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(02/07/19 5:58pm)
It’s hard to find a better all-around statistical season in college baseball than the one Indiana outfielder Matt Gorski had in 2018.
A first team All-Big Ten selection and an ABCA First Team All-Mideast Region as a sophomore, Gorski led the Hoosiers in batting average (.356), hits (79), total bases (123) and stolen bases (24).
The 6-foot-4 fleet-footed outfielder also flashed power at the plate finishing with eight home runs, 40 RBI, 14 doubles and three triples. Gorski is primed to have another breakout season as a junior, listed as the No. 32 collegiate MLB Draft Prospect by Perfect Game and earning Big Ten pre-season player of the year by D1 baseball.
“It’s motivation and I look at it,” Gorski said about the preseason honors. “But it’s not something you’re going to put in your trophy case at the end of the year, unless you win it at the end of the year.”
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Awards have come frequently in Gorski’s athletic career. He earned All-State as a high school senior and in his first year at IU he was named a freshman All-Big Ten selection and IU’s Rookie of the Year.
That athletic success led Gorski to play in the Cape Cod League this summer among the top collegiate baseball players in all of America. And he learned more than ever about the game of baseball.
“I learned a little bit about failure, cause I haven’t failed a ton in my baseball career and in life,” Gorski said. “So going there up against the best players in the country, you fail a lot more than you want to so I learned a little bit about that.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaOnBTN/status/999725607872163840[/embed]
Gorski played in 23 games with the Harwich Mariners and hit .286 (20-for-70) with three doubles, six RBI, 11 runs scored, 12 walks, 29 strikeouts and one stolen base.
Those numbers don’t exactly pop out as someone who would be a top draft pick and potential Big Ten player of the year, but there’s no doubt his journey to the Cape helped his development.
“It was hard early on, you’re facing some of the best guys in the country in pitching and defense and hitters just everybody, the best in the country,” Gorski said. “So, to go in, I tried to get accustomed to playing there during the year and I played better at the end of the year.”
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Following his learning experience in Cape Cod, 2019 should be another standout year for Gorski. He is among the top three in the Big Ten in batting average, total bases and stolen bases for returning players.
The preseason honors are warranted, but even without them, everyone in the league knows what he’s capable of doing. Gorski just has to go out there and continue to perform, just like he’s done at every other level in his young athletic career.
“I guess (the awards) are cool to get, but it’s a chip on your shoulder because everyone is going to know that,” Gorski said. “Then you’re going in there and you gotta play like it and you gotta act like it.”
(02/06/19 9:08pm)
Indiana pulled off its biggest win under Archie Miller last Saturday when the Hoosiers upset No. 6 Michigan State on the road.
The Hoosier defense contained the fire powered Spartan offense just enough and also had their best offensive output in over a month in the 79-75 in overtime win.
Thursday night, Indiana will have to shutdown another lethal offense when No. 20 Iowa comes to Bloomington. The Hawkeyes are currently 10thnationally in adjusted offense efficiency according to KenPom and second in the Big Ten in points per game (81.9), right behind Michigan State.
“Iowa coming in is as good as advertised, they have a great one-two punch inside with (Luka) Garza and (Tyler) Cook and they also have tremendous shooting and depth,” Archie Miller said. “They’re one of the best offensive teams we’ll see all season and mixing up their defenses and what not will give us some different looks and that’s our concern coming in.”
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Iowa is also coming off a major win after beating No. 5 Michigan last Friday. Predominately known for their offense, the Hawkeyes had their best defensive performance in a conference game this year, holding the Wolverines to 59 points.
They pulled off the upset thanks to an 8-for-33 Michigan 3-point shooting night caused by Iowa switching up zone defenses effectively to keep the opponent off balance and out of sync.
“They’ll extend their defense after free throws and makes, which slows you down and obviously when they drop back you’re going to have to recognize the sort of zone they’re playing,” Miller said. “Whether its traditional or more of an odd front matchup. They can keep you off balance with that and take away the rhythm and they’ve done a nice job of that.”
Miller harped on Iowa’s size on the interior with Garza and Cook standing out the most as the Hawkeye big men combine for 31 points per game. Luckily for Indiana, Juwan Morgan will play Thursday after leaving the game with a shoulder injury against Michigan State.
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A long with Morgan on the interior, Justin Smith is coming off a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against the Spartans and De’Ron Davis contributed 12 points and six rebounds in a season high 25 minutes on Saturday.
Indiana’s new found depth down low is going to be beneficial if they want to stop Iowa’s interior game.
“Coach McCaffery and those guys do a tremendous job with their big guys in terms of them running and being physical,” Miller said. “(Garza) played a lot as a freshman and now he’s a sophomore but he’s a really good offensive player, they do a great job of being able to pound the ball inside, they force you to run, he’s got tremendous size and he’s got a really good game in terms of being able to score around the basket and also bring you away from the basket at times.”
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The final key to beating Iowa on Thursday will come at the free throw line. Indiana lucked out on Saturday as Michigan State shot just 8-for-22 from the charity stripe.
The Hoosiers will have to stay out of foul trouble, especially with their big men, as Iowa is currently best in the Big Ten at 75-percent from the stripe and make nearly 20 free throws per game.
“We’ve been a pretty good team just in general of trying to play hard without fouling,” Miller said. “Trying to keep guys off the line, especially the Michigan State game and their inside guys really put it on us a little bit and got to the line, they just didn’t make them.”
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(02/04/19 10:30pm)
A season ago, Indiana baseball thrived off its pitching staff.
The Hoosiers led the Big Ten in team ERA and finished second in strikeouts as right-handers Jonathan Stiever (5-6, 3.41 ERA, 97 K’s) and Pauly Milto (8-2, 2.03 ERA) each had career years.
