Indiana University Athletics
Saturday, November 19
Bloomington, Ind.
7:00 PM
Indiana University
vs
Liberty
PREVIEW: #5/6 Indiana Hosts Liberty As Indiana Classic Continues
11/18/2016 11:06:00 AM | Men's Basketball
OPENING TIP
• Indiana University begins its 117th season and the defending Big Ten Champions are ranked 5th in the USA Today Coaches Poll and 6th in the Associated Press Preseason Poll. IU is 2-0 for the 10th straight season, and 9th under Tom Crean. IU was ranked 9th in the final rankings a season ago - the 2nd in 4 years the Hoosiers finished the year ranked in the top 10.
UP NEXT
• The Hoosiers will travel to Fort Wayne on November 22 as part of the Indiana Classic.
HEAD COACH TOM CREAN
• Tom Crean, the 2016 Big Ten Coach of the Year, begins his ninth year of leading the Hoosiers. Over the last five years, IU is 122-53 and leads the Big Ten with 24 regular season wins over ranked opponents during that time. IU is nationally ranked for the sixth straight season. Eight players in his first six recruiting classes have scored 1,000 points in their career under Crean at Indiana. Yogi Ferrell (1,986), Christian Watford (1,730), Verdell Jones III (1,347), Jordan Hulls (1,318), Cody Zeller (1,157), Will Sheehey (1,120), Victor Oladipo (1,117) and Troy Williams (1,115) also have scored 1,000 points or more. From the Class of 2014, James Blackmon, Jr., is the next closest Hoosier to approach the mark. He has scored 773 points in a season and a half. Three players, Yogi Ferrell (2016), Cody Zeller (2013) and Victor Oladipo (2013) have been selected as All-Americans. In addition, Oladipo earned two National Player of the Year honors and was named National Defensive Player of the Year. IU won the 2013 and 2016 Big Ten titles outright. Last year's outright title is the team's second in a four year period with the last time that happened at IU coming in 1980, 81 and 83. The Hoosiers are now tied for the Big Ten lead in overall championships (22) and outright titles (13).
THE SERIES
• This is the first meeting with Liberty of the Big South Conference. IU is 3-0 against teams from that league with wins over Longwood, Coastal Carolina and Gardner-Webb.
DID YOU KNOW
• Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay is in his fourth year as the head coach of the Flames, as he led them from 2007-09, became an assistant at Virginia and came back prior to last season. His record is 53-48 and he was the 2016 Big South Coach of the Year.
• The Hoosiers won their first game in the Indiana Classic, 100-78 over UMass Lowell on Wednesday night.
• After his 26-point, six-rebound effort against Kansas, junior James Blackmon, Jr., was named National Player of the Week by NBC and Co-Big Ten Player of the Week. Freshman Curtis Jones, who had 15 points in 16 minutes, was named Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
• Since 2011-12, IU has had the most potent offense in the Big Ten, leading in points scored (78.0), field goal percentage (47.9), and 3-point field goal percentage (40.3). The Hoosiers lead all major conference schools in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage during that same time frame.
• Five former Crean-coached Hoosiers are on active NBA rosters including Cody Zeller (Charlotte), Victor Oladipo (Oklahoma City), Noah Vonleh (Portland), Yogi Ferrell (Brooklyn) and Troy Williams (Memphis). Three of his former players at Marquette also are active including Dwyane Wade (Chicago), Steve Novak (Milwaukee) and Wes Matthews (Dallas). Oladipo just signed a 4-year, $84 million extension and Zeller got 4-years and $56 million.
• Junior James Blackmon, Jr. and sophomore center Thomas Bryant are among 50 candidates for the 2017 Naismith Award and John Wooden Award.
• The Hoosiers have the only ranked win in the Big Ten the first week of the season. The rest of the league is 0-4 with Michigan State losing twice and Wisconsin and Purdue once apiece.
• During the last two years, the Hoosiers have averaged 9.7 3-point field goals per game, the most of any major college program. Villanova is second at 8.9. IU is averaging a national best 13.0 per game early this season.
• IU leads the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage (44.8) and steals (8.5) this season. The Hoosiers are second in offensive rebounds, averaging 18.5 per game.
• Blackmon, Jr., leads the Big Ten in scoring (24.5) and 3-point field goals per game (4.5).
• IU has scored 100 points or more in back-to-back games for the first time since 2005 and for the first time in the first two games of the season since the 1992-93 season.
• The Hoosiers have three former head coaches on their coaching staff this season (Buckley, Martin, Judson). Associate Head Coach Tim Buckley begins his ninth year at Indiana. The former head coach at Ball State, his Cardinals beat No. 3 Kansas and No. 4 UCLA at the 2001 Maui Classic. Assistant Coach Chuck Martin is in his third year with the Hoosiers and was the head coach at Marist (2008-13). Assistant Coach Rob Judson is in his second year as an assistant coach after serving as Director of Operations in early 2014. He was the head coach at Northern Illinois (2001-07) and won the MAC West title in 2006.
