GameDay Preview: 3 Things I Want to See From Indiana Against Minnesota

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — With all of their margins for error removed in the past week, Indiana is in must-win territory heading into Wednesday's home game with Minnesota.

The Hoosiers can't afford a home loss this week, either Wednesday night against Minnesota or Saturday afternoon against Minnesota. Most bracketologists have Indiana in the NCAA tournament field at the moment, but a home loss would change all that in a hurry.

Here are the particulars on Wednesday night's game:

Who: Minnesota Golden Gophers (13-15, 7-11 in the Big Ten) vs. Indiana Hoosiers (18-10, 8-9 in the Big Ten)
When: 7 p.m. ET, Thursday, March 4
Where: Simon Skojdt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.
Latest Line: Indiana is a 3.5-point favorite as of Wednesday afternoon, according to VegasInsider.com.
Poll rankings: Neither team is ranked.
Kenpom.com rankings: Minnesota is No. 32, Indiana is No. 37, moving up a spot despite losing at Illinois on Sunday.
TV: Big Ten Network
Announcers: Kevin Kugler, Brian Butch
Radio: Indiana Radio Network
Announcers: Don Fischer, Eric Suhr, Joe Smith

Here are three things I want to see from the Hoosiers tonight:

1. Win the big-man battle once again

Trayce Jackson-Davis had his best game of the season on Jan. 19 when the Hoosiers beat Minnesota 68-56 in Minneapolis. He had a 27 points and 16 rebounds, both season highs, and outplayed Minnesota star Daniel Oturu, who only had 11 points.

That was Indiana's best road win of the season, so a repeat performance would be nice.

2. Knock down the threes, especially early

Indiana has been up and down from long distance all season, but the Hoosiers had a great day on Sunday at Illinois, hitting 8-of-11 from beyond the arc. Staying hot would be nice, especially if the Hoosiers guards can hit a few early and get a lead.

Minnesota doesn't have a lot to play for right now, so getting them down early might take a lot of the fight out of them. A barrage of threes would take them out in a hurry.

3. Understand the need for urgency

There is an NCAA tournament bid on the line Wednesday night, so the Hoosiers might as well treat this like a tournament game away. That's basically what it is anyway, because a loss at home to Minnesota would be similar to losing in a one-and-done event

Everyone knows the history here. It's been three years since the Hoosiers have made the NCAA tournament. A loss here might mean that seniors Devonte Green and De'Ron Davis would be the first class to go four years at Indiana without making the tournament since 1972.

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