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(02/28/18 6:26pm)
Six. That’s the amount of days in between Indiana men’s basketball's regular season finale against Ohio State last Friday and its first game in the Big Ten tournament Thursday night.
This span is the longest layoff between games the Hoosiers have had since their eight-day break over the Holiday’s in late December. In this year’s jam-packed Big Ten schedule Indiana on average played every three days.
Head Coach Archie Miller said his team was beat up down the stretch. He gave them the weekend off following the double overtime loss to Ohio State and could tell the break helped when they got back to practice.
“We were an exhausted group, not so much physically but mentally, as well,” Miller said. “We had guys that were excited to be in the gym working again, just amazing sometimes when you have a couple days off just to reboot physically and mentally.”
Junior forward Juwan Morgan earned second team All-Conference honors Monday, finishing the regular season averaging 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He echoed Miller’s sentiment of the team working hard in practice after getting the weekend off.
“Everybody just had a lot of energy,” Morgan said. “Everybody is really getting after it on both sides of the ball and everything we did, and I think it really showed and it was infectious throughout the whole team.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/968585169635561472[/embed]
All season, the Big Ten conference has received heat for condensing the conference regular season schedule just to have the tournament in New York at Madison Square Garden.
The last time Indiana played at the Garden was in 2014 against Louisville and Georgetown. Seniors Robert Johnson and Collin Hartman are the only current Hoosiers who played then and Johnson is excited to play at MSG once again.
“Really looking forward to it more than anything, to be able to play at Madison Square Garden for our tournament,” Johnson said. “You know, playing there and in the mecca of basketball always fun as far as the atmosphere, just everything surrounding the excitement of playing in New York.”
Miller had nothing but high praise for The Garden and is looking forward to the bulk of his team to experience playing there for the first time.
“It's a fantastic place to play, I can see why our commissioner and our league work so hard to be able to get in there,” Miller said. “It's monumental to be able to play in Madison Square Garden and being able to play a week early where you don't have to flip the channel to see what's going on in any other league. It should put all eyes on us this weekend.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/968579880223944706[/embed]
As far as the game goes, Indiana plays the winner of No. 11 Minnesota and No. 14 Rutgers with tip set for approximately 9 p.m. Thursday night.
Not only does Indiana get even more rest and preparation by being the last game on Thursday, but they are also familiar with these two teams, having played both in February.
Indiana beat Rutgers 65-43 (lowest points allowed this season) on Feb. 5 and Minnesota 80-56 on Feb. 9.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/962358963311403009[/embed]
“It isn't as if, you know, we caught them in December way back early when,” Miller said. “So we have a pretty good feel of playing their personnel and their team. Both teams will give us problems. The good thing is, I think with a late game, though, regardless of the circumstances, you have some time to prepare your guys.”
Having extra rest and time to prepare for a familiar opponent is all in Indiana’s favor, but Miller is more focused on his group more than anything right now.
“It's not really about the opponent any more at this time of year,” Miller said. “So much of this time of the year is about you and how confident you are and how good you feel about what you're doing, and that's what we're trying to reach once we get to Thursday.”
(02/21/18 3:29pm)
Indiana freshman forward Justin Smith was the lone bright spot in Tuesday night’s 66-57 road loss at Nebraska.
He finished tied for the team high with 16 points against the Cornhuskers while also pulling down eight rebounds, one shy of Juwan Morgan on the night.
Over the last four games, Smith has been one of the most consistent players for IU, ending his rollercoaster freshman campaign strong.
“I think if you look at his numbers the last three or four games, I think he’s given us an added dimension,” IU head coach Archie Miller said. “It’s good to see him finish strong down the stretch, I thought he looked the part out there tonight.”
Last 4 games (13 days, Feb. 9-Feb. 20):
Minnesota: 9 points, 4-7, 4 reb (1 offensive), 2 TO, 17 minutes
Illinois: 13 points, 5-7, 3 reb (2 offensive), 0 TO, 13 minutes
Iowa: 15 points, 5-7, 3 reb (1 offensive), 1 TO, 20 minutes
Nebraska: 16 points, 7-11, 8 reb (4 offensive), 1 TO, 25 minutes
Totals: 13.3 ppg, 21-29 FG (72.4%), 18 reb (8 offensive), 4 TO, 18.8 min pg
Smith recorded his third straight game scoring at least 13 points Tuesday night. In his last four games, he’s averaging 13.3 points, shooting 72.4-percent from the field and averaging 4.5 rebounds per game. You also can't forget about his high-flying dunks and lock down defense either.
“I’m just trying to come in and do my job,” Smith said. “Get rebounds, play hard on defense and make the little plays. If points come, they come, but I’m just trying to do everything possible.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaOnBTN/status/966139844400365569[/embed]
All of this production for Smith has come off the bench, something he didn’t do in the month of January.
When sophomore forward De’Ron Davis tore his Achilles prior to Indiana’s game against Minnesota on January 6, Smith took over in the starting lineup.
He only played single digits minutes in eight of the nine previous games before Minnesota, but rose to the occasion in his first Big Ten start putting up 20 points in 26 minutes in a road win.
From there, Smith stayed in the starting lineup and played well, giving Indiana key minutes in the frontcourt when they needed it the most.
First 5 Starts (15 days, Jan. 6-Jan. 22):
Minnesota: 20 points, 7-10, 3 reb (2 offensive), 2 TO, 26 minutes
Penn State: 2 points, 1-3 FG, 2 reb (1 offensive), 1 TO, 6 minutes
Northwestern: 8 points, 4-8 FG, 5 reb (3 offensive), 1 TO, 17 minutes
Michigan State: 9 points, 3-6 FG, 4 reb (4 offensive), 2 TO, 22 minutes
Maryland: 12 points, 6-8 FG, 1 reb, (1 offensive), 0 TO, 21 minutes
Totals: 10.2 ppg, 21-35 (60%), 3 reb (2.2 offensive), 1.2 TO/game, 18.4 min/game
Playing five games in 15 days in the Big Ten is do-able, but that can grind down a first year player. Smith’s final three starts came in Indiana’s three games in six days stretch at the end of January. It was evident that the schedule affected him.
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaOnBTN/status/955601227760386049[/embed]
Last 3 starts (6 days, Jan. 24-Jan. 30)
Illinois: 6 points, 3-3, 0 reb, 3 TO, 20 min
Purdue: 5 points, 2-5, 6 reb (1 offensive), 1 TO, 28 min
Ohio State: 2 points, 1-4, 2 reb (1 o-reb), 0 TO, 21 min
Totals: 4.3 ppg, 6-12 (50%), 2.6 reb (0.6 offensive), 1.3 TO, 23 min/game
The numbers speak for themselves. Smith’s scoring production went down six points and his offensive rebounding took a major hit as well. All of this happened while averaging five more minutes per game in his last three starts than in the first five starts.
He was relegated to the bench at the beginning of February and struggled still in his first two games.
Smith scored just three points (all free throws) against Michigan State at home and two points (1-5 FG) on the road two days later at Rutgers. In those two games, the freshman forward only averaged 11 minutes per game.
But what's changed for Smith since tailing off at the end of January and the beginning of February? Rest and more practice reps.
Prior to his current four game hot-streak, Indiana had four days off between playing Rutgers and Minnesota. They had another five days of rest before they played Illinois.
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaOnBTN/status/962144892691496960[/embed]
The transition from high school to college isn't easy and Miller knows that first-hand being a former player. He knew it would probably be a rollercoaster season for Smith, but the best thing to do is learn from every mistake.
"Freshmen, they go through ups and downs and good starts, bad games," Miller said after the Illinois win." That's what a freshman season is. But moments like tonight, hard-fought win where guys make winning plays, they stick with you -- that's how you learn how to win. And these are experiences that will help them develop into really good Indiana players."
