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What to Expect: Syracuse

by Alex Bozich in Opponents | March 27th, 2013

WASHINGTON — Indiana will be looking to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in 11 years when it takes on Syracuse on Thursday night in an East Region semifinal at the Verizon Center.

The game will tip at approximately 9:45 p.m. on CBS with Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery and Rachel Nichols on the call:

With three-plus days to prepare, Indiana will have the daunting task of trying to solve the zone of the Syracuse Orange, a defense unlike any the Hoosiers have seen this year. Not only is the Big Ten a league stocked full of man-to-man defenses, the teams in the league who do play some zone, like Iowa, Penn State and Northwestern, don’t have athleticism or length that compares to Syracuse.

“There is really nobody that we have played, nobody that these kids have played that you can look at and say, yeah, we went through forty minutes of this,” Indiana coach Tom Crean said Wednesday. “That’s the beauty of the tournament.”

But as much of the focus centers around IU solving the zone of Syracuse, the Orange must contend with a hard-nosed Indiana defense that ranks in the top 20 nationally and an Indiana offense that is feasting on the offensive glass, which is an area that has given Jim Boeheim’s team problems this season.

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Boeheim’s zone needs long, athletic players in order to be successful and those are two characteristics his current roster is stocked with. Syracuse typically plays only three guards and this season, it’s been just two for the most part with sophomore Michael Carter-Williams and senior Brandon Triche occupying the majority of the playing time.

Carter-Williams had to wait his turn last season with Scoop Jardine and Dion Waiters ahead of him on the depth chart, but he’s emerged this season as one of the nation’s best point guards. His assist rate of 41.5 percent ranks 11th in the nation and his steal percentage (4.7) is 14th nationally. He’s a guy that Indiana could play off of a little bit because he’s much better going off the dribble and either finishing at the rim or creating for others than he is shooting from the perimeter. Carter-Williams has connected on just 27.9 percent of his 3-point attempts.

Triche is also a solid distributor, with an assist rate of 21.4 percent, but like Carter-Williams, he’s struggled with his outside shooting. The senior guard is knocking down just 29.8 percent of his attempts from distance and is much better around the rim, where he finishes 63 percent of his shots. Triche’s 13.8 points per game are second on the team. If either player encounters foul trouble, it’s possible Indiana could see freshman Trevor Cooney, another poor perimeter shooter, in limited backcourt minutes.

An important matchup for the Hoosiers will be 6-foot-8 junior C.J. Fair, who averages team-highs of 14.5 points and 6.9 rebounds. Fair is hitting 49.2 percent from three and rarely turns it over (13.9 turnover percentage). James Southerland (pictured), a 6-foot-8 senior, missed some time earlier in the season due to undisclosed eligibility issues, but has since returned and is capable of carrying Syracuse with his perimeter shooting. Southerland has hit four or more 3-pointers in nine games and shoots 40.5 percent from distance. He’s also a capable defender, as evidenced by his steal percentage (3.1) and block percentage (3.4). Freshman Jerami Grant, a DeMatha product, averages 3.9 points off the bench.

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What to Expect: Temple

by Alex Bozich in Opponents | March 23rd, 2013

DAYTON, Ohio — Indiana will look to punch a ticket to the Sweet 16 at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. when it takes on Temple Sunday afternoon in a round of 32 NCAA Tournament game at the University of Dayton Arena.

The game will tip at approximately 2:45 p.m. on CBS with Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Tracy Wolfson on the call:

The Atlantic 10 made a statement that it belonged in the conversation as one of the country’s best conferences through the first two rounds of this year’s tournament, winning six games and advancing five teams into the round of 32. That total was surpassed only by the Big Ten, which had six. The first Big Ten/A-10 meeting of the tournament went the way of Michigan on Saturday afternoon as the Wolverines easily dispatched of Virginia Commonwealth, and Indiana will look to knock out another A-10 team when it faces Temple.

The Owls had an up-and-down season, which is what you’d expect to see when examining the profile of a nine-seed. The highlights: Wins over Syracuse and St. Louis. The lowlights: Losses at home to Canisius and St. Bonaventure.