As Indiana enters 2019, Stiever is on to the professional ranks after being drafted in the fifth round by the Chicago White Sox. Milto is gearing up for his senior season and is expected to be the Friday night starter. But the rest of the rotation is still in flux with the season opener against Memphis coming up quickly on February 15.
“You look at Pauly and you say he’s going to be a guy that throws a lot of innings,” Indiana baseball coach Jeff Mercer said. “There are several guys that are going to be in that mix. I don’t have necessarily a set rotation. You know I really try hard to wait.”
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Stiever and Milto combined to make 29 starts in 2018 for Indiana as the Friday and Saturday guys.
Left-hander Tim Herrin made 10 starts last year for Indiana, primarily during the mid-week, boasting a 3.22 ERA. Unfortunately for Indiana, he also left school early after the Cleveland Indians called his name in the 29thround of the draft.
Indiana’s Sunday starter was in flux for the majority of last year. Left-hander Cameron Beauchamp (4-1, 3.78 ERA) made 10 starts for Indiana and solidified his spot in the rotation toward the end of the season.
Andrew Saalfrank (1-3, 3.79 ERA), Tommy Sommer (2-1, 3.07 ERA) and Connor Manous (1-2, 3.24 ERA) also combined for 10 Indiana starts in 2018 and will be heavily considered coming into this season as well.
Mercer knows he has a lot of talented options and doesn’t want to rush anything with his rotation just yet.
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“If I’m a player, I want to be evaluated on my full body of work,” Mercer said. “I want to have six, seven, eight months, I don’t want you having your mind set what the starting rotation is, we still have two or three weeks and this is the most important two or three weeks at this point.”
Among the Indiana returners who have experience, there are also a few freshmen and a junior college transfer who have the potential to make a big impact on the starting rotation.
Tanner Gordon, from John A. Logan College, racked up 104 strikeouts in 70 innings in the junior college ranks last year with a 2.06 ERA and a 9-2 record in 12 starts. He was only outdone on his staff by ace Trey Riley who was drafted in the fifth round by Atlanta in this summer’s MLB draft.
Freshman right-hander Gabe Bierman, out of Jeffersonville, Indiana, is listed at 6-foot-2, 170 pounds with a high 80s fastball and a slider and curveball in the mid to low 70s according to prep baseball report.
Another freshman making headlines alongside Bierman is 6-foot-6, 200-pound right-hander McCade Brown from Normal, Illinois. Brown is listed as a four-pitch pitcher according to prep baseball report with a fastball in the high 80s as well as a changeup, curveball and slider all in the mid to low 70s.
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“I think one of the most upside is with McCade Brown and Gabe Bierman,” Indiana senior catcher Ryan Fineman said. “There’s so many guys in that freshman class that can play big roles, this season, maybe next season, it doesn’t matter when. They’re going to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Mercer will have to narrow down his rotation and find the mix between experienced pitchers and incoming studs while placing some of them in the bullpen as well.
“You look at Tanner Gordon and Tommy Sommer and a young guy like Gabe Bierman has been really good in the last week. Obviously Cam and Saalfrank and those guys all have a track record and have good stuff,” Mercer said. “I look at the starter and say it’s important, you have to have quality starts, but I’ve been really pleased with the overall depth of the staff and as the year progresses, it’ll become more clear on who will start, but having the depth is a vital part to our success as well.”
As Mercer’s starting rotation isn’t set in stone yet, he has a slew of options to choose from. One thing that is for certain is that the senior Milto is primed to be Indiana’s Friday night starter, as Hoosier pitchers will look to turn in quality starts throughout the weekend after him.
“Pauly was born older, god made him different. I don’t think it matters if he was a freshman or a senior, if he throws Friday or Sundays or anywhere in between, I don’t worry one bit about his ability to lead the staff,” Mercer said. “Pauly is the guy that doesn’t have emotion. So he just goes out and executes a plan and whether he’s taking BP before the game and hitting some home runs or he’s pitching, like he’s just unflappable so we have a lot of confidence in him.”
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(01/31/19 6:17pm)
First year Indiana baseball head coach Jeff Mercer is doing things his way in Bloomington.
And so far, the Hoosiers have responded to the challenge presented from the 33-year-old man in charge.
After two very successful seasons at Wright State, including a NCAA Regional appearance, Mercer is focused on building relationships with the group that won 40 games a year ago at IU.
“I think you have to respect the success the team has had and the individuals have had, but when you come in you have to be able to build a relationship first,” Mercer said. “We have to build those relationships first and then make adjustments within the game plan of both the player and what we would like to see in our system.”
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As former Indiana head coach Chris Lemonis darted for Mississippi State shortly after last season, he didn’t leave behind a land of misfit toys.
The Hoosiers return six upperclassmen position players that started 40 or more games a year ago, a top of the rotation starter in Pauly Milto, a strong bullpen and preseason conference player of the year, Matt Gorski.
Its been a seamless transition between the new coaching staff and the veteran players.
“They came in with a good mindset, not try to change the whole program around, kind of just change to us and they’ve done a good job being personable and they’ve got us a lot better,” senior catcher Ryan Fineman said. “Our swings, our pitching staff I mean everything, we’ve seen improvements in everything.”
Mercer isn't focused on changing everything in the program, but rather making subtle adjustments in order to steer the program in the direction he wants it to go.
The Hoosier upperclassmen have helped with that, serving as a liaison between the staff and the younger players.
“The biggest thing they’ve done is that they’ve given their support and they’ve really been invested to the winning culture and to working hard and to helping allow us to communicate efficiently to everybody,” Mercer said about the upperclassmen. “They’ve been a nice facilitator for the staff and have done a nice job of that.”
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Building those relationships with the players has been key for Mercer as he brings an abundance of knowledge to the game at a young age.
Mercer played at Dayton and Wright State during his collegiate career and since 2011 has been an assistant coach with Michigan, Western Kentucky and Wright State.
