Indiana University Athletics
Strong Exhibition Tests Await Hoosiers With Ottawa and Bellarmine
10/6/2015 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana University men's basketball team has finalized its preseason schedule with a familiar face. The University of Ottawa (Canada), a team which beat the Hoosiers in the summer of 2014, will venture to Assembly Hall for an exhibition game on Tuesday, November 3 at 7 p.m.
The Gee-Gees are coming off a season where they finished second in Canada in 2014-15 and 2013-14. Last year, the team was 31-3 against Canadian competition. Last summer, uOttawa got hot in the fourth quarter to give IU its only loss on a five-game tour near Montreal, 109-101.
"The Ottawa program is widely considered one of the two best programs in Canada," said IU Coach Tom Crean. "James Derouin (2014-15 Canadian National Coach of the Year) of Ottawa is one of the premier coaches in all of Canada and we played them a year ago and lost to them in Montreal. We had a very hard time covering their perimeter and 3 point shooting. We are anxious to match up with them again."
In that game, Troy Williams led the Hoosiers with 27 points and James Blackmon, Jr. added 20 for IU, which shot 56.2 percent from the floor and entered the fourth quarter with a one-point lead. Two of the top three scorers for uOttawa are back in senior point guard Mike L'Africain who had 27 points and guard Vikas Gill who chipped in 21. The duo made 13 of 16 shots from long distance in the game as Ottawa made 18 of 30 from beyond the arc. During the last three summers, uOttawa also has beaten Murray State, Vermont, UIC and TCU.
The Hoosiers will complete their exhibition schedule on Monday, November 9 at 7 p.m. when they host Division II power Bellarmine. The Knights advanced to the NCAA II Final Four a season ago. Bellarmine is led by Scott Davenport, who has taken the Knights to seven straight NCAA II Tournament appearances, winning the 2011 national championship.
"Bellarmine is a model of success as a University and as an athletic program," said Crean. "Scott Davenport has been my friend for 25 years and I respect him immensely. He has made Bellarmine a national powerhouse. They will most likely be picked number one in the country and it will be a tremendous challenge for us to get ready for our season."
The Knights return 11 players and three starters from last's year final four team, and Davenport is pleased to welcome back such a seasoned squad. Among Bellarmine's returnees are juniors Josh Derksen and Rusty Troutman, who both averaged more than 11 points a game last year, and 6-10 senior George Suggs, who led the GLVC in blocked shots last season and made 46.8 percent of his 3-pointers—also a league best.
IU redshirt senior Ryan Burton played two seasons at Bellarmine and averaged 4.1 points in 58 games before coming to IU as a walk-on.
"These are the kind of games our team needs right now," Crean added. "They're going to make it very hard on us and give us great preparation for what we will have to face in November and beyond. These kind of games are going to help us get better. "
The Gee-Gees are coming off a season where they finished second in Canada in 2014-15 and 2013-14. Last year, the team was 31-3 against Canadian competition. Last summer, uOttawa got hot in the fourth quarter to give IU its only loss on a five-game tour near Montreal, 109-101.
"The Ottawa program is widely considered one of the two best programs in Canada," said IU Coach Tom Crean. "James Derouin (2014-15 Canadian National Coach of the Year) of Ottawa is one of the premier coaches in all of Canada and we played them a year ago and lost to them in Montreal. We had a very hard time covering their perimeter and 3 point shooting. We are anxious to match up with them again."
In that game, Troy Williams led the Hoosiers with 27 points and James Blackmon, Jr. added 20 for IU, which shot 56.2 percent from the floor and entered the fourth quarter with a one-point lead. Two of the top three scorers for uOttawa are back in senior point guard Mike L'Africain who had 27 points and guard Vikas Gill who chipped in 21. The duo made 13 of 16 shots from long distance in the game as Ottawa made 18 of 30 from beyond the arc. During the last three summers, uOttawa also has beaten Murray State, Vermont, UIC and TCU.
The Hoosiers will complete their exhibition schedule on Monday, November 9 at 7 p.m. when they host Division II power Bellarmine. The Knights advanced to the NCAA II Final Four a season ago. Bellarmine is led by Scott Davenport, who has taken the Knights to seven straight NCAA II Tournament appearances, winning the 2011 national championship.
"Bellarmine is a model of success as a University and as an athletic program," said Crean. "Scott Davenport has been my friend for 25 years and I respect him immensely. He has made Bellarmine a national powerhouse. They will most likely be picked number one in the country and it will be a tremendous challenge for us to get ready for our season."
The Knights return 11 players and three starters from last's year final four team, and Davenport is pleased to welcome back such a seasoned squad. Among Bellarmine's returnees are juniors Josh Derksen and Rusty Troutman, who both averaged more than 11 points a game last year, and 6-10 senior George Suggs, who led the GLVC in blocked shots last season and made 46.8 percent of his 3-pointers—also a league best.
IU redshirt senior Ryan Burton played two seasons at Bellarmine and averaged 4.1 points in 58 games before coming to IU as a walk-on.
"These are the kind of games our team needs right now," Crean added. "They're going to make it very hard on us and give us great preparation for what we will have to face in November and beyond. These kind of games are going to help us get better. "
Players Mentioned
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