• Bryant was named Preseason All-American by Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook (first team) and NBCSports.com (second team). He averaged 14.4 points and 5.5 rebounds in postseason play. Had 19 points, five rebounds and two steals against Kentucky. He led the Big Ten in field goal percentage. He also was named Preseason All-Big Ten and is on the Kareem Abdul Jabbar Watch List (Top Center).
• Blackmon Jr. is tied for the highest career average (16.1) of any player who has played for Crean at Indiana (Cody Zeller). When he went down prior to the start of Big Ten play in December 2015, he was averaging 15.8 points and shooting 46.3 percent from 3-point range. He had a career-high 33 points against Alcorn State as a sophomore. He was named Preseason All-Big Ten and is on the Jerry West Award watch list. In the second half and overtime of the Kansas game and the first half of the UMass Lowell contest, Blackmon scored 42 points combined.
• Junior guard Robert Johnson is the most experienced Hoosier, having started 57 career games. Coming off of ankle surgery, he is averaging 13.0 points and is tied for second on the team with seven assists. He had 16 against UMass Lowell.
• Senior forward Collin Hartman will begin rehab for his knee immediately. He played three games in the NCAA Tournament with a fractured wrist and averaged 5.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 rebounds.
• Sophomore forward OG Anunoby is a preseason All-American and elite defender who is averaging 14.0 points, 5.5 boards and is tied for the team lead at 4.0 steals. He had a career-high 15 points against UMass Lowell. He made his first career start last week against the Jayhawks. He is on the Julius Erving Award List.
• Junior guard Josh Newkirk has fit right in with the Hoosier attack averaging 7.5 points and a team-high 4.0 assists. He has made all three of his three-point field goal attempts. At Pittsburgh, he averaged 5.9 points and 2.7 assists as a sophomore. In his career, he had 154 assists and 77 turnovers.
• Sophomore forward Juwan Morgan came on in the last nine games of the 2015-16 season despite shoulder issues. He has been an everyman for the Hoosiers averaging 6.5 points and a team-high 8.5 boards per game. He also has seven assists and just one turnover.
• Junior Freddie McSwain, Jr. is a Georgia native who comes to IU after averaging 14.0 points and 8.4 rebounds at Neosho County Community College. He had his first basket against UMass Lowell and averages 3.5 boards.
• Freshman De'Ron Davis has made 5 of his 7 shots and had 8 points in the win over UMass Lowell. He also hit two key free throws in the final minute in the win over Kansas. Freshman Curtis Jones is a Virginia native and a Boo Williams AAU product. He played with Thomas Bryant and Miles Bridges at Huntington Prep. He had seven of his 15 points in overtime in beating Kansas. Freshman guard Devonte Green is another big-bodied guard who had 6 points and a career-high 4 steals against UMass Lowell.
Most Wins Vs. AP Top 3 Teams, Since 2011-12
Duke 6
Indiana 5
Kansas 5
Wisconsin 5
• Before the win over No. 2/3 Kansas on Friday, IU had lost the last three times it had opened the season against a nationally ranked team. IU fell to No. 17 Louisville in 1984, to No. 11 UCLA in 1991 and to No. 24 Temple in 1997.
IU INSIGHT
• IU has now won 32 straight home openers and have won 19 straight season opening games. Crean is 9-0 in season opening games and 9-0 in home openers.
• The win over No. 2/3 KU makes it the highest ranked opponent the Hoosiers have defeated in a season opener since beating No. 2 UCLA in St. Louis in 1975. Over the last 5-plus years, Indiana is tied for the second most wins in the country against AP Top 3 teams.
• Later this season, the Hoosiers will take on No. 6 North Carolina at home in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Hoosiers will face Butler, ranked No. 19 by Kenpom, in the 6th Annual Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis on December 17. IU and No. 12 Louisville will start at three-year series with a game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on New Years Eve.
• Since 2011, the Hoosiers have averaged 24 wins per season compared to 20 averaged at IU from 1995-2008
• Last year, IU was 3rd in the country in field goal percentage (50.2), 5th in 3-point field goal percentage (41.6), 7th in total 3-point field goals (345), 11th in scoring (82.6), 12th in scoring margin (12.7), and 19th in assists (560). The 345 3FG also established a new school record and Big Ten record.
• The 2015-16 Hoosiers were just one of three teams in the last 20 years in college basketball to average more than 80 points, shoot better than 50 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point range. The others are the 2001-02 Kansas Jayhawks and the 2000-01 Stanford Cardinal.
