Indiana University Athletics
Tuesday, December 22
Bloomington, IN
6:00 PM
Indiana University
vs
Kennesaw State
Preview: Hoosiers Close Non-Conference Slate Against Kennesaw State
12/21/2015 5:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
OPENING TIP
• Indiana University is in its 116th season of men's basketball and will host Kennesaw State in the final non-conference game for the Hoosiers this season. IU has won four in a row after rallying from a 16-point deficit against Notre Dame to post an 80-73 win in the Crossroads Classic on Saturday. Kennesaw State, which is guided by former Boston College head coach Al Skinner, will wrap up a three-game road trip (Louisville, Chattanooga, Indiana) after falling 78-66 on Friday at Chattanooga.
UP NEXT
• The Hoosiers will open Big Ten play on the road for the fifth straight year when they travel to Rutgers for a December 30 contest.
HEAD COACH TOM CREAN
• Tom Crean is in his eighth year of leading the Hoosiers. Over the last four+ years, IU is 102-48 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 (1,572), Verdell Jones III (1,347), Jordan Hulls (1,318), Cody Zeller (1,157), Will Sheehey (1,120) and Victor Oladipo (1,117).
COMEBACKS IN THE TOM CREAN ERA
Def. Date Opponent Score
16 12/19/2015 vs. Notre Dame 80-73
15 01/11/2014 at Penn State 79-76
12 11/20/2014 SMU 74-68
11 01/18/2015 at Illinois 80-74
11 03/10/2013 at Michigan 72-71
10 01/14/2014 Wisconsin 75-72
NOTRE DAME NOTABLES
• IU outscored the Irish 40-17 over the final 15:11.
• IU's defense held the Irish to 30.7% shooting from the field (8 for 26) during that span including a 1-for-8 effort from downtown.
• The Hoosier bench outscored the Irish bench, 14-0, in the second half. Junior Collin Hartman led the way with nine off the pine and hit the go-ahead free throws with 57 seconds to go.
• Junior Troy Williams had 16 of his 18 points in the second half. He had his eighth career double-double with 18 points and 10 boards. He also had 22 points and 11 rebounds against Butler in the Crossroads Classic last season.
• In the final 5:00 of the game, Indiana went 9-of-10 from the free throw line.
• IU went 10-of-20 from behind the 3-point line in the game, marking the seventh time in 12 games that they have made at least 10 triples.
• With 20 offensive rebounds, IU has won 10 straight games since 2010 when it has hauled in 20 or more of its own missed shots. Overall, IU outrebounded Notre Dame 21-13 in the second half.
MORE TROY WILLIAMS
• Junior forward Troy Williams is averaging 15.3 points and 12.0 rebounds, Including a 15 points, 19 rebounds and five blocks against IPFW. He is sixth in the Big Ten, averaging 7.2 rebounds per game. Since 96-97, only 12 players have posted 15 points, 19 rebounds and five blocked shots in 33 minutes or less like Williams did that night.
FERRELL IN RARE COMPANY
• Senior guard Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell is one of two active players in the country to have at least 1,550 career points (1,572), 500 assists (511) and 350 rebounds (other is Juan'ya Green, Hofstra) He posted a career-high 38 points against IPFW, which is the most for an individual in a game in the Tom Crean Era, surpassing the 33 scored by James Blackmon, Jr., Nov. 30 against Alcorn State. It also was the most at Assembly Hall by an IU player since Steve Alford scored 42 points vs. Michigan State (2/4/87) and is tied for the fifth most by any IU player at Assembly Hall.He was 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. Ferrell now has 1,572 points in his IU career, which ranks 14th on the all-time list at IU. He is 19 points from passing Greg Graham for 13th on the list. He also has 511 career assists in his IU career, which ranks third in school history. He has made 242 3FG in his IU career, which ranks third in school history. For the season, he is averaging 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.1assists.
IU'S MAJOR CONFERENCE RANKINGS (2011-PRESENT)
• 3-point FG percentage, 40.2(1st)
• Field goal percentage, 47.7 (1st)
• Free throw percentage, 73.7 (3rd)
• Points per game, 77.2 (4th)
ODDS AND TRENDS
• The Hoosiers have notched 50 percent or better shooting in 17 out of 24 halves played so far this season.
• Since the start of the 2011-12 season, IU is 102-48, giving the Hoosiers 100 wins in a similar span for the first time since 1999 to 2004 when IU won 101 games in five full seasons (162 games).
• In the first six games of the season, IU was averaging 18.1 trips to the free throw line making 62.3 percent from the line. In the last six games, the Hoosiers are going to the line 24.5 times per game and making 75.8 percent of its charity tosses.
• No major college team has been a better 3-point shooting team over the last 4+ years than IU. In their last 149 games, IU has made 40.2 percent of its long distance tries. The next closest program to the Hoosiers is Duke at 38.8 percent and in the Big Ten, Michigan is second at 37.5 percent.