As Indiana ends its regular season Friday night against Ohio State on senior day, Hoosier fans will bid farewell to Robert Johnson, Collin Hartman and other beloved players.
But, what they should really be excited for is the future. Watch out for this freshman to finish the season strong and take his current momentum into next year.
(02/20/18 12:58am)
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZUY4L-HKNo&feature=youtu.be[/embed]
The 2017-2018 season for Indiana basketball couldn't have gotten off to a much worse start. They allowed 90 points at home to Indiana State in Archie Miller's first career game as head coach. But ever since that game they've improved on defense. The players have bought into Miller's pack line defensive scheme and it's showed. In the first 15 games of the season, Indiana went 8-7 against predominately non-conference opponents while allowing over 72 points per game. Over the last 13 games against all Big Ten teams they've gone 8-5 and allowed under 67 points per game. The team has bought into the pack line defense and the biggest piece of improvement has been ball pressure. From the start of the season to now Indiana has pressured the ball more intently every single game leading to defensive stops for the Hoosiers.
(02/19/18 8:41pm)
Indiana baseball started its 2018 campaign with a 3-1 weekend in South Carolina.
After dropping the season opener to Oklahoma 6-3, the Hoosiers rallied off three straight wins. A 5-0 shutout against Kansas State put Indiana in the win column for the first time this season, followed up by a walk-off winner against No. 18 South Alabama.
IU then finished out the weekend with a 6-5 win over 2016 National Champion Coastal Carolina.
Let’s take a look at the good and the bad from Indiana’s opening weekend.
THE GOOD
POWER HITTERS:
As a team Indiana launched six home runs in four games this weekend. Luke Miller led the way with three long balls, including two in the win against Coastal Carolina, while Logan Sowers hit two home runs but junior college transfer Logan Kaletha’s walk off grand slam against South Alabama was the loudest of them all.
Sowers is expected to be one of the top hitters for Indiana this year and he’s done just that in the first four games. With his two home runs, he collected seven hits ending the weekend with team highs in batting average (.438) and slugging percentage (.813).
Kaletha’s teammates raved about his ability in practice prior to the first game and they weren’t wrong. The first-year transfer from John A. Logan College batted leadoff for IU in every game this weekend and racked up seven hits, including a triple, six RBI’s and his first career IU home run, a walk-off grand slam.
Kaletha ended the weekend with a .357 batting average in his first four games as a Hoosier and his .786 slugging percentage is third best on the team.
Miller only recorded three hits over the weekend, but all three were home runs. He was the difference going 2-for-4 with two homers and five RBI’s in the 6-5 win against Coastal Carolina. While the power is there for Miller, he’ll hope to get the average up as he sits at .200 after the first four games.
RYAN FINEMAN:
Fineman dropped 20 pounds this offseason and completely changed his swing according to IU coach Chris Lemonis. So far, it’s paid off to start the season.
Fineman ended the opening weekend with the second best batting average on the team at .417. The junior catcher also started each of the first three games behind the dish and came in during the sixth inning in the finale against Coastal Carolina.
PAULY MILTO:
Junior starting pitcher Pualy Milto picked up right where he left off at the end of last season to start 2018.
Milto pitched six innings of shutout ball against Kansas State and had a no-hitter going for 5.2 innings. He finished with six strikeouts while allowing just one hit and retired 16 of the last 17 batters he faced.
He was the lone bright spot in the starting rotation, which struggled to begin the season.
BULLPEN:
The Indiana starters aside from Milto struggled during opening weekend, but its bullpen got the job done. In 18 innings of work, the bullpen allowed just two earned runs.
Sophomore Cal Krueger stood out the most, picking up two wins in both of his appearances this weekend. Krueger allowed no runs and struck out four over his three innings of work.
The freshmen out of the pen were also poised. Tommy Sommer, Nick Eaton and Austin Long combined to allow zero runs over six innings of work while striking out three.
Sommer, the 6-foot-4 left-hander, was the most impressive this weekend by picking up a three inning save against Kansas State; holding the Wildcats to just one hit while striking out two in his appearance.
Junior Matt Lloyd, who is back in the closing role this year, recorded a two-inning save against Coastal Carolina in his only appearance on the mound this weekend.
BASE RUNNING:
Base running will be a major focal point for Indiana this season as they swiped nine bags on 11 attempts in the first four games.
Senior outfielder Laren Eustace was a perfect three-for-three on his attempts and sophomore outfielder Matt Gorski was two-for-two. Kaletha was the only Hoosier tracked down on the base paths this weekend going two-for-four on his attempts.
THE BAD
STARTING PITCHING:
Outside of Milto, the Indiana starting pitching was less than spectacular. Junior ace Jonathan Stiever allowed six earned runs including three home runs in five innings of work against Oklahoma in the opener, boosting his ERA to 10.80. However, Stiever did rack up a team-high seven strikeouts this weekend.
Lemonis wasn’t sure how the rest of his rotation was going to lineup after Milto, but he went with sophomore Andrew Saalfrank against South Alabama. Saalfrank only lasted three innings while giving up three earned runs.
Monday against Coastal Carolina, Tim Herrin got the start for Indiana and he too only lasted three innings allowing three earned runs against the Chanticleers.
The bullpen saved Indiana’s starters this weekend, but Lemonis will certainly look for more consistency out of his starting rotation next weekend.
MATT LLOYD:
Lloyd hit over .300 with 11 home runs and 46 RBI’s a year ago, but opening weekend in 2018 wasn’t kind to him. Lloyd started every game this weekend at either first base, second base or designated hitter but went just 1-for-16 with seven strikeouts at the plate.
BATTING AVERAGES:
Indiana was able to get it done with the long ball this weekend, but the team batting average sits at just .236 after the first four games. Only three players are hitting above .300 right now on the season with guys like Miller, Gorski and Lloyd all at or below the Mendoza line.
What’s Next?
Indiana heads to Port Charlotte, Florida next weekend for the Snowbird Baseball Classic. They’ll get a look at fellow Big Ten opponent Rutgers Friday at 3 p.m., then play Boston College at noon Saturday before rounding out the weekend against Chicago State on Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
(02/19/18 7:16pm)
[embed]https://youtu.be/jb949dcS13U[/embed]
Little 500 riders train all year for the race in late April, but in the summer, a few riders help Riley Children's Hospital raise money through the IU Dance Marathon. IU Senior Michael Schmahl started a fundraiser called Ride To Riley two years ago to help the kids at Riley. Schmahl rides over 100 miles from Northern Indianapolis to Riley Hospital and then back down to Bloomington in order to raise money. So far in his two years doing this ride, he and fellow riders have raised over $2,000 for the hospital and he doesn't plan on stopping just yet.
(02/14/18 5:38am)
Indiana junior forward Juwan Morgan has without a doubt been the best player for the Hoosiers in the 2017-18 season.
If the Big Ten gave out an award for most improved player of the year, Morgan would win. But does he have a realistic chance to land first team All-Big Ten?
Let’s examine.
Big Ten Most Improved Player
Even though this award doesn’t exist among the Big Ten conference, Morgan would win and it’s not even close. He’s top 10 in the conference in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocks after not being anywhere close to that a season ago.
Last year, Morgan was sixth on his team in scoring with 7.7 points per game. This year, he’s seventh in the entire conference at 16.9 points per game.
His 9.2-point increase in the span of one season is the largest out of any returning player in the top 10 of the conference scoring list.
Big Ten leading scorer Keita Bates-Diop (19.9 ppg) from Ohio State has a +8.1 point increase this season, but he averaged 11.8 points per game as a sophomore and missed last season due to injury. Purdue’s Carsen Edwards has the second highest point increase from last season to this at +6.6.
With rebounding, Morgan has gone from a good to elite in the conference.
