#IUBB Game 8 Preview: Savannah State
12/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 5, 2014
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GAME 8
Saturday, Dec. 6 -- Indiana (6-1) vs. Savannah State (2-5), 7:30 p.m. ET
Video: BTN (Chris Denari and Dan Bonner) | BTN2Go
Live Stats: Gametracker
Game Notes: Indiana Notes | Savannah State Notes
Last Meeting: 11/19/2011 - at Indiana 94, SSU 65
All-Time Series: Indiana leads, 2-0
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OPENING TIP
• The 2014-15 college basketball season represents the 115th in the history of Indiana University. The Hoosiers are coming off an 81-69 win over Pittsburgh in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
UP NEXT
• IU will travel to New York City and Madison Square Garden to face Louisville in the Jimmy V Classic, Tuesday, December 9.
AGAINST SAVANNAH STATE
• The Hoosiers won both previous matchups against the Tigers. IU won 79-57 on December 4, 2010 and 94-65 on November 19, 2011.
HEAD COACH Tom Crean
• Indiana named Tom Crean as its 28th men's basketball coach on April 2, 2008, and he is in his seventh year with the Hoosiers. He is 297-194 all-time as a head coach and in the last 3+ years, he has led IU to a 79-32 record, the 2013 Big Ten Championship and back-to-back appearances for the Hoosiers in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1994. In 2012-13, he was named NABC District 7 and USBWA District V Coach of the Year. In the last two seasons, Crean has mentored three NBA Lottery picks which is tied with Kansas for the most among NCAA schools in that span.
• Crean is the only Big Ten coach to mentor an NBA lottery pick, a National Player of the Year, a first team All-American, a first team Academic All-American and a Senior Class Award winner this decade.
• Over the last three years, Since 2011-12, Indiana leads all Big Ten teams in scoring (76.9), field goal percentage (47.8), three-point field goal percentage (39.7), free throw percentage (74.4) and free throws made (2,028).
• The Hoosiers 3-point field goal percentage is the highest among major college conference schools in that time frame.
• With the win over No. 22 SMU, IU leads Big Ten teams with 16 regular season wins over Top 25 teams since the start of the 2011-12 season.
IU INSIGHT
• Among freshmen, James Blackmon, Jr. leads all freshmen nationally in scoring (19.7) and 3-point FG made (22) and is second in free throw percentage (87.5) and 3-point FG percent (53.7). He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on November 24 after averaging 22 points and 6 rebounds in wins over Texas Southern, SMU and Lamar.
• Junior Kevin Yogi Ferrell, a Wooden, Naismith and Cousy Award candidate, is averaging 17.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists in his last three games. He made 22 of 25 FT's during that time. He is the top scorer in the Big Ten junior class with 944 points and also leads that group in assists (311).
• Sophomore Collin Hartman has had a career-high 7 points in each of his last three games. He also added a career-best 5 rebounds against Pittsburgh.
• Freshman Robert Johnson had a career-best 9 assists against Pittsburgh.
• Freshman Emmitt Holt scored 15 points (6 of 6 from the field) and added 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots against Pittsburgh.
• No Hoosier played more than 29 minutes against Pittsburgh.
THREE YEAR WIN TOTAL
• The Hoosiers 73 wins from 2011-12 to 2013-14 represents the highest three-year win total for IU since 1990-91 to 1992-93.
FROM LAST YEAR
• IU was sixth in the country last year in rebound margin (+7.6) and 12th in the country in three-point field goal percentage defense.
NUMBERS
• The Hoosiers are 8th in the country in scoring (87.4), 11th in 3-FG% (43.3), 15th in over FG percentage (51.7). IU has improved from 325th in the country last year in assist/turnover ratio to 38th in the country after 7 games. In addition, the Hoosiers were shooting 28.0 from long range after seven games a year ago and are now hitting on 43.3 of their 3-point shots.
WOODEN AND NAISMITH AWARDS
• The Los Angeles Athletic Club has announced its Preseason Top 50 for the John R. Wooden Award and the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced their Top 50 Watch List for the Naismith Trophy and the list includes IU junior guard Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell.
Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the lists are comprised of 50 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for both major national awards.
Ferrell is averaging 17.1 points and 5.6 assists and is shooting 46.2 percent from three-point range
TISDALE AWARD
• James Blackmon, Jr., and Robert Johnson have been named to the watch list for the Wayman Tisdale award, which is handed out by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) to the top freshman in the country each season.
Blackmon Jr., a native of Marion, Ind., has started all even games for the Hoosiers this season and is averaging 19.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest. He is also shooting 53.7 percent (22-of-41) from behind the 3-point line.
Johnson has also started all seven games so far and is averaging 12.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4 assists per game. The Richmond, Va., native has made 52.6 percent of his shots from the floor and leads the team with eight steals.
ODDS AND TRENDS
• Sophomore Troy Williams is averaging 12.2 points and is tied for the lead in steals with 8. He is shooting 59.5 from the field. He is tied for the team lead in rebounds at 5.4.
• Freshman Robert Johnson is averaging 11.3 points and is tied for the lead in steals with 8. He is averaging 4.1 rebounds per game and is second on the team with 28 assists.
• Junior Nick Zeisloft is averaging 7.3 points per game and is shooting 40.6 percent from three-point range.
• Junior Hanner Mosquera-Perea is averaging 8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds and has made 21 of 30 field goal attempts (70.0).
• Sophomore Stanford Robinson is third on the team in assists with 10.
• Freshman Emmitt Holt has made 8 of 9 field goal attempts and is tied for the team lead in blocked shots with 4 in 36 minutes of play.
• Since the 2010-11 season, the Hoosiers have a 54-11 record against non-conference opposition.
ARMED FORCES CLASSIC
• In 2016, the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, Hawaii will host a doubleheader just weeks ahead of the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Indiana and Kansas will meet in one of the games, with Arizona and Michigan State meeting in the other.
STAFF WITH EXPERIENCE
• The Hoosiers have four former head coaches on their coaching staff this season.
• Associate Head Coach Tim Buckley begins his seventh year at Indiana. Former head coach at Ball State. His Cardinals beat #3 Kansas and #4 UCLA at the 2001 Maui Classic.
• Associate Head Coach Steve McClain is in his fifth year in Bloomington. Former head coach at Wyoming who led the Cowboys to the 2002 NCAA Tournament and a win over Gonzaga.
• Assistant Coach Chuck Martin joined the IU staff this past summer. Former head coach at Marist.
• Director of Operations Rob Judson came to IU in mid-season a year ago. Former head coach at Northern Illinois, who captured a MAC West title.
EIGHT IN THE PROS
• Eight of Tom Crean's former IU players are currently playing professional basketball.
Victor Oladipo (Orlando),14.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 3.1 apg.
Cody Zeller (Charlotte), 8.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg.
Noah Vonleh (Charlotte), 2.7 ppg., 2.7 rpg.
Christian Watford (Maine), 14.7 ppg., 7.8 rpg. Verdell Jones III (Japan), 16.9 ppg., 4.2 assists
Jordan Hulls (Kosovo) 9.6 ppg., 4.8 rpg, 6.1 apg.
Will Sheehey (Montenegro) 4.2 ppg., 1.9 rpg.
Derek Elston (Portugal) 15.7 ppg., 5.2 rpg.