In 2017, he took over as head coach for the Raiders keeping them prominent in the Horizon League with a 77-36 career record and league championship before making the leap to IU.
As a younger coach, Mercer is more personable with the players. Gorski mentioned that he likes to kid around with the team and knows the ways of a college kid, but on the field, he’s as baseball minded as they come.
“I don’t know about analytics and all that, but I just know he’s one of the smartest coaches I’ve ever played for,” Fineman said. “I mean, everyday you get better, there’s nothing he says that doesn’t register to me as incredible.”
For as much experience as Indiana returns in 2019, Mercer said nothing is set in stone yet with how the lineup plays out.
He wants to look at the full body of work that his players have showcased and judge off of that. With the season opener at Memphis still two weeks away, this is the most important time for players to separate themselves in the eyes of the coaching staff.
“We’ve asked guys to make adjustments here and you know the majority of the first six months have been a lot more physical with the weight lifting and the diet and the mechanical adjustments and how you play the game and introducing the approaches and the systems,” Mercer said. “The last piece here over the last two the three days and the next couple of weeks is how that is applicable to the game and how we’re able to execute efficiently and the execution of the process is the most important part.”
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Mercer and his new staff have done enough this offseason to make an impact on the players and the IU program.
The Hoosiers have welcomed them in with open arms and embraced their style of business. Now, they feel like this season has the chance to be historic.
“Right when they got here, there’s two things you can do, you can say screw it, I want to go back to the old way or you can go to the new ways and we just went right to the new way, Fineman said. “This fall, this spring has just been different, we’ve gotten after it more than ever and I think this team is going to be special.”
(01/24/19 10:03pm)
Indiana basketball is struggling. There’s no other way to put it.
Three-point shooting woes, lack of depth and defensive struggles has led to five straight Hoosier losses.
On Friday, the Hoosiers toughest Big Ten opponent thus far, No. 5 Michigan, comes to Indiana. But a strong effort on the defensive end from Indiana could be the difference in turning things around.
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The first meeting between the Hoosiers and Wolverines started Indiana’s current five-game losing streak.
After going down 19 points, 12 minutes into the first matchup, Indiana showed signs of life in the second half. The Hoosiers outscored the Wolverines by four and held them without a 3-pointer in the second half.
“We’ve got to keep the floor less spaced out, they spread us out defensively and getting over ball screens is a big thing we’ve been working on ever since that game,” sophomore forward Justin Smith said. “Just basically focusing on our defense, especially on the ball screens and not letting them get as many open threes and spread us out.”
For as much as Indiana has struggled shooting the ball, it all starts on the defensive end for Archie Miller’s team.
Romeo Langford is in the midst of an 11-for-34 shooting stretch over the last three games because opponents have packed the paint in their half court defense, anticipating Langford to drive.
Indiana and Langford are at its best when they create from turnovers and run in transition, something that’s been missing during this five-game skid.
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“I think in general with him now, we have to get him back out in transition more and our team has to get back out in transition more,” Miller said of Langford. “I keep saying and I can't stress it enough, the better our defense plays, the more we're able to create offense with it, that makes the guys much more dangerous to play.”
Over the last five games Indiana has only forced eight turnovers per game and averaged about five fast break points per contest.
Compare that to the first 14 games when opponents turned the ball over 15 times a game against the Hoosiers and Indiana was around 13 fast break points each time out.
Sure, Indiana’s schedule has ramped up now in the meat of the Big Ten season while Chicago State and Montana State are a distant memory. But even in the two losses to Duke and Arkansas during the non-conference, Indiana had just four fast break points in each of those games.
“Just in the month of January, our defense hasn't been terrible, but it hasn't been you have to speed with what it needs to be with the size of our team right now,” Miller said. “We have to create more with our defense and that's a huge problem for us right now. Obviously you're playing against really well coached teams. Michigan is one of them. They don't turn the ball over very much, but we have to find a way to disrupt if we are going to have a chance to get out on transition.”
Michigan is a tough team to disrupt on offense, but Wisconsin was able to do it in the Wolverines lone loss of the season last Saturday.
The Badgers forced 16 turnovers and locked down the perimeter (5-of-18 from 3-point) as they pulled off the 64-54 upset, a recipe that Indiana should follow in order to be successful Friday night.
It won’t be easy for Indiana to score Friday night, as Michigan is the third best team in the nation in adjusted defense efficiency according to Ken Pom. However, creating defense into offense and running the fast break is probably their best bet.
“We're not as tight and connected on defense and from an offensive perspective, our defense has got to create some offense for us,” Miller said. “Our last four games, whatever the losing streak is, you can think back on it, what are we not doing and I just think forcing turnovers, the activity level, the ability to get defense, the offense hasn't been there for us, which has hurt us.”
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(01/22/19 5:13pm)
It’s no secret that Romeo Langford had his worst game as an Indiana Hoosier at the most inopportune time.
Langford put up a season low four points on 2-of-10 shooting and didn’t hit any of his four free throw attempts Saturday against Purdue, extending the Hoosier current losing streak to four games.
Tuesday at Northwestern, Langford hopes to put his abysmal performance in his first rivalry game behind him. As the Hoosiers desperately need a win against one of the Big Ten’s bottom feeders.
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“Every player has their games once in a while where its not their day and I thought early in the game they were really loaded up,” Archie Miller said about Langford following the Purdue loss. “They loaded the box up on us and that took him out of his rhythm right away. He was very aggressive in the second half, but it’s tough, everything is at the basket, they have great size and made things hard on him for the most part.”
Langford picked up two early fouls against the Boilermakers causing him to play a season low 22 minutes on Saturday. Purdue effectively shutdown Langford, when he was on the floor, by loading the paint and forcing other players, such as Justin Smith to beat them.
For as talented of an athlete that Langford is, Purdue didn’t let him use his biggest strength: getting to the basket.