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One player on the Temple scouting report stands out above the rest: senior guard Khalif Wyatt. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound guard poured in a second-round high 31 points (highlights from that performance here) in leading Temple past North Carolina State 76-72 on Friday. Wyatt enters the meeting with IU averaging 20.2 points and the Atlantic 10′s player of the year can score in a variety of ways. He’s not particularly efficient from the perimeter (32.6 percent), but is hitting 49.4 percent of his twos and has a free throw rate (FTA/FGA) of nearly 50 percent. Once he gets to the line, he’s Temple’s best free throw shooter at 83.2 percent.

Wyatt injured his left thumb in the win over North Carolina State, but said on Saturday afternoon that x-rays were negative and doesn’t expect the injury to be a factor Sunday. Victor Oladipo should get a fair share of time on Wyatt, who seemed confident when asked about the possibility of going against the Big Ten’s top defender. “I know he’s Big Ten defensive player of the year,” Wyatt said. “I know he’s a great athlete, and he plays really hard. He’s a good defender. But, I mean, not the first good defender.”

Joining Wyatt in the backcourt rotation are Scootie Randall, Will Cummings and T.J. DiLeo. Randall is the team’s second leading scorer at 11.6 points per game and is a high volume shooter from the perimeter with 185 threes attempted over 32 games. Cummings is a solid defender with a 3.6 steals percentage, but isn’t much of a scorer. And DiLeo comes off the bench to provide quality backup minutes at the point guard position. He can knock down the 3-pointer if left open, but he only attempts two shots per game.

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What to Expect: James Madison

by Alex Bozich in Opponents | March 20th, 2013

032013er Indiana tips off the NCAA Tournament on Friday as a No. 1 seed for the first time since 1993. The Hoosiers will play the James Madison Dukes, champions of the Colonial Athletic Association. The Dukes advanced to the second round of the tournament with a 68-55 win over LIU-Brooklyn on Wednesday night.

The game will be broadcast on TBS at approximately 4:10 p.m. ET with Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Tracy Wolfson on the call:

With six days of rest, Indiana will return to the court on Friday to begin what it hopes will be a deep run into the NCAA Tournament. The circumstances of this year’s tournament appearance are quite different from a season ago. The Hoosiers aren’t being picked by anyone to lose their first game as was the case last year with New Mexico State. Nate Silver of The New York Times puts the probability of IU advancing past the first game at 98.5 percent, the second highest winning probability among second round games.

First up for the Hoosiers is James Madison, which will be facing just its fourth top 100 Ken Pomeroy opponent this season. The teams share one common opponent: North Dakota State. The Hoosiers beat the Bison 87-61 on Nov. 12 at Assembly Hall and the Dukes fell to North Dakota State 66-44 on Nov. 21 on a neutral court in Pittsburgh.

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After serving a suspension in the first half of James Madison’s win over LIU-Brooklyn, the teams’s leading scorer, senior Rayshawn Goins (pictured), will be available for all 40 minutes on Friday afternoon. Goins was arrested Sunday night and university policy later determined that he would have to watch from the sidelines for the first half as his teammates opened the NCAA Tournament. Fortunately for James Madison, his absence wasn’t much of a detriment and after leading by one at halftime, the Dukes took control down the stretch for a comfortable 13-point lead. Goins uses 27.4 percent of his team’s possessions and averages 12.7 points on 41.1 percent shooting. He’s the team’s leading rebounder on both ends (8.9 OR% and 22.6 DR%), but at 6-foot-6, is going to give up plenty of size to Indiana’s front line.

As is the case frequently at the mid-major level and below, size on the front line is scarce and that’s certainly the case with James Madison. With Goins unavailable to start, the Dukes started five players who are listed as guards against LIU-Brooklyn. The team’s second leading scorer, A.J. Davis, is a taller guard at 6-foot-6 that loves to shoot the three. Davis has hoisted 184 threes this season and has connected 69 times for 37.5 percent. He was hot on Wednesday night, hitting four of his attempts from distance to finish with a team-high 20 points. Devon Moore, a native of Columbus, Ohio, has multiple 20-point games under his belt and is also the team’s leading assist man (32.3 assist rate).

Freshman Andre Nation, another big guard at 6-foot-5, turned in arguably his best all-around game of the season against LIU-Brooklyn with 14 points, seven rebounds, five blocks and four assists. Nation hit 6-of-12 shots, but came into the game shooting just 42.3 percent. His primary strength lies in his defensive ability. His steal rate (3.6) and block rate (5.5) are team highs. Charles Cooke, a 6-foot-6 freshman guard, turned in just his sixth game in double figures with 15 points against LIU-Brooklyn. Cooke is typically a poor shooter, particularly from the perimeter where he’s hitting just 28.7 percent of his attempts.

