The Indiana Hoosiers will stay on the road and travel to Lincoln and Pinnacle Bank Arena to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers in both team's second game in Big Ten conference play.
Nebraska will try to pick up their first Big Ten victory while the Hoosiers will look to start off 2-0 in conference play.
Last Time Out
On Wednesday, the Hoosiers opened up their conference slate on the road against Rutgers and while they didn't play all too well, they were able to grind out a 79-72 win in Piscataway to start off Big Ten play 1-0.
As for Nebraska, the Cornhuskers opened up their conference slate at home, but were unable to start off on the right foot as they dropped their opener to Northwestern by a score of 81-72.
Scouting Report: Nebraska
The Cornhuskers are a team that had high expectations last season under fourth year head coach Tim Miles, but ended up finishing 12th in the conference after a tournament run in 2014. This season, the pressure will ramp up a bit as they currently have a record of 8-6 and are trying to find an identity following some of their best players moving on from the program.
Thus far, Kansas transfer and junior Andrew White has been the go-to man for the Cornhuskers as he is averaging a team-high 17.4 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game. Another contributor is senior big man Shavon Shields who is averaging 15.8 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game.
Also in the starting lineup are guards Benny Parker and Glynn Watson along with freshman forward Michael Jacobson.
Currently, the Cornhuskers are averaging 73.6 points per game while shooting the ball 44.6 percent from the field. They are not a great three-point shooting team with a 36.3 percent mark from long range. Nebraska is a good defensive rebounding team, however, and if the Hoosiers are off like they were on Wednesday, Indiana could be mostly limited to one shot per possession.
What Indiana Needs To Do
Indiana's offense is far superior to that of Nebraska and if they play their game, they should have no issues. But, with the status of one of Indiana's best offensive players in James Blackmon Jr. up in the air along with coming off of a rough game against Rutgers, this is a game where the Hoosiers will need to come out and take control early or they might find themselves in another battle.
Obviously, limiting turnovers is a big key, but staying out of foul trouble will be just as important. Freshman big man Thomas Bryant played limited minutes and couldn't stay out of foul trouble before fouling out. The Cornhuskers are a good rebounding team and help on the glass will be important if Bryant is in foul trouble again. In that case, Max Bielfeldt who is coming off of a big game along with Collin Hartman will have key roles.
This is a game for Indiana to get back on track and clean things up as most of the starting lineup was a bit off last game, including Robert Johnson. Yogi Ferrell did not play his best game but still had a 20-point performance when all was said and done.
What To Expect
KenPom does favor the Hoosiers in this game by six points with a 71 percent chance of winning. It is a completely winnable game on the road for the Hoosiers and if they want to make a statement in the Big Ten, starting off 2-0 on the road before playing a conference home game will surely be a good statement.
Nebraska will not want to drop to 0-2 after two home games and might be a bit desperate to come away with a win. Pinnacle Bank Arena is not an easy place to play, but the Hoosiers got a five point win there a season ago.
Prediction:
Indiana 80, Nebraska 71
Game Info:
The game starts at 4:00 p.m. EST on BTN (Steve Physioc & Craig Wenzel) at Pinnacle Bank Arena.