Indiana leads the Big Ten in two-point field goal percentage (58 percent) and much of that is because of Langford’s ability to drive and finish at the rim. With a smooth 49 percent from the field on the season, Langford is shooting 60 percent on his two-point attempts, but just 23 percent from beyond the arc.
When opposing defenses have that much size down low, it seems much easier to contain the potential NBA lottery pick.
“I think he got into his head a little bit just from the foul trouble,” Juwan Morgan said about Langford. “I think he was trying to play conservative a little bit. I was just trying to talk to him throughout the game saying you know you have to stay with who you are. You know you’re a great driver, you know how to pass out of the drive, out of the double team and things like that, so just keep doing that.”
Indiana struggled to reach 60 points for the second consecutive game in this four game losing skid and it’s apparent that teams aren’t concerned about IU’s outside shooting.
The Hoosiers are second to last in the Big Ten in made three-point field goals and have attempted just one more than Minnesota who sits last in the conference in that category.
Over the last two games, Indiana’s opponents have forced the Hoosiers to take outside shots by denying the paint. The Hoosiers shot 6-for-34 (18-percent) from deep in both games combined with Langford finishing a collective 0-for-7.
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“Maryland obviously kept bigs in the paint, I think Nebraska obviously ran guys into the paint, I think (Purdue) today had a concerted effort,” Miller said. “We’re a team that gets fouled a lot, we’re a team that plays inside out and teams obviously try to take that away. So we have to adjust to it in some form or fashion and we have to be smart in sort of what we’re doing.”
On Tuesday, Indiana could have their hands full with 3-point shooting, as Northwestern is 11th in the nation in defending the long ball. The Hoosiers shot just 3-of-11 from deep in its first matchup, a 68-66 win, back on December 1.
But Langford could have a much easier time getting to the rim.
Northwestern has allowed opponents to convert on over 55-percent of 2-pointers this season. If there’s ever a game for Langford to get back to his strengths, it will be Tuesday in Evanston.
In the first matchup he found success inside against the much smaller Wildcat lineup, finishing with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting (7-of-10 from 2-point) including a game winning layup in the final minute of action.
As the 6-foot-8 Derek Pardon is the biggest rim protector for the Wildcats in their starting five that should open up lanes for Langford the make plays. And Miller is confident that his number one scorer will be back in his old form in no time.
“He wasn’t at his best today,” Miller said following the Purdue loss. “But he’ll be fine, he’s a bounce back guy.”
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(01/18/19 9:47pm)
Indiana basketball travels to Mackey Arena Saturday afternoon for a clash against Purdue, with hopes of putting its current three-game losing streak to an end.
(01/07/19 12:16am)
No. 21 Indiana men’s basketball traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan Sunday afternoon with hopes of exercising past demons against No. 2 Michigan.
The last two times the Hoosiers went to Ann Arbor they lost by a combined 44 points and this year was no different in the 74-63 loss. A slow start put Indiana in a massive hole that they were unable to climb out of as the Wolverines led wire to wire.
Here are our three takeaways from Sunday’s loss.
Slow Start Hurts Hoosiers
Time and time again, this Indiana team has gotten off to slow starts. The Hoosiers have been down early at Penn State, home against Louisville and in the Crossroads Classic versus Butler, but able to overcome all of those to win.
Sunday’s deficit of 17 points down 30-13 at the under-12 first half media timeout was too insurmountable to come back.
Juwan Morgan and Romeo Langford each picked up two fouls in the first four minutes that forced them to sit. As the Wolverine lead grew, Archie Miller had no choice but to put his stars back in the game even with foul trouble.
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Not having those two playmakers on the floor proved costly as Michigan started 8-of-9 shooting the ball. Also, by the end of the 11-point loss, Langford had a plus minus of zero and Morgan was only at -2.
Usually turnovers are a major part if Indiana struggles as they average nearly 15 per game. That wasn’t the case Sunday as the Hoosiers only turned the ball over seven times in the loss against one of the best defensives in the nation. However, when Indiana did turn the ball over, Michigan made them pay by scoring 12 points off those seven miscues.
Who is the third scorer?
It’s evident that Langford and Morgan are going to produce every night for Indiana, but where is the help for these two top dogs? The duo combined for 42 points in the loss while the rest of the team had just 21 points spread out among six different players.
No other Hoosier reached double-figures in the contest and the bench had a grand total of zero points. When Indiana gets freshman point guard Robert Phinisee back from his concussion that will help, but even then he has only put up seven points a game so far.
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In a game like this against a quality opponent and its top two players in foul trouble, Indiana needed Al Durham, Devonte Green or Justin Smith to step up. Instead, they looked to Morgan and Langford for 33 of the team’s 54 shot attempts.
Second Half Adjustments Seem Promising
If Indiana didn’t dig themselves in such a massive hole through the first ten minutes, they would have had a chance to win. After being down 15 at halftime, Indiana actually outscored Michigan 34-30 in the second half.
As Indiana lacked a defensive presence in the first 20 minutes, they allowed Michigan to shoot 58-percent from the field in the first half and 4-of-9 from beyond the arc.
The second half defense was much tighter as Michigan missed all seven of its three-point attempts and shot just 40-percent from the field in the final half.
These adjustments were promising because it shows that Indiana can hang with the top dogs in the nation. Although much like the Duke loss, a slow start proved to be the difference and a double-digit loss was still the end result.
(01/04/19 4:51pm)
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Indiana defeated Illinois 73-65 on Thursday January 3 to restart Big Ten play. The Hoosiers were fueled by their defense forcing 21 Illini turnovers to get back into the game and then freshman Romeo Langford took off in the second half scoring 19 of his 28 points. Indiana moves to 12-2 overall and 3-0 in Big Ten following the win with a trip to No. 2 Michigan up next.