He averaged 5.6 per game last season, and was 20th in the Big Ten. Now he’s ninth this season in the conference averaging 7.3 boards per game.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/960251169070297088[/embed]
He is currently fifth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage this year at 59.2-percent. Everyone ahead of him on the leaderboard (Mike Watkins, Nick Ward, Derek Pardon and Isaac Haas) were all in the top five last year.
Morgan shot the ball well a season ago at 54.8-percent, but he didn’t qualify to be among the conference leaders because he didn’t have enough shot attempts.
He only took 157 shots in his sophomore year and so far as a junior he’s taken 287 attempts while making 170.
Lastly, Morgan is blocking opponents more frequently than last season. He’s ninth in the Big Ten in blocks with 34 after finishing 16th in the conference as a sophomore with 29.
He is putting up these types of quality numbers all while being depended on more this year. Morgan has upped his minutes per game from 22.6 a year ago to almost 29 minutes per game this season.
First Team All-Big Ten Selection?
Now that you see the massive improvements Morgan made in the past year, let’s see if he deserves to be a first team All-Big Ten selection.
It’ll be difficult for Morgan because typically three guards and two forwards make up the members of the first team. Last season, Happ and Big Ten player of the year Caleb Swanigan were the two forwards selected.
Bates-Diop has already cemented his name onto the first team by leading the league in scoring and third in rebounding, but can Morgan beat out Happ and Michigan State’s Miles Bridges for the second forward spot?
Both Happ (18.2 ppg) and Bridges (17.8 ppg) have better scoring averages this season than Morgan (16.9 ppg). However, in Big Ten games, the Indiana junior has them beat.
In conference games, Morgan is tied for third in scoring, averaging 18.9 points per game, while Happ (18.6 ppg) and Bridges (18.4 ppg) are slightly behind.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/955826436883013632[/embed]
Although they are all so close in points per game, one stat that may give Morgan the advantage over those two is field goal percentage. Morgan is more efficient from the field than the other two. He is currently fifth in the Big Ten shooting at a 60.1-percent clip in conference games.
Neither Bridges nor Happ are in the top 15 in field goal percentage during conference games as they are both shooting 49 percent from the field.
Rebounding wise, Morgan has pulled down 7.7 boards in conference play which is better than Bridges’ 6.2 per game, but not as good as Happ’s 8.4 per game.
What might be the most impressive about Morgan’s game is that he is an all-around performer. He is only one of two power five conference players averaging at least 16 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block per game this season.
The other is future NBA lottery pick Marvin Bagley from Duke.
[embed]https://twitter.com/ZainPyarali/status/942475063277838336[/embed]
Morgan continues to put up these numbers while being the most used player on Indiana’s roster. The Hoosiers use him on at least 24 percent of possessions. Only Happ and Penn State’s Tony Carr are used more among Big Ten players, as their teams use them on 28-percent of possessions.
Among players who are used on at least 24 percent of their team’s possessions, according to kenpom, Morgan has the 18th best offensive rating in the nation at 120.2. He is second best in the Big Ten to only Purdue’s Isaac Haas who is 14th in the nation with an offensive rating of 121.2.
Morgan’s offensive rating is better than both Happ and Bridges. It’s even better than Bates-Diop, Nick Ward and Carsen Edwards, just to name a few more.
The numbers are there to back it up. Morgan rises to the challenge night in and night out. If I had a vote I would put him as a Big Ten first-teamer.
But will enough voters pencil in Morgan among the elite players in the Big Ten at the end of the season?
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/user-303673382/indiana-basketball-podcast-illinois-preview-round-2[/embed]
(02/13/18 11:30pm)
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/user-303673382/indiana-basketball-podcast-illinois-preview-round-2[/embed]
Indiana basketball is on a two game win streak after beating Minnesota 80-56 on Friday night. The Hoosiers got four days off again following the win and welcome the Illinois Fighting Illini into Assembly Hall Wednesday night. Josh Eastern and Zain Pyarali dive into the recent strong performance of Devonte Green and preview the game against Illinois after the Hoosiers lost on the road against the Illini a few weeks ago.
(02/13/18 6:07am)
At the start of last year, Indiana baseball’s pitching rotation was a major question mark.
The Hoosiers had to replace all three of their weekend starters due to graduation causing a few bumps in the staff to start 2017. But in 2018, all seven players who made starts for Indiana last season are returning.
Indiana’s staff was average in the Big Ten last season. They finished seventh in the conference with a 4.58 team ERA and seventh in strikeouts with 407.
This season there’s some major strides to be taken in certain categories. IU allowed the most total hits in the conference last season (596), the most doubles (124) and the second most home runs (50).
If there’s one thing Hoosier pitching prides itself on, it’s control. Indiana had the fewest walks (161) and hit batters (36) allowed in the Big Ten last season, which is something they can build off of this year.
Here’s how the pitching staff looks to lineup for Indiana in 2018.
Starters
Friday: Jonathan Stiever - 2017 stats: 4-4, 14 games/14 starts, 4.31 ERA, 77.1 IP, 57 K, 9 BB, opp avg .275
Stiever was thrown into the Friday night starting role as just a sophomore last season. After all, three of Indiana’s weekend starters departed due to graduation.
He was the lone staple in the Indiana starting rotation for the entire 2017 season. His tremendous upside forced IU coach Chris Lemonis to continue to put Stiever on the bump every Friday.
His Big Ten season got off to a rocky start. He allowed eight runs in just 2.2 innings pitched in the conference opener against Northwestern. It wasn’t until after his first four conference outings when he finally started to settle down.
In his final seven starts of the season, Stiever threw 44.1 innings with an ERA of 3.05. That included a complete game, two-run, 119 pitch performance in the NCAA Regional against Ohio in his final game of the year.
This summer, Stiever continued to improve his game by playing for the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod league facing some of the best competition in all of college baseball. He threw 30.1 innings this summer with an ERA of 4.75 and a K/BB ratio of 25 to 2.
Look for Stiever to continue to improve during his junior season and excel in the Friday night role after having a full season under his belt.
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaBase/status/860644675576885248[/embed]
Saturday: Pauly Milto – 2017 stats: 6-3, 20 games/10 starts, 3.92 ERA, 78 IP, 65 K, 20 BB, opp avg .264
Milto didn’t begin last season in the starting rotation for the Hoosiers. But after freshman Andrew Saalfrank was unable to get through the first inning for the Hoosiers on March 26 vs. Northwestern, Milto asserted himself as a starter.
Milto pitched 6.1 innings of shutout relief against the Wildcats that day. For the rest of the season, he was inserted into the Hoosier starting rotation. He got his first start against Nebraska on April 2.
He pitched 57.2 innings as a starter a season ago with an ERA of 3.90 and turned out to be the most reliable option for Indiana down the stretch. Milto finished with a record of 5-1 as a starter and went at least six innings or more in seven of his 10 starts.
Milto isn’t a guy who will blow hitters away with his heater, but instead will keep his fastball in the high 80s to low 90s and will keep hitters off balance with his change up.
He also pitched in the Cape Cod league this summer with the Whitecaps where he started four games finishing with an ERA of 4.45 with 22 strikeouts and 11 walks.
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaBase/status/851138494022004740[/embed]
Sunday: Cal Krueger – 2017 stats: 5-2, 22 games/6 starts, 2.82 ERA, 60.2 IP, 37 K, 21 BB, opp avg .255
As a freshman, Krueger was used predominately out of the bullpen as a long reliever. As the season went on, he pushed his way into the starting rotation.
Krueger earned his first start of the season in a mid-week matchup on March 1, a 6-1 loss at Cincinnati. He pitched three innings and allowed two runs, but both were unearned.
He moved back to the bullpen after his lone start until April 25 against Ball State when Lemonis gave him the nod to start another mid-week game, this time against Ball State. Once again, Krueger went three innings, allowing two runs, but this was the turning point in his season.