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What to Expect: Michigan

by Alex Bozich in Opponents | March 9th, 2013

Following its second in loss in three games, Indiana hits the road on Sunday for a meeting with Michigan at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. The Hoosiers have already clinched the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and a share of the regular season conference crown, but can win the league outright with a win over the Wolverines.

The game will be broadcast on CBS with Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg on the call at 4 p.m.:

In a fitting finish to what has been one of the most competitive Big Ten seasons in recent memory, a full day of hoops on Sunday will determine whether one team (Indiana) walks away with the conference championship or up to three other teams (Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State) get a share as well.

The spotlight will be on Ann Arbor as Indiana goes into its regular season finale with a one-game lead in the loss column. Michigan is unbeaten at home with a 16-0 record and the Wolverines are coming off a pair of hard-fought wins over Michigan State at home and Purdue on the road.

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As incredibly balanced as Michigan has been offensively this season, the one constant the Wolverines possess also happens to be the primary competition to Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller for Big Ten player of the year. Sophomore point guard Trey Burke has followed up a tremendous freshman season with an even better sophomore campaign. He’s the second leading scorer in the conference at 19.1 points per game and is the leader in assists with 6.9 per contest (39.4 assist rate). Burke is shooting nearly 55 percent on twos and over 38 percent on threes. He’s at his best using the ball screen and the Hoosiers defended him relatively well in that regard in the first meeting using mostly Yogi Ferrell, which was a key to victory.

While he’s overlooked by some because of Burke, junior Tim Hardaway Jr. has bounced back from a sophomore season where he really struggled to shoot the ball from the perimeter. Hardaway Jr. is hitting 38.9 of his 3-point attempts, up from 28.3 percent a season ago. The team’s second leading scorer at 14.9 points per game, Hardaway Jr., like many of his teammates, has benefited greatly from Burke’s ability to find him loose on the perimeter.

Freshman Nik Stauskas is the team’s leading 3-point shooter at close to 46 percent overall, but he’s hit just 36.4 of his attempts from distance in Big Ten play. With just 0.9 fouls called per 40 minutes, Stauskas is the least foul prone player in all of college basketball. Indiana is also likely to see two more freshman, Spike Albrecht and Caris LeVert, in limited roles off the bench. Albrecht is the backup point guard and is capable of knocking down perimeter shots and LeVert is a solid defender who filled in nicely for an injured Stauskas with eight points in the win over Michigan State.

Another freshman, Glenn Robinson III, starts at the four for the Wolverines. While he’d be undersized in some systems at just 6-foot-6, John Beilein’s preference to go small at the four makes Robinson a perfect fit. He’s the fourth Michigan player averaging in double figures at 10.9 points per game and is shooting 63.3 percent on twos. Joining Robinson in the starting lineup is junior Jordan Morgan, who is slowly regaining his form after an ankle injury forced him to miss a couple of games and severely limited his minutes in five other contests. He doesn’t score much, but Morgan is a very good post defender and does a nice job of cleaning up the glass on both ends (12.2 OR% and 18.9 DR%).

Mitch McGary comes off the bench and plays 17.1 minutes per game that are often productive. McGary is the team’s best rebounder on both ends (16.1 OR% and 20.7 DR%) and is shooting close to 58 percent from the field. Jon Horford, who has battled injuries for much of his time in Ann Arbor, chips in 2.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per game.

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What to Expect: Ohio State

by Alex Bozich in Opponents | March 4th, 2013

With just two regular season games remaining, Indiana has already clinched its first share of the Big Ten championship since 2002 and can capture its first outright title since 1993 with a win over Ohio State or Michigan. The Buckeyes, who have won three straight games, are up first at home for senior night in Assembly Hall.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN with Mike Tirico and Dan Dakich on the call at 9 p.m.:

When Indiana traveled to Columbus to play Ohio State on Feb. 10, the Hoosiers were staring at their biggest threat for back-to-back losses this season to-date. IU followed its first loss, to Butler, with an overmatched Mount St. Mary’s team at home and its first conference loss to Wisconsin with a game at Northwestern. Those were bounce back games Indiana was supposed to win and the Hoosiers did just that. The trip to Ohio State, however, came on the heels of a late collapse at Illinois. How Indiana responded would go a long way in determining its fate in the Big Ten standings.