(12/20/18 3:19am)
Its been a tough junior season for Indiana guard Devonte Green.
After missing the exhibition slate and four regular season games with a thigh bruise, Green came off the bench behind freshman Rob Phinisee. To make matters worse, he failed to score in double figures since returning to the floor at Duke.
But in Wednesday night's 86-53 win over Central Arkansas, Phinisee played just seven minutes before exiting with concussion protocol, and Green stepped up with a season high 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists to lead the way.
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“Devonte is a huge piece to what we’re doing and to his defense he hasn’t had a real great shot at it early in the year,” IU coach Archie Miller said. “He’s had to play his way into games and I was happy for him tonight being able to bust some shots. He does a lot for us and when he’s engaged and playing well, you see that stat line that he had tonight, I mean he does a lot.”
Green's been an exceptional three-point shooter in his career, hitting 37-percent from beyond the arc in his first two seasons. However, in his first seven games this season, he shot just five-of-18 from deep.
Wednesday, the junior got his rhythm back, knocking down six-of-10 three-pointers in the 33-point Hoosier win.
“I think I had a lot of open (threes) and that definitely helped them go in,” Green said. “But I think just running the offense and getting those open shots was the main thing. If it wasn’t so open I mean it probably wouldn’t have went in as much.”
As Green shot the ball phenomenally in 29 minutes of play, it was his defense sparking the offensive outburst. Indiana found themselves down 19-14 with 14:32 to play in the first half, but Green and the defense clamped down after that.
The Hoosiers went on a 19-0 run over a 9:30 stretch in the first half to distance themselves from the Bears. That play lingered into the second half as IU held UCA to just 0.74 points per possession with Green grabbing four steals and nine defensive rebounds.
“I would say defense, if I had to choose something,” Green said. “Because everything starts on defense and I think once the defense starts going, offense comes with it.”
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“He clearly had a heck of a night for us and we’re going to need him to step up,” Miller said. “I don’t know what Rob’s situation is, he’s in concussion protocol, so from my standpoint we’re planning on being without him for a while and Devonte obviously slips right in.”
Wednesday night’s version of Green is what Indiana expected from its junior guard at the beginning of the season.
The Hoosiers have been decent from long-range this season shooting 36.6-percent as a team. But if Green can get going, especially if Phinisee is out, and be the third scorer behind Romeo Langford and Juwan Morgan, it only adds an extra element to the offense.
“That third scorer is always going to be by committee with us, I’ve always felt that way and tonight it was Devonte,” Miller said. “Devonte is obviously a veteran, he’s got some capabilities to step in there and help us offensively for sure.”
(12/11/18 7:49pm)
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Indiana basketball picked up its third win in a row from a game decided by one possession Saturday against Louisville. The win propelled the Hoosiers into the AP Top 25 this week for the first time under Archie Miller. Looking ahead, the Hoosiers have a tough task Saturday in the Crossroads Classic against Butler. Zain Pyarali and Austin Render break down the Louisville game and look at what is ahead for the Hoosiers.
(12/07/18 9:44pm)
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Indiana basketball is coming off a 2-0 start to Big Ten play and face another tough task at home Saturday against Louisville. Zain Pyarali, Teddy Bailey and Austin Render get together to break down the Penn State win at great length and look ahead to the challenges that Louisville presents.
(12/05/18 2:58am)
Indiana basketball pulled out a 64-62 win on the road Tuesday night at Penn State.
In a game where the Hoosiers led by as many as 13 points in the second half, the Hoosiers found a way to win on the road and are now 2-0 in conference play. Here are our three takeaways from the game.
Hoosiers Win Ugly
Entering Tuesday night, Indiana fans had a feeling this road game at Penn State would be a challenge. Over the last seven meetings between the two schools, the largest margin of victory was eight points in a triple overtime Indiana win back in 2017. Tuesday was no different at the Bryce Jordan Center.
As Indiana found themselves up 15 with 13 minutes to play in the game, that lead slowly faded. The Hoosiers didn’t make a field goal in the final 3:58 of the game and were outscored 10-1 in that span. Luckily for IU, Penn State was a dreadful 11-26 from the free throw line as that allowed Indiana to stay in the game and ultimately win.
Phinisee Steady In The Backcourt
While Romeo Langford breezed through the first half with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, the Penn State defense slowed his roll in the second half. Langford was held to just two points on three shot attempts in the final 20 minutes, but his freshman counterpart Robert Phinisee played big.
After coming off two dismal performances against Duke and Northwestern where the freshman point guard accounted for more turnovers (6) than points (5) and assists (3), Phinisee shined bright in his first Big Ten road game.
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The Lafayette, Ind. native was held scoreless for the first 19:58 of the game, but a layup at the end of the first half sparked a 12-point night on 4-of-9 shooting. More importantly, he finished with five assists; five rebounds and only had one turnover.
"Really just being aggressive," Phinisee said. "Coach wanted me to get downhill and get to the basket to open up things and I just made plays."
Phinisee was solid defensively, as well, all game and that showed especially on the game's final possession. The freshman point guard didn’t allow Penn State’s leading scorer Lamar Stevens to get a shot attempt off on an inbounds play with two seconds to play as Indiana secured the road win.
"Coach actually drew the play up so we knew what was coming," Phinisee said about the final inbounds play. "Justin got held up on the screen, we just switched it and I made a play on the ball."
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Turnovers Almost Cost Indiana Late
It looked as if the turnover bug was starting to go away for Indiana, but in the second half, it returned for the Hoosiers.
After the Hoosiers only turned the ball over twice in the final 15 minutes against Northwestern and had just five turnovers in the first half tonight, Penn State’s defense caused problems in the second part of the game.
IU committed 16 turnovers on the night with 11 coming in the second half. Phinisee was able to stay steady with just one on Tuesday, but every Hoosier that played, other than Evan Fitzner, turned the ball over at least once.
