Head Coach: Tom Crean
Location: Bloomington, Indiana
Conference: B1G 10
Nickname: Hoosiers
Mascot: None, Gene Hackman
Last time out: Beat Rutgers
Typical Rotation Depth: 8-9 players
Tempo: Pushing it
Offensive Style: 3pt Blitz
Defensive Style: Outscore the other team, soft at the rim
Line: Indiana by 5.5
Fun Fact : Tom Crean is married to Joani Harbaugh, the sister of John and Jim Harbaugh
Fun Fact : Creaning is listed in the Urban Dictionary as The practice of pulling a scholarship from a college athlete(s) in order to open up a scholarship for a more highly valued recruit.
Educated Guess : Tom Crean actively pays someone to keep up his wikipedia page
Player to watch: James Blackmon
Will he play? He's travelling to Nebraska and is currently a game-time decision. The talented Sophomore is one of two Indiana players (Yogi Ferrell) that is a threat inside and outside and a good FT shooter.
Player to watch: Yogi Ferrell
The Senior PG is still here and he still makes 3s, still draws contact in the lane, and still is leading a dangerous Indiana break. He is still turning the ball over as well so there are chances to exploit him from time to time.
Players to watch: Thomas Bryant and Max Bielfeldt
Bryant is the inconsistent 5 star freshman center who has scored in double digits 9 out of 14 games for Indiana and who fouled out of his last game against Rutgers in 6 minutes of playing time. Bielfeldt is the backup who chose Indiana over Nebraska and who basically saved the Hoosiers from loosing that Rutgers game. In some regards, he's a lot scarier and put up 12 points on Nebraska last year.
The Skinny
Indiana is similar to Northwestern in the sense they're a great 3pt shooting team that gets open looks thanks to plus inside play and a plus point guard. While they're more physically gifted at most every position than Northwestern, they're also sloppier. They turn the ball over a lot and their interior defense is questionable. It's a game for Nebraska that will highly depend on which Indiana team shows up as the Hoosier have the firepower to blow Nebraska out of the water at home.
Discipline should be the name of the game for Nebraska today and coming off our last (lack of) defensive effort it's something that should have been a point of emphasis this week. There will be ample opportunity to run against this team but it should be off their turnovers instead of their missed shots as this is a team that excels on the offensive boards. Making Indiana work for their points instead of just giving up dunks will go a long way. On the defensive end, it's simply a matter of figuring out what sort of junk D Crean might throw at you on any given trip down the court. Regardless the interior is weak and Shavon should have a good day.
Typically losses are the point where you see lineup changes. Will we see Jake Hammond back from the Miles rotation phantom zone? Will we see 20+ minutes from Glynn Watson. I know people really want to see him starting but how much did it kill the Huskers at the end of the last game not having a bad shot maker like Watson in a game when the pressure is on and that's what is often the only thing available? If I have to pick, I'll take Watson closing over Watson starting every day of the week.
This is a game that Nebraska can out-hustle and out-will Indiana to win. It's also a game where the Huskers can't get a 10 point lead and start checking their Instagram. Until you can see that sort of focus in a game, it's hard to pick the Huskers right now.
Prediction: Indiana 79 - Nebraska 70 with a 92% chance of Runzas
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