How to Watch Indiana Basketball Season Opener Against Florida Gulf Coast
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana officially begins the 2023-24 season on Tuesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles.
Indiana handled business in its two-game exhibition slate, with a 74-52 win over the University of Indianapolis and a 91-64 over Marian.
After losing four starters from last season, the new-look Hoosiers host a formidable opponent to begin the year, as Florida Gulf Coast was picked to finish second in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
- *** LIVE BLOG: And once the game starts, follow all the action on our live blog written by Jack Ankony. To check that out, CLICK HERE.
How to watch Indiana Hoosiers vs. Florida Gulf Coast Eagles
- Who: Indiana Hoosiers (0-0) vs. Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (0-0)
- What: Regular season opener
- When: 6:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 7
- Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.
- TV: Big Ten Network
- Announcers: Matt Schumacker (play-by-play) and Robbie Hummel (analyst)
- Live stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
- Radio: IU Radio Network (Bloomington - 105.1 WHCC-FM, Indianapolis: 107.5 WFNI-FM or 1070 WFNI-AM, or see media guide for other radio affiliates)
- Radio Announcers: Don Fischer (play-by-play), Errek Suhr (color), John Herrick (pregame, halftime, postgame)
- Point spread: Indiana is a 11.5-point favorite, and the over/under is 14s.5 points, according to the SI Sportsbook on Tuesday morning.
- KenPom rankings: Indiana is No. 49 overall in the preseason KenPom rankings. The Hoosiers are No. 43 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 55 in adjusted offensive efficiency. Florida Gulf Coast is No. 147 overall, No. 189 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 110 in adjusted offensive efficiency.
- Season projections: Indiana is tied for fifth with plus-1500 odds to win the Big Ten, tied for 32nd with plus-6000 odds to win the national championship and tied for 35th with plus-2000 odds to reach the Final Four, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.
- Last season: Indiana went 23-12 overall and 12-8 in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and lost to No. 5 seed Miami in the Round of 32. Florida Gulf Coast went 17-15 overall and 7-11 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Eagles lost their first game in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament and did not qualify for the postseason.
- Series history: Indiana leads the all-time series 1-0.
- Last meeting: Indiana defeated Florida Gulf Coast 88-60 on Nov. 12, 2010. Under coach Tom Crean, Christian Watford led the Hoosiers with 24 points, followed by Jordan Hulls with 18 and Maurice Creek with 13. Hulls, now Indiana's team and recruiting coordinator, made 6-of-9 3-point shots in the win.
Indiana's Mackenzie Mgbako (21) dunks during the Indiana versus University of Indianapolis men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023.
Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
Leading scorers
- Indiana Hoosiers (in two exhibition games)
- C Kel'el Ware: 17 ppg, 8.5 rpg
- F Mackenzie Mgbako: 14.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg
- F Malik Reneau: 13.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg
- Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (last season)
- G Isaiah Thompson: 14.9 ppg, 37.6 3-point %
- G Chase Johnston: 12.7 ppg, 37.3 3-point %
- F Zach Anderson: 11.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg
Meet the coaches
- Pat Chambers, Florida Gulf Coast: Chambers enters his second season at Florida Gulf Coast, following a 17-15 campaign with a ninth-place finish in the Atlantic Sun Conference last year. Chambers previously coached at Penn State for nine seasons, going 148–150 overall and 56–110, with no appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Chambers got his first head coaching job at Boston University, and reached the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
- Mike Woodson, Indiana: Woodson enters his third season at Indiana with a 44-26 overall record and a 21-19 mark in regular season Big Ten play. Woodson has NBA head coaching experience with the Atlanta Hawks from 2004-10 and the New York Knicks from 2012-14. Woodson played at Indiana University from 1976-80, and was named the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player as a senior under coach Bob Knight. He was the 12th overall pick in the 1980 NBA Draft, and played for various teams from 1980-91, averaging 14 points over 786 games.
Keys to the game
1. Indiana's size advantage
This will be true in nearly every game for Indiana, if it chooses to continue starting 6-foot-8 Mackenzie Mgbako, 6-foot-9 Malik Reneau and 7-foot Kel'el Ware. Florida Gulf Coast will likely start three guards at 6-foot-3 or shorter, creating at least one major mismatch from a height standpoint. Indiana should be able to consistently score inside and control the glass.
2. FGCU's 3-point shooting
Florida Gulf Coast will try to neutralize Indiana's height advantage by hoisting plenty of threes. Last season, starting guards Isaiah Thompson and Chase Johnston attempted a combined 12.5 3-pointers a game, and both shot over 37%. As a team, the Eagles ranked 50th in the nation in 3-point attempts per game and 328th in 2-point attempts.
3. Indiana's perimeter defense
Xavier Johnson and Trey Galloway combine to make one of the top defensive backcourt duos in the Big Ten, and that should certainly help against a Florida Gulf Coast team that scores primarily through its guards. Indiana's success on Tuesday starts with Johnson and Galloway making life hard for the Eagles' guards.
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- JAKAI NEWTON INJURY UPDATE: Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson said Monday that Jakai Newton has increased his activity recently, but using a redshirt season because of his knee injury is a possibility. CLICK HERE
- GAME STORY: Friday night's exhibition win was a complete team effort, with five players scoring in double figures and the defense being too physically imposing for Marian to handle. CLICK HERE
- WHAT WOODSON SAID: It's been an emotional week for Indiana coach Mike Woodson, who lost his coach and lifelong mentor Bob Knight on Wednesday. Here's everything Woodson said after the Hoosiers' 91-64 exhibition win, their first game since Knight's passing. CLICK HERE
- WHAT WARE, CUPPS SAID: Here's everything Indiana sophomore center Kel'el Ware and freshman point guard Gabe Cupps said after the Hoosiers' 91-64 exhibition win over Marian on Friday. CLICK HERE
