Wednesday, January 11
University Park, Pa.
7:00 PM
Indiana University
at
Penn State
Hood-Schifino Rising to IU’s Point-Guard Challenge
1/11/2023 2:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Forget the freshman status. Jalen Hood-Schifino is playing well beyond that, and for this, the Indiana Hoosiers give thanks.
Still, coach Mike Woodson wants more.
The 6-6 Hood-Schifino earned Big Ten freshman-of-the-week honors after a huge two-game run against Iowa and Northwestern. He averaged 27.0 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds. He was 18-for-30 from the field, and 10-for-15 from three-point range.
That included Sunday's 33-point effort against Northwestern, the most points by an IU freshman since Eric Gordon also had 33 points in 2007.
Hood-Schifino is the first Hoosier freshman to win the award since Trayce Jackson-Davis did it in 2020. He's also the first IU player this season to earn weekly conference recognition.
"He made big shot after big shot," Jackson-Davis says of the Northwestern performance. "He put the team on his back and carried us."
Since veteran point guard Xavier Johnson went down with a foot injury, Hood-Schifino has handled the bulk the point-guard burden, which includes Woodson's run-the-offense-and-defense coaching demands.
As Woodson has said, he's hard on his point guards because so much is expected of them.
In so many ways, Hood-Schifino has delivered. He's scored in double figures in six straight games, averaging 19.0 points in that stretch while shooting 54.9 percent from the field, 60.7 percent from three-point range.
As far as getting teammates involved, for the season, he has 55 assists against 39 turnovers. By comparison, Johnson has 54 assists and 31 turnovers.
Against Northwestern, Hood-Schifino committed six turnovers and had multiple missed defensive assignments.
Woodson noticed.
During his Monday night radio show with Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer, Woodson said Hood-Schifino played well, but he "Can't walk away from that game and think it's OK."
Hood-Schifino understands.
"We've got to be better with the ball," he say.
Overall among Big Ten freshmen, Hood-Schifino ranks first in assists (4.6), third in scoring (13.4), and fifth in rebounding (4.3) and in made three-point baskets (1.8).
"He's going to have the ball in his hands, especially with X out," Jackson-Davis says. "We need him to make plays."
No Hoosier makes more plays than Jackson-Davis. Despite dealing with back issues, he has dominated his last two games.
In 40 minutes against Northwestern, he had 18 points, a career-high 24 rebounds, eight assists and four blocks. In 38 minutes at Iowa, he had 30 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and three assists.
Jackson-Davis ranks eighth in Indiana history in career points (1,800), fifth in rebounding (912) and third in blocked shots (212). He and Alan Henderson are the only Hoosiers to be ranked in the top 10 in those categories.
Northwestern coach Chris Collins was impressed.
"Indiana is difficult to guard because of what Trayce can do," Collins says. "He's not a prototypical, low-post player. He gets the ball out on the mid-post and he drives it. It's hard to know when to help and how to play off."
Losing consecutive games to unranked teams -- by a combined three points -- knocked IU (10-5 overall, 1-3 in the Big Ten) out of the national polls for the first time this season. It will try to regain its winning edge Wednesday night at Penn State (11-5, 2-3).
"We've got to keep working," Hood-Schifino says. "It's a grown man's league, so every night we're going to play a tough team, and it's going to be tough. We've just to go back to the drawing board, clean up the little things, and we'll be fine."
IU will likely again be without Johnson and forward Race Thompson. That will likely mean a second straight starting opportunity for forward Jordan Geronimo. Woodson told Fischer he talked with Geronimo about rising to the challenge.
"I told him, this is your opportunity to shine and help us."
Woodson continues to push a play-tougher-for-40-minutes theme.
"We're not playing hard enough," he told Fischer. "That's on me. I've got to get these cats playing hard for 40 minutes."
IU has struggled with turnovers and fouling the last two games.
"We're beating ourselves," he told Fischer.
Penn State has lost two straight -- at Michigan and then against then No. 1 Purdue in Philadelphia -- after a five-game winning streak. Its Big Ten wins were against Illinois and Iowa.
The Nittany Lions are led by 6-4 guard Jalen Pickett, who averages 17.9 points and 7.6 rebounds. He also leads the team in assists (117) and steals (20).
Seth Lundy, a 6-6 swingman, averages 13.7 points and 6.6 rebounds. Guard Andrew Funk averages 11.6 points.
Penn State shoots 38.5 percent from three-point range, with five solid three-point shooters.
