GameDay Preview: Iowa Takes on Indiana at Assembly Hall
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The losing streak is up to four games now for Indiana, but stopping it won't be easy Thursday night with the No. 21-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes in town.
Iowa has won seven of its last nine games and is still in contention in the Big Ten race. They're led by Luka Garza, a national Player of the Year candidate who has scored 20 points or more in nine straight Big Ten games, the first time an Iowa player has done that since 1971.
Here are the particulars on the game:
- Who: Iowa Hawyekes (17-7, 8-5 in the Big Ten) vs. Indiana Hoosiers (15-8, 5-7 in the Big Ten)
- When: 8 p.m. ET, Thursday, Feb. 13
- Where: Simon Skojdt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.
- Latest Line: Indiana is a 2.5-point favorite as of Thursday night, according to VegasInsiders.com. The line opened at Indiana minus-1.
- Poll rankings: Iowa is ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press poll, but is No. 17 in the Coaches poll. Indiana is not ranked in either poll, and is no longer receiving votes in either poll
- Kenpom.com rankings: Iowa is No. 18, Indiana is No. 44
- TV: Big Ten Network
- Announcers: Bob Wischusen, Dick Vitale, Kris Budden
- Radio: Indiana Radio Network
- Announcers: Don Fischer, Eric Suhr, Joe Smith
Here are three things I'm looking to see from Indiana:
1. Bring their own energy
Assembly Hall was rocking at an all-time high on Saturday with the return of Bob Knight after a 20-year hiatus. The crowd was in a frenzy from the opening tip, but a dismal performance on the floor sucked a lot of energy out of the crowd late in the game.
Thursday night, there are going to be thousands of empty seats, and it won't be very loud at all, at least by Indiana standards for a Big Ten game. The Hoosiers will need to provide their own energy.
2. Get off to a good start
It's critical to jump on Iowa early. Purdue did it last week, and wound up winning by 36 points at Mackey Arena. Indiana needs to do the same thing.
3. Hit some 3-pointers for a change
The Hoosiers aren't a good 3-point shooting team this year, but they need to be on Thursday night. Iowa is prone to let shooters get good looks, so Indiana needs to take advantage of that. Get to 10 3-pointers on the night, and a win could happen.
