Opening Line: No. 14 Indiana Sizable Underdog in Saturday Showdown With No. 8 Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Indiana wanted to beef up its nonconference schedule this season, and they've done exactly that. On Saturday comes the toughest test of all, a true road game at No. 8 Kansas in iconic Allen Fieldhouse, one of the toughest home environments in all the land.
Kansas (9-1) is a 5.5-point favorite according to the SISportsbook.com gambling website, with the over/under set at 142.5. It's only the second time that Indiana has been an underdog this year, and it's the largest point spread against them all season.
The game starts at Noon ET, and will be televised on ESPN2. Here's how to watch, with TV information and our full game preview. CLICK HERE
There's a good reason why the Jayhawks are favored by so much. They are nearly unbeatable at home. Indiana knows all about tough road environments playing in the Big Ten, but Kansas' success here is mind-boggling.
Over the last 19-plus seasons, Kansas has as many regular-season conference championships (16) as it has losses at Allen Fieldhouse (16). That's amazing, isn't it? Here's another amazing number: Under Bill Self, Kansas is 152-10 — a mind-numbing 93.8 percent — in Big 12 home games. Conference games, wow.
Last season, Kansas became the all-time winningest program in NCAA Division I, currently at 2,366 victories. (Indiana is 10th.) Kansas has appeared in the Associated Press top 10 each of the last 25 polls dating back to the 2021-22 preseason poll. The 25 consecutive is the longest active streak in men’s college basketball.
This is the first of a home-and-home series, with Kansas coming to Bloomington next year on Dec. 16. This series replaced the Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis, where the Hoosiers rotated playing Notre Dame and Butler each year.
There have been a lot of magical moments in this series. Indiana leads 8-6 overall, but has won just twice in the past eight games. They won the last one in November of 2016, when James Blackmon Jr. scored 26 points and helped the Hoosiers to a 103-99 overtime win in Hawaii.
Kansas is 9-1, with its only loss to Tennessee, which snapped a 17-game winning streak dating back to last season. They played three quality teams in the Bahamas and also beat No. 7 Duke in Indianapolis. Kansas is outrageously good on their home court, and are 5-0 at Allen Fieldhouse so far this season, but are just 1-4 vs. the spread.
Here's what Indiana has done so far this season vs. the numbers:
Indiana by the numbers
- Indiana overall record: 8-2
- Indiana overall vs. spread: 7-3
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- Indiana home record: 6-0
- Indiana home vs. spread: 5-1
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- Indiana road record: 1-1
- Indiana road vs spread: 1-1
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- Indiana neutral court record: 1-1
- Indiana neutral court vs. spread: 1-1
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- Indiana record as favorite: 8-1
- Indiana vs. spread as favorite: 7-2
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- Indiana record as underdog: 0-1
- Indiana vs. spread as underdog: 0-1
Indiana vs. the spread
Here's what Indiana has done this season, straight up and against the spread::
- Nov. 7 — Beat Morehead State 88-53 as a 24.5-point favorite (won)
- Nov. 10 — Beat Bethune-Cookman 101-49 as a 32.5-point favorite (won)
- Nov. 18 — Won at Xavier 81-79 as a 1.5-point favorite (won)
- Nov. 20 — Beat Miami of Ohio 86-56 as a 27.5-point favorite in Indianapolis (won)
- Nov. 23 — Beat Little Rock 86-67 as a 29..5-point favorite (lost)
- Nov. 25 — Beat Jackson State 90-51 as a 28.5-point favorite (won)
- Nov. 30 — Beat No. 18 North Carolina 77-65 as a 4.5-point favorite (won)
- Dec. 3 — Lost at Rutgers 63-48 as a 3-point favorite (lost)
- Dec. 7 — Beat Nebraska 81-55 as a 12.5-point favorite (won)
- Dec. 10 — Lost to No. 10 Arizona 89-75 in Las Vegas as a 1.5-point underdog (lost)
Kansas vs. the spread
Kansas is 9-1 on the season, with a lone loss to current No. 6 Tennessee, and the Jayhawks are 5-0 at home. But Kansas is just 3-7 against the spread, and are just 1-4 vs. the number in those five home wins.. They played three neutral site games in the Bahamas, winning twice before losing to Tennessee. They failed to cover in all three of those games as well.
The Jayhawks have covered in two straight games in blowout wins over Seton hall and Missouri. Here's what Kansas has done this season, straight up and against the spread:
- Nov. 7 — Beat Omaha 89-64 as a 33.5-point favorite (lost)
- Nov. 10 —Beat North Dakota State 82-59 as an 24.5-point favorite (lost)
- No. 15 — Beat No. 7 Duke 69-64 in Indianapolis as a 1.5-point underdog (won)
- Nov. 18 — Beat Southern Utah 82-76 as a 21.5-point favorite (lost)
- Nov. 23 — Beat N.C. State 80-74 in the Bahamas as an 8.5-point favorite (lost)
- Nov. 24 — Beat Wisconsin 69-68 in overtime in the Bahamas as a 7.5-point favorite (lost)
- Nov. 25 — Lost to No,. 22 Tennessee 64-50 in the Bahamas as a 1.5-point underdog (lost)
- Nov. 28 — Beat Texas Southern 87-55 as a 25.5-point favorite (lost)
- Dec. 1 — Beat Seton Hall 91-65 as a 10.5-point favorite (won)
- Dec. 10— Won at Missouri 95-67 as a 3.5-point favorite (won)
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
- 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 SCHEDULE: Here is the full Indiana basketball schedule for the 2022-23 season, with dates, opponents, gametime and TV information, and links to stories on all the games played so far. CLICK HERE
