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1/14/2019 9:22:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By: Andy Graham, IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Romeo Langford can clearly finish.
That skill will almost certainly be required of him and all his teammates tonight as Indiana hosts Nebraska for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff.
It is one of just two home games in a demanding eight-game Big Ten stretch that began with the Jan. 6 road loss at No. 2-ranked Michigan.
As with so many conference games this season, on paper tonight's test looks like it'll go down to the wire.
Both teams enter 12-4, overall, with the host Hoosiers at 3-2 in league play after Friday's 76-73 loss at Maryland and the Cornhuskers coming in 2-3 off Thursday's 70-64 home win over Penn State.
IU freshman Lankford led all scorers with 28 points at Maryland, matching a career-high set Jan. 3 versus Illinois. Since the turn of the year, he has shot .552 from the field, .417 from 3-point range and .867 at the foul line.
Langford has never scored below double-figures at IU and his 18.8-point average leads the team.
Coach Tim Miles, at Nebraska since 2012, was asked how Langford compares to the other elite Big Ten freshmen he's seen over the years.
"I think he might be the best, honestly," Miles told HuskerOnline.com. "When you look at some of these guys – and we've seen guys be Big Ten Player of the Year – he is really impressive. He makes things look so easy and effortless.
"He is such a good finisher."
Indeed. Langford ranks first among all Division I players in converting shots at the rim, at 78 percent.
A total of 37 scouts representing 20 NBA teams were on hand at Maryland and had a lot of talent to evaluate on both teams.
Langford is generally projected as a lottery pick (top 14 selections) and senior teammate Juwan Morgan has played his way into Player of the Year consideration and also onto some 2019 NBA mock-draft listings.
"The way I look at it, Indiana's got one first-team all-league player and a lottery pick, and they're not the same person," Miles said. "And when you get outside of that, they still have a bunch of talented guys.
"It's certainly a real challenge to win in Assembly Hall, but we've been fortunate to do it a few times (most recently 87-83 in 2016 and 70-60 in 2014). You have to go in there with a real warrior's mentality."
The 6-foot-8 Morgan is frequently in full warrior mode in the paint on both ends. He scored 14 points and battled the taller and talented Terps to pull down eight rebounds at Maryland.
But IU was dominated on the boards, overall, 42-25, and gave up 18 offensive boards while claiming just three.
Hoosier coach Archie Miller feels his has to get Morgan more help down low, especially with IU 6-10 junior De'Ron Davis nursing an ankle injury.
"We have to find a way to get our other guys in, and be confident with putting them in the game," Miller acknowledged post-game. "The plan coming into the game was to play as many players as we can.
"When Juwan is playing well, and he was playing well most of the game, it's tough to take him out … Juwan played an iron-man 36 minutes. It's hard to play 36 minutes in that type of game. We'd like to get him a few more blows."
Foul trouble for 6-7 Hoosier sophomore Justin Smith also hurt Friday, both in terms of the boards and the defensive end of the court. IU defended well early but then gave up a 51-point Maryland second half.
After Indiana forged a 28-14 lead midway through the first half, Maryland responded with a 29-9 run (including a 16-2 burst after intermission).
Langford did his best to respond, scoring 20 of IU's next 24 points after Maryland surged to a 43-36 edge, but the Hoosiers never regained the lead.
Nebraska knows what it's like to lose a close one at Maryland, falling there 76-74 on Jan. 2. Its only other losses have come on a neutral court to No. 8-ranked Texas Tech, at Minnesota (85-78) and at Iowa (93-84).
The Cornhuskers posted some excellent non-conference wins, such as 80-57 over Seton Hall, 68-68 at Clemson (in Big Ten/ACC Challenge play), 79-56 over Oklahoma State at a neutral site, and 94-75 over Creighton.
Overall, Nebraska is beating opponents by 18 points per game.
And the Huskers, averaging 79.2 points per game, rank No. 9 in offensive efficiency by KenPom.
A senior triumvirate leads the Nebraska scoring: 6-6 win James Palmer (19.5), 6-9 forward Isaac Copeland (14.3) and 6-0 guard Glynn Watson (13.4).
