Written by: TJ Inman
What: Indiana Hoosiers vs. Chicago State Cougars
Where: Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN
When: Saturday, December 20 at 1:00 pm
How to Watch: BTN+
Opponent Glance: The Chicago State Cougars are one of the worst teams in the country and they enter this contest at 2-10 and ranked 349th (out of 365) in KenPom. That includes losses to DePaul (30), Saint Louis (22), Butler (32), Minnesota (12) and Iowa (29). The lone victories for the Northeast Conference squad have come against Saint Xavier University and local rival Loyola University of Chicago. The last outing for Chicago State was a 76-55 loss to Bowling Green. Chicago State is ranked 332nd in offensive rating and 344th in defensive rating and to put it bluntly, there is zero reason for Indiana to struggle with this opponent.
Why it Matters: The Indiana Hoosiers will have had a full week off after losing to the Kentucky Wildcats in a game that was imminently winnable at Rupp Arena before a second half collapse. IU turned the ball over 18 times and struggled to shoot the ball in the loss. On Saturday afternoon against one of the nation’s worst teams, anything less than a comfortable victory would be a blinking red light as we look forward to the schedule beginning in January. This is a Quad Four game and a loss would be a massive anchor on Indiana’s NCAA Tournament resume.
Game #2
What: Indiana Hoosiers vs. Siena Saints
Where: Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN
When: Monday, December 22 at 6:00 pm
How to Watch: BTN
Opponent Glance: The Siena Saints are 9-3 and represent one of the better non-conference mid to low-major opponents the Hoosiers are going to see this season as IU closes out the non-conference portion of the schedule. They are coached by former Syracuse Orange star Gerry McNamara and as of December 19, the Saints are ranked 168th in KenPom and have the 118th rated defense.
That ranking places them right in line with quality programs like Iona and UMass and ahead of Indiana State. Now, that doesn’t mean they should beat Indiana but with a 6:00 tip and students on break right before the team gets to go home for Christmas, this one could be somewhat scary if the Hoosiers are not focused.
Prior to losing on Wednesday night at Vermont, the Saints had won seven games in a row but it’s worth pointing out that IU will be the first high-major opponent Siena has seen all year. Teams are only scoring 63.2 points per game against the Saints and they are limiting opponents to just 29 percent than three while winning the rebounding battle by four boards per game and forcing 13.3 turnovers per game.
Gavin Doty leads the team, averaging 14.8 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game. He’s joined by Justice Shoats and Brendan Coyle as players in double-figures. Shoats, a 5’11” senior from Pennsylvania, is the primary ball-handler and distributor and he’s leading the team with more than 60 assists.
Junior Tasman Goodrick is 6’10” and averages more than seven rebounds per game and they do have some size on the interior and the wings. Again, Siena should not have the athletes to hang with IU for 40 minutes but they play very solid defense and this is a difficult spot that will require focus from Darian DeVries’ squad.