What: Indiana Hoosiers at Minnesota Golden Gophers
Where: Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota
When: Wednesday, December 3 at 7:00 pm
How to Watch: BTN
Opponent Glance: The Minnesota Golden Gophers are 4-4 under first-year head coach Niko Medved (formerly of Colorado State and Drake). Through the weekend, the Gophers were 100th on Bart Torvik and 114th on KenPom. Those metrics place Minnesota ahead of only Rutgers in the Big Ten as we enter the first part of conference play. Medved’s team started well, blowing out Gardner-Webb and Alcorn State to move to 2-0. Things changes when they took on Missouri as they were humbled 83-60. Needing overtime to beat Doug Gottlieb’s Green Bay team is a red flag and they have now lost three straight games (San Francisco, Stanford and Santa Clara) entering this contest.
Minnesota plays at a slow tempo and they are ranked just 323rd in the country in three-point defense (38.5% for opponents), something that Indiana could exploit. There are a couple of areas for the Hoosiers to be wary of though: Minnesota is top 60 in rebounding rate and fifth in the country in free throw rate. They are 198th in Bart Torvik’s new “Wins Against Bubble Team” metric at -2. For context, IU is currently 25th in that metric at +.9. Cade Tyson, a transfer that excelled at Belmont before languishing on the bench for North Carolina last season, is leading this team and averaging 22.4 points per game. The 6’7” wing has struggled on defense though and Indiana will likely try to go at him whenever possible.
Big man Jaylen Crocker-Johnson averages 12.4 points per game and is leading the team with 9.1 rebounds per game. It will be critical for Reed Bailey and Sam Alexis to keep him off the glass. Backup big Robert Vaihola and Chansey Willis Jr. have both been injured and will be questionable for the game against the Hoosiers. If they can’t go, Minnesota is likely down to just seven rotation players. Minnesota is averaging just over 28 free throws per game and IU has, at times, had a difficult time defending without fouling so that will be something to keep an eye on.
Why it Mattered: The Indiana Hoosiers fell at Minnesota by nine points in an incredibly disappointing Big Ten opener for Darian DeVries’ squad. The Barn is known as a place that can be difficult for opposing teams to find their shot and that proved true for Indiana. The Hoosiers shot it terribly from everyone on the floor: missing shots around the rim, clanking free throws and flailing from the three-point line. The Gophers also thrashed IU on the boards by 15 (40-25). Rebounding has been a consistent concern for IU and it played a key part in the upset defeat.
GAME #2
What: Indiana Hoosiers vs. Louisville Cardinals
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN
When: Saturday, December 6 at 2:00
How to Watch: CBS
Opponent Glance: The Louisville Cardinals are a perfect 7-0 and one of the best teams in the country. As of Monday, they are 7th in Bart Torvik and 9th in KenPom and they have one of the best and most efficient offensive attacks in the nation. This preview section was written before the December 3 matchup against the Arkansas Razorbacks but Louisville has been fantastic this season with wins over Kentucky and Cincinnati in addition to blowouts of teams like Eastern Michigan and NJIT. Bart Torvik has the Cardinals as a projected two-seed and this neutral site game will almost certainly be a Quad One opportunity for both programs.
Pat Kelsey’s squad has six players in the top 21 players in Bart Torvik’s ACC player efficiency ratings: Ryan Conwell is 6th, Adrian Wooley is 7th, Mikel Brown Jr. is 13th, Kobe Rodgers is 14th, Isaac McKneely is 18th and J’Vonne Hadley is 21st. Conwell (Xavier transfer) and Mikel Brown Jr. (freshman point guard and IU target) will be very familiar to IU fans and both have played at a high-level thus far. Conwell is averaging 20.1 points per game and he is shooting 45.2% from three while also averaging 5.4 rebounds per game. Mikel Brown Jr. has come out firing and is averaging 17 points per game while also racking up six assists per contest.
The Cardinals don’t have a true post big and they rely on the full team to clean up the glass but they are extremely quick and athletic and want to play at a high-tempo pace. Louisville’s athleticism will be a problem for the Hoosiers to try and deal with as the Cardinals are much quicker and deeper than Indiana has seen thus far. This figures to be a high-octane game that should feel like an NCAA Tournament regional game between two geographic rivals.
Why it Mattered: The Indiana Hoosiers and Louisville Cardinals are both coming off their first defeat of the season: IU lost at Minnesota and the Cardinals lost at Arkansas in a game they trailed by nearly 20 points at halftime. Both squads will be looking to bounce-back after the disappointing mid-week outings. This contest is a neutral court game that will almost certainly represent a Quad One opportunity for both teams come Selection Sunday. A win for Indiana would certainly help erase the sting from the loss to Minnesota while a second-straight defeat would drop the Hoosiers to 7-2 and make the game at home against Penn State a near must-win.