• Sophomore Robert Johnson had 17 points, three assists, three rebounds and two blocks against Notre Dame. In the last five games, he is averaging 11.2 points and shooting 63.2 percent from behind the arc. He is second in the Big Ten, shooting 57.3 percent from 3-point range. The Hoosiers are 6-0 in games he has started this season.
• Sophomore James Blackmon, Jr., had a career-high 33 points against Alcorn State and is third in the league in 3-point field goals made, at 2.7 per game. He is 8th in 3-point field goal percentage (45.2) and 10th in scoring (15.6). He had 24 points against McNeese State.
• Freshman Thomas Bryant leads Big Ten in field goal percentage at 69.9 percent. He had 18 points and nine rebounds against McNeese and made all seven of his field goal attempts. He had 10 points, five rebounds and two assists against Notre Dame.
• Senior Max Bielfeldt is second in the Big Ten in field goal shooting at 65.1 percent. He has made 21 of his last 33 shots and had 11 points and six rebounds against McNeese State. He is averaging 9.1 points in Assembly Hall this season.
• Over the last two seasons, senior Nick Zeisloft is the second-best 3-point shooter among major conference players, making 47.1 percent of his 3-point attempts (88-for-187). He is fourth in the Big Ten, shooting 53.5 percent from long distance.
• In the last two games, junior Collin Hartman is averaging 7.0 points and 3.5 rebounds and has shot 55.5 percent from the field. In the last three games, Hartman has nine assists and two turnovers.
• Freshman O.G. Anunoby had a career-high three offensive rebounds against Notre Dame. In his seven minutes, he had a key putback dunk that spurred the IU rally. He finished with four total rebounds.
Coach Crean On Kennesaw State:
"Kennesaw State is very well coached, with Al Skinner. They run the flex offense at a very high level. (Yonel) Brown and (Kendrick) Ray are both taking a lot of shots; they are both very active. They have played a tough schedule. The flex offense provides enough to keep us busy, especially with how good they are at running it. They offense rebound the bound the ball very well. It is just a matter of us continuing to improve, build on what we want to get better at, and that is what we have been focused on. That plays right into putting that into the game plan. The bottom line for us is daily improvement and carrying that into the game."
• Indiana University is in its 116th season of men's basketball and will host Kennesaw State in the final non-conference game for the Hoosiers this season. IU has won four in a row after rallying from a 16-point deficit against Notre Dame to post an 80-73 win in the Crossroads Classic on Saturday. Kennesaw State, which is guided by former Boston College head coach Al Skinner, will wrap up a three-game road trip (Louisville, Chattanooga, Indiana) after falling 78-66 on Friday at Chattanooga.
| Kennesaw State (3-10) vs. Indiana (9-3) Tuesday, Dec. 22 • 6:00 p.m. ET Assembly Hall (17,472) • Bloomington, Ind. Live Stats: IUHoosiers.com TV: BTN & BTN2Go (Cory Provus & Jon Crispin) Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, Joe Smith) Series History: Indiana leads, 1-0 Last Meeting: at IU 90, KSU 66 (12/22/13) |
UP NEXT
• The Hoosiers will open Big Ten play on the road for the fifth straight year when they travel to Rutgers for a December 30 contest.
HEAD COACH TOM CREAN
• Tom Crean is in his eighth year of leading the Hoosiers. Over the last four+ years, IU is 102-48 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 (1,572), Verdell Jones III (1,347), Jordan Hulls (1,318), Cody Zeller (1,157), Will Sheehey (1,120) and Victor Oladipo (1,117).
COMEBACKS IN THE TOM CREAN ERA
Def. Date Opponent Score
16 12/19/2015 vs. Notre Dame 80-73
15 01/11/2014 at Penn State 79-76
12 11/20/2014 SMU 74-68
11 01/18/2015 at Illinois 80-74
11 03/10/2013 at Michigan 72-71
10 01/14/2014 Wisconsin 75-72
NOTRE DAME NOTABLES
• IU outscored the Irish 40-17 over the final 15:11.
• IU's defense held the Irish to 30.7% shooting from the field (8 for 26) during that span including a 1-for-8 effort from downtown.
• The Hoosier bench outscored the Irish bench, 14-0, in the second half. Junior Collin Hartman led the way with nine off the pine and hit the go-ahead free throws with 57 seconds to go.
• Junior Troy Williams had 16 of his 18 points in the second half. He had his eighth career double-double with 18 points and 10 boards. He also had 22 points and 11 rebounds against Butler in the Crossroads Classic last season.
• In the final 5:00 of the game, Indiana went 9-of-10 from the free throw line.
• IU went 10-of-20 from behind the 3-point line in the game, marking the seventh time in 12 games that they have made at least 10 triples.
