Following a trip to The Barn where the Indiana Hoosiers scraped by Minnesota, they return home and welcome in the Illinois Fighting Illini to Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
Both of these teams are moving in opposite directions as Indiana will try for their 11th straight win while Illinois is looking to get on track in the Big Ten.
Last Time Out
Saturday, the Hoosiers traveled to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers. They don't usually play all too well at The Barn, but they were able to put together a nice defensive performance and behind some great senior leadership were able to get the win to remain perfect in the Big Ten.
As for Illinois, they are coming off an 11-point home loss at the hands of Nebraska. This Fighting Illini team is just 1-4 in the Big Ten thus far and after beating Purdue at home last Sunday, they couldn't quite keep up the momentum on Saturday.
Scouting Report: Illinois
It has been a tough start for John Groce and the Fighting Illini. They have battled injuries and are currently without three players in Mike Thorne, Leron Black and Tracy Abrams, all three who could be starting or playing significant minutes while contributing for this team in a big way. Instead, they have won just one conference game out of five and are looking to spoil Indiana's perfect start to the Big Ten slate.
Two players that have stepped into the spotlight for Illinois, however, are junior guards Malcolm Hill and Kendrick Nunn. In their win over Purdue, they combined for 52 of their team's points en route to an upset victory.
Hill and Nunn come in combining to average 36.6 points per game and both shoot the ball at a high percentage, while Nunn is 41.4 percent from behind the arc. These two players will have to be on their games for Illinois to stay in this game.
Jalen Coleman-Lands has also stepped into the starting lineup and is having a solid freshman season. He is averaging 9.2 points per game along with turning it over 6.5 percent of his touches.
On the inside is where Illinois is hurting the most. Michael Finke and Maverick Morgan both stand at 6'10" and occupy the post for the Fighting Illini. Finke may stand at 6'10", but he is a perimeter player shooting 41.3 percent from behind the arc. Neither of them are rebounding particularly well as Illinois ranks 333rd in the country in rebounding with just 31.6 per game.
What The Hoosiers Need To Do
It doesn't seem like the Hoosiers should have much trouble in this game as it is at home and the Fighting Illini are just 1-4 in the Big Ten. But, if Nunn and Hill have big games like they did against Purdue, Indiana could be in for a game.
They didn't shoot the ball particularly well in their game at Minnesota so getting the offense back on track could be what this game is used for. Yogi Ferrell will most likely get the assignment of Nunn, in what should be a fun matchup of two prolific guards.
Another two guys for Indiana who should look to have big games are Thomas Bryant and Robert Johnson.
Johnson has struggled of late and had just two points on Saturday. This could be a game to break out of his slump much like Nick Zeisloft on Saturday who had 15 points.
As for Bryant, he played a respectable 22 minutes Saturday but didn't seem to quite have it. Against Illinois, look for Bryant to have a chance to have a lot of rebounds as Illinois struggles on the boards.
What To Expect
If you look at the records of these two teams in conference, you will see Indiana sitting pretty at the top while Illinois is down towards the bottom. Most of the predictions echo that sentiment as Indiana is favored in Vegas, KenPom, and Sagarin.
When putting Ferrell and Bryant up against this Illinois team, the expectation is that they are in for big games. Bryant should feast on Illinois' lack of a frontcourt while Ferrell is playing some of the best basketball of his career as of late.
Illinois relies pretty heavily upon Nunn and Hill and if Indiana can contain those two, they shouldn't have much trouble with the Illini. Playing at home in the friendly confines of Assembly Hall has been kind to the Hoosiers this season and it doesn't look like that will change Tuesday.
Prediction:
Indiana 86, Illinois 74
Game Info:
First tip is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPN (Mike Tirico, Dan Dakich, and Allison Williams) at Assembly Hall.