Preview: IU Hosts The Huskers on Star Wars Night
2/16/2016 3:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
OPENING TIP
Indiana University is ranked #21 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and #22 by the Associated Press and will host Nebraska on Wednesday. The Hoosiers defeated the Cornhuskers, 79-69, in Lincoln on January 2 The Hoosiers have posted 20 wins by February 11 for just the third time since the 1992-93 season (2007-08, 2012-13).
STAR WARS NIGHT
Wednesday night's home men's basketball game against Nebraska has been designated "Star Wars Night" at Assembly Hall. Fans are encouraged to dress up as their favorite Star Wars characters and bring a canned good to be donated to the Hoosier Hills Food Bank. IU themed Star Wars apparel is now being sold in the Varsity Shop, while Star Wars elements will be incorporated in the game experience on Wednesday night. Tip off for Wednesday night's game against Nebraska is at 8:30pm ET and fans dressed as Star Wars characters will participate in contests and be featured on the video board at Assembly Hall.
UP NEXT
• The Hoosiers will host Purdue on Saturday, February 20 at 8:30 p.m.
THIS AND THAT
• The Hoosiers have four wins over the RPI top 50 with victories over Iowa, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Michigan.
• IU is ranked 35th in the latest RPI.
• The Hoosiers are 21st according to KenPom.
• IU is rated 17th in the Sagarin Ratings.
• IU is second in Big Ten Conference games averaging 12.2 offensive rebounds.
HEAD COACH TOM CREAN
• Tom Crean is in his eighth year of leading the Hoosiers. Over the last four+ years, IU is 113-51 and leads the Big Ten with 20 regular season wins over ranked opponents during that time. 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. Yogi Ferrell (1,816), Christian Watford (1,730), Verdell Jones III (1,347), Jordan Hulls (1,318), Cody Zeller (1,157), Will Sheehey (1,120) and Victor Oladipo (1,117).
HOOSIER SHOOTING
• The Hoosiers are second in the country in field goal percentage making 50.3% of their shots. IU also is seventh in the country in three-point field goal percentage hitting on 41.7% of its long distance attempts. IU is ninth in the country in scoring margin (14.0), 11th in three-point field goals made per game (9.9) and 17th in assists (16.6)
YOGI UP FOR NATIONAL HONORS
• Senior Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell is being considered for the Wooden, Naismith, and Robertson Awards for National Player of the Year. He was also named one of 10 finalists for the Cousy Award, given to the nation's top point guard. He tied his Big Ten career-high with 30 points against Wisconsin and is now seventh on the IU all-time scoring list with 1,816 points. He also recently became the school's all-time assist leader at 585. He enters his final conference season as the Big Ten's active leader in scoring, assists, 3-point field goals made (248) and is the only senior in the league to have started every game he has played (128).
AGAINST NATIONALLY RANKED TEAMS
• Since the 2011-12 season, IU has the top regular season winning percentage against Top 25 teams in the Big Ten Conference with a 20-16 mark (57.1). Wisconsin is 20-17 and Michigan State is 19-19 in regular season games. Against Top 10 foes, Indiana is second in the country with 11 wins and the Hoosiers have seven wins against Top 5 teams, which also is second among Division I programs.
WILLIAMS CLOSING IN ON 1,000 POINTS
• Junior Troy Williams is looking to become the eighth player under Tom Crean at IU to reach the 1,000 point mark in his career. Williams needs just 29 points to become the 49th player at IU to reach that mark.
MORE YOGI
• Ferrell is one of two active players in the country to have at least 1,550 career points (1,816), 500 assists (585) and 350 rebounds (408) (other is Juan'ya Green, Hofstra). For the season, he is averaging 16.8 points (6th in Big Ten), 4.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists (4th in Big Ten). He also is tied for fifth in steals at 1.3.
Yogi is one of five Big Ten players to have 125 assists in four straight seasons.
Yogi Ferrell, Indiana (2013-16)
Aaron Craft, Ohio State (2011-14)
Dee Brown, Illinois (2003-06)
Dean Oliver, Iowa (1998-2001)
Mateen Cleaves, Michigan St. (1997-2000)
JAMES BLACKMON, JR.
• Sophomore guard James Blackmon, Jr., (15.8 ppg) had surgery on his right knee on Jan. 5, and will not return this season. In his two years with the Hoosiers, IU is 21-0 anytime he shot 47.0 percent or higher from the field. He is the Big Ten sophomore class career leader in scoring averaging 15.7 ppg.
ODDS AND TRENDS
• Senior graduate transfer Max Bielfeldt is averaging 8.3 points and 4.8 rebounds. He made his fourth start of the season and had his second double-double with 15 points and 10 boards at MSU. He had 16 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and three steals against Illinois. His best day as a collegian came at Rutgers, when he recorded 18 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and two steals off the bench. He has shot 42.9% (15-of-37) from long distance.
• Sophomore Robert Johnson is shooting 43.1 from 3-point range. He forced a game-winning steal in the final seconds at home against Wisconsin and had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists against Illinois. He had 16 points and six rebounds at Michigan and had 13 points against Iowa.
