Indiana University Athletics
NOTES: IU Returns Home for Date with Merrimack
12/11/2021 2:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
OPENING TIP
Indiana University is in its 122nd season of competition in men's basketball and will host Merrimack, a member of the Northeast Conference. The Hoosiers are coming off a 64-59 loss at #22/17 Wisconsin on Wednesday, while Merrimack fell at #5/5 Gonzaga, 80-55, on Thursday night. IU is 7-0 against the Northeast Conference with the last meeting against a member of their league coming in the 2019 NIT, when the Hoosiers defeated St. Francis (Pa.), 89-72.
GAME INFORMATION
Sunday, December 12 • Noon ET
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) • Bloomington, Ind.
TV: BTN (Chris Vosters and Jess Settles)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, Joe Smith) | TuneIn App
Series History: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting
ON THE SIDELINES
IU Hall of Famer, All-American, Big Ten MVP and Indiana native Mike Woodson is the first Hoosier graduate to lead the program at the start of the season since Lou Watson in 1965. Woodson brings nine years of NBA head coaching experience (Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks) back to his alma mater and worked for seven franchises as an assistant coach and won an NBA title in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons. He played 11 seasons in the NBA as a player and is the fifth all-time leading scorer in program history with 2,061 points.
Merrimack coach Joe Gallo is in his fifth year with the Warriors.
SOME NUMBERS
IU leads the Big Ten in defensive field goal percentage (35.4%), is second in blocked shots (6.0) and fourth in 3-point FG defense (27.2%). The Hoosiers set a school record against Louisiana when they defended 25-straight Louisiana shots without a make. Since the second game of the season, IU is second in the Big Ten shooting 40.8% from 3-point range.
The Hoosiers are a perfect 7-0 at home this season.
ALL-AMERICAN TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS
Junior/sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis is living up to his preseason accolades, averaging 19.7 points (4th in B1G), 8.3 rebounds (6th), shooting 62.2% from the floor (2nd) and contributing 3.1 blocked shots per game (1st; 7th nationally).
He had 31 points and 16 boards at Syracuse immediately following a game in which he set a Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall record by scoring 43 points against Marshall, breaking the previous mark (42) set by Steve Alford against Michigan State. He made a career-high 18-of-24 field goal attempts. For his efforts, he was named National Player of the Week by Dick Vitale on ESPN.com.
The leading returning scorer in the Big Ten has been named a first-team 2021-22 Preseason All-American by the Associated Press, and selected to the watch list for the Karl Malone Watch, the NABC Player of the Year, Wooden Award and Naismith Award. The Big Ten Player of the Week on 11/15 has had three double-doubles this season and 25 in his career with IU posting a 19-6 record in those games.
Jackson-Davis became the 54th player in school history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark against St. John's and now has scored 1,126 points as a Hoosier, rating 41st all-time in IU lore.
ODDS AND TRENDS
IU's starting lineup of Jackson-Davis (68), Sr./Jr's. Xavier Johnson (90), Miller Kopp (83), Parker Stewart (32) and Race Thompson (36) have combined for 360 career Division I starts. Off the bench, Sr./Jr's. Michael Durr (85) and Rob Phinisee (69) have started 154 games.
Stewart leads the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage at 49.0%. In the last six games, he is shooting 55.3% from long distance, making 21-of-38 attempts. Thompson is third in the Big Ten in rebounding at 8.9 per game. In the last four games, he is averaging 10.2 boards per game. Johnson is fifth in the Big Ten in assists at 4.3 per game. He has had seven or more assists in three of the last four games.
The Hoosiers will take this coming week off due to exams and will resume play Saturday, Dec. 18 at 2:30 p.m. ET in the final game of the Crossroads Classic.
Indiana University is in its 122nd season of competition in men's basketball and will host Merrimack, a member of the Northeast Conference. The Hoosiers are coming off a 64-59 loss at #22/17 Wisconsin on Wednesday, while Merrimack fell at #5/5 Gonzaga, 80-55, on Thursday night. IU is 7-0 against the Northeast Conference with the last meeting against a member of their league coming in the 2019 NIT, when the Hoosiers defeated St. Francis (Pa.), 89-72.
GAME INFORMATION
Sunday, December 12 • Noon ET
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) • Bloomington, Ind.
TV: BTN (Chris Vosters and Jess Settles)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, Joe Smith) | TuneIn App
Series History: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting
ON THE SIDELINES
IU Hall of Famer, All-American, Big Ten MVP and Indiana native Mike Woodson is the first Hoosier graduate to lead the program at the start of the season since Lou Watson in 1965. Woodson brings nine years of NBA head coaching experience (Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks) back to his alma mater and worked for seven franchises as an assistant coach and won an NBA title in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons. He played 11 seasons in the NBA as a player and is the fifth all-time leading scorer in program history with 2,061 points.
Merrimack coach Joe Gallo is in his fifth year with the Warriors.
SOME NUMBERS
IU leads the Big Ten in defensive field goal percentage (35.4%), is second in blocked shots (6.0) and fourth in 3-point FG defense (27.2%). The Hoosiers set a school record against Louisiana when they defended 25-straight Louisiana shots without a make. Since the second game of the season, IU is second in the Big Ten shooting 40.8% from 3-point range.
The Hoosiers are a perfect 7-0 at home this season.
ALL-AMERICAN TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS
Junior/sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis is living up to his preseason accolades, averaging 19.7 points (4th in B1G), 8.3 rebounds (6th), shooting 62.2% from the floor (2nd) and contributing 3.1 blocked shots per game (1st; 7th nationally).
He had 31 points and 16 boards at Syracuse immediately following a game in which he set a Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall record by scoring 43 points against Marshall, breaking the previous mark (42) set by Steve Alford against Michigan State. He made a career-high 18-of-24 field goal attempts. For his efforts, he was named National Player of the Week by Dick Vitale on ESPN.com.
The leading returning scorer in the Big Ten has been named a first-team 2021-22 Preseason All-American by the Associated Press, and selected to the watch list for the Karl Malone Watch, the NABC Player of the Year, Wooden Award and Naismith Award. The Big Ten Player of the Week on 11/15 has had three double-doubles this season and 25 in his career with IU posting a 19-6 record in those games.
Jackson-Davis became the 54th player in school history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark against St. John's and now has scored 1,126 points as a Hoosier, rating 41st all-time in IU lore.
ODDS AND TRENDS
IU's starting lineup of Jackson-Davis (68), Sr./Jr's. Xavier Johnson (90), Miller Kopp (83), Parker Stewart (32) and Race Thompson (36) have combined for 360 career Division I starts. Off the bench, Sr./Jr's. Michael Durr (85) and Rob Phinisee (69) have started 154 games.
Stewart leads the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage at 49.0%. In the last six games, he is shooting 55.3% from long distance, making 21-of-38 attempts. Thompson is third in the Big Ten in rebounding at 8.9 per game. In the last four games, he is averaging 10.2 boards per game. Johnson is fifth in the Big Ten in assists at 4.3 per game. He has had seven or more assists in three of the last four games.
The Hoosiers will take this coming week off due to exams and will resume play Saturday, Dec. 18 at 2:30 p.m. ET in the final game of the Crossroads Classic.
Players Mentioned
Center
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Forward
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Forward
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