• Indiana University begins its 117th season and the defending Big Ten Champions are ranked 5th in the USA Today Coaches Poll and 6th in the Associated Press Preseason Poll. IU is 2-0 for the 10th straight season, and 9th under Tom Crean. IU was ranked 9th in the final rankings a season ago - the 2nd in 4 years the Hoosiers finished the year ranked in the top 10.
UP NEXT
• The Hoosiers will travel to Fort Wayne on November 22 as part of the Indiana Classic.
| #6/5 Indiana vs. Liberty University(Indiana Classic) | |
| Location | Bloomington, Indiana |
| Venue | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall |
| Tipoff | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | BTN Plus & BTN2Go (Griffin Weinberg, Max Bielfeldt) |
| Radio | IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, Joe Smith) |
| Live Stats | IUHoosiers.com |
HEAD COACH TOM CREAN
• Tom Crean, the 2016 Big Ten Coach of the Year, begins his ninth year of leading the Hoosiers. Over the last five years, IU is 122-53 and leads the Big Ten with 24 regular season wins over ranked opponents during that time. IU is nationally ranked for the sixth straight season. Eight players in his first six recruiting classes have scored 1,000 points in their career under Crean at Indiana. Yogi Ferrell (1,986), Christian Watford (1,730), Verdell Jones III (1,347), Jordan Hulls (1,318), Cody Zeller (1,157), Will Sheehey (1,120), Victor Oladipo (1,117) and Troy Williams (1,115) also have scored 1,000 points or more. From the Class of 2014, James Blackmon, Jr., is the next closest Hoosier to approach the mark. He has scored 773 points in a season and a half. Three players, Yogi Ferrell (2016), Cody Zeller (2013) and Victor Oladipo (2013) have been selected as All-Americans. In addition, Oladipo earned two National Player of the Year honors and was named National Defensive Player of the Year. IU won the 2013 and 2016 Big Ten titles outright. Last year's outright title is the team's second in a four year period with the last time that happened at IU coming in 1980, 81 and 83. The Hoosiers are now tied for the Big Ten lead in overall championships (22) and outright titles (13).
THE SERIES
• This is the first meeting with Liberty of the Big South Conference. IU is 3-0 against teams from that league with wins over Longwood, Coastal Carolina and Gardner-Webb.
DID YOU KNOW
• Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay is in his fourth year as the head coach of the Flames, as he led them from 2007-09, became an assistant at Virginia and came back prior to last season. His record is 53-48 and he was the 2016 Big South Coach of the Year.
• The Hoosiers won their first game in the Indiana Classic, 100-78 over UMass Lowell on Wednesday night.
• After his 26-point, six-rebound effort against Kansas, junior James Blackmon, Jr., was named National Player of the Week by NBC and Co-Big Ten Player of the Week. Freshman Curtis Jones, who had 15 points in 16 minutes, was named Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
• Since 2011-12, IU has had the most potent offense in the Big Ten, leading in points scored (78.0), field goal percentage (47.9), and 3-point field goal percentage (40.3). The Hoosiers lead all major conference schools in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage during that same time frame.
• Five former Crean-coached Hoosiers are on active NBA rosters including Cody Zeller (Charlotte), Victor Oladipo (Oklahoma City), Noah Vonleh (Portland), Yogi Ferrell (Brooklyn) and Troy Williams (Memphis). Three of his former players at Marquette also are active including Dwyane Wade (Chicago), Steve Novak (Milwaukee) and Wes Matthews (Dallas). Oladipo just signed a 4-year, $84 million extension and Zeller got 4-years and $56 million.
• Junior James Blackmon, Jr. and sophomore center Thomas Bryant are among 50 candidates for the 2017 Naismith Award and John Wooden Award.
• The Hoosiers have the only ranked win in the Big Ten the first week of the season. The rest of the league is 0-4 with Michigan State losing twice and Wisconsin and Purdue once apiece.
• During the last two years, the Hoosiers have averaged 9.7 3-point field goals per game, the most of any major college program. Villanova is second at 8.9. IU is averaging a national best 13.0 per game early this season.
• IU leads the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage (44.8) and steals (8.5) this season. The Hoosiers are second in offensive rebounds, averaging 18.5 per game.
• Blackmon, Jr., leads the Big Ten in scoring (24.5) and 3-point field goals per game (4.5).
• IU has scored 100 points or more in back-to-back games for the first time since 2005 and for the first time in the first two games of the season since the 1992-93 season.
• The Hoosiers have three former head coaches on their coaching staff this season (Buckley, Martin, Judson). Associate Head Coach Tim Buckley begins his ninth year at Indiana. The former head coach at Ball State, his Cardinals beat No. 3 Kansas and No. 4 UCLA at the 2001 Maui Classic. Assistant Coach Chuck Martin is in his third year with the Hoosiers and was the head coach at Marist (2008-13). Assistant Coach Rob Judson is in his second year as an assistant coach after serving as Director of Operations in early 2014. He was the head coach at Northern Illinois (2001-07) and won the MAC West title in 2006.
