Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Ready For Another Road Test
2/6/2016 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By: Tori Ziege, IUHoosiers.com | Twitter
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – After shellacking Michigan in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, Indiana enters State College with a surplus of confidence.
The Nittany Lions know it.
And they want to steal it away.
"It's confidence," Penn State coach Pat Chambers said. "We've got sophomores and freshmen that are very inexperienced that are out there getting sped up a little bit…you hope they slow down just a little bit and start to see some success because they truly deserve to see it because of the work ethic they're putting forth."
Penn State returns home from the wrong side of another shellacking in Iowa City, where the Hawkeyes held the Nittany Lions to 30-percent shooting and their second-lowest scoring output of the season at 49 points.
It was the seventh contest Penn State has played on the road in a 10-game stretch. Chambers said he hopes being back in the Bryce Jordan Center will inspire his team to flip the script on some Big Ten opponents.
IU coach Tom Crean recognizes that.
"We've had great battles with Penn State over the last few years," he said. "They play as hard and tough as any team in the league. We know going to State College is a real challenge."
To take care of back-to-back conference games on the road for the first time in over a month, Indiana will have to show discipline — perhaps even more so after the spectacle it put on in the Crisler Center.
Over 10 minutes of play, the Hoosiers went on a 28-0 run to rally from down 11 on the road — a 34-point swing.
But seated atop the cut-throat Big Ten, Indiana can't afford to get too high on its wins. Every opponent will come out swinging, with plenty of teams below them eager to claim the conference throne.
"We know that each game is its own," junior forward Colin Hartman said. "It's important for us to continue to have a mindset that focuses on defense and team. Going on the road is never easy, so you have to stay in the moment at all times."
Accomplish that, and the Nittany Lions (11-12, 2-8) will have a force to be reckoned in its gym on Saturday. The Hoosiers (19-4, 9-1) are seventh in the nation in scoring, second in field goal percentage and fifth in three-point field goal percentage.
On the opposite side of the ball, Indiana has the highest-rated defensive efficiency numbers in conference games in the Big Ten, according to KenPom.com. The Hoosiers have outrebounded all of their conference opponents, and have only been outrebounded themselves twice this season.
It's the same strength on the boards that Crean admires in the Nittany Lions.
"Penn State can really spread you out and create the looks they want," he said. "Their ability to defend different ways and defensive rebound are very impressive. We've really got to make the next pass and move well without the ball."
If history has taught Indiana anything, it's not to underestimate Penn State.
Each of the last three meetings between the teams have come down to the final play, including Indiana's 76-73 victory last year in Assembly Hall, their only meeting in 2015.
"We know that Penn State is going to play tough on every play," junior forward Troy Williams said. "We need to stay focused and trust our coaches and teammates."
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – After shellacking Michigan in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, Indiana enters State College with a surplus of confidence.
The Nittany Lions know it.
And they want to steal it away.
"It's confidence," Penn State coach Pat Chambers said. "We've got sophomores and freshmen that are very inexperienced that are out there getting sped up a little bit…you hope they slow down just a little bit and start to see some success because they truly deserve to see it because of the work ethic they're putting forth."
Penn State returns home from the wrong side of another shellacking in Iowa City, where the Hawkeyes held the Nittany Lions to 30-percent shooting and their second-lowest scoring output of the season at 49 points.
It was the seventh contest Penn State has played on the road in a 10-game stretch. Chambers said he hopes being back in the Bryce Jordan Center will inspire his team to flip the script on some Big Ten opponents.
IU coach Tom Crean recognizes that.
"We've had great battles with Penn State over the last few years," he said. "They play as hard and tough as any team in the league. We know going to State College is a real challenge."
To take care of back-to-back conference games on the road for the first time in over a month, Indiana will have to show discipline — perhaps even more so after the spectacle it put on in the Crisler Center.
Over 10 minutes of play, the Hoosiers went on a 28-0 run to rally from down 11 on the road — a 34-point swing.
But seated atop the cut-throat Big Ten, Indiana can't afford to get too high on its wins. Every opponent will come out swinging, with plenty of teams below them eager to claim the conference throne.
"We know that each game is its own," junior forward Colin Hartman said. "It's important for us to continue to have a mindset that focuses on defense and team. Going on the road is never easy, so you have to stay in the moment at all times."
Accomplish that, and the Nittany Lions (11-12, 2-8) will have a force to be reckoned in its gym on Saturday. The Hoosiers (19-4, 9-1) are seventh in the nation in scoring, second in field goal percentage and fifth in three-point field goal percentage.
On the opposite side of the ball, Indiana has the highest-rated defensive efficiency numbers in conference games in the Big Ten, according to KenPom.com. The Hoosiers have outrebounded all of their conference opponents, and have only been outrebounded themselves twice this season.
It's the same strength on the boards that Crean admires in the Nittany Lions.
"Penn State can really spread you out and create the looks they want," he said. "Their ability to defend different ways and defensive rebound are very impressive. We've really got to make the next pass and move well without the ball."
If history has taught Indiana anything, it's not to underestimate Penn State.
Each of the last three meetings between the teams have come down to the final play, including Indiana's 76-73 victory last year in Assembly Hall, their only meeting in 2015.
"We know that Penn State is going to play tough on every play," junior forward Troy Williams said. "We need to stay focused and trust our coaches and teammates."
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