After falling into the trap that was Penn State on Saturday night, the Indiana Hoosiers have a chance to get back on track at home against one of the best teams in the country in the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Iowa comes in at 10-1 in the Big Ten while Indiana is tied with Maryland with two losses. This is a big game for both sides as Iowa can stay on top with a win while the Hoosiers can make a big statement in the Big Ten title race.
Last Time Out
On Saturday the Hoosiers traveled to State College to take on Penn State and could not come away with a win. Indiana was riding high after a win against Michigan last Tuesday and a mix of a hangover from that win plus a bad shooting night was a bad recipe.
As for Iowa, they traveled to Illinois on Sunday and took care of business with a double digit victory over the Fighting Illini. They didn't have many issues and just kept cruising through their Big Ten slate.
Scouting Report: Iowa
After a shaky few weeks to begin the season, the Hawkeyes have really gotten things to click and have picked up some marquee wins along the way to where they now are at the top of the conference and in the top five of the rankings. Coach Fran McCaffrey has taken this team to another level coming off of an NCAA Tournament appearance a season ago, partly because of the emergence of a big star.
That big star's name is Jarrod Uthoff and this team would not be where they are right now without the play of Uthoff. If not for Buddy Hield, Uthoff would be right in the talk for Player of the Year. He averages a team high 18.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, and 2.9 bpg. As you can see from these numbers, the 6-9 senior can get it done in all facets of the game. His scoring average is good for third in the Big Ten while his block average is the most in the conference.
But, Uthoff can't do it all by himself and that is part of the reason that Iowa is so good. Uthoff leads the team in minutes per game with 30, which, one, keeps them fresh for late in games, and two, means that they haven't needed the starters in there for the entire game because they are up by so much.
The Hawkeyes feature three guards that all have some different roles. There is point guard Mike Gesell and then shooting guards Peter Jok and Anthony Clemmons. Gesell is a pure point guard who averages 6.0 assists per game while averaging 8.4 points per game. He gets his teammates in the right spots at the right times and helps this team tick.
Jok can really fill it up as he averages 15.5 points per game, but can also play some defense as he is fourth in the conference in steals with 1.4 per game. Clemmons is that glue guy for the Hawkeyes who can crash the boards and get you a bucket when you need it most. He averages 8.9 points per game and 3.7 assists per game.
Closing out the starting five up front is Adam Woodbury who does almost all of his work below the free throw line averaging 7.7 rebounds per game and 8.5 points per game.
McCaffrey goes about four deep on his bench as guys like Dom Uhl, Nicholas Baer, and Brady Ellingson will most likely all see floor time.
What The Hoosiers Need To Do
The first guy on the scouting report for Indiana coach Tom Crean has got to be Jarrod Uthoff and the first order of business should be shutting him down. Maryland did a fantastic job of this when the Hawkeyes lost their lone Big Ten game and Indiana will need to replicate that Thursday at Assembly Hall. Whether that is Collin Hartman, Troy Williams, or OG Anunoby that gets tagged with keeping up with Uthoff, that will be quite a tall task for whoever it is.
Besides Uthoff, Indiana has to worry about their own game as they didn't play like the usually do last time out against Penn State. They shot very poorly from the field Saturday on the road, but if they are banking on anything, it is that they have shot the ball very well in their home arena. Yogi Ferrell and Robert Johnson will look to be the catalysts in the starting five to getting back to where their normal shooting numbers.
Defense was mentioned with Uthoff, but as a team, they will need to step up as this Iowa team scores upwards of 80 points per game. Indiana can score as well which means we are most likely in for an up and down game with a good amount of scoring.
What to Expect
Looking at this game purely based on rankings, you would think that Iowa would run away with a victory, that however is not the case. Indiana is a bit unproven and doesn't have a true marquee win over a ranked opponent on their resume thus far. Iowa on Thursday would be a great start.
Looking at the KenPom prediction, he has Indiana losing by a score of 77-75 with a 44 percent chance for the Hoosiers to pull out a win. When Vegas and Sagarin come out with their lines, it would be assumed that Iowa would be favored.
Indiana has yet to lose at home which makes this matchup that much more intriguing. They need a win to make a big statement in the Big Ten title race and if Iowa can keep it up, they can make a big statement in the title race with an easier schedule upcoming.
Prediction:
Indiana 78, Iowa 77
Game Info:
First tip is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. EST on ESPN (Rece Davis, Dick Vitale & Kaylee Hartung) at Assembly Hall.