Preview: IU Battles Kentucky in NCAA Tournament

Saturday, March 19

Des Moines, Iowa

5:15 p.m.

Indiana University

(#4 seed) Kentucky (Second Round)

Preview: IU Battles Kentucky in NCAA Tournament

3/18/2016 7:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball

OPENING TIP
• Indiana University is the #5 seed in the East Region and will face #4 seed Kentucky, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday in Des Moines.   IU won its 22nd Big Ten title (tied for most with Purdue) and its 13th outright crown. The winner will advance to the East Region Semifinal in Philadelphia on March 25.

GAME INFORMATION
#4 seed Kentucky (27-8) vs. #5 seed Indiana (26-7)
Saturday, March 19 • 5:15 p.m. ET tipoff
Wells Fargo Arena (16,869) • Des Moines, Iowa
TV: CBS (Jim Nantz, Grant Hill, Bill Raftery, Tracy Wolfson)
Radio: IU Radio Network; Westwood One

DID YOU KNOW
• The Hoosiers are making their Big Ten-best 39th NCAA Tournament appearance and are 65-33 all-time in the event.

• After rebuilding the program from scratch, IU Coach Tom Crean has guided the Hoosiers to four NCAA bids in the last five seasons and is one of four finalists for the 2016 Naismith National Coach of the Year.

BIG TEN COACH OF THE YEAR TOM CREAN
• Tom Crean is in his eighth year at IU and has led them to outright Big Ten titles in 2013 and 2016. Over the last five years, IU is 119-52 and leads the Big Ten with 22 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. For his efforts this season, he was named Big Ten Coach of the Year (AP, Big Ten Coaches, Big Ten Media and CBSSports.com). He is also a finalist for Naismith National Coach of the year and was named USBWA District V Coach of the Year.

TOM CREAN'S 1,000 POINT SCORERS BY RECRUITING CLASS
2008-Verdell Jones III (1,347)
2009-Christian Watford (1,730) and Jordan Hulls (1,318)
2010-Will Sheehey (1,120) and Victor Oladipo (1,117)
2011-Cody Zeller (1,157)
2012-Yogi Ferrell (1,943)
2013-Troy Williams (1,081)

HOOSIER SHOOTING
• IU is second in the country in field goal percentage (50.5), fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (42.0), seventh in scoring margin (+13.7), 10th in scoring offense (82.8), and 12th in 3-point field goals made per game (9.9).

FERRELL IS 45TH IU ALL-AMERICAN
• Senior guard Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell was named second-team All-American by USA Today, The Sporting News, NBCSports.com and ESPN.com. He is a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten choice and becomes the first Hoosier to earn that distinction in consecutive years since Calbert Cheaney did in 1991, 92 and 93. He also is a member of the league's All-Defensive Team.

• His 20-point, 10-assist performance vs. Chattanooga is just the second such game in IU history. Keith Smart posted 20 points and 15 assists on March 14, 1987 vs. Auburn.

IU VS. UK IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
3/17/73           W        72-65   Nashville (Mideast)
3/22/75           L          90-92   Dayton (Mideast)
3/24/83           L          64-59   Knoxville (Mideast)
3/23/12           L          90-102 Atlanta (South)

MORE NATIONAL HONORS
• Ferrell is being considered for the Wooden and Naismith Awards for National Player of the Year. He was also named one of five finalists for the Cousy Award, given to the nation's top point guard. Ferrell is the only player in Big Ten History with 1,900 points, 600 assists, 400 rebounds and 250 3-pointers made (Michigan's Gary Grant had 2,200 points, 700 assists and 400 rebounds). He is IU's all-time leader in games started (135) and assists with 625. He joins IU greats Calbert Cheaney, Don Schlundt, Damon Bailey, and Kent Benson to rank among the top 10 scorers all-time at IU and win multiple Big Ten titles.

Crean Era Superlatives In B1G Play
• The Hoosiers allowed the fewest number of free throws made per game (11.5) in conference play during Coach Crean's eight seasons at IU. Opponents also hauled in just 8.6 offensive rebounds.

• The Hoosiers averaged 78.1 points per game in conference play, the highest since the Hoosiers averaged 74.6 in 2013. IU also had its best rebounding season, hauling in 36.8 per game, compared to 36.5 in 2013.

• IU dished out 15.2 assists per game, which eclipses the 12.9 it accomplished last season.

• The Hoosiers made (9.9) and took (24.8) the highest number of 3-pointers it ever has.

JAMES BLACKMON, JR.
Sophomore guard James Blackmon, Jr., (15.8 ppg) is out for the season after he had surgery on his right knee. 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 the first Big Ten hoops player to win championships at two different league schools (Michigan 2, IU 1). He is averaging 8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds. He 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 43.9% (25-of-57) from long distance this season.

• Sophomore Robert Johnson is shooting 44.1 percent from 3-point range.   The Virginia native returned to action on Thursday against Chattanooga after missing the previous four games with an ankle injury. He forced a game-winning steal in the final seconds at home against Wisconsin. He had 16 points and six rebounds at Michigan. He is second on the team in assists (94). His former high school teammate,

• Senior Nick Zeisloft is second on the team in 3-point field goals with 64 made. He made his fifth straight start and had nine points against Chattanooga. He finished with 15 points at Minnesota and led the Hoosiers with 14 points at Penn State. He is shooting 43.2% from long distance this season and 52.0% in the last six games.

• Freshman Thomas Bryant had 14 points and 8 rebounds at Illinois and his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds at Iowa. He 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 68.7% of his attempts.

• Junior Troy Williams tied his career-high with a 23-point effort against Maryland (also had 23 against OSU this season). He had 15 points and seven rebounds at Iowa. He was B1G Player of the Week after scoring 18 against Nebraska and 19 versus Purdue (2/22). He has made 21 3-point field goals this season after making 12 total during his first two years with the Hoosiers.

• Junior Collin Hartman started 16 B1G games this season and averaged 5.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in those games. He has shot 41.7% in Big Ten play from 3-point range combined over the last two seasons. That is the third-highest total among players who have taken more than 75 3-point attempts in the last two years in the league.

• Freshman OG Anunoby had a career-high 14 points on Thursday against Chattanooga, which came on the heels of a 13-point performance against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament. He has shot 57.4 percent from the field and made 12-of-27 3-point field goal attempts.

• Freshman Juwan Morgan had five points and five boards at Iowa and hit the go-ahead free throws with 3:16 to go. He had a career-high 12 points against Nebraska and also added 5 rebounds. He also had 7 points in the win over Northwestern. He has made a three-point field goal in four of the last five games. He had six points and four rebounds against Maryland.

• 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 at home against Iowa and had a basket and took a charge. He has averaged 4.6 minutes in the last five games. Former manager Jackson Tharp is now on the 2015-16 roster. Tharp has been an undergraduate manager at IU since the 2012. He had an assist in his first game against Illinois.