Indiana University Athletics
No. 18/18 Hoosiers Travel to Charlotte
12/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 16, 2005
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The No. 18/18 (Coaches/AP) Indiana men's basketball team will travel to Charlotte, N.C., to face the Charlotte 49ers. This will mark the second meeting in two years between the two schools, with the 49ers taking a 74-73 victory in Bloomington on Dec. 22, 2004.
The Hoosiers are coming off a nine-day break between games, defeating then-No. 15 Kentucky, 79-53, on Dec. 10. Senior transfer Marco Killingsworth led IU with 23 points and 11 boards, marking his third double-double of the season.
Charlotte (5-4) also had the eight-day layoff, as it fell at home to Valpraiso, 80-77. This will mark the second Big Ten the 49ers have faced. Earlier the season (Nov. 14), Charlotte dropped a 61-47 decision to Northwestern.
On The Air
The Indiana-Charlotte game will be televised on ESPN2, with Dave O'Brien (play-by-play) and Jay Bilas (color commentary) on the call. Additionally, all of Indiana's games can be heard live on the IU Radio Network. WHCC (105.1 FM in Bloomington) is the flagship station for the network that has more than 50 stations broadcasting Hoosier basketball. Don Fischer (play-by-play), former Indiana guard Todd Leary (color commentary) and Joe Smith (pregame, halftime and postgame host) call all of the action.
Scouting Charlotte
Charlotte enters Monday night's contest with a 5-4 record overall, including a 2-2 mark at Halton Arena. Most recently, the 49ers fell at home, 80-77, to Valpraiso on Dec. 10.
Charlotte boasts three players in double figure scoring; however, the trio accounts for 43.7 of the team's 67.3 points per game average. Junior transfer De'Angelo Alexander leads the squad with 17.0 points to go with 7.3 rebounds per contest. Senior forward Curtis Withers accounts for 15.7 points and a team-high 10.4 boards per contest, while sophomore Leemire Goldwire contributes 11.0 points.
Charlotte's Bobby Lutz is in his eighth season at the helm of the program, leading the 49ers to six post-season tournaments, (five NCAA Tournaments) and posted four 20-win seasons. Lutz enters the contest with an overall record of 321-178 (.643) and a 140-87 (.617) mark at Charlotte.
The Charlotte Series
When Charlotte plays IU on the hardwood, the two teams usually make for an exciting contest. This is the fifth meeting between the two schools, with the Hoosiers winning three of the four games. However, the four contests have been decided by a total of 19 points - an average of 4.8 points a game. Last season was arguably the most exciting in the series history. With a two-point IU lead and seven-tenths of a second remaining in the contest, Charlotte's Brendan Plavich hit a halfcourt shot to give his team a 74-73 win in Bloomington.
Charlotte Last Time Out
Charlotte battled all the way back from a 15-point deficit early in the second half only to fall, 80-77 to visiting Valparaiso, on Dec. 10.
Alexander led all scorers with a career-high 32 points, hitting 7-of-10 three-pointers. Leemire Goldwire added 15 points for Charlotte, and Mitchell Baldwin finished with 12 and eight assists.
Charlotte shot well from beyond the arc (13-of-23, .565), hitting double-digit threes for the third straight game.
The Crusaders led by as many as 15 points in the second half. The 49ers cut back into the lead, despite Valpo's foul shooting. The Crusaders were a perfect 12-of-12 from the line, including 6-of-6 in the final 18 seconds. Charlotte still had a shot to tie, but Mitchell Baldwin's three-point attempt at the buzzer bounded off the rim.
Indiana Last Time Out
Behind a relentless and swarming defensive attack, the Indiana defeated Kentucky, 79-53, at the RCA Dome on Dec. 10. The 26-point triumph was the largest margin of victory for the Hoosiers in the 49 meetings between the two clubs.
The Hoosiers excelled from the floor with a stellar 53.3 shooting percentage (24-45). It marked the first time in 32 ballgames Kentucky has allowed an opponent to shoot over 50 percent and just the second time in its last 75 contests.
