Nicholas McLaughlin / USA TODAY NETWORK
Three Things to Watch: No. 4 Seed Indiana vs. No. 13 Seed Kent State in NCAA Tournament
Coach Mike Woodson has the Hoosiers back in the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season, jumping from a 12-seed to a 4-seed.
Indiana is matched up against 13-seed Kent State from the Mid-American Conference, a team that has become a popular upset pick this week. The game is scheduled for 9:55 p.m. ET in Albany N.Y., and Woodson knows from experience that Indiana must be ready to go from the opening tip.
"Each and every game you go out, it's a game of inches in tournament play," Woodson said. "I can relate back to when I was in college. We lost to Villanova at the buzzer after being up the whole game. I mean, nobody wants to go home in March Madness and I get it. That's why you've got to be ready to play every minute, every second of every game that you get an opportunity to play."
Here are three things to watch when Indiana plays Kent State.
1. Containing Sincere Carry
Sincere Carry, a 6-foot-1 point guard, led Kent State to a 15-point win over Toledo in the MAC Tournament Championship with 26 points on 4-for-9 3-point shooting. He's scored over 20 points in four of the last five games, including a 35-point game against Akron.
Despite averaging 17.6 points and 4.9 assists per game, Carry isn't the most efficient player. He shoots 30.9 percent from 3-point range this season, and he's never afraid to keep shooting – take his 2-for-22 game against Houston or 5-for-16 night against Northern Illinois for example. Carry's quickness makes him a threat to score all over the floor, and the Indiana defense will have to stick close to him all night. Expect Trey Galloway to start on Carry.
2. Malique Jacobs' defense
Kent State's 6-foot-4 senior guard Malique Jacobs was named MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Along with 13.0 points and 3.6 assists, Jacobs averaged 5.2 rebounds, 2.7 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. Only two players in all of Division I college basketball finished with more steals than Jacobs' 89 this season. Expect Jacobs to spend a lot of time on Indiana point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino.
With 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, Hood-Schifino was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He struggled with turnovers at times, averaging 2.8 per game, and he'll have to take care of the ball against a Kent State defense that ranks 38th in the nation in KenPom's defensive efficiency metric. The Jacobs versus Hood-Schifino matchup could go a long way in deciding the outcome.
Kent State guard Malique Jacobs drives around Western Michigan guard Tray Maddox Jr. during the first half of an NCAA basketball game against the Western Michigan Broncos, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023 at the Kent State M.A.C. Center.
Nicholas McLaughlin / USA TODAY NETWORK
3. Indiana's supporting cast
Against Kent State's front line of 6-foot-8 Miryne Thomas, 6-foot-7 Chris Payton and 6-foot-9 Cli'Ron Hornbeak, another 30-point game from first-team All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis feels very possible. Opponents have struggled against Jackson-Davis all year, though, and production from Indiana's supporting cast has ultimately been the difference between wins and losses throughout the season.
In the Big Ten Tournament semifinal, Jackson-Davis went for 24 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, but starters Jalen Hood-Schifino, Miller Kopp and Trey Galloway combined to shoot 8-for-27 overall. Tamar Bates added 14 points off the bench on 6-for-12 shooting, his first double-digit scoring game since Jan. 22. Jackson-Davis will do his best to will Indiana to a victory, but Indiana must find contributions elsewhere to win.
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