How to Watch No. 14 Indiana Basketball Against No. 8 Kansas At Allen Fieldhouse
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Two of college basketball's most famous programs match up on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.
No. 8 Kansas, the defending national champions, hold a 9-1 record with recent blowout wins over Seton Hall and Missouri and a 14-point loss to Tennessee in the Bahamas. No. 14 Indiana lost 89-75 to Arizona last Saturday in Las Vegas, but stand at 8-2 and have been ranked in the top 15 all season.
This is the first of a two-game home-and-home series, which will continue on Dec. 16, 2023 at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. Indiana coach Mike Woodson wants to challenge his team with a difficult schedule, and winning at Allen Fieldhouse is a tough as it gets.
"It's kind of what you live for when you play basketball in college," Woodson said. "You can't run from it. I just try to get our players to understand that, hey, you've got to seize the moment. This is a big-time game. It really is. It's going to be nationally televised, and you got a chance to go in and do something that not a lot of times have done in years there.
- *** LIVE BLOG: And once the game starts, follow all the action on our live blog from HoosiersNow.com publisher Tom Brew. To read that story, CLICK HERE.
How to watch Indiana Hoosiers vs. Kansas Jayhawks
- Who: No. 14 Indiana Hoosiers (8-2) vs. No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks (9-1)
- What: Indiana's highest-ranked opponent
- When: Noon ET on Saturday, Dec. 17
- Where: Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan.
- TV: ESPN 2
- Announcers: Dave O’Brien (play-by-play), Dick Vitale (analyst)
- Live Stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
- Radio: IU Radio Network (Bloomington: 105.1 WHCC-FM, Indianapolis: 107.5 WFNI-FM)
- Radio Announcers: Don Fischer (play-by-play), Errek Suhr (color), John Herrick (pregame, halftime, postgame)
- Point spread: Kansas is a 5.5-point favorite over Indiana, according to the Fanduel.com website, and the over/under is set at 142.5 points. For a complete breakdown on both teams vs. the spread, CLICK HERE
- Associated Press poll: Indiana stayed to No. 14 in the AP poll after defeating Nebraska and losing to Arizona. Kansas dropped from No. 6 to No. 8 after winning at Missouri.
- KenPom rankings: Indiana is No. 16 overall in the KenPom rankings. The Hoosiers are No. 22 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 22 in adjusted offensive efficiency. Kansas is ranked No. 7 overall, No. 1 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 14 in adjusted offensive efficiency.
- Season projections: As of Wednesday, Indiana has the third-best odds to win the Big Ten regular season title at plus-550, behind Purdue at plus-110 and Illinois at plus-500. Indiana is plus-600 to reach the Final Four and plus-3000 to win the National Championship, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
- Last three games: Indiana lost 89-75 to Arizona in Las Vegas on Saturday, beat Nebraska 81-65 on Dec. 7 and lost 63-48 at Rutgers on Dec. 3. Kansas won 95-67 at Missouri on Saturday, beat Seton Hall 91-65 on Dec. 1 and beat Texas Southern 87-55 on Nov. 28.
- Last season's records: Indiana went 21-14 overall, 9-11 in Big Ten play, 14-4 at home, 3-8 on the road and 4-2 at neutral sites in 2021-22. The Hoosiers defeated Wyoming in the NCAA Tournament First Four and lost to Saint Mary's in the Round of 64. Arizona went 34-6 overall, 14-4 in Big 12 play, 16-1 at home, 6-4 on the road and 12-1 at neutral sites in 2021-22. The Jayhawks defeated North Carolina 72-69 to win the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
- Series history: Indiana leads the all-time series 8-6. In the first two matchups, Indiana beat Kansas to win the 1940 and 1953 National Championships under coach Branch McCracken. The Hoosiers won four straight games from 1971-74, two in Bloomington and two in Lawrence. Kansas then won five straight games, beginning in 1981 in New York City. The Jayhawks beat the Hoosiers in the 1991 Sweet 16 and again on Dec. 5, 1992 at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Kansas' streak continued with a win over Indiana in the 1993 Elite Eight and a home win on Dec. 22, 1993. Indiana and Kansas traded wins in 1994 and 1995, but didn't matchup again until the season opener of the 2016 season in the Armed Forces Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. James Blackmon Jr. led the Hoosiers with 26 points in a 103-99 win in overtime against No. 3 Kansas.
Leading scorers
- Indiana Hoosiers
- F Trayce Jackson-Davis: 16.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.0 bpg, 64.5 FG pct
- G Xavier Johnson: 10.9 ppg, 5.2 apg, 3.5 rpg, 38.5 3-point FG pct
- F Miller Kopp: 9.9 ppg, 48.9 3-point FG pct
- Kansas Jayhawks
- F Jalen Wilson: 22.1 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 3.2 apg
- G Gradey Dick: 15.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 46.6 3-point FG pct
- G Kevin McCullar Jr.: 11.8 jpg, 7.2 rpg, 2.4 spg
Meet the coaches
- Bill Self, Kansas: In his 20th season at Kansas, Bill Self holds a 558–124 overall record and a 260–62 record in Big 12 play. He has taken Kansas to the NCAA Tournament every year (besides 2020 when the tournament was cancelled), and has nine Elite Eight appearances, four Final Four appearances and two national championships in 2008 and 2022. Self has led Kansas to 16 Big 12 regular season championships and nine Big 12 tournament titles, while losing only 16 games at Allen Fieldhouse. After his playing career at Oklahoma State from 1981-85, Self was an assistant at Kansas and Oklahoma State before earning his first head coaching job at Oral Roberts in 1993. He was the head coach at Tulsa and Illinois before taking over at Kansas in 2003.
