Game Day Essentials: Game #25 at Indiana - 2/13/2013

Indiana Info

Nickname: Hoosiers

Mascot: None

School Location: Bloomington, IN

Last game out: Beat Ohio State

Coach: Tom Crean

Current Rating: #1

Point Spread: Indiana by 23

Probable Starters:

Nebraska Cornhuskers

15 Ray Gallegos G 6-2 Jr.

24 Dylan Talley G 6-5 Sr.

2 David Rivers F 6-7 So.

31 Shavon Shields F 6-6 Fr.

13 Brandon Ubel F 6-10 Sr.

Indiana Hoosiers

1 Jordan Hulls G 6-0 182 SR

11 Kevin Ferrell G 6-0 178 FR

4 Victor Oladipo G 6-5 214 JR

2 Christian Watford F 6-9 232 SR

40 Cody Zeller F 7-0 240 SO

Player to watch; Victor Oladipo

Cody Zeller is the 7 ft pre-season All-American you first think about when talking about Indiana but Oladipo has now become a close second. The 6' 5" guard has earned a reputation for his defense but is also the second leading scorer for the Hoosiers. From a Nebraska perspective, he looks like senior year Ade Dagunduro surrounded by better talent.

Battle of the B1G basement: Part Duex

People like to make a note of the Mike Tyson quote "Everyone has a plan until they get hit." Tim Miles has laid out his plan for tonight: grind. Just like 80's Tyson, if you trade blows with the Hoosiers and their current #1 adjusted offense efficiency ranking, they will quickly knock you out of the game. Indiana is in every way a superior offensive team: Nebraska's 2pt shooting average is 46% whereas Indiana shoots 42.5% from 3pt range.

For Nebraska to have a chance, Indiana has to pull a "Kansas vs TCU" but at home. Nebraska has a chance to win the turnover battle but the combination of Indiana's scoring punch, their superiority on the boards, and their ability to draw contact are going to overwhelm the Huskers at some point, hopefully later than sooner. Beating Indiana on the road is one thing...knocking off the #1 Hoosiers at Assembly Hall is a completely different challenge.

Here is an image from the pre-game shoot around for the Huskers. It basically represents their offensive woes and/or their chances at beating Indiana on the road tonight.

Prediction: Indiana 72 - Nebraska 52