On April 28, Maryland came to Bloomington for a weekend series. As per usual, Stiever got the start Friday night, but the game was postponed to Saturday after three innings because of rain.
That’s when Krueger took over. Lemonis gave his true freshman the ball when play resumed Saturday against No. 15 Maryland and he delivered. Krueger pitched all six innings, allowing just five hits, two runs and striking out five in a 9-2 IU win.
Krueger recorded three straight weekend starts after his Maryland outing to end the season. Indiana won each of those games he started.
In the Big Ten tournament, Krueger was slated to start the third game of the tournament. After an extra inning affair against Michigan with elimination on the line in game two, it forced Krueger into action. Three solid shutout relief innings from Krueger got the job done for Indiana in a 5-4, 13-inning win. It showed he could perform in the big moments.
He also started the final game of the season in the NCAA Regional against Kentucky when things didn’t go his way. He threw just 3.1 innings and allowed four runs in the loss.
Krueger was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team and finished with a team best 2.82 ERA. This summer, he also saw some time in the Cape Cod League with the Harwich Mariners. Expect him to be a major piece for the Hoosier pitching staff moving forward.
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaBase/status/864186529765371904[/embed]
Specialists
Closer: Matt Lloyd – 2017 stats: 3-2, 2.23 ERA, 20 appearances, 9 saves, 32.1 IP, 20 K, 6 BB, opp. avg .241
Not only is Lloyd a force in the batters box, but he’s also a key piece for Indiana late in games on the mound. Last season, Lloyd would DH and then, if needed, would come in and close out the game for the Hoosiers.
In 13 of his 20 appearances last season, he held opponents scoreless showcasing a plus fastball sitting in the mid-90s. The Hoosiers would prefer Lloyd to go just one inning in an outing, but he showed last year that he could stretch it out if needed pitching more than one inning 50-percent of the time.
Lloyd was a first team All-Region selection mainly because of his bat, but his nine saves finished tied for fourth in the Big Ten. He’ll be back in the closer role again this season for IU.
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaBase/status/846793956591570947[/embed]
Long Relief/Mid-Week Starters: Tim Herrin - 3-3, 3.91 ERA, 20 games/8 starts, 53 IP, 38 K, 21 BB, opp. avg .300
Herrin was a wild card for Indiana last year, making eight mid-week starts and then coming out of the bullpen on the weekends giving quality long relief.
Lemonis used him in a multitude of ways last season as he pitched as many as five innings in a game twice as a starter. He was also used at times out of the bullpen to face just one batter. As a 6-foot-5 left-hander, Herrin has the body makeup that any coach loves.
It will be interesting to see if Herrin continues to make starts during his junior season or if he is used predominately out of the bullpen as a lefty specialist.
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaBase/status/864645651254083585[/embed]
Andrew Saalfrank - 2-1, 5.58 ERA, 16 games/8 starts, 40.1 IP, 43 K, 17 BB, opp. avg .314
Saalfrank started off in the Indiana starting rotation as just a true freshman and showed how good he could be to start the season.
Lemonis was attracted to the 6-foot-3 left-hander out of Hoagland, Indiana with a killer breaking ball to start the year. When Big Ten play came around, he lasted just 1/3 of an inning against Northwestern in his only conference regular season start.
Saalfrank was relegated to the bullpen for two months before getting the start and win against Louisville in a major mid-week game in mid-May.
He also picked up a start in the Big Ten Tournament going five solid innings against Minnesota. Krueger was supposed to start, but couldn’t because he pitched the day before in the extra inning win against Michigan.
Expect Saalfrank to be the mid-week guy for Indiana this year and maybe even crack the weekend rotation if he becomes more consistent than others.
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaBase/status/868230510975340545[/embed]
Bullpen:
Kade Kryzsko – 2017 stats: 1-1, 3.91 ERA, 18 appearances, 25.1 IP, 24 K, 5 BB, opp. avg .258
Cam Beauchamp – 2017 stats: 1-2, 4.64 ERA, 17 appearances, 21.1 IP, 13 K, 20 BB, opp. avg .313
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaBase/status/863824933184569344[/embed]
BJ Sabol – 2017 stats: 5-1, 4.69 ERA, 24 appearances, 40.1 IP, 38 K, 9 BB, opp. avg .228
[embed]https://twitter.com/IndianaBase/status/862105318683291648[/embed]
Brian Hobbie – 2017 stats: 2-5, 6.61 ERA, 14 games/12 starts, 65.1 IP, 37 K, 14 BB, opp. avg .327
Newcomers:
Grant Sloan – 6-foot-4, left-hander, redshirt freshman, transfer from Virginia. From Zionsville, Indiana. He is the son of former IU basketball player Brian Sloan and grandson of NBA legend Jerry Sloan.
Connor Manous – 6-foot, right-hander, redshirt freshman transfer from Miami (FL.). From Munster, Indiana. He finished his senior year in high school with a 0.76 ERA in 64.1 innings and 106 strikeouts.
Austin Long – 6-foot-3, true freshman right-hander from Bedford, Indiana. He went 16-4 in his high school career as a pitcher. He was ranked No. 6 RHP out of Indiana and No. 24 player overall out of the state.
Tommy Sommer – 6-foot-4 left-hander, true freshman from Carmel, Indiana. One time All-State selection, ranked as the No. 35 LHP prospect in the nation and No. 233 player overall by PBR.
Matt Litwicki – 6-foot-1 right-hander, true freshman from Dyer, Indiana. Ranked as the No. 3 RHP and No. 8 overall player in the state of Indiana. Litwicki went 62.1 consecutive innings without allowing a run in high school and nine straight shutouts.
(02/05/18 4:12pm)
IU head coach Archie Miller said prior to Saturday’s game against Michigan State that the team was going to need as many minutes as possible from senior forward Freddie McSwain.
Miller rewarded McSwain with his first start of the season and the 6-foot-6, 220-pound senior delivered. He logged a career high 29 minutes while grabbing 16 rebounds in the 63-60 loss against the much bigger, stronger and physical Michigan State Spartans.
“Part of starting Freddie tonight was, one, he's playing better and he's giving us some production,” Miller said. “He's giving rebounding effort, he's giving us another physical guy out there that can play in the post a little bit from a defensive perspective.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/960009008169005056[/embed]
McSwain’s physical play was on full display. Of his 16 rebounds against the Spartans, nine came on the offensive glass giving Indiana second chance efforts time and time again.
The Hoosiers out-rebounded Michigan State overall 53-29, 25-3 on the offensive glass and outscored the Spartans on second chance points 14-0.
“Just going out every day and just playing my hardest,” McSwain said. “Every time opportunity is called, start or coming off the bench, I say just come in help the team do whatever to help the team win.”
During the first matchup between these two teams, Michigan State ran away with the game, winning by 28 and out-rebounded the Hoosiers 45-27.
McSwain and the other forwards took that rebounding margin to heart.
“In East Lansing they punked us,” junior forward Juwan Morgan said. “We came to this mindset, I know me, Freddie, Collin and Justin, we talked amongst each other and we were, like, this can't happen. We need at least one or two of us to go get 10. And that's what we did.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/960001431158820864[/embed]
McSwain and Morgan combined to finish with 27 rebounds, just two shy of Michigan State’s entire team Saturday night.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said postgame that the 25-3 advantage for IU on the offensive glass was an insult to him, his players and anyone who has ever played at Michigan State.
Indiana out-worked Michigan State on the glass, at the free throw line and in the turnover battle, but they couldn’t pull out the victory.
The team shot just 29-percent from the field and senior guard Robert Johnson finished with the same amount of points as McSwain at eight.
(02/03/18 3:42pm)
Indiana men’s basketball needs a win right now in the worst way. On a current three game losing streak, IU is in the thick of its conference schedule and get another tough opponent Saturday night: No. 5 Michigan State.