• Senior Nick Zeisloft is second on the team in 3-point field goals with 49 made. He hit 5-of-8 long distance shots and finished with 15 points at Minnesota and led the Hoosiers with 14 points at Penn State after hitting 4-of-7 triples. He is shooting 41.2 from long range this season. He had 9 points against Iowa and has made 8 of his last 13 long distance calls (61.5).
• Freshman Thomas Bryant is a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week honoree. He had a career-high 23 points at home against Minnesota. He had his first career double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds against OSU. He leads the Big Ten in field goal shooting, making 69.9% of his shot attempts. He had an offensive rebound and a putback to give IU the lead for good against Minnesota with 1:56 remaining and added a fast break dunk to seal the win and finish with a career-high 23 points.
• Junior forward Troy Williams had 13 points and seven rebounds against Iowa, including nine points in the final 10 minutes of the game. He had 21 points and five assists against Illinois. He matched his career-high with 23 points against Ohio State. He has averaged 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds and is second on the team in steals with 28. He has made 14 3-point field goals this season after making 12 during his first two years with the Hoosiers.
• Junior Collin Hartman had 11 points off the bench against Michigan State. He hit all three of his three-point field goal attempts. He is averaging 6.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and is 43.3 from long distance in conference play. Over the last two years, he has shot 46.3 from three-point range.
• Freshman OG Anunoby is averaging 6.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in Big Ten games. He scored a career-high 11 points against Nebraska and Wisconsin most recently Michigan. He has shot 57.4 from the field and made 8-of-18 3-point field goal attempts. He had eight points, five boards and two blocks at MSU.
• Freshman Juwan Morgan had a season-high seven points in the win over Northwestern. He has made 8-of-11 field goal attempts in conference play and is averaging 1.9 points and 2.1 rebounds.
• Senior walk-on Ryan Burton played 10 minutes against Rutgers and scored a career-high six points on a pair of 3-point field goals. He also hit a 3-pointer against Northwestern. Freshman walk-on Harrison Niego played seven minutes against Iowa and had a basket and took a charge. He also had a basket against MSU.
• Former manager Jackson Tharp is now on the 2015-16 roster. Tharp has been an undergraduate manager at IU since the 2012. He is 6-4, 205, and will wear #24. He had an assist in his first game against Illinois.
• For the second time under Tom Crean, the Hoosiers put together a 12-game winning streak from December 5 thru January 26.
Indiana University is ranked #21 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and #22 by the Associated Press and will host Nebraska on Wednesday. The Hoosiers defeated the Cornhuskers, 79-69, in Lincoln on January 2 The Hoosiers have posted 20 wins by February 11 for just the third time since the 1992-93 season (2007-08, 2012-13).
STAR WARS NIGHT
Wednesday night's home men's basketball game against Nebraska has been designated "Star Wars Night" at Assembly Hall. Fans are encouraged to dress up as their favorite Star Wars characters and bring a canned good to be donated to the Hoosier Hills Food Bank. IU themed Star Wars apparel is now being sold in the Varsity Shop, while Star Wars elements will be incorporated in the game experience on Wednesday night. Tip off for Wednesday night's game against Nebraska is at 8:30pm ET and fans dressed as Star Wars characters will participate in contests and be featured on the video board at Assembly Hall.
Nebraska (14-12, 6-7) at #21/#22 Indiana (20-6, 10-3 Big Ten) Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 • 8:30 p.m. ET Assembly Hall (17,472) • Bloomington, Indiana Live Stats: IUHoosiers.com TV: BTN & BTN2Go (Dave Revsine & Bob Wenzel) Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, Joe Smith) Series History: Indiana leads, 11-4 Last Meeting: IU 79, at 69 (1/2/16) |
UP NEXT
• The Hoosiers will host Purdue on Saturday, February 20 at 8:30 p.m.
THIS AND THAT
• The Hoosiers have four wins over the RPI top 50 with victories over Iowa, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Michigan.
• IU is ranked 35th in the latest RPI.
• The Hoosiers are 21st according to KenPom.
• IU is rated 17th in the Sagarin Ratings.
• IU is second in Big Ten Conference games averaging 12.2 offensive rebounds.
HEAD COACH TOM CREAN
• Tom Crean is in his eighth year of leading the Hoosiers. Over the last four+ years, IU is 113-51 and leads the Big Ten with 20 regular season wins over ranked opponents during that time. 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. Yogi Ferrell (1,816), Christian Watford (1,730), Verdell Jones III (1,347), Jordan Hulls (1,318), Cody Zeller (1,157), Will Sheehey (1,120) and Victor Oladipo (1,117).
HOOSIER SHOOTING
• The Hoosiers are second in the country in field goal percentage making 50.3% of their shots. IU also is seventh in the country in three-point field goal percentage hitting on 41.7% of its long distance attempts. IU is ninth in the country in scoring margin (14.0), 11th in three-point field goals made per game (9.9) and 17th in assists (16.6)
YOGI UP FOR NATIONAL HONORS
• Senior Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell is being considered for the Wooden, Naismith, and Robertson Awards for National Player of the Year. He was also named one of 10 finalists for the Cousy Award, given to the nation's top point guard. He tied his Big Ten career-high with 30 points against Wisconsin and is now seventh on the IU all-time scoring list with 1,816 points. He also recently became the school's all-time assist leader at 585. He enters his final conference season as the Big Ten's active leader in scoring, assists, 3-point field goals made (248) and is the only senior in the league to have started every game he has played (128).
