What to Expect: IU basketball vs. Alabama A&M

Alabama A&M guard Kintavious Dozier.

The Darian DeVries era of IU basketball tips off tonight at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers host Alabama A&M at 8 p.m. ET on BTN.

It will be the first-ever meeting between the Hoosiers and Alabama A&M, located in Huntsville.

The wait for the return of IU basketball is over. After five exhibition games, the Hoosiers will debut their new head coach and a brand new roster tonight in Bloomington.

Indiana went 3-0 in its three August exhibitions in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and then beat Marian and Baylor in a pair of exhibitions last month. The Hoosiers are led by a six-man senior class that includes Tucker DeVries, Tayton Conerway, Lamar Wilkerson, Reed Bailey, Sam Alexis and Conor Enright.

Up first for IU is Alabama A&M, picked to finish sixth in the 12-team Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Bulldogs scheduled three high-major opponents on the road: Indiana, Clemson (Nov. 28) and Ole Miss (Dec. 17).

Alabama A&M edged Samford 74-73 in an exhibition in Birmingham on October 13 and the University of Alabama at Huntsville (Division II) 75-68 in its second exhibition in Huntsville on October 27.

In its regular-season opener on Monday night, Alabama A&M easily beat NAIA opponent Blue Mountain Christian University, 80-60.

MEET THE BULLDOGS

Alabama A&M is led by first-year coach Donte Jackson, who is no stranger to the SWAC. Jackson spent the last eight seasons at Grambling State – also a member of the SWAC – and won 20 games twice, reaching the NCAA tournament in 2024.

Jackson brought his entire coaching staff from Grambling State to Alabama A&M and seven players from last season’s roster, including leading scorer Kintavious Dozier, a senior.

A 6-foot-1 guard from Lanett, Alabama, Dozier was a first-team All-SWAC selection in the 2023-24 season at Grambling State and made the league’s All-tournament team the last two seasons.

The lefty has played 69 Division I games and has averaged 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 27.9 minutes per game. He’s a career 44.4 percent shooter from the field, 32.9 percent on 3s and 78 percent from the line. Last season at Grambling State, he shot 37.8 percent on 3s in SWAC games. He’ll have the ball in his hands frequently and will likely draw Conerway as his defender.

Paris, France native Sami Pissis joins Dozier in the starting backcourt for the Bulldogs. A third team All-America East honoree last season at New Hampshire, Pissis averaged 15.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 28 minutes per game last season. The senior is a capable ball handler and distributor and can also knock down the 3-pointer, albeit at low efficiency. Pissis was 68-for-231 on 3s last season at New Hampshire.

On the wing, redshirt juniors Koron Davis and James Graham will start. Both have size and some athleticism.

Davis, a 6-foot-7 native of Gary, Indiana, played only seven games last season at Louisiana due to injury after he was dismissed from Louisville during the 2023-24 season. Davis had 24 points in the exhibition win against the University of Alabama at Huntsville on October 27.

Graham, a four-star recruit in the 2020 class who signed with Maryland, had stops at Missouri State and Buffalo before redshirting last season at Grambling State. The 6-foot-8 forward had 18 points in Monday’s opener against Blue Mountain Christian University.

Like most low-major opponents, Alabama A&M is undersized in the post and will start 6-foot-9 senior PJ Eason at the five. Eason blocked 48 shots last season at Grambling State and had the third-highest block percentage in the SWAC. He was also the sixth-best offensive rebounder in the SWAC.

Depth pieces to know for Alabama A&M include junior guard Peyton Daniels, sophomore guard Bilal Abdur-Rahman, junior wing Gabe Kincy and senior big man James Flippin.

Daniels began his career at Vanderbilt before transferring to Jacksonville State. A 3-star recruit out of high school, the 6-foot-3 guard made six 3-pointers off the bench in the season opener and tied for the team-high with 18 points.

Abdur-Rahman, a 5-foot-11 freshman, is a holdover from last season at Alabama A&M and will provide point guard depth.

Kincy, a 6-foot-7 junior, followed Jackson from Grambling State and averaged 10 points in the exhibitions before scoring seven points in the season opener.

And Flippin is a 6-foot-10, 255-pound junior big man who was Grambling State’s fifth-leading scorer last season. He averaged nearly 15 points over the final seven games last season.

KEYS FOR INDIANA

• Get off to a strong start: The Hoosiers made falling behind early a habit in the two exhibition games against Mega Superbet in Puerto Rico and then trailed Baylor by 13 points in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. So far, Indiana has been able to dig itself out of every hole, but the Hoosiers need to come out ready to play and leave no doubt against an overmatched opponent.

• Defense starts at the point of attack: It’s no secret that IU is undersized in the post and lacks rim protection. The Hoosiers need to make the Bulldogs uncomfortable on the perimeter with ball pressure and energy from the opening tip. Conerway and Enright both can be tone-setters defensively.

• Work the ball for great looks: Indiana is unselfish and moves the ball as well as any Hoosier team since the Tom Crean era. This roster is full of players willing to pass up a good shot for a great shot. When the ball is in motion, it isn’t easy to guard IU. It’s unlikely that DeVries will have the whole playbook open on Wednesday, but crisp ball movement and hard cuts should enable IU to establish a flow offensively.

WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO

Alabama A&M is one of three sub-300 KenPom opponents on the IU schedule entering the season.

The KenPom projection has Indiana winning by 24 points with a 99 percent chance of a Hoosier victory. Bart Torvik gives IU a 97 percent chance of winning and predicts the Hoosiers will prevail by 27 points.

With limited depth and a game against Marquette looming on Sunday in Chicago, having an opportunity to get multiple starters rest in the second half would be a solid way to finish off the season opener.

(Photo credit: Alabama A&M Athletics)

See More: Commentary, Alabama A&M Bulldogs