The first time these two teams met this season was two weeks ago in East Lansing when the Spartans dominated the Hoosiers from the opening tip and went on to win 85-57.
Since that game, Indiana bounced back at home against Maryland, but has since lost their last three at Illinois, home against Purdue and at Ohio State.
The good thing for the Hoosiers is that they finally had some time to rest after playing five games in 12 days and four games in eight days.
With three days to prepare for Michigan State here’s what to watch for…
Michigan State’s Size Dominance
Indiana is undersized. Everyone knows that. Last game between these two it was so evident that it hurt. Plus when Juwan Morgan went out with an ankle injury right before halftime that didn’t help either.
The last two games, Purdue and Ohio State have bullied Indiana on the low block just because of their size. Purdue went to 7-foot-2 big man Isaac Haas with ease as he scored a career high 26 points and Ohio State outscored Indiana in the paint by 14 on Tuesday.
During the first matchup between Indiana and Michigan State, the Spartans outscored the Hoosiers 38-18 in the paint. And the forward trio of Miles Bridges, Nick Ward and Jaren Jackson Jr. combined for 50 points.
Although Indiana is struggling to contain everyone’s big men, 6-foot-6 senior forward Freddie McSwain Jr. has been efficient on both ends of the floor over the past three games.
Head coach Archie Miller said they’re going need him to give Indiana as many minutes as he can handle going up against Michigan State’s size
“He’s competed as well as anybody inside defensively, he continues to sort of give us activity on the glass and rebound,” Miller said. “He’s quick, he’s battling, he’s going to have to use his quickness, he’s got to do his work early, he’s got to play longer stretches for us where he doesn’t get tired, but he’s battling for us right now.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/959523684720562176[/embed]
Efficient Scorers Wanted
Every night Indiana gets two quality scoring performances on their roster. Most of the time it’s Robert Johnson and Juwan Morgan, but you shouldn’t bank on these two carrying the load every night.
Morgan scored 24 against Purdue while Johnson put up 21. The next highest scorer for Indiana against Purdue was McSwain with eight points.
Against Ohio State, it was Morgan again being consistent with 15 points, but Johnson was irrelevant finishing with two points. Luckily for Indiana, Devonte Green stepped up against the Buckeyes contributing a team-high 20 points. That still wasn’t nearly enough in the 15 point loss.
If Indiana wants to be successful on offense, they can’t ride just two guys the entire game. They need their depth to contribute.
When looking at Indiana’s individual points per game, Morgan is first, Johnson is second and then De’Ron Davis who hasn’t played in a month because he tore his Achilles is third.
How does a team expect to be successful when its third leading scorer has missed the last eight games and no one has surpassed him yet?
Indiana went 4-5 in the month of January. In games where at least three players scored in double digits they went 3-1. When they only had two players score in double figures, they went 1-4 with the only outlier being the Northwestern win when they held the Wildcats to 46 points.
Based on Green’s past performance at Ohio State, maybe he can be the guy. But even then it’s difficult to tell because he only saw four minutes of playing time against Purdue. Fortunately for Green, Miller liked his attitude going into Ohio State.
“I thought (Devonte) had a humbleness about him. I thought he paid attention. I thought his attention to detail in our walk-throughs and our conversations and scouting was much better,” Miller said. “He showed he played really well. He was under control and he was one of the lone bright spots probably in the game.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/959524515398275072[/embed]
Spartans Facing Adversity
It’s unfortunate, but we have to be realistic when talking about everything that has gone on inside the Michigan State athletic department in the last week and a half.
Since the trial of former MSU team doctor Larry Nasar, there have been more reports about MSU basketball and football teams mishandling former sexual assault cases.
You can see it on Tom Izzo’s face in games and especially afterwards in press conferences. He’s stressed.
They’ve faced adversity off the court, but even more on the court in the last two games.
Against Maryland, they were down 13 at halftime and found a way to comeback and win. Last game at home against Penn State, the Nittany Lions had them on the ropes up 12 at one point but the Spartans ended up winning by eight.
Through this tough time for the program, the team has gotten down but still found ways to win.
At Assembly Hall on Saturday night, it’s going to be a rowdy environment and that could cause it to be a close game at halftime. If that happens don’t be surprised if Michigan State flips the switch and runs away with it in the second half.
“Hopefully we have an energized building that helps our guys compete,” Miller said. “It’s just going to be one of those nights where you’re going to have a tough hard fought night. For our guys…just get up for one of the best teams in the country.”
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/user-303673382/indiana-basketball-podcast-michigan-state-preview-20[/embed]
(02/02/18 8:30pm)
When IU sophomore center De’Ron Davis tore his Achilles during practice prior to the Minnesota game at the beginning of January, he was frustrated and confused.
He wasn’t frustrated that he had tore his Achilles, he was mad because he thought one of the IU managers rolled a ball across the floor while he was doing sprints; hitting his back foot and causing him to fall to the ground.
Then he felt a pain and quickly numbness. Davis was confused with what had just happened.
“As soon as it went numb, and this all happened in the like the matter of twenty seconds, I kind of realized something went wrong,” Davis said. “I told (Dr. Tim Garl) that I heard a pop when he came to check on me and it went numb and he kind of knew what was up too.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/959512648395173888[/embed]
Davis underwent surgery to repair his torn right Achilles on January 11. Garl told him the recovery process would take six to nine months.
He got his stitches removed about a week ago and now currently has two heel lifts in his walking boot to take the pressure off of his injury.
The rehab process has been slow so far, but Davis is working his way back to 100-percent as much as possible.
“Just doing some one legged stuff to strengthen my quad and my hamstring and the muscles around my knee,” Davis said. “I started picking up marbles now with my toes and putting them inside a cup and I’ve been doing some movement on the bike, just kind of getting back into the motion.”
Without Davis on the court for the Hoosiers, they’ve lost their biggest post presence. Because of this, Indiana is severely undersized at times.
The biggest thing he’s upset about is that he’s not able to contribute to his team when he can tell that they need him most.
“The Purdue game when you’re going up against (Isaac) Haas, you know we’ve got J-Mo guarding him and then the Ohio State game they’ve got another good big,” he said. “Just being out there trying to contribute, I feel really helpless on the sideline so I try to do as much as I can cheering the team on, but I only go so far. I wish I was out there.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/959514445461491712[/embed]
Davis committed to working hard in the gym this summer, and as a result he became a lot leaner and lost 21 pounds.
He started the season strong, averaging 12 points a game in the first month. Then throughout December he slowly declined averaging just 9.6 points a game by the time his injury occurred.
“Overall if I had to grade it. My season was probably a ‘D’ season,” Davis said. “Coming off of last year, which was like a ‘F’ season.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/959518623537750016[/embed]
Davis said the little improvements he made this year were in his conditioning and he’ll continue to work in order to build his body and come out stronger and faster next year.
He viewed last season as a failure and this year as a step in the right direction. Ultimately he wants to be back to the player he was in high school, dominating on both ends of the floor.
“I just want to be more aggressive on the offensive end and defensive end, play more freely and just enjoy the game,” Davis said. “Me and my high school coach were talking and this was probably like a mental check for to get back to loving the game, always being in the gym working on my game. He told me that he’s going to come up here and do something bad to me if I don’t show people that I can shoot the ball. I gotta just continue to work on my game and bring the love back to the game.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/959517078721105920[/embed]
(01/31/18 10:34pm)
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_w3VznHnpw&feature=youtu.be[/embed]
Indiana University cheerleading was looking for its sixth UCA All-Girl Division 1 National Championship in the last seven years in 2018 and third straight national title. The Hoosiers finished fifth at the national championship, but faced major adversity with several injuries on the team. Although the Hoosiers weren't able to take home the gold in 2018, head coach Julie Horine is confident in her teams abilities next season and for years to come.
