PREVIEW: #16 Indiana Ready For #6 Louisville at Countdown Classic

Saturday, December 31

Indianapolis, IN

12:30 PM

Indiana University

Louisville

PREVIEW: #16 Indiana Ready For #6 Louisville at Countdown Classic

12/30/2016 10:30:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Indiana Game Notes (PDF)Live Stats Listen Online Watch Online

OPENING TIP
• This season marks the 117th season of Indiana Basketball and the defending Big Ten Champions are ranked 16th in both major polls. Indiana and Louisville will begin a three-game series which will also see the teams play in Louisville in 2017 and in Bloomington in 2018.

UP NEXT
• The Hoosiers will host #14 Wisconsin at 7 p.m., Tuesday, January 3 in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

COUNTDOWN CLASSIC #16/16 Indiana (10-3) vs. #6/7 Louisville (11-2)
Date	Saturday, Dec. 31
Location	Indianapolis, Indiana
Venue	Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,176)
Tipoff	12:30 p.m. ET
TV	CBS (Spero Dedes & Bill Raftery)
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 130-56 and leads the Big Ten with 25 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 939 points. 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).

IU INSIGHT
• IU is 2nd in the nation in rebound margin, 5th in rebounding, 8th in field goal percentage, 9th in scoring margin, 11th in in scoring and 15th in blocked shots.

• The Hoosiers are averaging 5.9 blocked shots per game, up from 3.9 a season ago.

• Since 2011-12, IU has had the most potent offense in the Big Ten, leading in points scored (78.5), field goal percentage (48.1), and 3-point field goal percentage (40.2). The Hoosiers lead all major conference schools in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage during that same time frame.

• 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.

• Since 2014-15, the Hoosiers have averaged 9.7 3-point field goals per game, the most of any major college program. Villanova is 2nd (9.0). Junior James Blackmon, Jr. is sixth among major conference players making 2.6 triples per game during that time frame.

• With the 76-67 win over No. 3 North Carolina in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the Hoosiers are tied with took with a national-best 6 wins against top 3 programs since the 2011-12 season. IU also beat Kansas, 103-99 in overtime in the season opener at the Armed Forces Classic in Honolulu.

THE SERIES
• IU holds a 10-7 lead in a series which began in 1921. The teams last met at the 2014 Jimmy V Classic where the Cards took a 94-74 decision. This will be the third meeting in Indianapolis. Louisville won 101-79 in 1988 and IU won 72-52 in 1990.

DID YOU KNOW
• The Hoosiers shot 60.0 percent or better in consecutive games for the first time when they faced San Francisco and Drake on December 20 and 27, 1998. IU shot 66.7 percent against Delaware State and 62.5 percent versus Austin Peay.

• In the last 5 games, IU is averaging 92.8 points and shooting 54.1% from the field and 43.7% from long distance. The Hoosiers are out-rebounding opponents 41.8 to 29.2.

• Junior James Blackmon, Jr. has averaged 19.6 points and shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from three-point range and junior Robert Johnson is averaging 16.4 points and shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from long distance in the last 5 games.

• IU leads the Big Ten in scoring (88.4), field goal percentage (51.2), 3-point FG per game (9.8) and reb. margin (14.0),

•Five former Crean-coached Hoosiers have been on active NBA rosters this season 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 signed a 4-year, $84 million extension and Zeller got 4-years and $56 million earlier this 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.

• Sophomore Thomas Bryant was named Preseason All-American by Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook and NBCSports.com. He also was named Preseason All-Big Ten and is on the Kareem Abdul Jabbar Watch List (Top Center). He is coming off his. He is coming off his fourth double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds against Nebraska. He had 14 points, 6 boards and 4 assists against Delaware State after his 15-point, 7-rebound performance against Butler. He had 19 points and 10 rebounds against Kansas. He had 11 rebounds against HBU, the fifth time in nine games he has had double-figure rebounds. He had 18 points and 12 rebounds against Fort Wayne. He had 12 points and 7 boards against North Carolina. He is now 7th in the Big Ten in rebounding at 7.9 per game. Against SEMO, Bryant was the second player this season to register at least 7 points/10 rebounds/3 assists/3 steals/4 blocks in a game (Jeremy Morgan – Northern Iowa – on 11/20/16 against Xavier).

