Preview: IU Opens With Wake Forest in Maui

Monday, November 23

Maui, HI

5:00 PM

Indiana University

Wake Forest

11/21/2015 10:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball

OPENING TIP
• Indiana University is in its 116th season of men's basketball and will face Wake Forest in the first round of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. The Hoosiers, 3-0, return four starters from a team which made the program's 38th NCAA Tournament appearance a season again and defeated Creighton, 86-65 on Thursday. Wake Forest is 2-1, after falling at home to Richmond, 91-82 on Wednesday. This will be the Hoosiers sixth appearance in the Maui Invitational. IU won the event in 2002 and also came to the island in 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2008.

Wake Forest (2-1) at #14/15 Indiana (3-0)
Monday, Nov. 23 • 5:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. HT
Maui Jim Maui Invitational
Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Live Stats: IUHoosiers.com
TV: ESPN2 (Jon Sciambi & Bill Walton)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, Joe Smith)
Sirius/XMRadio: Channel 81
Series History: Wake Forest leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: IU 58, at WAKE 83 (12/03/2008 in Winston-Salem, N.C.)

UP NEXT
• The Hoosiers will play either St. John's or Vanderbilt on Tuesday.

HEAD COACH TOM CREAN
• Tom Crean begins his eighth year of leading the Hoosiers. Over the last four+ years, IU is 96-45 and leads the Big Ten with 19 regular season wins over ranked opponents during that time. During that same span, the Hoosiers have appeared nationally ranked in at least one major poll during the season. He has also seen a Big Ten best three players selected in the NBA lottery over the last three years and has recruited a McDonald's All-American in each of the last five years. In addition, he has seen seven of his players score 1,000 points or more in an IU uniform. Since 2011, the Hoosiers have averaged 23 wins per season compared to 20 averaged at IU from 1995-2008. Seven players have scored 1,000 points in their career under Tom Crean at Indiana. Christian Watford (1,730), Yogi Ferrell (1,429), Verdell Jones III (1,347), Jordan Hulls (1,318), Cody Zeller (1,157), Will Sheehey (1,120) and Victor Oladipo (1,117).

WOODEN AWARD
The John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy's announced its Preseason Top 50 today on ESPN's SportsCenter and on ESPN.com. Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for college basketball's most prestigious individual honor. IU has three players on the Preseason Top 50 list that was announced on Tuesday. The Hoosiers are represented by senior guard Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell, junior forward Troy Williams and sophomore guard James Blackmon, Jr. IU is tied with Kentucky with three players among those listed.

EXPERIENCE STARTING
Ferrell has started all 105 games he has played in, Williams has started 63 of 67 games that he has played in and Blackmon, Jr., has started all 36 games of his career.

NUMBERS THAT JUMP OUT AT YOU
The Hoosiers average 11.7 three-point field goals per game, 19.3 assists, 9.7 steals, 35.7 field goals made, 41.3 rebounds, and a +16.7 rebound margin.

DEFENSIVE CREDIT
Against Austin Peay, the Hoosiers forced 23 turnovers, the most by an IU opponent since December, 2011 against Stetson. In addition, IU had 14 steals, the most for the Hoosiers since November, 2011 against Butler. Against Eastern Illinois, the Hoosiers matched their 14-15 season lows of first half points allowed (17) and points allowed in a game (49). IU held Creighton to a 3 of 18 performance from long range including an 0-of-9 effort in the second half.

FERRELL PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
• Senior All-Big Ten guard Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell has been named second team Preseason All-American by The Sporting News and USA Today, in addition to garnering third team honors from Athlon Sports and fourth team mention in Blue Ribbon Magazine. A first-team NABC and USBWA All-District selection last season, Ferrell was sixth in the Big Ten averaging 16.3 points and was fourth in assists at 4.9. He also has made a three-pointer in 68 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the nation. Ferrell, now has 1,429 points in his IU career, which ranks 19th in school history. He trails Walt Bellamy by 12 points for 18th. He now has 459 career assists in his IU career, which ranks sixth in school history. He trails Jamal Meeks and Damon Bailey, who are tied for fourth with 474. He has made 1989threes in his IU career, which ranks fourth in school history. Against Austin Peay, he had 22 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Against Creighton, he had 15 points, a career-high nine rebounds and six assists. For the season, he has 21 assists and just 8 turnovers in two games. For the season, he is averaging 16.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists.

STRANGLEHOLD
• The Hoosiers have used a debilitating run in to put away each of its games this season. Against Ottawa, IU went on a 23-0 run midway through the second half and in the first half against Bellarmine, the Hoosiers broke the game open with an 18-0 spurt. Against EIU, the Hoosiers closed out the final 8:22 of the first half with a 27-3 outburst. IU also went on a 35-17 second-half run for a 10-minute period against Austin Peay. Against Creighton, a 17-4 first half run broke open a close game with 9:53 left in the half.

WATCH LISTS
• The Indiana Hoosiers were well represented on the preseason watch lists released by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this month. The watch lists recognize the top 20 players in the country at each of the five positions on the court. Here's who was recognized from Indiana:

Bob Cousy Award (Top PG): Kevin Yogi Ferrell
Jerry West Award (Top SG): James Blackmon Jr.
Julius Erving Award (Top SF): Troy Williams
K. Abdul-Jabbar Award (Top C): Thomas Bryant

4-0
• The Hoosiers are 3-0 for the sixth straight year and also will look to be 4-0 for the sixth straight season.

IU'S MAJOR CONFERENCE RANKINGS (2011-PRESENT)
• 3-point percentage, 39.9 (1st)
• Field goal percentage, 47.4 (1st)
• Free throw percentage, 73.9 (2nd)
• Points per game, 76.8 (4th)
• Home wins, 67 (5th)

LOOKING BACK AT CREIGHTON
• Indiana shot 35-of-70 (50 percent) from the field, the third straight game shooting over 50 percent. Last season the Hoosiers shot 50 percent or better in 11 games.

• Indiana had 51 first half points against Creighton, marking the third consecutive half with over 50 points (51 each half against Austin Peay).

• The Hoosiers have scored 81 bench points combined in their three games this season.

• Five Indiana players scored in double-figures, led by sophomore James Blackmon Jr. with 19 points. The Hoosiers have had at least five players in double-figures each game this season.

• Freshman Thomas Bryant scored a season-high 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds. He also tallied four blocks and two assists.

• Redshirt Nick Zeisloft scored 12 points off the bench for the Hoosiers on 4-of-6 from three-point range. He is 9-of-14 (64.3 percent) on three-point attempts this season.

• Junior Troy Williams scored 13 points and added four rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal.

• Junior Collin Hartman scored six points and posted six rebounds.

• Graduate transfer Max Bielfeldt made his second career start in three games with the Hoosiers. He started three games in three years at Michigan.