Preview: Hoosiers Return Home, Host Alcorn State

Monday, November 30

Bloomington, IN

7:00 PM

Indiana University

Alcorn State

Preview: Hoosiers Return Home, Host Alcorn State

11/29/2015 10:03:00 AM | Men's Basketball

OPENING TIP
• Indiana University is in its 116th season of men's basketball and will face Alcorn State on the final day of November. The Hoosiers are coming off a 72-69 loss on the last day of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. Alcorn fell 73-71 to Florida A & M on the final day of the Corpus Christi Coastal Classic. This will be the second all-time meeting with Alcorn State. The two programs met in the 1979 NIT Quarterfinals in Bloomington with the Hoosiers taking a 73-69 win over the Braves.

Alcorn State (0-5) vs. #13/14 Indiana (4-2)
Monday, Nov. 30 • 7:00 p.m. ET
Assembly Hall (17,472)
Live Stats: IUHoosiers.com
TV: BTN & BTN2Go (Jon Sciambi & Bill Walton)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, Joe Smith)
Series History: Indiana leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: at IU 73, Alcorn St. 69 (3/12/1979 - NIT Quarterfinals)

UP NEXT
• The Hoosiers travel to Duke on Wednesday for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Tip-off against the Blue Devils will be at 9:25 p.m. ET

HEAD COACH TOM CREAN
• Tom Crean is in his eighth year of leading the Hoosiers. Over the last four+ years, IU is 97-47 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 (1,471), Verdell Jones III (1,347), Jordan Hulls (1,318), Cody Zeller (1,157), Will Sheehey (1,120) and Victor Oladipo (1,117).

IU INSIGHT
• Since the 2011-12 season, the Hoosier offense is first in the Big Ten in points scored (76.8), field goal percentage (47.5), and three-point field goal percentage (39.9).

• In 2014-15, IU finished 6th in the country in three-point field goal percentage (40.6), 8th in the nation in three-point field goals made per game, tying a Big Ten record in the process (9.4), and 17th in scoring (77.4). All three led the Big Ten.

• The Hoosiers are 8th in the country in field goal percentage, 10th in assists, 12th in total three-point field goals made, 14th in steals, and 16th in three-point field goal percentage.

• IU was just one of 12 schools this past year to earn an APR Public Recognition Award - which means the Hoosiers were in the top 10 percent academically among all Division I men's basketball programs - and play in the NCAA Tournament.

• IU has been nationally ranked each of the last five years.

• The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten in shooting (52.7) and steals (8.7).

• The Hoosiers are 5-0 all-time against the SWAC. Their last game against a conference member came last November, an 83-64 win over Texas Southern.

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.

VERSATILE CONTRIBUTORS
The Hoosiers have seven players averaging at least seven points per game including senior Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell (15.3), sophomore James Blackmon, Jr. (14.3), freshman Thomas Bryant (12.2), junior Troy Williams (11.8), senior Nick Zeisloft (9.2), senior Max Bielfeldt (8.5) and sophomore Robert Johnson (7.0).

ZEISLOFT A BIG WEAPON
Of non-starters who have made at least 15 three-pointers this season, senior Nick Zeisloft has been the top long distance shooter off the bench making 60.8% of his three-point attempts. The graduate transfer led the Hoosiers with 17 points against UNLV, making 5-of-7 long distance calls.

BIG TEN LEADERS
The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten in field goal percentage (52.7) and steals (8.7). IU is third in the league in scoring (84.3), 3-point field goal percentage (42.7) and in assists (18.5).

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. Ferrell, now has 1,471 points in his IU career, which ranks 17th in school history. He trails Bracey Wright by 27 points for 16th. He now has 480 career assists in his IU career, which ranks fourth in school history. He trails Tom Coverdale who is third with 500. He has made 201 threes in his IU career, which ranks third in school history. He had his 23rd career 20+ point effort with 22 against St. John's. 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 42 assists and just 15 turnovers in six games. For the season, he is averaging 15.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists.

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

IU'S MAJOR CONFERENCE RANKINGS (2011-PRESENT)
• 3-point percentage, 39.9 (1st)
• Field goal percentage, 47.4 (1st)
• Free throw percentage, 73.7 (3rd)
• Points per game, 76.8 (4th)
• Home wins, 67 (5th)

ODDS AND TRENDS
• The Hoosiers have scored 165 bench points combined in their six games this season.

• Freshman Thomas Bryant had a season-high 19 points against St. John's. He made seven of nine field goal attempts. He also had 17 points against Creighton.

• Senior guard Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell is rebounding at a clip that is +3.3 his career average. He is averaging 6.5 rebounds this season .

• Redshirt senior Nick Zeisloft made his first start of the season and eighth of his career with the Hoosiers against St. John's. He has had three or more three-point field goals 15 times in his 40 game IU career.

• Junior Troy Williams came off the bench for just the fifth time in his career and had seven points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals against St. John's.

• Junior Collin Hartman has started each of the last two games and now has 15 career starts. He had three points, five rebounds and two steals in 27 minutes of action against St. John's and against UNLV he had his second four-point play during the Maui Invitational.

• Graduate transfer Max Bielfeldt came off the bench and made all four of his field goal attempts against St. John's. He had nine point and finished with three rebounds. He followed that up with nine points and four rebounds against UNLV. He has made as many starts with IU (3) as he did in three years at Michigan. In addition, he was 11 for 41 in his career with the Wolverines from three-point range and with IU he has made five of nine from long range.

• Sophomore Robert Johnson made his first start of the season and 34th of his career. He had seven points and four assists against St. John's. With his 14 points against Wake Forest, Johnson now has 14 games of double figure scoring in his career. He also is shooting 50.0 from three-point range this season making nine of 18 attempts.

• Sophomore James Blackmon, Jr., came off the bench for the first time in his career against St. John's and had 12 points, including five key points in the final 1:32. He had 13 points the next day against UNLV. He is shooting 44.7 from three-point range and has made 17 of 28 from long distance. He also had seven rebounds against UNLV and is averaging 5.2 boards during his career.

• Freshman Juwan Morgan played 11 minutes and had an offensive rebound and his first two points of his career against St. John's

• In the last calendar year, IU has defeated Butler, Creighton and St. John's of the Big East.