Senior forward Marco Killingsworth paced the Hoosiers with a game-high 23 points and a game-high 11 boards. Sophomore guard A.J. Ratliff netted a career-high 21 points, all in the second half, in 21 minutes of action.
Mr. Double-Double
In the Dec. 10 win over Kentucky, senior forward Marco Killingsworh collected 23 points and 11 boards to mark his third double-double this season. Last year, Indiana had a total of two double-doubles throughout the entire season, and a total of four double-doubles during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 campaigns combined.
This year, Killingsworth is nearly averaging a double-double, with 20.1 points and 8.7 boards per contest.
Davis Does It
Not only did head coach Mike Davis earn his first victory over Kentucky. His team did so in record fashion. The Hoosiers' 26-point (79-53) win was the largest margin of victory by Indiana in the series' history. The previous best mark was a 24-point win (98-74) set on Dec. 7, 1974 in Bloomington.
Welcome Back A.J.
After missing the Hoosiers' opening three contests this season recovering from a broken thumb, sophomore guard A.J. Ratliff started for the first time this season against Kentucky, and responded with a career game. Before the Dec. 10 contest, Ratliff played in three games accounting for a total of two points and 24 total minutes. Against the Wildcats, the 2004 Indiana Mr. Basketball collected a career-high 21 points - all of which came in the second half - in 21 minutes of action to help IU to a resounding 79-53 win.
Defensive Specialists
The defensive effort which was seen in the 79-53 victory over Kentucky was spectacular. The Hoosiers held the Wildcats to 53 points, shooting 31-percent from the floor, and only 2-of-27 three-point attempts (7.4 percent). All those numbers were season bests by the Hoosier defense. Additionally, the two three-pointers were lowest allowed since Feb. 3, 2004, when IU held Illinois to two threes in a 51-49 loss to the Fighting Illini. Furthermore, it also marked the first time since Jan. 21, 2003 that Indiana held a team to under 10-percent shooting from behind the arc. In that game, IU defeated Ohio State 69-51, holding the Buckeyes without a trey (0-for-9) from beyond the arc.
Making The Most Of Turnovers
A key reason why Indiana defeated Kentucky by 26 points (79-53) on Dec. 10 may have been the points off turnovers. The Hoosiers forced 19 Wildcat turnovers, turning them into 25 points. In fact, it marked the fourth time this season the Hoosiers have outscored their opponents in the category. Indiana is a perfect 4-0 when bettering its foes in points of turnovers, and 1-2 when not doing so.
Vaden's On Fire
After beginning the season slowly, sophomore guard/forward Robert Vaden has shown why he is capable of becoming one of the best players in the Big Ten. The 6-5, 224-pounder is among the team leaders in almost every category this season. Furthermore, he has been one of IU's best players over the Hoosiers' last five contests. During that stretch, the Indianapolis, Ind., native leads the team with 5.8 assists per game. He also ranks second with 14.2 points and 4.6 rebounds a contest. Additionally, Vaden has started all 36 contests since becoming a Hoosier. The next closest player in consecutive starts is Marshall Strickland who has started in 28 straight games. The last person to start 36 consecutive times was Jared Jeffries, who started all 70 games he was a Hoosier.
Strick Is The Key
One of the keys to consider whether Indiana will win a game is the play of Marshall Strickland. In the Hoosiers' five wins, Strickland is the team's second-leading scorer with 16.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest, while shooting 58-percent (29-of-50) from the floor and 61-percent (14-of-23) from behind the arc. However, in IU's two defeats, Strickland's numbers are cut in half. In losses to Duke and Indiana State, the Winfield, Md., native accounts for 8.0 points and 2.0 boards a game, while also shooting just 31-percent (4-of-13) from the floor and 17-percent (1-of-6) from three-point range.
Expecting A Return?
After breaking his left foot in an exhibition contest against Saint Joseph (Ind.) on Nov. 4, sophomore forward D.J. White has not played in any games since. That may change against Charlotte on Dec. 10. According to Indiana head coach Mike Davis, the Tuscaloosa, Ala., native, who will be a gametime decision, could see limited action against the 49ers.