Penn State cashed in for 16 points off Indiana’s turnovers tonight as Devonte Green had four to lead the Hoosiers and Justin Smith had three. If Penn State would have at least been 50-percent from the free throw line in the game, the late turnovers would have cost the Hoosiers.
(12/04/18 6:28pm)
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Indiana basketball takes its first Big Ten road trip of the season when they head to State College, PA and take on the Penn State Nittany Lions Tuesday night at 7 p.m. The Hoosiers picked up a 68-66 win in their first Big Ten game of the season at home vs Northwestern, but could be without star forward Juwan Morgan tonight due to injury. How does the possibility of Morgan's absence hurt the Hoosiers? Zain Pyarali and Teddy Bailey discuss.
(11/27/18 5:21pm)
It’s no doubt that Indiana’s matchup at Duke will be the biggest challenge for the Hoosiers in the early going.
The No. 3 Blue Devils and their talented trio of freshmen, R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish, have taken over the college basketball world since bursting on the scene in a rout over Kentucky to start the season.
But Indiana welcomes the challenge that is ahead of them Tuesday night.
“I think every game is a measuring stick,” Juwan Morgan said. “Just whether you can stay within yourselves and do the things that's been working for you all day or people will get out of traffic and try to do things they haven't done all year. I think every game we're able to hold ourselves to that.”
In order for the Hoosiers to be successful they have to contain Duke’s future NBA lottery picks defensively, limit their own turnovers and get healthy.
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The health part is a big reason why Indiana has struggled the last three games with key players Zach McRoberts and Devonte Green out. Miller said he hopes to get one or both of those guys back for Tuesday’s primetime matchup, but taking care of the job defensively is the major key.
“We're much better defensively than we were a year ago, clearly. Our veteran guys, our older guys, have a much different understanding of how to play, what needs to be done,” Miller said. “If you add Devonte and McRoberts back to the fold, our perimeter depth gets better, we should theoretically be able to be even more solid, be able to apply a hard-playing team, because sometimes fatigue is playing a role in our breakdowns.”
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The Hoosiers enter Tuesday ranked 28thin adjusted defense in the nation allowing 0.93 points per possession on average through the first six games. Although six games is a small sample size, this is right around where Miller’s teams were in the final three years of his Dayton tenure.
But Duke provides a different challenge than anything the Hoosiers have seen yet this year. The Blue Devils rank second in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency scoring 1.2 points per possession on average and Miller sees that as a potential problem.
“From an inside perspective, I don't think we're the greatest size rim protecting team,” Miller said. “I think we have quickness and can cover for some things. Without a question, I feel this team is a better defensive team than last year team clearly at this time.”
Not only will Williamson, Barrett and Reddish be a handful for the Hoosiers offensively, but they also cause problems on defense.
Turnovers have been a concern for Indiana in the early going averaging more than 15 a game. While Duke hasn’t used opponent turnovers as a major point of domination this season (12.8 per game), the Hoosiers don’t want to get into a track meet in transition with the talented Blue Devils.
The real success Duke has found in the early going has been able to protect the rim and hold opponents to a 39-percent field goal percentage. They also have a better adjusted defense than Indiana, ranking No. 8 in the nation allowing 0.91 points per possession.
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“Obviously they are really good players, elite players,” Romeo Langford said. “It's really a team effort. We're going to go in practice the rest of this week and get prepared for them and hopefully try our best and do what we do to get the win on Tuesday.”
Although the numbers are stacked up against the Hoosiers Tuesday night, they could use this game as an early season measuring stick to see how they matchup against one of the most elite teams in all of college basketball on the road.
“Anyone that is a little bit worried going down there probably shouldn't go. That's just the way that works,” Miller said. “I hope we have a mindset that our team takes the floor ready to go. That's what a coach hopes for, the best, is the mindset. We're working really hard to prepare them for that.”
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(11/27/18 12:35am)
A win is not a realistic expectation Tuesday night for Indiana when it plays Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
However, a competitive result in one of the toughest road environments would be an eyeful for Indiana fans following the last three games.
“I think more than anything you can't make the platform and the stage even bigger than it is,” IU head coach Archie Miller said. “Mental toughness is something that's going to be paramount. Confidence, though, is everything when you go into these types of games. You need your best guys to be the most confident; you need them to lead the way.”
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After Indiana’s blistering 3-0 start to the season with a convincing 23-point home win over Marquette, the last three games have been a struggle and somewhat of a head scratcher.
Indiana’s one-point loss at Arkansas could have been avoided by properly executing on a few more plays. But IU's close battles against UT-Arlington and UC Davis can be pointed to specifically in one area: lack of depth.
Zach McRoberts (back) and Devonte Green (thigh) have both missed the past four games with injuries. Between these two key players, Race Thompson (concussion) has played just four minutes, Jerome Hunter (leg) hasn't seen the court, while De’Ron Davis has been off and on since coming back from last years season-ending Achilles injury.
Both McRoberts and Green have been practicing with the team since the UC Davis game and haven’t garnered any setbacks. Miller is hopeful to have two of his best defenders back Tuesday when they need them the most.
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“If there's any setbacks, hopefully we can communicate, find a way to get one or two of those guys back into the rotation,” Miller said. “Not just now, but heading into our two Big Ten games, finishing December off of our non-conference, it will be nice to get those guys back. It would be a big help. It would also get those guys an opportunity to prepare themselves for January.”
If Miller is able to get two of his best defenders back then not only will that help Indiana depth wise, but also will allow the Hoosiers to put up a better fight against the trio of Duke freshmen with NBA lottery picks attached to their names.
R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish have taken the college basketball landscape by storm in the month of November. It all began with their 118-84 rout of Kentucky in the Champions Classic, but may have slowed a miniscule amount after the Blue Devils' loss to Gonzaga in the Maui Invitational championship.