IU has a 42-13 series edge over the Nittany Lions, and a 7-2 advantage over the last nine games. Last year, the teams split, each winning at home.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Forget the freshman status. Jalen Hood-Schifino is playing well beyond that, and for this, the Indiana Hoosiers give thanks.
Still, coach Mike Woodson wants more.
The 6-6 Hood-Schifino earned Big Ten freshman-of-the-week honors after a huge two-game run against Iowa and Northwestern. He averaged 27.0 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds. He was 18-for-30 from the field, and 10-for-15 from three-point range.
That included Sunday's 33-point effort against Northwestern, the most points by an IU freshman since Eric Gordon also had 33 points in 2007.
Hood-Schifino is the first Hoosier freshman to win the award since Trayce Jackson-Davis did it in 2020. He's also the first IU player this season to earn weekly conference recognition.
"He made big shot after big shot," Jackson-Davis says of the Northwestern performance. "He put the team on his back and carried us."
Since veteran point guard Xavier Johnson went down with a foot injury, Hood-Schifino has handled the bulk the point-guard burden, which includes Woodson's run-the-offense-and-defense coaching demands.
As Woodson has said, he's hard on his point guards because so much is expected of them.
In so many ways, Hood-Schifino has delivered. He's scored in double figures in six straight games, averaging 19.0 points in that stretch while shooting 54.9 percent from the field, 60.7 percent from three-point range.
As far as getting teammates involved, for the season, he has 55 assists against 39 turnovers. By comparison, Johnson has 54 assists and 31 turnovers.
Against Northwestern, Hood-Schifino committed six turnovers and had multiple missed defensive assignments.
Woodson noticed.
During his Monday night radio show with Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer, Woodson said Hood-Schifino played well, but he "Can't walk away from that game and think it's OK."
Hood-Schifino understands.
"We've got to be better with the ball," he say.
Overall among Big Ten freshmen, Hood-Schifino ranks first in assists (4.6), third in scoring (13.4), and fifth in rebounding (4.3) and in made three-point baskets (1.8).
"He's going to have the ball in his hands, especially with X out," Jackson-Davis says. "We need him to make plays."
No Hoosier makes more plays than Jackson-Davis. Despite dealing with back issues, he has dominated his last two games.
In 40 minutes against Northwestern, he had 18 points, a career-high 24 rebounds, eight assists and four blocks. In 38 minutes at Iowa, he had 30 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and three assists.
Jackson-Davis ranks eighth in Indiana history in career points (1,800), fifth in rebounding (912) and third in blocked shots (212). He and Alan Henderson are the only Hoosiers to be ranked in the top 10 in those categories.
Northwestern coach Chris Collins was impressed.
"Indiana is difficult to guard because of what Trayce can do," Collins says. "He's not a prototypical, low-post player. He gets the ball out on the mid-post and he drives it. It's hard to know when to help and how to play off."
Losing consecutive games to unranked teams -- by a combined three points -- knocked IU (10-5 overall, 1-3 in the Big Ten) out of the national polls for the first time this season. It will try to regain its winning edge Wednesday night at Penn State (11-5, 2-3).
"We've got to keep working," Hood-Schifino says. "It's a grown man's league, so every night we're going to play a tough team, and it's going to be tough. We've just to go back to the drawing board, clean up the little things, and we'll be fine."
IU will likely again be without Johnson and forward Race Thompson. That will likely mean a second straight starting opportunity for forward Jordan Geronimo. Woodson told Fischer he talked with Geronimo about rising to the challenge.
"I told him, this is your opportunity to shine and help us."
Woodson continues to push a play-tougher-for-40-minutes theme.
"We're not playing hard enough," he told Fischer. "That's on me. I've got to get these cats playing hard for 40 minutes."
IU has struggled with turnovers and fouling the last two games.
"We're beating ourselves," he told Fischer.
Penn State has lost two straight -- at Michigan and then against then No. 1 Purdue in Philadelphia -- after a five-game winning streak. Its Big Ten wins were against Illinois and Iowa.
The Nittany Lions are led by 6-4 guard Jalen Pickett, who averages 17.9 points and 7.6 rebounds. He also leads the team in assists (117) and steals (20).
Seth Lundy, a 6-6 swingman, averages 13.7 points and 6.6 rebounds. Guard Andrew Funk averages 11.6 points.
Penn State shoots 38.5 percent from three-point range, with five solid three-point shooters.
IU has a 42-13 series edge over the Nittany Lions, and a 7-2 advantage over the last nine games. Last year, the teams split, each winning at home.
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