(01/31/18 6:44am)
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwWOJP-ABBY[/embed]
Indiana men's basketball lost 71-56 to Ohio State Tuesday night and are now 5-6 in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes outscored the Hoosiers 40-26 in the paint and out-rebounded the Hoosiers by 13. Ohio State's Kaleb Wesson was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field leading the way with 14 points. Indiana was also shut down on offense after having just one day off between games. Zain Pyarali has the story from the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.
(01/30/18 5:30pm)
Indiana men’s basketball hopes to avoid its third straight loss Tuesday night, but they face another tough task going to Ohio State (18-5, 9-1).
It’s a battle of first year coaches with one having far more success than the other. Chris Holtmann has the Buckeyes playing hard defensively and had won 13 of its last 14 games before dropping its first conference game Thursday against Penn State from a Tony Carr buzzer beater.
No one expected the Buckeyes to be this competitive under Holtmann in year one, but his team has bought in and has had monumental success thus far.
For Indiana, they battled at home against No. 3 Purdue, but ultimately lost and were rewarded with one day off and a trip to the second best team in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes haven’t played since losing to the Nittany Lions at home on Thursday so they’re well rested and ready to go.
Here’s what to watch for…
Keita Bates-Diop Is Legit
Ohio State redshirt junior Keita Bates Diop is the front-runner for Big Ten player of the year at the moment, averaging nearly 20 points and almost nine rebounds per game.
He has driven the Buckeyes all season long in wins and losses; even against Penn State, Bates-Diop still put up 25 points while hitting a few clutch shots along the way.
Not only can the 6-foot-7 veteran bully opponents down low on the block, but he can also step out and knock it down from beyond the arc shooting 3-pointers at a 38.1-percent clip this season. Bates-Diop has attempted 118 3-pointers this year, which is the most on the team, and six more than guard CJ Jackson.
Indiana’s 3-point defense has been skeptical all season; worst in the Big Ten allowing teams to shoot nearly 38-percent from deep. The Buckeyes shoot about 36-percent from 3-point range each game. Against Purdue, Indiana did a good job closing out against the nations leading 3-point percentage team holding them to just under 28-percent for the game.
The Hoosiers will have to bring a similar approach against the Buckeyes with Juwan Morgan guarding the perimeter, like he did on Vince Edwards, but still being cautious of the dribble drive of Bates-Diop at the same time.
[embed]https://twitter.com/OhioStateHoops/status/955631356717002753[/embed]
Buckeye Veterans Buying In
In addition to Bates-Diop, four of the top five scorers for Ohio State are all upperclassmen with junior CJ Jackson turning in consistent guard play scoring 13 points and dishing out 4.4 assists per game. Also graduate transfer Andrew Dakich has held his own off the bench coming in and providing key minutes for the Buckeyes.
In comparison to Indiana’s upperclassmen, Juwan Morgan is the leading scorer at 16.3 points per game and Robert Johnson is averaging 14 points a game, but then there is a substantial drop off to Josh Newkirk averaging just eight points a game.
Not only are the Buckeyes buying in on offense, ranked 22nd in adjusted offensive efficiency in the nation, but they’re all in on defense as well. Ohio State is 27th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency according to KenPom allowing just 0.95 points per possession.
This is a major step up from where they were under Thad Mata last season ranked 99th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency. The Hoosiers are still a work in progress under Archie Miller as they have made minor strides thus far. IU is down from allowing 1.016 points per possession last year to 1.009 points per possession currently this year.
[embed]https://twitter.com/thebuckeyecast/status/952702167873392641[/embed]
How To Beat Ohio State
Ohio State is a very good team, but they aren’t a great team and are vulnerable to the upset at home like we saw Thursday against Penn State. All five of their losses this season have been quality losing to Gonzaga, Butler, Clemson, North Carolina and Penn State.
But if you want to beat the Buckeyes, you have to defend well and not get out-defended either.
In the five losses this season, Ohio State has allowed an average of 80 points per game and only scored 68 points per game in those games as well.
The only team that didn’t score more than 79 points against Ohio State when beating them this year ironically was Holtmann’s ex-team Butler, winning 67-66 in overtime in the PK80 Preseason invitational. But even then, the Bulldogs got the job done because they defended well.
Indiana can defend. We’ve seen baby steps this season under Archie Miller and holding an explosive Purdue offense to 74 points on Sunday was impressive, but IU will also have to find its offense against this swarming Buckeye defense.
Will it have to be the Juwan Morgan and Robert Johnson show for Indiana on offense? More than likely yes, but they’ll need help from supporting members also as Ohio State is holding opponents to just 67 points per game.
On the flip side, Indiana will need team defense in order to contain Bates-Diop, Jackson and the rest because they’re averaging nearly 78 points per game and when they shoot the lights out, they’re very difficult to beat.
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/user-303673382/indiana-basketball-podcast-where-do-we-go-from-here[/embed]
(01/28/18 2:58pm)
Purdue and Indiana men’s basketball meet for the only time in the regular season Sunday afternoon in Bloomington at Assembly Hall.
The Boilermakers are the heavy favorites entering the matchup and are seeking their 17th straight win---a school record.
A win on Sunday for Purdue would break the record set by the 1987-1988 Boilermakers, who won 16 straight at one point and went on to win the Big Ten.
When Purdue was going for its 17th straight victory in 1988, they had to go to Assembly Hall and play the Hoosiers. The Boilermakers lost.
Here’s what happened:
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/957626170211782657[/embed]
Coming off a National Championship season, Indiana had been struggling to start 1988, but their rivals from West Lafayette were dominating.
Unranked Indiana was 10-6 and had lost four of its last six games while Purdue was undefeated in the conference and boasting the No. 2 ranking in the nation. Oh, and of course going for their 17th straight victory.
Indiana started hot, leading 52-37 at halftime after having shot 63 percent in the first half. Purdue was just at 46 percent at the break.
The second half was a different story.
Purdue shot 85 percent in the first 17 minutes of the second half, Indiana struggled shooting just 35 percent. With the game tied at 76 and two minutes to play, Purdue’s Everette Stephens gave the Boilermakers a three-point lead with his fifth made three-pointer of the game.
After a few IU made free throws by Dean Garrett adding to his 31-point outing and making it a one-point game, Purdue was fouled on the other end and had to inbound the ball under its basket with 1:03 to play.
Gene Keady called a timeout, but that didn’t make a difference. IU’s Jay Edwards stole the inbound pass giving the Hoosiers a chance to take the lead. After milking the 45-second shot clock, Garrett put up a shot that was well short, and even Lydon Jones’ offensive rebound and put-back didn’t fall for IU.
With Indiana down one, Purdue senior Todd Mitchell and second leading scorer went to the free throw line for a one and one opportunity with 15 seconds to play.
Mitchell missed.
Indiana went down the floor; fed the post as Garrett backed down; turns around and knocks down a jumper with four seconds left putting IU up by one.
Now, Purdue still had a chance, all they had to do was inbound the ball properly and get a shot off.
With four seconds left, Purdue inbounded. Travel. Two seconds to play.
An electric shock went through Assembly Hall.
IU scored an easy bucket off its inbounds pass at the buzzer to beat Purdue 82-79, stopping the Boilermakers 16-game win streak and handing them their first loss in the Big Ten.
Will history repeat itself 30 years later?
The 2018, No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers are undefeated in the Big Ten and have won 16 games in a row, identical to the team from 30 years ago. Purdue still went on to the win the Big Ten at 16-2, finished the season 29-4 and made it to the Sweet Sixteen. They can still do that in 2018, but one of those four losses in 1988 happened in Assembly Hall.
