GRAHAM: It's Senior Day and the Hoosiers Need a Win
3/10/2019 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Andy Graham, IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Rutgers has defeated Indiana the last two times the teams met, Jan. 30 at Rutgers (66-58) and last March 1 in Big Ten Tournament play at Madison Square Garden (76-69).
So there's that.
Then there's this:
In its last four games, Rutgers led Michigan State at halftime in the Breslin Center, beat Minnesota, waxed Iowa on the road by 16 points, and lost by a point to resurgent Penn State when a makeable Geo Baker shot and then a Myles Johnson tip refused to fall at the buzzer.
"The growth of the team this year is exciting," Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said after the PSU game. "We have gotten better and better.
"You see different people. Eugene (Omoruyi) was outstanding today. He muscled through a leg injury. You know, different guys. Ron Harper, second half, stepped up. (Caleb) McConnell. The guys are getting better. They are playing with good confidence."
So Sunday's 12 p.m. regular-season finale with Rutgers visiting Indiana's Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall should be seen for what it is – a real challenge for the host Hoosiers on their Senior Day.
There is much on the line for IU. The Hoosiers (17-15 overall, 7-12 Big Ten) have at least rejoined the conversation regarding a NCAA bid, but have to keep winning to secure one.
And, of course, IU wants to send out seniors Juwan Morgan, Zach McRoberts, Evan Fitzner, Johnny Jager and Quentin Taylor properly in their final home game.
Morgan and Roberts are co-captains this season, but while injuries have limited the latter's involvement, Morgan has had another stalwart campaign capping a sparkling college career.
A 20-point performance during Thursday night's 92-74 Hoosier romp at Illinois has Morgan just 22 points behind Tom Bolyard for 29th on the career scoring list at IU.
But Morgan's overall contributions are perhaps best noted with this:
There are now five players in Indiana's storied history who rank among the top 30 in career scoring, top 15 in rebounding and top 10 in shot-blocks:
Alan Henderson, D.J. White, Ray Tolbert, Eric Anderson and Juwan Morgan. That is mighty fine company to keep.
The 6-foot-8 Morgan, with 6-10 teammate De'Ron Davis sitting out due to an ankle injury, had to constitute virtually a one-man front line against an enormous Rutgers front court in the team's first meeting this season.
Rutgers starts 7-foot graduate-school center Shaquille Doorson and 6-7, 240-pound Omoruyi (the Scarlet Knight scoring and rebounding leader, averaging 13.5 points and 7.4 boards) but also plays 6-10 freshman Johnson and 6-9, 245-pound junior Shaq Carter a lot of minutes.
The Scarlet Knights will be without 6-10 junior Issa Thiam, who is under indefinite suspension, but the overall size quotient is still there. Even the Rutgers guards are relatively big in 6-6 freshman Ron Harper (who unloaded 27 points in the win at Iowa) and 6-4 sophomore Baker (who averages 12.6 as is the Scarlet Knight floor leader).
Rutgers out-rebounds opponents by an average of four per game. And unlike Illinois, which extends its defensive pressure, Rutgers tends to pack in its defense to take advantage of its size – an approach that has posed problems for the Hoosiers during conference play. And IU has had very little prep time for this rematch.
"Very fast turnaround with the late finish on Thursday and then the early start on Sunday," Hoosier coach Archie Miller noted earlier this week. "So we have a quick turnaround to get ready for Rutgers, and Rutgers is also competing and playing very, very well, regardless of who they play, and have great size."
It will behoove the Hoosiers to hit their share of jumpers Sunday, an area in which they've much of the season.
IU is shooting just .312 for the season from 3-point range but hit half of their final 14 attempts beyond the arc at Illinois. The Hoosiers finished at 55 percent from the field in that game, finishing over 50 percent for the first time since Dec. 22.
Indiana was the nation's top-rated shooting team in non-conference at .537 from the field (including .374) but those numbers fell off sharply in league play. The Illinois game, however, continued a recent upward trend.
Freshman point guard Rob Phinisee scored a career-high 17 points Thursday night and is averaging 11.3 in the last four games, finally looking full-go after overcoming a concussion.
"He's a tough kid," Miller said Wednesday of Phinisee. "I think he's a tough kid that's coachable, and he's going to try and do what he can to help you win the game.
"Make no mistake about it, there's very few freshmen that I've seen or been around that have (his) ability level to play the amount of minutes that he plays, and do the job consistently pretty much every game."
Phinisee and junior guard Devonte Green combined for 11 assists and zero turnovers at Illinois. Green, who like Davis missed the first Rutgers game this season, has shot 7 of 13 from 3-point range in the past three games.
Sophomore forward Justin Smith is also coming on strongly, leading the team's scoring during the current three-game winning streak by averaging 17 points during that stretch. He's also hit the boards, defended well and cut down on turnovers.
The Hoosiers looked like a NCAA tournament team Thursday night and have a resume that belies their overall record.
Indiana is one of 13 teams in the nation with six Quadrant 1 wins and no losses in Quadrant 3 or 4, all keys in terms of how the selection committee evaluates. IU is rated 50th in the latest NET Rankings and has played the sixth-toughest schedule in the country, according to KenPom.com. The Hoosiers have four wins against Top 25-ranked foes (Michigan State twice, Wisconsin, Marquette), third-most in the Big Ten.
But that likely won't count for much if the Hoosiers don't win Sunday.