When the dust settled in Value City Arena on that Sunday afternoon, Indiana played well enough to not only beat the Buckeyes handily, but also retain its No. 1 ranking in the AP poll despite the aforementioned loss in Champaign just three days earlier. At that point, it was arguably IU’s best effort of the season as three players notched 20 or more points as the Hoosiers weathered a tough road environment for a convincing win.

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As has been the case for a good part of the season, Ohio State is still searching for a reliable second and third scoring option to pair with Deshaun Thomas, who is a good bet to earn All-Big Ten and All-American honors after a very productive junior season. The 6-foot-8 junior from Ft. Wayne uses 27.2 percent of Ohio State’s possessions and averages a league-best 19.2 points. His effective field goal percentage has dropped about six percentage points from last season, primarily because he’s now the focal point of every team’s defensive scouting report, but he’s still shooting close to 50 percent on twos and 36.2 percent on threes. In the first meeting, Thomas scored 26 points, but needed 20 shots and nine trips to the line to get there.

Joining Thomas in the frontcourt rotation are sophomore Amir Williams, who was saddled with foul trouble in IU’s win in Columbus, senior Evan Ravenel, who fouled out, and sophomores Sam Thompson and LaQuinton Ross. Williams is very limited offensively, but is the Buckeyes best shot blocker (9.6 block percentage) and offensive rebounder (13.6 OR%). Ravenel is a big body who can back opponents down on the block and clean up the defensive glass (19.8 DR%). Thompson is a high flying wing player who finishes well around the basket and in transition, while Ross has the talent to put up points in a hurry, but has struggled to consistently earn minutes.

Aaron Craft is the leader of the Ohio State backcourt and is regarded as one of the nation’s best defenders. Indiana was able to foul out Craft in Columbus and getting him into foul trouble really limited his ability to wreak havoc with ball pressure. His steal totals are down from a season ago from 2.5 per game to 1.9 as is his field goal percentage, which has dropped from 50 to 39.8. Forced to carry a heavier offensive load, Craft’s efficiency has taken a hit.

Lenzelle Smith Jr. also starts in the backcourt and he’s the team’s leading 3-point shooter at 40 percent. He’s heavily reliant on the three to score as 107 of his 221 field goal attempts have come from behind the arc. Shannon Scott is the backup point guard and he’s eighth nationally in steal percentage, but shoots just 42 percent on twos and 36 percent on threes.

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What to Expect: Iowa

by Alex Bozich in Opponents | March 1st, 2013

Indiana returns to Assembly Hall on Saturday night to host Iowa in the first of its final two home games. The Hoosiers are coming off a 77-73 loss on Tuesday at Minnesota and the Hawkeyes are coming off a 58-48 home win over Purdue on Wednesday. Indiana won the first meeting between the two teams, 69-65, on Dec. 31 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The game will be broadcast on BTN at 7:30 p.m. with Kevin Kugler, Jim Jackson and Stephanie White on the call:

Indiana and Iowa will both have plenty to play for when the two teams get together on Branch McCracken Court on Saturday night. The Hoosiers are looking to not only solidify a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament, but also move a step closer to a regular season championship. The Hawkeyes, meanwhile, find themselves with 18 wins but on the wrong side of the tournament bubble and without a signature win on which to hang their hat.

Iowa is one of the league’s worst road teams with a 2-6 record in conference play. The two wins came over Penn State and Northwestern. Indiana is 6-1 at home in the Big Ten and over the past two seasons, the Hoosiers have compiled a 14-2 record in conference games at Assembly Hall.

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Iowa comes into Saturday with a fairly significant injury in its backcourt as freshman Mike Gesell, the team’s third leading scorer, will be unavailable for a second straight game with a right foot injury. That means Roy Devyn Marble, the team’s point guard last season, will shift back into that role in Gesell’s absence and sophomore Josh Oglesby will likely receive his second consecutive start.

Marble, the team’s leading scorer at 14.0 points per game, will now have the difficult task of not only trying to facilitate for teammates, but also carry a significant piece of the scoring load. He’s using 24.5 percent of Iowa’s possessions, but is average from an efficiency standpoint with an effective field goal percentage of 46.3. Marble is at his best offensively when he doesn’t settle for jump shots and instead attacks the rim and either finishes, dishes off (assist rate of 20.5) or gets to the foul line.

