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What to Expect: Michigan State

by in Opponents | February 26th, 2012

Indiana faces one of its quickest turnarounds of the season as the Hoosiers welcome Michigan State to Assembly Hall on Tuesday night. The Spartans can clinch an outright Big Ten regular season title with a win. Indiana is looking to avenge a 80-65 loss in East Lansing on Dec. 28. 

The game will be shown on ESPN (Mike Tirico, Dan Dakich and Jay Bilas) and broadcast on the IU radio network (Sirius 91/XM 91):

If there’s a pair of games with a chance to duplicate the atmosphere that filled Assembly Hall when Kentucky and Ohio State came to town in December, Michigan State and Purdue may fit the bill. The Spartans will be the third top ten team the Hoosiers have hosted this season. Purdue is the finale of the regular season schedule and senior night.

An interesting week awaits.

The Spartans, winners of seven straight, are trending toward a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament thanks to one of the nation’s best defenses. Tom Izzo’s club is allowing just .90 points per possession in Big Ten play, which leads the conference.

Here’s a look at how Michigan State stacks up nationally in some key defensive metrics: Sixteenth in 2-point field goal percentage defense at 42.4 percent; sixth in 3-point field goal percentage defense at 28.2 percent; third in effective field goal percentage defense at 42.3 percent. Opponents are rebounding just 26.6 of their misses on the offensive glass, which is good for sixteenth in the country.

There’s something to be said for how brilliantly IU’s offense has performed over 29 games. The Hoosiers boast one of the nation’s five best offenses according to Ken Pomeroy.

But Michigan State’s ability to defend the 3-point line coupled with their frontline of Adreian Payne, Draymond Green and Derrick Nix presents an interesting dilemma for how Indiana attacks the Spartan defense. Michigan State will almost certainly choose to play Cody Zeller straight up. It was a strategy that yielded success in the first meeting between the two team as Zeller finished with four points, three rebounds and four fouls in 23 minutes.

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What to Expect: Minnesota

by in Opponents | February 25th, 2012

Indiana looks for its third road win in conference play on Sunday when they meet Minnesota at Williams Arena. Minnesota won the first meeting, 77-74, in Bloomington on Jan. 12. It’s the final road game for the Hoosiers. (Photo credit: IU Athletics.)

The game will be shown on ESPN (Dave O’Brien and Dan Dakich) and broadcast on the IU radio network:

As Indiana and Minnesota prepare for tomorrow’s game that will be broadcast to a national television audience, there are intriguing story lines surrounding both teams.

For the Hoosiers, who have won four of their last five, this game has Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament seeding implications. IU could still finish as low as seventh in the Big Ten due to Iowa’s recent surge and a home game in a little over a week with Purdue. And if IU hopes to remain in the hunt for a top four seed in the NCAA Tournament, this is a game that would help solidify their position.

From a personnel standpoint, the Hoosiers also need to get juniors Christian Watford and Jordan Hulls back on track offensively. Watford is just 4-of-24 from the field over IU’s last three games and has been held to just three points over the last two. Hulls’ seven turnovers over his previous three games matches his total number of points scored.

Minnesota looked to be in good position for the NCAA Tournament after a win over Nebraska on Feb. 5, but the Golden Gophers have dropped four straight and probably need to win out and do damage in the Big Ten Tournament to get back in the mix. Their problems, which were outlined by Star Tribune beat writer Amelia Rayno on Podcast on the Brink, stem from their inability to close out games like Wednesday’s loss to Michigan State. The Gophers led the Spartans 48-39 midway through the second half, but collapsed down the stretch and fell 66-61. Does Minnesota have any fight left after four straight losses? Or will its recent skid snowball into another defeat?

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Hoosiers talk rematch with Hawkeyes

by in Opponents | February 19th, 2012

No. 18 Indiana returns to action tonight in a road meeting with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Here’s what the Hoosiers are saying about tonight’s game in Iowa City:

Tom Crean

On what IU needs to improve on from the first meeting:

“We know when we get to Iowa, we’ve got to be way better defensively. That’s the bottom line. We allowed them to shoot too high of a percentage. There were times they really earned shots, especially Oglesby, who had people in his face. But there were times we let their team get way to to comfortable in the game, whether it was in the post or on the perimeter. So we’ve got to make sure that we understand that our defensive mindset and our defensive energy, and most importantly, starting with defensive transition, have got to be really really high in that game. I’m sure it will be a fast-paced game, but we can’t be in the situation where we go on the road and try to trade baskets with a high-powered team like Iowa.”

On the last meeting:

“They really did a great job of getting out and running and getting some easy baskets, but our guys continued to respond. We didn’t want to get into a situation where we were trading baskets and there were a couple of times that happened, but overall, it was a solid effort for us.”

On IU in the last meeting:

“We had a very solid game from a lot of people, but the bottom line was that the ball moved. And when the ball moves on offense and when you’re active on defense and we kept understanding the pace of the game, it worked out well for us. I was very excited about the 20 offensive rebounds and the 20 assists.”

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What to Expect: Northwestern

by in Opponents | February 14th, 2012

After a six-day hiatus, the Hoosiers return to Branch McCracken Court on Wednesday night in a meeting with Northwestern. The Wildcats have dropped four of seven following an upset of Michigan State on Jan. 14.