“I think all three guys are right fitting into the mold of what Duke basketball does, which is team,” Miller said. “I don't see three guys or two guys, however you want to do it, sort of out there rolling their eyes at another guy. They've been able to impact their team, in my opinion, with great attitude, great competitiveness. Obviously their talents and basketball ability is on display. I think everybody has seen how good they are.”
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The talented trio has accumulated for nearly two-thirds of Duke’s points throughout the season and without a healthy lineup for Indiana, the Blue Devils have the ability to run all night long.
Last game against UC Davis, the Hoosiers relied heavily on their starting five as Juwan Morgan played all 40 minutes in the win and Al Durham, along with freshman Romeo Langford and Robert Phinisee, logged 36-plus minutes.
Without depth to this Indiana roster, that makes it much more complicated for the Hoosiers and was a big reason why Indiana didn’t truly take sole possession of the game until the final six minutes. For as much as a struggle as the past three games were for Indiana, Miller saw it as a good test for his team.
“This is like light a fire just throw them in the fire. They are having to figure out how to get a stop late in the game, how to get a big bucket and they have never been there before,” Miller said after the UC Davis win. “Sometimes you get down at home, it doesn't feel fun. Most of the time, they have been expected to be up big.”
If McRoberts can comeback Tuesday and is effective, that relieves Langford and Durham of a few minutes. It's also additional help to guarding Barrett and Reddish.
If Green can come back, Phinisee won’t have to log 35-plus minutes a game and will also help the Hoosiers be effective against Duke point guard Tre Jones who makes the offense run with 5.5 assists per game.
If Davis can be effective off the bench and play well down low, maybe he can cause Williamson a few problems while keeping Morgan and Justin Smith fresh as well.
These are all big “if’s” going into a big time November matchup, but the biggest thing Indiana needs to do right now is just get healthy.
“It's been difficult a little bit early. November has been hard on our team in general. Guys just, you know, in, out, in, out,” Miller said. “I don't feel bad as a coach. I feel bad for them because I believe certain guys have worked really hard to get in there and they haven't had a chance yet.”
(11/21/18 3:58am)
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In a close game, Indiana basketball squeaked past UT-Arlington Tuesday night 78-64. Turnovers and lack of depth were an issue for Indiana all night, but Juwan Morgan proved to be big down the stretch finishing with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Zain Pyarali gives you his three takeaways from the win.
(11/21/18 3:50am)
Indiana basketball survived a scare Tuesday night in Bloomington against UT-Arlington with a 78-64 win. The Hoosiers were short handed with five injuries entering the game and added two more to the list in Al Durham and Romeo Langford during the game. Juwan Morgan carried the load with 23 points and 10 rebounds to go a long with four assists, three blocks and two steals. Hear from coach Archie Miller, Morgan and Justin Smith after the win.
Injury update from Archie Miller
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Juwan Morgan's big time performance
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Injury update on De'Ron Davis
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Juwan Morgan testing his teammates late
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Justin Smith on the team facing adversity
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(11/18/18 9:29pm)
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Indiana Men's Soccer made a statement Sunday afternoon by dominating the UCONN Huskies 4-0 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Hear from head coach Todd Yeagley and left back Andrew Gutman after the win.
(10/25/18 12:22am)
Entering year two under Archie Miller, there are plenty of questions arising for Indiana basketball. The health of De’Ron Davis is intriguing, Romeo Langford’s situation is obviously unique, but the biggest question coming into 2018 is who will be Indiana’s point guard?
The Hoosiers lost Josh Newkirk upon graduation at the point guard position for 2018, but return junior Devonte Green, sophomore Al Durham and add freshman Robert Phinisee.
Through the first 24 games of last year, Newkirk was the Hoosiers starting point guard. In the last seven games, Green took over as the starting point guard and was serviceable for Indiana as they limped to the finish line.
With Green grabbing the majority of minutes toward the end of last season, one might presume that he’s a shoe-in to be the starter entering his junior year. And while he may be a front-runner for now, there’s plenty of heat on his heels with Durham and Phinisee looming in the background.
Devonte Green
For as much as Indiana fans loved to rip on Newkirk’s play last season, Green was very similar to Newkirk in offensive metrics a season ago when you reflect back on the big picture.
Both Green and Newkirk were labeled as “significant contributors,” according to KenPom, meaning they were being used 20-24 percent of possessions when on the floor. Newkirk also played 57.5 percent of minutes last year while Green played 55.5 percent.
Take a look at their final stat lines compared to each other by the end of the season:
Newkirk Stats: 31 GP/24 GS, 7.1 ppg, 2.8 ast, 2.1 reb, 37.8% FG, 30.5% 3 PT, 1.8 TO/game, 0.48 steals/game
Green Stats: 31 GP/12 GS, 7.6 ppg, 2.5 ast, 1.9 reb, 36.4% FG, 33.7% 3 PT, 1.9 TO/game 1.03 steals/game
The two were almost identical with offensive production, but the one major plus that Green brings to the court is his defensive ability.
A prime example of Green’s defensive contributions was on display last season against Northwestern. He came off the bench, shot 1-for-7 from the field with four points, but had five steals in a win.
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“When he played well last year, our team was a lot different,” Miller said. “We had some really, really good wins and we had some really, really good performances when he played well. When he didn't play well or we didn't have that other guard on the floor at times, that's when I thought we really struggled.”
But what about when Green showed flashes of greatness offensively toward the end of the season? Yes, Green showed major signs of improvement after he flipped a switch in his mind post-Purdue loss at home. Green played four minutes against the Boilermakers, was invisible on the stat sheet and then went off for 20 points two days later at Ohio State.
As Green started the final seven games of the season, there were great outings and there were mediocre outings. The 19 points against Minnesota and 18 points at Iowa with a game winning assist are obviously highlights. On the flip side, the three points, four turnovers game vs Illinois, the four points, six turnovers game at Nebraska and zero point effort in the regular season finale against Ohio State were lowlights.