- Mike Woodson, Indiana: Woodson has NBA head coaching experience with the Atlanta Hawks from 2004-10 and the New York Knicks from 2012-14. Dating back to 1996, Woodson has also been an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers. 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. In his second season at Indiana, Woodson holds a 29-15 record.
Indiana Hoosiers forward Miller Kopp (12) shoots the ball while Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Denim Dawson (12) defends in the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Three things to watch in Indiana vs. Kansas
1. Xavier Johnson avoiding early foul trouble
When Indiana point guard Xavier Johnson picked up his second foul at the 15:55 mark in the first half against Arizona on Saturday, the Wildcats went on a 20-2 run until Johnson hit two free throws at the 11:13 mark. Indiana showed resilience and cut the lead to three point in the second half, but the early run was too much to overcome.
With Johnson on the bench and with Jalen Hood-Schifino out with a back injury, Arizona dominated as Indiana played without a true point guard. Woodson gave an update on Hood-Schifino's injury on Thursday, but if he can't go, Johnson has to stay out of early foul trouble for Indiana to have a chance.
2. KJ Adams Jr., Jalen Wilson versus the Indiana bigs
Arizona's combination of 7-foot Oumar Ballo and 6-foot-11 Azuolas Tubelis overpowered Trayce Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson and Malik Reneau inside. Fortunately for Indiana, the Jayhawks do not have an dominant inside presence similar to Ballo, Tubelis, or David McCormack from Kansas' national title team last year.
Kansas starts 6-foot-8 senior Jalen Wilson, who has guard skills and not a back-to-the-basket guy, along with 6-foot-7 sophomore KJ Adams at the forward positions. The Jayhawks have great wing size with 6-foot-8 freshman guard Gradey Dick and 6-foot-6 senior guard Kevin McCullar, but neither are true post players. 6-foot-11 freshman Ernest Udeh Jr. averages 9.1 minutes off the bench, but doesn't appear ready to contribute major minutes yet. Kansas coach Bill Self was candidly concerned about this matchup against the Indiana bigs.
3. 3-point shooting to calm the crowd
Allen Fieldhouse will be one of, if not the loudest road environments Indiana will face all season. The Hoosiers have played two true road games this year, defeating Xavier 81-79 and losing 63-48 at Rutgers. Indiana shot 4-for-12 from 3 at Xavier, but at Rutgers – aside from Miller Kopp, who shot 8-for-12 overall and 5-for-9 from 3 – Indiana shot 20.5 percent as a team.
In order to keep the Jayhawk fans in check, Indiana will need to knock down outside shots. The Hoosiers have improved from last year's 33.3 percent and are now shooting 36.4 percent from 3 as a team. Kopp leads the way at 48.9 percent, followed by Trey Galloway (46.3 on 13 attempts), Tamar Bates (41.2), Xavier Johnson (38.5), Hood-Schifino (31.6) and Thompson (28.0).
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- HOOD-SCHIFINO INJURY UPDATE: Indiana coach Mike Woodson said freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino has been back on the floor shooting around and is hoping to go through a full practice. The Hoosiers could really use him in Saturdays big game at No. 8 Kansas. CLICK HERE
- WOODSON SEES DEVELOPMENT FROM GALLOWAY, BATES: With the recent injury to Jalen Hood-Schifino, Indiana has relied on Trey Galloway and Tamar Bates to run the offense when Xavier Johnson is on the bench. Neither are true point guards, but Woodson has seen steady development in their ability to bring the ball up the court and make plays. CLICK HERE
- JAMES BLACKMON JR. REVISITS WIN OVER KANSAS: Indiana and Kansas share rich college basketball history, and they'll match up Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse for the first time since 2016 in Hawaii. James Blackmon Jr. led the Hoosiers with 26 points that day, and he discussed that game with HoosiersNow.com this week. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA DROPS IN LATEST BRACKETOLOGY: Following a home win over Nebraska and a 14-point loss to No. 9 Arizona in Las Vegas, Indiana basketball dropped in Joe Lunardi's Latest Bracketology on ESPN. CLICK HERE
- BIG TEN POWER RANKINGS: Purdue has made an emphatic statement during the first month-plus of the college basketball season, and the Boilermakers are the clear No. 1 team in our first Big Ten Power Rankings. They've gone from unranked nationally to No. 1 in just four weeks. Here's our rankings from No. 1 to No. 14, sure to ignite some debate. CLICK HERE
- MIKE WOODSON RADIO SHOW: On the 'Inside Indiana Basketball' radio show, coach Mike Woodson talked with play-by-play announcer Don Fischer about Indiana's win over Nebraska, loss to Arizona in Las Vegas, upcoming matchup with Kansas and more. Here are the highlights. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA REMAINS NO. 14 IN AP POLL: Indiana got a Big Ten win last week, but then lost to No. 9 Arizona on Saturday, so they stood pat in this week's Associated Press Top-25 poll at No. 14. Here is the complete poll, with a new No. 1, the Purdue Boilermakers. Six Big Ten teams are in the poll. CLICK HERE