The game will be shown on the Big Ten Network (Tom Hart and Eddie Johnson) and broadcast on the IU radio network (Sirius 91/XM 91):

Is this the year Northwestern finally breaks through and earns a NCAA Tournament bid? If there’s a Big Ten team that could benefit this March from the field’s recent expansion to 68 teams, it may be the Wildcats. A quick survey of various mock brackets suggests Northwestern is currently the definition of a bubble team. As of Monday afternoon, Bill Carmody’s club occupies one of the “first four out” spots in Joe Lunardi’s “Bracketology” on ESPN.com.

However, what’s missing from their resume is a road win against a team in the upper half of the conference. Their final chance comes Wednesday night at Assembly Hall as the Wildcats’ two remaining Big Ten road games are at Penn State and Iowa. The game is the final conference single play for both the Hoosiers and Wildcats.

Northwestern, much like Indiana, is one of the Big Ten’s best offensive teams, but struggles defensively. The Wildcats have scored a healthy 1.08 points per possession in league games, but are surrendering 1.13 points per possession, which is last in the conference. So while the Hoosiers should face little resistance in putting points on the board, Northwestern presents problems with its Princeton-style offense. Its different look can make preparation difficult.

The key to Northwestern keeping this one close is 3-point shooting. No Big Ten team has a higher point distribution from behind the arc, as 37.6 percent of Northwestern’s points are coming from distance and they’re shooting 40.6 percent on threes in conference play. The Wildcats are also getting to the foul line (40.7 free throw rate) at a nice clip, but they’re the worst offensive rebounding team in the Big Ten which could lead to a long night if they’re not hitting from the perimeter.

When the Hoosiers have the ball, they should have their pick of how to attack. Northwestern’s 1-3-1 zone leaves plenty of holes on the perimeter as evidenced by the 3-point percentage (40.6) its allowing to conference foes. Indiana should still look to play through Cody Zeller first, but Northwestern’s lack of size inside could lead them to overplay him and thus open up the 3-point line even more. The Wildcats are the Big Ten’s second-worst defensive rebounding team, so Zeller and the Hoosiers should have some second-chance opportunities as well.

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Zeller, Leonard have changed the game for their teams

by in Opponents | February 9th, 2012

A year ago, Meyers Leonard rarely saw the floor for Illinois. The big man played only eight minutes per game and averaged 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds.

Last year, Cody Zeller was helping Washington (Ind.) High School to its second straight state title, Big Ten basketball hardly on his mind.

Both Leonard and Zeller have quickly developed into dynamic college centers that have completely changed the way their respective teams play. The guard play is still there on both teams — Illinois has Brandon Paul, for example — but the men in the middle are now the focus of many opposing team’s game plans.

“It’s different because it’s a different type of breed,” Indiana guard Victor Oladipo said Thursday. “There aren’t a lot of 7-footers who are agile, can run and jump like Cody and Meyers.”

Leonard and Zeller’s games are so similar that if you only read comments from players and coaches, it would be almost impossible to tell which guy they were talking about.

“He’s huge, he’s a big guy. He can hit a little jump hook, he can step out and hit midrange. You just have to be with him all the time, stay attached. He’s really athletic so you can’t let him get any easy lobs.”

That’s Indiana guard Jordan Hulls talking about Leonard, a 7-1 sophomore who has increased his averages to 13.3 points and eight rebounds this season. He’s shooting 58 percent from the field and has scored 20 or more points four times.

Zeller, in comparison, is averaging 15.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 65 percent from the field, and he also has had four games with 20 or more points.

Despite their similarities and the fact they’ll be matched up against each other when the teams meet tonight at Assembly Hall, Indiana coach Tom Crean shook off a question about Leonard being a defensive challenge for Zeller.

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What to Expect: Illinois

by in Opponents | February 8th, 2012

After a road win over the Boilermakers on Saturday night in Mackey Arena, the Hoosiers return home to Assembly Hall for a Thursday night meeting with Illinois. The Fighting Illini have dropped four of five and are 1-3 on the road in Big Ten play.

The game will be shown on the Big Ten Network (Gus Johnson and Jimmy Jackson) and broadcast on the IU radio network (Sirius 94/XM 192):

With the meat of their Big Ten schedule out of the way, the Hoosiers will now have the luxury of finishing the conference slate with four of their six remaining games at Assembly Hall. Their two road single plays (Nebraska, Wisconsin) produced a pair of losses and now the Hoosiers will get their home single plays (Illinois, Northwestern) in back-to-back games.

The Fighting Illini have been the victim of some tough luck in recent weeks as their four losses since Jan. 19 have come by a combined total of 15 points. Bruce Weber’s club looks to be solidly in the NCAA Tournament field as of today, but with trips to Bloomington, Ann Arbor, Columbus and Madison still remaining, that could change.

Illinois is the Big Ten’s third worst offensive team in conference play at just .98 points per possession, but they’ve made up for it by giving up just .99 points per possession (4th in the conference). Their defense is anchored by the post presence of Meyers Leonard, a 7-foot-1 sophomore who is projected to go in the first half of next June’s NBA Draft. Leonard is a big reason why Illinois is the third-best shot blocking team in conference and the Illini are giving up a 2-point field goal percentage of 46.8.

Offensively, the story is much more grim for Illinois. They’re turning it over at a high rate in league play (22.2 TO%) and are shooting just 32.2 percent from 3-point range. The Illini have been effective inside the 3-point line (51.3% on 2s), but their offense has been mostly predicated on Brandon Paul hunting looks when he’s on the court. Paul is just one of three players in the conference using more than 28% of his team’s possessions.

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