While Oglesby will likely draw the start, he’ll likely split the minutes vacated by Gesell with freshman point guard Anthony Clemmons and senior Eric May. Oglesby, who was expected to be the team’s best shooter, has been woeful from the perimeter this season. His 126 attempts from distance are a team-high and his percentage, 26.6, is the second-worst on the team. Clemmons, who has started 13 of the team’s 28 games, is second in the Big Ten with an assist rate of 37.2, but offers little else offensively. May, who finishes well at the rim, is shooting close to 51 percent on twos.

Iowa’s frontcourt play is highlighted by Aaron White, who deserves some type of All-Big Ten recognition. White is second on the team in scoring at 13.6 points per game, leads the way in rebounding at 6.2 per game and has very few holes in his game. White is fourth best in the nation at getting to the foul line (204 attempts), rarely turns it over (12.6% turnover rate), doesn’t commit many fouls (2.1 per 40 minutes) and is shooting close to 56 percent on twos. White was one of the surprises in the league a season ago and he’s only gotten better as a sophomore.

Freshman center Adam Woodbury has started all 28 games, but has struggled to stay on the floor due to foul issues. Melsahn Basabe has returned to the starting lineup and is the team’s best defensive rebounder and shotblocker. Zach McCabe, a 6-foot-7 forward, prefers to hoist threes rather than play inside and Gabriel Olaseni, another foul prone big man who can block shots, is coming off a four-rebound performance in the win over Purdue.

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What to Expect: Minnesota

by Alex Bozich in Opponents | February 25th, 2013

Indiana returns to action for the first time in a week on Tuesday night with a trip to Williams Arena in Minneapolis to take on Minnesota. The Golden Gophers are just 6-8 in conference play, but are 5-2 at home. The Hoosiers won the first meeting between the two teams, 88-81, on Jan. 12 at Assembly Hall.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN at 7 p.m. with Mike Tirico, Dan Dakich and Sam Ponder on the call:

With last Tuesday’s win at Michigan State, Indiana now controls its own destiny in the race for the Big Ten regular season championship. The Hoosiers are two games ahead of the Spartans, Michigan and Wisconsin in the loss column.

The road doesn’t get any easier tomorrow as “the Barn” has historically been a tough place to play, but working in IU’s favor is the fact that Minnesota is in the midst of a skid. The Gophers have lost four of five and are coming off a pair of blowout road losses: 72-51 at Iowa and 71-45 at Ohio State.

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As tough as wins have been to come by for Tubby Smith’s team as of late, Minnesota did come into Assembly Hall earlier this season and push Indiana to the brink after getting crushed in the first half. Minnesota actually had an opportunity to draw the game even late before Jordan Hulls iced the game with free throws.

That was during a stretch where the Hoosiers were struggling to finish off games and had yet to put together anything close to a complete game of strong play in the Big Ten. Things have changed in that regard in recent weeks as the Hoosiers won running away at Ohio State and then won in East Lansing for the first time since 1991.

Minnesota is balanced offensively with five guys scoring nine or more points per game, but no player averages more than 13.6 points. The Gophers start three guards in Austin Hollins, Andre Hollins and Joe Coleman, and each brings a different dimension. Andre Hollins is the team’s leading scorer, shoots 39 percent on threes and 79.8 percent from the foul line. The sophomore guard also averages a team-high 3.3 assists and has a 25 percent assist rate.

Austin Hollins is second on the team in scoring at 11.1 points per game, but has struggled from the perimeter in conference play. He’s hitting just 34.6 percent of his attempts from distance and was 0-of-4 in the loss at Ohio State. Coleman has scored in double figures just once in Minnesota’s last 10 games, but is one of the more physical guards in the league.

Up front, Rodney Williams is coming off his worst performance of the season in Columbus. The senior went scoreless in just eight minutes, but has otherwise put together a respectable season. Williams is solid on the offensive glass (9.7 OR%), makes 54.1 percent of his twos and can help the Gophers capture momentum with his ability to finish above the rim. Sixth-year senior Trevor Mbakwe has been dominant on the glass (15.6 OR%, 23.8 DR%). Both figures rank second among Big Ten players. Mbakwe is also getting to the line at a blistering pace as he’s taken 127 free throws, but is only knocking down 61.4 percent of his attempts.

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