Indiana University Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosts Northeastern on Monday
12/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 18, 2008
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
INDIANA (5-5) vs. NORTHEASTERN (5-4)
Monday, Dec. 22, 2008, 9:00 p.m. ET
Assembly Hall - 17,357 (Bloomington, Ind.)
Series Record: Indiana leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: Indiana 103, Northeastern 65
(12/28/01 - Indianapolis)
TV: Big Ten Network (Gus Johnson and John Laskowski)
RADIO: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Todd Leary and Joe Smith)
THE OPENING TIP
Indiana will take on Northeastern in its first game during the holiday break. The Hoosiers will bring a 4-0 home record into the contest, with Indiana last winning at Assembly Hall on December 10, 66-56 over TCU. Indiana is 193-18 all-time against non-conference foes in Assembly Hall. The Huskies boast a two-game winning streak on the road having defeated Harvard, 76-71, in overtime on December 10 and James Madison, 60-55, on December 6. This will be the third meeting between the two teams. IU defeated the Huskies, 100-78 in Maui in 1990 and 103-65 in Indianapolis in December, 2001. The Hoosiers are 10-0 against schools from the Colonial Athletic Association. Last year, Indiana defeated UNC-Wilmington, 95-71, in the preliminary round of the Chicago Invitational Challenge.
HOOSIER FRESHMEN AMONG TOPS IN BIG TEN
Freshman Tom Pritchard leads Big Ten freshmen in rebounds (7.6) and is tied for the top spot among rookies in scoring (13.1), is second in field goal percentage (56.0), and is fourth in blocked shots (1.0). Overall, he is the top offensive rebounder in the league averaging 3.9 per game. Daniel Moore is the top freshman in assists (4.1). Fellow rookie Matt Roth is ranked fourth among freshmen in three-point field percentage (41.9) and third in three-point field goals made per game (1.8). Six of the top seven scorers on the Hoosiers are true freshmen.
THE COACHES
Indiana named Tom Crean as its 28th men's basketball coach on April 2, 2008 and he is 5-5 with the Hoosiers. He came to Indiana from Marquette where he was 190-96 (66.4) in nine seasons and made five NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2003 Final Four. Coach Crean has never faced Northeastern. Bill Coen is in his third year with the Huskies and he is 32-40.
TOUGH SCHEDULE
By a wide margin, the Hoosiers have played the toughest non-conference schedule among members of the Big Ten. The latest Sagarin ratings have IU's schedule ranked as the 39th toughest in the country. Michigan is 76th, Michigan State is 110th, Ohio State is 126th, Wisconsin is 149th, Northwestern is 222nd, Illinois is 232nd, Purdue is 246th, Iowa is 280th, Minnesota is 311th, and Penn State is 323rd. The Hoosiers have played six games away from Assembly Hall, including three against nationally ranked teams (Notre Dame, Wake Forest and Gonzaga). The Hoosiers didn't play their sixth game away from home last year until January at Minnesota, their 16th game of the season.
UP NEXT
The Hoosiers will return to action on Sunday evening, December 28, to host Lipscomb. Big Ten play will open January 3 at Iowa.