And Rutgers, if recent history is any indication, figures to make that tough.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Rutgers has defeated Indiana the last two times the teams met, Jan. 30 at Rutgers (66-58) and last March 1 in Big Ten Tournament play at Madison Square Garden (76-69).
So there's that.
Then there's this:
In its last four games, Rutgers led Michigan State at halftime in the Breslin Center, beat Minnesota, waxed Iowa on the road by 16 points, and lost by a point to resurgent Penn State when a makeable Geo Baker shot and then a Myles Johnson tip refused to fall at the buzzer.
"The growth of the team this year is exciting," Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said after the PSU game. "We have gotten better and better.
"You see different people. Eugene (Omoruyi) was outstanding today. He muscled through a leg injury. You know, different guys. Ron Harper, second half, stepped up. (Caleb) McConnell. The guys are getting better. They are playing with good confidence."
So Sunday's 12 p.m. regular-season finale with Rutgers visiting Indiana's Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall should be seen for what it is – a real challenge for the host Hoosiers on their Senior Day.
There is much on the line for IU. The Hoosiers (17-15 overall, 7-12 Big Ten) have at least rejoined the conversation regarding a NCAA bid, but have to keep winning to secure one.
And, of course, IU wants to send out seniors Juwan Morgan, Zach McRoberts, Evan Fitzner, Johnny Jager and Quentin Taylor properly in their final home game.
Morgan and Roberts are co-captains this season, but while injuries have limited the latter's involvement, Morgan has had another stalwart campaign capping a sparkling college career.
A 20-point performance during Thursday night's 92-74 Hoosier romp at Illinois has Morgan just 22 points behind Tom Bolyard for 29th on the career scoring list at IU.
But Morgan's overall contributions are perhaps best noted with this:
There are now five players in Indiana's storied history who rank among the top 30 in career scoring, top 15 in rebounding and top 10 in shot-blocks:
Alan Henderson, D.J. White, Ray Tolbert, Eric Anderson and Juwan Morgan. That is mighty fine company to keep.
The 6-foot-8 Morgan, with 6-10 teammate De'Ron Davis sitting out due to an ankle injury, had to constitute virtually a one-man front line against an enormous Rutgers front court in the team's first meeting this season.
Rutgers starts 7-foot graduate-school center Shaquille Doorson and 6-7, 240-pound Omoruyi (the Scarlet Knight scoring and rebounding leader, averaging 13.5 points and 7.4 boards) but also plays 6-10 freshman Johnson and 6-9, 245-pound junior Shaq Carter a lot of minutes.
The Scarlet Knights will be without 6-10 junior Issa Thiam, who is under indefinite suspension, but the overall size quotient is still there. Even the Rutgers guards are relatively big in 6-6 freshman Ron Harper (who unloaded 27 points in the win at Iowa) and 6-4 sophomore Baker (who averages 12.6 as is the Scarlet Knight floor leader).
Rutgers out-rebounds opponents by an average of four per game. And unlike Illinois, which extends its defensive pressure, Rutgers tends to pack in its defense to take advantage of its size – an approach that has posed problems for the Hoosiers during conference play. And IU has had very little prep time for this rematch.
"Very fast turnaround with the late finish on Thursday and then the early start on Sunday," Hoosier coach Archie Miller noted earlier this week. "So we have a quick turnaround to get ready for Rutgers, and Rutgers is also competing and playing very, very well, regardless of who they play, and have great size."
It will behoove the Hoosiers to hit their share of jumpers Sunday, an area in which they've much of the season.
IU is shooting just .312 for the season from 3-point range but hit half of their final 14 attempts beyond the arc at Illinois. The Hoosiers finished at 55 percent from the field in that game, finishing over 50 percent for the first time since Dec. 22.
Indiana was the nation's top-rated shooting team in non-conference at .537 from the field (including .374) but those numbers fell off sharply in league play. The Illinois game, however, continued a recent upward trend.
Freshman point guard Rob Phinisee scored a career-high 17 points Thursday night and is averaging 11.3 in the last four games, finally looking full-go after overcoming a concussion.
"He's a tough kid," Miller said Wednesday of Phinisee. "I think he's a tough kid that's coachable, and he's going to try and do what he can to help you win the game.
"Make no mistake about it, there's very few freshmen that I've seen or been around that have (his) ability level to play the amount of minutes that he plays, and do the job consistently pretty much every game."
Phinisee and junior guard Devonte Green combined for 11 assists and zero turnovers at Illinois. Green, who like Davis missed the first Rutgers game this season, has shot 7 of 13 from 3-point range in the past three games.
Sophomore forward Justin Smith is also coming on strongly, leading the team's scoring during the current three-game winning streak by averaging 17 points during that stretch. He's also hit the boards, defended well and cut down on turnovers.
The Hoosiers looked like a NCAA tournament team Thursday night and have a resume that belies their overall record.
Indiana is one of 13 teams in the nation with six Quadrant 1 wins and no losses in Quadrant 3 or 4, all keys in terms of how the selection committee evaluates. IU is rated 50th in the latest NET Rankings and has played the sixth-toughest schedule in the country, according to KenPom.com. The Hoosiers have four wins against Top 25-ranked foes (Michigan State twice, Wisconsin, Marquette), third-most in the Big Ten.
But that likely won't count for much if the Hoosiers don't win Sunday.
And Rutgers, if recent history is any indication, figures to make that tough.
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