It’s a long shot for Indiana to beat Purdue, but the 1988 Hoosiers finished fifth in the Big Ten that season, right around where IU is this year.
Purdue was favored 30 years ago, but couldn’t get out of Assembly Hall with the win. Indiana has a chance to stop Purdue from setting a school record just like they did back then.
Will Assembly Hall work its magic once again 30 years later?
(01/27/18 6:46pm)
Indiana men’s basketball took a step back Wednesday night losing on the road at last place Illinois 73-71. With the lead early, IU faltered in the second half in large part due to poor free throw shooting while also turning the ball over 18 times against the Illini.
But now, it’s time to move on to Purdue.
The Boilermakers are the best team in the Big Ten right now by a wide margin. Winners of 16 straight, Purdue is undefeated in the conference and ranked No. 3 in the nation.
Does Indiana have a chance? Slightly, but that’s only because they’re in Assembly Hall. It’s going to take some major adjustments for the Hoosiers to take down the Boilermakers Sunday afternoon.
Here’s what to watch for…
Purdue Has Size, Indiana Doesn’t
How will Indiana guard two Purdue players over 7-foot-2? That’s a major question for the Hoosiers Sunday with an undersized frontcourt going up against the Boilermaker big men of Isaac Haas and Matt Haarms.
Haas starts while Haarms comes off the bench and replaces him; the two combine to score 20 points and four blocks a game. The 7-foot duo split minutes putting at least one of them on the floor for 40 minutes. So how does Archie Miller plan on trying to stop them while they’re on the floor?
“It starts in the post with them with Haas and anyone who plays them in the 22 minutes that he plays, you’re getting a dose,” Miller said. “For us, I don’t think there’s any secrets. The size differential, I think the power ball that they’re going to be able to play is something they’re going to be able to go to.”
Indiana would still be undersized against the Purdue even if De’Ron Davis were healthy. But without Davis, Indiana’s tallest player who gets significant minutes is 6-foot-8 Juwan Morgan. Miller said they’re going to have to deal with the mismatch all game long, but it’s not just about that for him.
“For us it’s about how hard are we willing to play,” Miller said. “How many guys do we have willing to compete through the 40 minutes and find a way to claw around and get yourself in a situation where you have a chance to be successful.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/957310407831670784[/embed]
Purdue Lets The 3 Ball Fly
Purdue is the best 3-point shooting team in the country. Indiana is the worst 3-point defending team in the Big Ten and one of the worst in the entire nation. Yikes.
The Boilermakers are shooting 44-percent from beyond the arc as a team while Indiana has let opponents shoot 38-percent from deep this season.
With Purdue being able to work the ball inside out with Haas and then finding an open look with any of the other four players on the court, Miller said you have to pick your poison with how you guard them.
“They’re shooting at an unprecedented level right now, and I don’t see it slowing down a whole lot,” Miller said. “They’re running efficient offense, they’re getting great looks, they play right off the post with the big fella and when you look at the numbers that they have from different guys, it’s staggering. If they continue to shoot the ball like this, they’re going to be hard to beat.”
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/957303151908065280[/embed]
Boilers Lock Down on Defense
Not only is Purdue terrific offensively, but they’re also one of the best in the country on defense too.
The Boilermakers are third in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom scoring 1.23 points per possession, but they’re also ninth in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency allowing just 0.91 points per possession.
Purdue's scoring margin of +21.7 is the best in the nation.
“As much as you want to talk about those guys shooting, as much as you want to talk about their size, the other thing is how tough it is to score,” Miller said. “They have a great defensive scheme, they’re Purdue they play tough minded basketball, so you have both ends of the floor you’re worrying about.”
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/user-303673382/indiana-basketball-podcast-rivalry-weekend[/embed]
(01/24/18 4:41pm)
After a crucial 71-68 win over Maryland Monday, Indiana men’s basketball now sits at fifth in the Big Ten with a record of 5-3. The Hoosiers have a legitimate chance to move three games above .500 in conference standings with a win Wednesday night against Illinois (10-11, 0-8).
While IU is coming off a quick turnaround with just one day between games, so is Illinois. The Illini dropped their last contest to Michigan State at home Monday 87-74 and are still searching for that first Big Ten win.
Although the Illini are winless in conference, they’ve had plenty of close games and seem to play every team tough. First year head coach Brad Underwood emphasizes heavy pressure on defense from his team and the Illini are seventh in the nation forcing 18.2 turnovers per game.
Even though Illinois is winless in the conference and have lost its last six games, they are still given a 59-percent chance to beat Indiana Wednesday night according to KenPom.
IU is also looking for their second road win of the season, but although Illinois hasn’t won a conference game, nothing is ever guaranteed on the road in the Big Ten. Remember Febuary 7, 2013 at Illinois when IU was ranked No. 1? That didn’t end up too well.
Here’s what to watch for…
Force Turnovers, Don’t Turn It Over
As mentioned in the beginning, the Illini are very successful defensively, sitting at seventh in the nation forcing over 18 turnovers a game. Last game against Michigan State, Illinois forced 25 Sparty turnovers, but still lost by double digits.
For as good as Illinois is defensively, the problem is they turn the ball over quite a bit on offense. Their 15 turnovers a game on offense puts them at the bottom of the Big Ten with Maryland.
IU was successful forcing 18 turnovers against the Terrapins Monday night and the majority came during key moments late in the game. Eleven of the 18 turnovers forced were in the second half and five happened in the final five minutes of the game.
This season has been the exact opposite of last year when it comes to turnover issues for Indiana, which shows Archie Miller’s success in such a short time. IU only turns it over about 12 times a game and on the other side force about 14 a game.
In order to succeed against the Illini, it will be up to the senior guards of Robert Johnson and Josh Newkirk to use their experience and take care of the ball against this young Illini team that feature 10 underclassmen and a starting freshmen backcourt.
On defense, IU needs to keep up the intensity by winning the turnover battle. In the last four wins, opponents are averaging close to 16 turnovers a game and IU is only at 11 turnovers a game.
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/user-303673382/indiana-basketball-podcast-illinois-preview[/embed]
Advantage IU In Frontcourt
Michigan State was a matchup nightmare for Indiana and even Maryland presented some problems with 6-foot-10 Bruno Fernando and 7-foot-1 Michal Cekovsky. But against the Illini, Indiana is the team in control down low.
Juwan Morgan going up against Illinois Leron Black is the biggest matchup to watch in the post. Black is the most prolific scorer for Illinois at 14.4 points per game and also the Illini’s best rebounder at 5.3 rebounds a game.
Morgan without a doubt has the advantage over Black on the low block. Morgan’s 25 point, 36 minute outing last game against Maryland showed how valuable he is to IU when he’s on the floor, as if we didn’t already know that.
Black fouls the most out of anyone on Illinois averaging 3.2 fouls a game and has fouled out three times this season. Because of this, he’s only been able to play around 25 minutes a game.
Getting Black in foul trouble early will help Indiana out tremendously because their frontcourt depth is slim. Outside of Black they have Mike Finke starting and averaging 10 points and five rebounds a game, but no forward on the Illini bench will cause major problems for any team in the frontcourt.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/955652948113190912[/embed]
Crunch Time is Winning Time
IU closed out another close game on Monday, in the three point win over Maryland improving the Hoosiers record to 4-0 in games decided by five points or less.
Whether it’s grabbing an offensive rebound off a missed free throw late in the game or making every free throw down the stretch, IU has executed when it matters the most.
“It's the way we prepare in practice,” Morgan said following the Maryland win. “We put ourselves in a position to win the game in tenth war, and when it comes down to it, we made winning plays, when it comes down to five or less points.”
Illinois is a team that isn’t good at all in crunch time. In games decided by less than five points or that has gone to overtime, Illinois is 2-5 with their only two wins over Tennessee Martin and Grand Canyon.