• Junior James Blackmon Jr. has the highest career average (16.3) of any player who has played for Crean at Indiana. He was National Player of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week following his 26-point effort against Kansas. He is 4th in the Big Ten in scoring at 17.9per game. He had 14 points and tied his career-high with 9 rebounds against North Carolina. He leads the B1G and is 16th in the country in 3-point field goals made per game (3.3). He had 24 points against Austin Peay. He shoots a team-best 45.7 from 3-point range.

Top 5 Career Scorers In Tom Crean Era
James Blackmon, Jr. 16.2
Cody Zeller                  16.1
Yogi Ferrell                 14.5
Christian Watford       13.1
Thomas Bryant           11.9

• Junior guard Robert Johnson is the most experienced Hoosier, having started 68 career games. Coming off of ankle surgery in the offseason, he is averaging 14.2 points and is second on the team with 32 assists. He had 20 points and made a career-high 6 three-point field goals against Austin Peay. He followed that up with 19 points and 4 rebounds against Nebraska. He has scored 16 points or more 7 times this season. He is shooting 55.6% from the field and a team-high 46.4% from three-point range.

• Sophomore forward OG Anunoby is a preseason All-American and elite defender who had a career-high 21 points to go with 8 rebounds in the win over MVSU. Against North Carolina, he had 16 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. He is shooting 57.7 percent from the field. He returned against Butler after missing 3 games with an ankle injury and had 7 points and 3 assists. He had 19 points, 9 rebounds and a career-high 4 blocks against Delaware State. He had 12 points and 8 rebounds against Nebraska and had 6 offensive rebounds.

• Senior forward Collin Hartman is rehabbing his injured knee. He played three games in the 2016 NCAA Tournament with a fractured wrist and averaged 5.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 rebounds.

• Junior guard Josh Newkirk had a career-high 11 assists against Austin Peay. He added 11 points for his first career double-double. He is averaging 8.1 points and 3.8 assists. A native of Raleigh, N.C., he scored 10 points and 3 assists in helping the Hoosiers to the win over UNC. He had 8 assists against SEMO and had 9 points against Butler. He had 11 points against Nebraska.

• Sophomore forward Juwan Morgan had 10 rebounds and had a career-high 4 blocked shots against Butler. On the season, he is contributing 7.5 points and 5.9 rebounds. He is third in blocked shots with 12. He has started 7 games this season and is shooting 59.6% from the field.

• Freshman De'Ron Davis had back-to-back 14-point efforts against SIUE and SEMO. He is 26-for-43 from the floor this year and is averaging 6.1 points and 3.0 rebounds. He also has 12 blocked shots. He hit two key free throws in the final minute in the win over Kansas. He had five points, three rebounds and two blocked shots against North Carolina. He had 9 points against Delaware State and added a career-high 5 assists against Austin Peay.

• Sophomore walk-on Zach McRoberts played 15 key minutes and had a +15 contribution against Fort Wayne and earned a start against MVSU and had 3 points. He also had 3 points and 2 assists against SIUE. Freshman Curtis Jones had 11 points and 3 rebounds against HBU. He had 8 points and 2 steals against SEMO. He had seven of his 15 points in overtime in beating Kansas. He had 9 points and 5 rebounds against MVSU. Freshman Devonte Green and junior Freddie McSwain, Jr., both had a season-high 8 points against Houston Baptist. McSwain also had 4 rebounds. Junior Tim Priller had a career-high 4 points against HBU and freshman Grant Gelon added 3 points in that game.