Game Day Essentials: Game #10 at #14 Indiana

Indiana Info

Head Coach: Mike Woodson
Location: Bloomington, Indiana
Conference: B1G
Nickname: Hoosiers

Rotation Depth: 8+

Last Game: Loss at Rutgers

KenPom: 10
Line: Indiana by 13.5

A couple of Famous Alumni: Isiah Thomas, Former Nebraska assistant Michael Lewis

Other:  

• There are 8 former NBA coaches currently coaching in Div 1 and we have 2 of them in Fred Hoiberg and Mike Woodson
• Nebraska opens conference play at Indiana for the 3rd time in 4 years
• Nebraska faces yet another former assistant as Kenya Hunter is on the Hoosier bench.
• Indiana was the B1G media preseason pick to win the conference

KenPom Analysis:  Indiana is a well rounded team. Their elite eFG% is built on transition offense and running into the paint, a couple of things Nebraska can possibly slow down. In theory this a team where you can go after offensive rebounds but you have to wonder if we'll bail back on defense like the Creighton game.  Nebraska's ball handling will be a big concern in this one.

Player to watch: C Trayce Jackson-Davis

TJD was named to the Pre-Season All-American team and the B1G Pre-Season player of the Year and has lived up to the hype, leading the Hoosiers in points, rebounds, and blocks.  The only thing he doesn't do, make 3s, is secretly a strength for this Indiana team as otherwise he'd be in the NBA.

Player to watch: PG Xavier Johnson

The onetime Nebraska basketball commit is running the show in Bloomington again and has slowly turned himself into a dangerous 3pt shooter, hitting 9-19 on the year.  If freshman ball handler Jalen Hood-Schifino is out again, Indiana will be vunerable to ball pressure whenever Johnson is off the floor. On the floor, it will be quite the battle between a couple of hardnosed workers in Johnson and Bandoumel.

KenPom most used lineup

Others to watch

• Former NW Wildcat sharpshooter Miller Kopp is stroking this year, hitting 52.9% of his 3s
• Stretch 4 Race Thompson does everything well except shoot from outside, just 2-16 on the year. 
• 5 star freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino is potentially the Indiana PG of the future. His outside shot isn't there yet. JHS is questionable to play
• 6'4" glue guy guard Trey Galloway likely draws the start if JHS is out
• 5 star freshman post Malik Reneau has been playing high level minutes as the backup 4/5
• 6'4" SG Tamar Bates comes off the bench for shooting
• 6'6" wing Jordan Geronimo is a glue-guy wing

Probable starters for Nebraska
5    Sam Griesel    G    6-7
25  Emmanuel Bandoumel    G    6-4

0   C.J. Wilcher    G    6-5

4   Juwan Gary  F  6-6

13  Derrick Walker    F    6-9

Bench

15   Blaise Keita C   6-11

30  Keisei Tominaga    G    6-2

32  Wilhelm Breidenbach    F    6-10

10  Jamarques Lawrence - G  6-3

12  Denim Dawson - F  6-6

33  Oleg Kojenets    F    7-0
12   Sam Hoiberg    G    6-0

31  Cale Jacobsen  G  6-4

35  Henry Burt  F  6-6

24  Jeffrey Grace III  G  6-3

Injured

3   Quaran McPherson   G   6-3 - Out for the Year

Hoiberg Presser

Bandoumel Presser

The Skinny: 

Hey, anyone out there still excited about that Creighton win? One of the downsides to a big victory is that next game you're prone to having a hangover of sorts. Puffed ego, lack of concentration, etc. If you watched those presser videos with Hoiberg and Bandoumel you think that perhaps this won't be a problem with Nebraska. Despite best intentions,  it's hard to fight human nature (like apparently running guys up to the AD to pick up Blackshirts). We'll see.

Speaking of hangovers, that might have been some of the problem with Indiana on their trip to Rutgers after soundly defeating North Carolina at home.  Rutgers double-teamed TJD and dared Indiana to make 3s in the RAC which led to a 63-48 loss. Hangover? Maybe.  Will they come back on Wednesday geeked up for Nebraska? Maybe though maybe not if some of the guys are already thinking ahead to playing Arizona in Vegas.

Defensively, I'd also expect Nebraska to make Indiana beat them from outside though they'll find Indiana to be more committed to scoring inside than Creighton. Nebraska fans tend to get into 'here we go again' ruts about certain things.  One of those things is guys breaking out of shooting slumps which is very likely to happen tonight because Indiana has several guys in slumps who likely will take shots. To me, having the guys who don't normally take shots seems like a sound strategy, right? 

Speaking of offense, I think you'll see Nebraska try and attack from outside as a tall team like Indiana isn't going to give Griesel great post looks and Walker likely won't push TJD straight under the basket.  We'll probably need good shooting nights from guys like Wilcher and/or Keisei to pull out a win. Will be interesting to see what the Huskers do on the offensive boards as you can find them vs the Hoosiers who will punish aggressiveness in transition. 

I think on the right night Indiana could win this game by 20 but I think Nebraska will show up most games and I don't think Indiana is overly concerned about this one.

Prediction: Indiana 68 - Nebraska 59