AGAINST NATIONALLY RANKED TEAMS
• Since the 2011-12 season, IU has the top regular season winning percentage against Top 25 teams in the Big Ten Conference with a 20-16 mark (57.1). Wisconsin is 20-17 and Michigan State is 19-19 in regular season games. Against Top 10 foes, Indiana is second in the country with 11 wins and the Hoosiers have seven wins against Top 5 teams, which also is second among Division I programs.
WILLIAMS CLOSING IN ON 1,000 POINTS
• Junior Troy Williams is looking to become the eighth player under Tom Crean at IU to reach the 1,000 point mark in his career. Williams needs just 29 points to become the 49th player at IU to reach that mark.
MORE YOGI
• Ferrell is one of two active players in the country to have at least 1,550 career points (1,816), 500 assists (585) and 350 rebounds (408) (other is Juan'ya Green, Hofstra). For the season, he is averaging 16.8 points (6th in Big Ten), 4.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists (4th in Big Ten). He also is tied for fifth in steals at 1.3.
Yogi is one of five Big Ten players to have 125 assists in four straight seasons.
Yogi Ferrell, Indiana (2013-16)
Aaron Craft, Ohio State (2011-14)
Dee Brown, Illinois (2003-06)
Dean Oliver, Iowa (1998-2001)
Mateen Cleaves, Michigan St. (1997-2000)
JAMES BLACKMON, JR.
• Sophomore guard James Blackmon, Jr., (15.8 ppg) had surgery on his right knee on Jan. 5, and will not return this season. In his two years with the Hoosiers, IU is 21-0 anytime he shot 47.0 percent or higher from the field. He is the Big Ten sophomore class career leader in scoring averaging 15.7 ppg.
ODDS AND TRENDS
• Senior graduate transfer Max Bielfeldt is averaging 8.3 points and 4.8 rebounds. He made his fourth start of the season and had his second double-double with 15 points and 10 boards at MSU. He had 16 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and three steals against Illinois. His best day as a collegian came at Rutgers, when he recorded 18 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and two steals off the bench. He has shot 42.9% (15-of-37) from long distance.
• Sophomore Robert Johnson is shooting 43.1 from 3-point range. He forced a game-winning steal in the final seconds at home against Wisconsin and had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists against Illinois. He had 16 points and six rebounds at Michigan and had 13 points against Iowa.
• Senior Nick Zeisloft is second on the team in 3-point field goals with 49 made. He hit 5-of-8 long distance shots and finished with 15 points at Minnesota and led the Hoosiers with 14 points at Penn State after hitting 4-of-7 triples. He is shooting 41.2 from long range this season. He had 9 points against Iowa and has made 8 of his last 13 long distance calls (61.5).
• Freshman Thomas Bryant is a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week honoree. He had a career-high 23 points at home against Minnesota. He had his first career double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds against OSU. He leads the Big Ten in field goal shooting, making 69.9% of his shot attempts. He had an offensive rebound and a putback to give IU the lead for good against Minnesota with 1:56 remaining and added a fast break dunk to seal the win and finish with a career-high 23 points.
• Junior forward Troy Williams had 13 points and seven rebounds against Iowa, including nine points in the final 10 minutes of the game. He had 21 points and five assists against Illinois. He matched his career-high with 23 points against Ohio State. He has averaged 12.3 points and 6.3 rebounds and is second on the team in steals with 28. He has made 14 3-point field goals this season after making 12 during his first two years with the Hoosiers.
• Junior Collin Hartman had 11 points off the bench against Michigan State. He hit all three of his three-point field goal attempts. He is averaging 6.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and is 43.3 from long distance in conference play. Over the last two years, he has shot 46.3 from three-point range.
• Freshman OG Anunoby is averaging 6.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in Big Ten games. He scored a career-high 11 points against Nebraska and Wisconsin most recently Michigan. He has shot 57.4 from the field and made 8-of-18 3-point field goal attempts. He had eight points, five boards and two blocks at MSU.
• Freshman Juwan Morgan had a season-high seven points in the win over Northwestern. He has made 8-of-11 field goal attempts in conference play and is averaging 1.9 points and 2.1 rebounds.
• Senior walk-on Ryan Burton played 10 minutes against Rutgers and scored a career-high six points on a pair of 3-point field goals. He also hit a 3-pointer against Northwestern. Freshman walk-on Harrison Niego played seven minutes against Iowa and had a basket and took a charge. He also had a basket against MSU.
• Former manager Jackson Tharp is now on the 2015-16 roster. Tharp has been an undergraduate manager at IU since the 2012. He is 6-4, 205, and will wear #24. He had an assist in his first game against Illinois.
• For the second time under Tom Crean, the Hoosiers put together a 12-game winning streak from December 5 thru January 26.
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