They’ve had chances during Big Ten play taking Northwestern, Maryland and Iowa all into overtime, but haven’t been able to finish. Even on the road at Nebraska, the Illini had a chance to win but lost by one on a last second Cornhusker three pointer.
If this game is close late, expect Indiana to take care of business and execute just like they have done all season in tight matchups.
(01/23/18 4:55am)
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8FvCOFKHok&feature=youtu.be[/embed]
Indiana junior forward Juwan Morgan went down with an ankle injury Friday night in the first half against Michigan State and missed the rest of the game. While his status was questionable entering Monday night's game against Maryland, Morgan played and didn't disappoint. He sat out of practice Saturday and Sunday but Monday put up a team high 25 points in the 71-68 win over Maryland as IU improved to 5-3 in the Big Ten. The Hoosier Network's Zain Pyarali has the story from Assembly Hall.
(01/22/18 1:33am)
Indiana men’s basketball was handled on the road last game against No. 9 Michigan State losing 85-57, snapping its three game win streak. But the biggest concern after the game was the status of junior forward Juwan Morgan’s injured ankle.
Morgan twisted his ankle before halftime and didn’t return to the game finishing with two points on one-of-five shooting. After the game, coach Archie Miller didn’t give a status update on his junior forward and said he would be reevaluated when the team got back to Bloomington. Morgan did leave the arena on crutches.
After a quick turnaround Indiana shifts its focus to Maryland Monday night at home, hoping to get back to its winning ways. The Terrapins are seventh in the conference right behind the Hoosiers at 4-4 and are coming off a 77-66 win last Thursday at home against Minnesota.
Here’s what to watch for in this matchup…
Rebounding Battle
Both Indiana and Maryland are very even on the glass, but if Indiana doesn’t have Juwan Morgan then that makes things much more interesting Monday night.
In Big Ten play the Hoosiers have pulled down about 35 rebounds a game and Maryland sits at around 34. Morgan is the best rebounder for Indiana at just under eight per game in conference play.
With Maryland’s top rebounder, Justin Jackson, going down with an injury, Bruno Fernando has been leading the way with six rebounds a game in conference play and Kevin Huerter has done his share with just over five a game.
That being said, if Morgan is out Monday night the guard rebounding is even more important for Indiana.
Robert Johnson has carried the IU guards lately averaging over six rebounds per game in the last four. Miller calls on the guards to reach a certain number of defensive rebounds each game and if Morgan isn’t on the floor that makes rebounding for Josh Newkirk, Devonte Green and Aljami Durham key.
Contain Cowan and Huerter
Anthony Cowan and Kevin Huerter are going to be the two biggest concerns for Indiana defensively Monday night. Cowan leads the way averaging 16 points a game while Huerter tosses in 14 a game.
They also stay on the floor the most out of any Terrapin by a large margin both playing over 33 minutes per game.
Indiana will have to be sharp with its perimeter defense against Cowan and Huerter as they shoot a combined 44-percent from beyond the arc.
It’s pretty simple when playing Maryland, if they lose it’s because they had a bad game scoring. If they win, it’s because they shot the lights out. Maryland averages over 80 points per game in wins and less than 68 per game in losses.
As much as a handful both Cowan and Huerter are for any defense, if Indiana can eliminate at least one of them to having an off night scoring, then they’ll be in good shape.
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Win At Home
Indiana is 3-0 at home in Big Ten play so far and Maryland is very bad away from the XFINITY Center. The Terps are just 1-4 on the road with their only win coming at Illinois by one point in overtime.
In its last three road games, the Terps were trashed by 30 points at Michigan State, just like Indiana, lost by 22 at Ohio State, but took Michigan to the wire losing by just one in Ann Arbor.
IU needs to feed off of the Assembly Hall crowd and get a marquee win to boost their tournament resume. Maryland is a team that is expected to be in the NCAA tournament right now and with a KenPom ranking of 38, this would be the best conference win of the season for the Hoosiers.
(01/19/18 8:49pm)
Indiana men’s basketball has played very well recently winning its last three games, but the Hoosiers are now going to face their toughest test of the season. Going on the road to play Michigan State.
While IU is trending upward, Michigan State is struggling losing two of its last three after their only loss came against Duke in their first 16 games of the season.
This will be a major test for the Hoosiers because although the Spartans are playing their worst basketball of the season so far, no road game in the Big Ten is easy, especially at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
A win for Indiana would put them at 5-2 in the conference and shockingly all alone in third place ahead of Michigan State, Michigan and Maryland to name a few.
Here’s what to watch for Friday night vs the Spartans…
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Keep Up the Defensive Intensity
During this recent three game win streak, Indiana has done a lot right, but it all starts on defense. In the last three games IU has held its opponents to 62.3 points per game while forcing 15 turnovers a game.
Last time out the 46 points for Northwestern were the fewest against Indiana all season, but Michigan State will be a much tougher task solely because of their size and length.
The Spartans have three starters 6-foot-7 or taller with Miles Bridges (6’7”), Nick Ward (6’8”) and Jaren Jackson (6’11”). Because IU is without 6-foot-10 forward De’Ron Davis, they are clearly undersized, but IU coach Archie Miller is confident in his team’s ability.
“But I think at the end of the day, it's all about quickness and it's all about positioning,” Miller said. “We're going to have to really cover for one another, try to do our best to eliminate the easy catches and the easy stuff, where they're just not able to pound us.”
Forcing turnovers is key as Michigan State averages nearly 14 turnovers a game. Therefore, Indiana’s quickness on defense will really have to be prominent in order to win.
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Take Advantage of Sparty Sliding
As mentioned before in the beginning of this article, Michigan State has lost two of its last three games and they even struggled in their lone win having to beat Rutgers in overtime at home.
MSU on the season has averaged 85 points per game while shooting around 52-percent from the field and 41-percent from deep. Those numbers have dropped drastically over the last three games.
Sparty is scoring just over 70 points per game during this skid and shooting 42-percent from the field and 33-percent from deep.
Indiana will have to keep up its much-improved shooting defense, as they’ve held opponents to shoot 39-percent from the field and 35-percent from 3-point the last three games, in order to secure the victory.
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Attack The Glass
IU has done a fine job rebounding this season, but tonight won’t be a cake walk with the big bodies of Ward, Jackson and Bridges going up against them tonight. Michigan State owns a plus-11.3 rebounding margin per game against their opponents this season.
Since IU is undersized in the frontcourt, this makes guard rebounding so much more vital. Every game, Miller emphasizes guard rebounding and sets marks for the guards to hit.
Against Northwestern, Miller wanted 12 guard-rebounds defensively; they were able to pick up 16 in the game.
“Tweleve or more is always really good. But against Michigan State it's a little bit different,” Miller said. “Being able to keep them off the glass is very, very difficult, and it's going to take all five guys to sort of grind it out.”
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/user-303673382/indiana-basketball-podcast-michigan-state-preview[/embed]
Stay Out of Foul Trouble
Indiana doesn’t have great depth in the frontcourt, and if Juwan Morgan, Justin Smith and Zach McRoberts all get in foul trouble again early like they did against Northwestern, the game could get out of hand early.
“That's the thing we're looking to avoid the most is to really be able to play without fouling,” Miller said. “Because that's something on the road there that we won't be able to endure as easy, say like we did against Northwestern being at home.”
IU needs Morgan and the others out on the floor as much as possible, but at the same time the Spartans are very good at drawing fouls. Michigan State has gotten to the line 417 times this season and has a plus-66 advantage over their opponents getting to the stripe.
For as much as the Hoosiers need to stay out of foul trouble, they also need to be the aggressor and force fouls down low when getting into the lane on offense. IU’s quick guards could help out in forcing fouls on the Michigan Sate big men, but they’ll have to be weary because MSU is the best shot blocking team in the country averaging eight a game.
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