• With 20 offensive rebounds, IU has won 10 straight games since 2010 when it has hauled in 20 or more of its own missed shots. Overall, IU outrebounded Notre Dame 21-13 in the second half.
MORE TROY WILLIAMS
• Junior forward Troy Williams is averaging 15.3 points and 12.0 rebounds, Including a 15 points, 19 rebounds and five blocks against IPFW. He is sixth in the Big Ten, averaging 7.2 rebounds per game. Since 96-97, only 12 players have posted 15 points, 19 rebounds and five blocked shots in 33 minutes or less like Williams did that night.
FERRELL IN RARE COMPANY
• Senior guard Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell is one of two active players in the country to have at least 1,550 career points (1,572), 500 assists (511) and 350 rebounds (other is Juan'ya Green, Hofstra) He posted a career-high 38 points against IPFW, which is the most for an individual in a game in the Tom Crean Era, surpassing the 33 scored by James Blackmon, Jr., Nov. 30 against Alcorn State. It also was the most at Assembly Hall by an IU player since Steve Alford scored 42 points vs. Michigan State (2/4/87) and is tied for the fifth most by any IU player at Assembly Hall.He was 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. Ferrell now has 1,572 points in his IU career, which ranks 14th on the all-time list at IU. He is 19 points from passing Greg Graham for 13th on the list. He also has 511 career assists in his IU career, which ranks third in school history. He has made 242 3FG in his IU career, which ranks third in school history. For the season, he is averaging 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.1assists.
IU'S MAJOR CONFERENCE RANKINGS (2011-PRESENT)
• 3-point FG percentage, 40.2(1st)
• Field goal percentage, 47.7 (1st)
• Free throw percentage, 73.7 (3rd)
• Points per game, 77.2 (4th)
ODDS AND TRENDS
• The Hoosiers have notched 50 percent or better shooting in 17 out of 24 halves played so far this season.
• Since the start of the 2011-12 season, IU is 102-48, giving the Hoosiers 100 wins in a similar span for the first time since 1999 to 2004 when IU won 101 games in five full seasons (162 games).
• In the first six games of the season, IU was averaging 18.1 trips to the free throw line making 62.3 percent from the line. In the last six games, the Hoosiers are going to the line 24.5 times per game and making 75.8 percent of its charity tosses.
• No major college team has been a better 3-point shooting team over the last 4+ years than IU. In their last 149 games, IU has made 40.2 percent of its long distance tries. The next closest program to the Hoosiers is Duke at 38.8 percent and in the Big Ten, Michigan is second at 37.5 percent.
• Sophomore Robert Johnson had 17 points, three assists, three rebounds and two blocks against Notre Dame. In the last five games, he is averaging 11.2 points and shooting 63.2 percent from behind the arc. He is second in the Big Ten, shooting 57.3 percent from 3-point range. The Hoosiers are 6-0 in games he has started this season.
• Sophomore James Blackmon, Jr., had a career-high 33 points against Alcorn State and is third in the league in 3-point field goals made, at 2.7 per game. He is 8th in 3-point field goal percentage (45.2) and 10th in scoring (15.6). He had 24 points against McNeese State.
• Freshman Thomas Bryant leads Big Ten in field goal percentage at 69.9 percent. He had 18 points and nine rebounds against McNeese and made all seven of his field goal attempts. He had 10 points, five rebounds and two assists against Notre Dame.
• Senior Max Bielfeldt is second in the Big Ten in field goal shooting at 65.1 percent. He has made 21 of his last 33 shots and had 11 points and six rebounds against McNeese State. He is averaging 9.1 points in Assembly Hall this season.
• Over the last two seasons, senior Nick Zeisloft is the second-best 3-point shooter among major conference players, making 47.1 percent of his 3-point attempts (88-for-187). He is fourth in the Big Ten, shooting 53.5 percent from long distance.
• In the last two games, junior Collin Hartman is averaging 7.0 points and 3.5 rebounds and has shot 55.5 percent from the field. In the last three games, Hartman has nine assists and two turnovers.
• Freshman O.G. Anunoby had a career-high three offensive rebounds against Notre Dame. In his seven minutes, he had a key putback dunk that spurred the IU rally. He finished with four total rebounds.
Coach Crean On Kennesaw State:
"Kennesaw State is very well coached, with Al Skinner. They run the flex offense at a very high level. (Yonel) Brown and (Kendrick) Ray are both taking a lot of shots; they are both very active. They have played a tough schedule. The flex offense provides enough to keep us busy, especially with how good they are at running it. They offense rebound the bound the ball very well. It is just a matter of us continuing to improve, build on what we want to get better at, and that is what we have been focused on. That plays right into putting that into the game plan. The bottom line for us is daily improvement and carrying that into the game."
Players Mentioned
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