And 6-8 junior Isaiah Roby takes a back seat to no Nebraskan in terms of talent. He led the Huskers with 22 points, hitting 8 of 9 shots, versus Penn State. He's averaging 11.4 points, a team-high 6.6 boards, has blocked a team-high 25 shots and ranks third on the team with 21 steals.
The steals leader (with 26) is Thomas Allen, a 6-1 sophomore guard who Miles says has "another gear" and has blossomed since joining the starting lineup.
The Huskers can bring size in 6-11 freshman Brady Heiman and 6-8 soph Tanner Borchardt off the bench, and versatility in 6-6 sophomore Nana Akenten (5.4 points per game) and 6-6 freshman Amir Harris – though the latter two are just returning from illness.
"Nana is getting close to 100 percent, and Amir is getting closer, which is helpful," Miles said. "We need that depth. And those guys can help us. They both helped us at Clemson and at other times on the road."
Miles hopes the good vibes from the Penn State win will make the trip with his team, but he's under no illusions about the challenge the balanced and bruising Big Ten poses.
"It was an important win, but you don't live or die in this league with one game alone," Miles said. "If you do that, you might let one game beat you twice, or if you think you're such a champ after a win, you won't be ready the next game.
"I think our guys are locked-in, dialed-in, and ready for Indiana. That's the most important part. We know what we can do."
Miller knows his team needs to bounce back after two straight road losses and defend home court. And like his coaching counterpart, he wants to see his team's depth improve.
Two free throws from Rob Phinisee, the freshman point guard just back from concussion protocol, where the only bench points IU got at Maryland.
"We also had some other contributions from the (starting) guys that did good, especially early in the game those guys – Al (Durham), Devonte (Green), and Justin (Smith – those guys did well. We just have to find a way to get more contributions from everybody involved. And that's how it is.
"It's early January right now you're going through a really brutal stretch in the league, and for us it's about constantly trying to get improved. And we got better from last Sunday to Friday. Now the quest it to get better from Friday as we play Nebraska."
Four of the next five are on the road for IU, and the next home date (Jan. 25) is no picnic, either, with Michigan visiting.
If a chance for victory arises Monday, the Hoosiers need to finish.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Romeo Langford can clearly finish.
That skill will almost certainly be required of him and all his teammates tonight as Indiana hosts Nebraska for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff.
It is one of just two home games in a demanding eight-game Big Ten stretch that began with the Jan. 6 road loss at No. 2-ranked Michigan.
As with so many conference games this season, on paper tonight's test looks like it'll go down to the wire.
Both teams enter 12-4, overall, with the host Hoosiers at 3-2 in league play after Friday's 76-73 loss at Maryland and the Cornhuskers coming in 2-3 off Thursday's 70-64 home win over Penn State.
IU freshman Lankford led all scorers with 28 points at Maryland, matching a career-high set Jan. 3 versus Illinois. Since the turn of the year, he has shot .552 from the field, .417 from 3-point range and .867 at the foul line.
Langford has never scored below double-figures at IU and his 18.8-point average leads the team.
Coach Tim Miles, at Nebraska since 2012, was asked how Langford compares to the other elite Big Ten freshmen he's seen over the years.
"I think he might be the best, honestly," Miles told HuskerOnline.com. "When you look at some of these guys – and we've seen guys be Big Ten Player of the Year – he is really impressive. He makes things look so easy and effortless.
"He is such a good finisher."
Indeed. Langford ranks first among all Division I players in converting shots at the rim, at 78 percent.
A total of 37 scouts representing 20 NBA teams were on hand at Maryland and had a lot of talent to evaluate on both teams.
Langford is generally projected as a lottery pick (top 14 selections) and senior teammate Juwan Morgan has played his way into Player of the Year consideration and also onto some 2019 NBA mock-draft listings.
"The way I look at it, Indiana's got one first-team all-league player and a lottery pick, and they're not the same person," Miles said. "And when you get outside of that, they still have a bunch of talented guys.
"It's certainly a real challenge to win in Assembly Hall, but we've been fortunate to do it a few times (most recently 87-83 in 2016 and 70-60 in 2014). You have to go in there with a real warrior's mentality."