• Bryant was named Preseason All-American by Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook (first team) and NBCSports.com (second team). He averaged 14.4 points and 5.5 rebounds in postseason play. Had 19 points, five rebounds and two steals against Kentucky. He led the Big Ten in field goal percentage. He also was named Preseason All-Big Ten and is on the Kareem Abdul Jabbar Watch List (Top Center).
• Blackmon Jr. is tied for the highest career average (16.1) of any player who has played for Crean at Indiana (Cody Zeller). When he went down prior to the start of Big Ten play in December 2015, he was averaging 15.8 points and shooting 46.3 percent from 3-point range. He had a career-high 33 points against Alcorn State as a sophomore. He was named Preseason All-Big Ten and is on the Jerry West Award watch list. In the second half and overtime of the Kansas game and the first half of the UMass Lowell contest, Blackmon scored 42 points combined.
• Junior guard Robert Johnson is the most experienced Hoosier, having started 57 career games. Coming off of ankle surgery, he is averaging 13.0 points and is tied for second on the team with seven assists. He had 16 against UMass Lowell.
• Senior forward Collin Hartman will begin rehab for his knee immediately. He played three games in the NCAA Tournament with a fractured wrist and averaged 5.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 rebounds.
• Sophomore forward OG Anunoby is a preseason All-American and elite defender who is averaging 14.0 points, 5.5 boards and is tied for the team lead at 4.0 steals. He had a career-high 15 points against UMass Lowell. He made his first career start last week against the Jayhawks. He is on the Julius Erving Award List.
• Junior guard Josh Newkirk has fit right in with the Hoosier attack averaging 7.5 points and a team-high 4.0 assists. He has made all three of his three-point field goal attempts. At Pittsburgh, he averaged 5.9 points and 2.7 assists as a sophomore. In his career, he had 154 assists and 77 turnovers.
• Sophomore forward Juwan Morgan came on in the last nine games of the 2015-16 season despite shoulder issues. He has been an everyman for the Hoosiers averaging 6.5 points and a team-high 8.5 boards per game. He also has seven assists and just one turnover.
• Junior Freddie McSwain, Jr. is a Georgia native who comes to IU after averaging 14.0 points and 8.4 rebounds at Neosho County Community College. He had his first basket against UMass Lowell and averages 3.5 boards.
• Freshman De'Ron Davis has made 5 of his 7 shots and had 8 points in the win over UMass Lowell. He also hit two key free throws in the final minute in the win over Kansas. Freshman Curtis Jones is a Virginia native and a Boo Williams AAU product. He played with Thomas Bryant and Miles Bridges at Huntington Prep. He had seven of his 15 points in overtime in beating Kansas. Freshman guard Devonte Green is another big-bodied guard who had 6 points and a career-high 4 steals against UMass Lowell.
Most Wins Vs. AP Top 3 Teams, Since 2011-12
Duke 6
Indiana 5
Kansas 5
Wisconsin 5
• Before the win over No. 2/3 Kansas on Friday, IU had lost the last three times it had opened the season against a nationally ranked team. IU fell to No. 17 Louisville in 1984, to No. 11 UCLA in 1991 and to No. 24 Temple in 1997.
IU INSIGHT
• IU has now won 32 straight home openers and have won 19 straight season opening games. Crean is 9-0 in season opening games and 9-0 in home openers.
• The win over No. 2/3 KU makes it the highest ranked opponent the Hoosiers have defeated in a season opener since beating No. 2 UCLA in St. Louis in 1975. Over the last 5-plus years, Indiana is tied for the second most wins in the country against AP Top 3 teams.
• Later this season, the Hoosiers will take on No. 6 North Carolina at home in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Hoosiers will face Butler, ranked No. 19 by Kenpom, in the 6th Annual Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis on December 17. IU and No. 12 Louisville will start at three-year series with a game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on New Years Eve.
• Since 2011, the Hoosiers have averaged 24 wins per season compared to 20 averaged at IU from 1995-2008
• Last year, IU was 3rd in the country in field goal percentage (50.2), 5th in 3-point field goal percentage (41.6), 7th in total 3-point field goals (345), 11th in scoring (82.6), 12th in scoring margin (12.7), and 19th in assists (560). The 345 3FG also established a new school record and Big Ten record.
• The 2015-16 Hoosiers were just one of three teams in the last 20 years in college basketball to average more than 80 points, shoot better than 50 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point range. The others are the 2001-02 Kansas Jayhawks and the 2000-01 Stanford Cardinal.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Center
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Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
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Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
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