native and Park Tudor alumnus, logged a double-double, tallying a U.S.-record 13 assists. He played a team-high 24 minutes and added five rebounds and four assists.

Ferrell and Sheehey scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, and the United States finished with a 40-point fourth quarter. The United Arab Emirates only scored 12 in the period.

The United States followed up that victory with another one-sided affair early Monday morning, rolling to a 96–53 win over the Czech Republic.

Ferrell scored seven points and handed out four assists, while Sheehey landed in double-figures again with 10 points to go with four rebounds and four assists. Creighton’s Doug McDermott led the United States with a team-high 23 points and 10 rebounds.

The United States returns to action Wednesday against Sweden before facing Australia on Thursday and Canada on Friday to complete preliminary-round action.

Ferrell and Sheehey are the first Hoosiers to play for the United States in the World University Games since Brian Evans in 1995. They are also the ninth and 10th players from IU to represent the school in the Games, giving the school the most of any American institution. The pair is the third Indiana duo to compete together for the United States in the same Games, also the most for any school, and the first since Stanford’s Matt Haryasz and Chris Hernandez played together in the 2005 games.

Inset photos of Ferrell (above) and Sheehey (below), via usabasketball.com