Geesh, everyone is afraid of Minnesota. They scare me a little too, but after hearing this and reading some comments on other threads, I’m really just kinda pissed off. I’ll admit, Minnesota matches up very well with Indiana, but Indiana has players who have played in big time games and I promise you this, those guys are not afraid of Minnesota one bit. Indiana is a veteran team and they have been tested, not so much this season, but certainly last year, and a little bit this season. Victor Oladipo is going to be insane. Jordan Hulls will be Jordan Hulls, and this year he is a better passer than last year if you ask me. If they double him it could get ugly for Minnesota because he finds open guys better than last year. Yogi Ferrell needs to be big in this game. I know everyone is talking Indiana’s front court, but if Yogi, Vic, and to a lesser extent Hulls, can penetrate that is where they can get Minnesota off balance defensively. That’s the kind of offense Indiana runs. If they make Minnesota play their game, all they have to do is execute. Easier said than done, but they just need to stick to the game plan. Defensively, they are much better this year. Again, if Indiana can make Minnesota get in a hurry, they can cause turnovers, and we know how good Indiana is at converting turnovers. As for Mbakwe, Cody Zeller needs to run the hell of out him, and again, that’s what Indiana’s offense does. Make this team run, run, then run, and after that, run some more. If this turns into a half court game, I will get worried, but until then, I am going to assume Indiana sticks to the game plan and controls the tempo in a fast paced game.

Thanks, Geoff! Great analysis, you definitely make some strong points. I also nominate you to deliver the pre-game speech for IU the rest of the season.

They executed that game plan very well in the first half. A few fast breaks for Zeller, Hulls got a couple of 3′s and drew some defenders as a result, they got out in transition, but my goodness they flat out got after it on D.