“I think the one thing that he came to grips with at the end of the season was I'm going to dive in and embrace and I'm going to do what I'm supposed to do here, and let's just see how it works,” Miller said. “With a six- to eight-week period of time from the end of the season, he did a great job not only on the floor but he did a great job in the weight room, he did a great job in the locker room.”
Green Stats Last 7 Games: 7 GP/7 GS, 8.5 ppg, 3.3 ast, 1.9 reb, 47.8% FG, 52.3% (11/21) 3 pt, 2.8 TO, 1.14 steals/game
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The biggest thing for Green is to find consistency in his game on both ends of the floor. If he can do that, he may get the bulk of the minutes at point guard.
“If you ranked our players top to bottom in consistency, it would be very hard for me to tell you that Devonte didn't have as consistent as an off-season as any guy,” Miller said. “He's got a great opportunity to have a great role on this team, and he's just got to embrace what we're asking him to do.”
Al Durham
Coming into his second year with Indiana, Durham has gained high praise from Miller throughout this offseason. Miller even said if there were one player who was game ready in mid-October it would probably be Durham.
“If we had to start a game today, you know, who’s ready? Who’s engaged? And I really like Al,” Miller said. “I really think Al is doing a great job. He’s talking, he’s communicating.”
Miller eased Durham into his role during his freshman campaign a season ago. According to KenPom, Indiana used him at shooting guard 42 percent of the time. When he was on the floor though, KenPom labeled him as a “limited role” as he was used on 12 to 16 percent of possessions.
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Durham Stats: 31 GP/9 GS, 4.8 ppg, 1.2 ast, 1.9 reb, 40.9% FG, 28.6% 3PT, 0.8 TO, 0.35 Steals/game
Eight of the nine games Durham started came in a stretch from November 29 to December 29 in non-conference (and two early Big Ten games) as Miller looked for the right combination. The struggle offensively, scoring wise, and on defense to create turnovers was prominent for Durham, but the big plus with him is that he did not turn the ball over.
The Lilburn, Georgia native averaged less than a turnover per game last season, and that carried throughout Big Ten play as well.
Durham Big Ten Stats: 18 GP/2 GS, 3.6 ppg, 0.77 ast, 1.7 reb, 40.0 FG%, 32.0 3PT%, 0.83 TO, 0.38 steals
If Durham can increase his scoring and passing ability in year two, he might be the right guy to run the Hoosiers offense.
“I just tried to amp my game up completely from last year,” Durham said. “Bring certain things to the table that I just wasn't comfortable with last year, just making sure I was expanding my game all around, even in the weight room, on the court, and just bringing different things to the team, just so we could be a better team as one.”
Robert Phinisee
Phinisee has a legit chance to be the Hoosiers starting point guard at some point this season, but don’t expect it to be in the season opener against Chicago State.
Phinisee comes in as a four star recruit, ranked No. 136 in the nation, No. 22 at point guard and No. 4 player overall in the state of Indiana according to 247sports. Two of the other three players ahead of him in the state rankings are his teammates Romeo Langford and Damezi Anderson.
So what can we expect from Phinisee in year one? It might be a little unfair to compare him to Yogi Ferrell during his freshman year in Bloomington, but looking at Ferrell’s numbers in year one, it’s not out of the question for Phinisee to come close to that production.
Yogi Ferrell Freshman Stats: 36 GP/36 GS, 7.6 ppg, 4.1 ast, 2.8 reb, 40.3 FG%, 30.3 3PT%, 2.1 TO, 0.77 steals
Phinisee won’t start every game, but in terms of points per game and assist totals with the number of quality options he has around him, it’s not absurd to think he can’t average seven and four like Ferrell did.
Ferrell was a much more highly touted recruit coming in (No. 21 national, No. 3 point guard, No. 3 in Indiana), but Miller loves the basketball IQ that Phinisee brings to the court.
“He's got a high IQ. He's really intelligent. He's competitive. He's 185 pounds as a freshman, which gives him an added advantage in strength defensively,” Miller said. “I think off the ball defensively watching him here early he's got a chance to help our team.”
Miller also praised his defensive efforts in practice so far, which might lead to more minutes and potentially a starting role to come.
“Defensively he’s a college defender early in his career,” Miller said. “Sometimes what gets you on the floor early in your career is you don’t mess up on that end.”
Phinisee has even caught the eye of senior captain Juwan Morgan in practice when going up against Green.
“Usually Devonte has been faster than the other guards, but Rob is just as quick laterally and just up and down,” Morgan said. “I think they build off each other because Devonte is more of a street baller and Rob is more fundamentally sound.”
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With Phinisee’s recruiting rank coming into this season (No. 22 point guard) let’s check out how some fellow Big Ten point guards fared last season in year one.
Wisconsin’s Brad Davison (No. 108 National, No. 23 point guard, No. 3 Minnesota) and Illinois’ Trent Frazier (No. 109 Nationally, No. 24 PG, No. 7 FL) played major roles on their respected teams a season ago as freshman.
Here’s how the two fared statistically by the end of the season.
Davison Stats: 33 GP/29 GS, 12.1 PPG, 40.5% FG, 35.5 3P%, 2.5 ast, 2.3 reb, 1.7 TO, 1.2 steals
Frazier Stats: 32 GP/16 GS, 12.5 ppg, 40.5% FG, 34.7 3P%, 3.1 ast, 1.8 reb, 2.2 TO, 1.7 steals
Both Davison and Frazier landed spots on the Big Ten all-freshman team last year after coming in ranked very similarly to each other and Phinisee this year.
Averaging 12 points per game will be tougher for Phinisee given the abundance of options he’ll have on offense, but don’t be surprised if he puts up similar or better numbers than these two in all other categories this year.