The 6-foot-8 Morgan is frequently in full warrior mode in the paint on both ends. He scored 14 points and battled the taller and talented Terps to pull down eight rebounds at Maryland.
But IU was dominated on the boards, overall, 42-25, and gave up 18 offensive boards while claiming just three.
Hoosier coach Archie Miller feels his has to get Morgan more help down low, especially with IU 6-10 junior De'Ron Davis nursing an ankle injury.
"We have to find a way to get our other guys in, and be confident with putting them in the game," Miller acknowledged post-game. "The plan coming into the game was to play as many players as we can.
"When Juwan is playing well, and he was playing well most of the game, it's tough to take him out … Juwan played an iron-man 36 minutes. It's hard to play 36 minutes in that type of game. We'd like to get him a few more blows."
Foul trouble for 6-7 Hoosier sophomore Justin Smith also hurt Friday, both in terms of the boards and the defensive end of the court. IU defended well early but then gave up a 51-point Maryland second half.
After Indiana forged a 28-14 lead midway through the first half, Maryland responded with a 29-9 run (including a 16-2 burst after intermission).
Langford did his best to respond, scoring 20 of IU's next 24 points after Maryland surged to a 43-36 edge, but the Hoosiers never regained the lead.
Nebraska knows what it's like to lose a close one at Maryland, falling there 76-74 on Jan. 2. Its only other losses have come on a neutral court to No. 8-ranked Texas Tech, at Minnesota (85-78) and at Iowa (93-84).
The Cornhuskers posted some excellent non-conference wins, such as 80-57 over Seton Hall, 68-68 at Clemson (in Big Ten/ACC Challenge play), 79-56 over Oklahoma State at a neutral site, and 94-75 over Creighton.
Overall, Nebraska is beating opponents by 18 points per game.
And the Huskers, averaging 79.2 points per game, rank No. 9 in offensive efficiency by KenPom.
A senior triumvirate leads the Nebraska scoring: 6-6 win James Palmer (19.5), 6-9 forward Isaac Copeland (14.3) and 6-0 guard Glynn Watson (13.4).
And 6-8 junior Isaiah Roby takes a back seat to no Nebraskan in terms of talent. He led the Huskers with 22 points, hitting 8 of 9 shots, versus Penn State. He's averaging 11.4 points, a team-high 6.6 boards, has blocked a team-high 25 shots and ranks third on the team with 21 steals.
The steals leader (with 26) is Thomas Allen, a 6-1 sophomore guard who Miles says has "another gear" and has blossomed since joining the starting lineup.
The Huskers can bring size in 6-11 freshman Brady Heiman and 6-8 soph Tanner Borchardt off the bench, and versatility in 6-6 sophomore Nana Akenten (5.4 points per game) and 6-6 freshman Amir Harris – though the latter two are just returning from illness.
"Nana is getting close to 100 percent, and Amir is getting closer, which is helpful," Miles said. "We need that depth. And those guys can help us. They both helped us at Clemson and at other times on the road."
Miles hopes the good vibes from the Penn State win will make the trip with his team, but he's under no illusions about the challenge the balanced and bruising Big Ten poses.
"It was an important win, but you don't live or die in this league with one game alone," Miles said. "If you do that, you might let one game beat you twice, or if you think you're such a champ after a win, you won't be ready the next game.
"I think our guys are locked-in, dialed-in, and ready for Indiana. That's the most important part. We know what we can do."
Miller knows his team needs to bounce back after two straight road losses and defend home court. And like his coaching counterpart, he wants to see his team's depth improve.
Two free throws from Rob Phinisee, the freshman point guard just back from concussion protocol, where the only bench points IU got at Maryland.
"We also had some other contributions from the (starting) guys that did good, especially early in the game those guys – Al (Durham), Devonte (Green), and Justin (Smith – those guys did well. We just have to find a way to get more contributions from everybody involved. And that's how it is.
"It's early January right now you're going through a really brutal stretch in the league, and for us it's about constantly trying to get improved. And we got better from last Sunday to Friday. Now the quest it to get better from Friday as we play Nebraska."
Four of the next five are on the road for IU, and the next home date (Jan. 25) is no picnic, either, with Michigan visiting.
If a chance for victory arises Monday, the Hoosiers need to finish.
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