Indiana concludes the common season Saturday afternoon in opposition to Ohio State at Simon Skjodt Meeting Corridor. The Buckeyes are 17-13 and 9-10 within the Large Ten.
Indiana gained the primary assembly 77-76 in extra time on Jan. 17 in Columbus.
Saturday’s sport will tip at 3:45 p.m. ET on CBS:
Two groups desperately needing a win will meet on Saturday in Bloomington. The Hoosiers and Buckeyes are squarely on the bubble with the Large Ten match and Choice Sunday looming.
Indiana is coming off a hard-fought 73-64 loss at Oregon, which snapped its three-game successful streak. Ohio State survived a double extra time thriller on Tuesday in Columbus in opposition to Nebraska, one other bubble crew.
The winner will be ok with its NCAA match possibilities, whereas the loser will go away with work to do in Indianapolis subsequent week to safe a bid.
THE FIRST MATCHUP
Indiana’s slender win in opposition to the Buckeyes in Columbus was one in every of its higher performances of the season. The Hoosiers responded to back-to-back 25-point losses in opposition to Iowa and Illinois with higher vitality from the opening tip.
Indiana practically collapsed after it constructed a 68-58 lead with 5:12 to play. The Hoosiers have been outscored 13-3 to complete regulation and fell behind in extra time earlier than outlasting the Buckeyes.
Senior wing Luke Goode had a profession evening at Worth Metropolis Enviornment. The Illinois switch poured in a career-high 23 factors and shot 7-for-14 from the sector, together with a 4-for-7 mark on 3s. His fourth 3-pointer of the sport, with simply over a minute left in extra time, proved to be the game-winner.
With Malik Reneau sidelined with a knee harm, Indiana emphasised Oumar Ballo within the submit early and sometimes. The 7-footer scored 21 factors on 8-for-14 taking pictures from the sector and a 5-for-7 mark from the foul line. Ballo additionally pulled down 15 rebounds and eight of them have been on the offensive finish. Ballo performed 40 minutes and in addition had three assists, two blocked photographs and a steal.
The Hoosiers additionally obtained a key efficiency from Kanaan Carlyle off the bench. Carlyle, who performed nicely in Tuesday’s loss at Oregon, logged 36 minutes in opposition to the Buckeyes. He had 13 factors on 5-for-12 taking pictures and didn’t commit a turnover. Carlyle scored 10 of his 13 factors after halftime.
For Ohio State, all three of its backcourt gamers had large video games. Freshman John Mobley scored a team-high 22 factors and hit a number of large photographs from the perimeter. Mobley was 5-for-11 on 3s and is taking pictures 40.2 % on triples.
Indiana additionally had hassle defending San Diego State switch Micah Parrish. The 6-foot-6 wing had 19 factors and was disruptive defensively (three steals). Junior level guard Bruce Thornton additionally performed nicely regardless of a tough taking pictures evening from distance. Thornton was 6-for-9 on 2s and completed with 18 factors, six rebounds and three assists in 43 minutes.
Each groups have been lacking key items within the first assembly. Reneau was unavailable for Indiana and the Buckeyes have been with out ahead Devin Royal, who averages 13.6 factors, seven rebounds and 1.1 assists in 28.3 minutes per sport. The 6-foot-6 Royal shoots 52.5 from the sector and is a flexible scoring menace.
TEMPO-FREE PREVIEW
(All stats are for convention video games solely and convention rankings in parenthesis are up to date by Wednesday’s video games.)
Ohio State is an above-average 3-point taking pictures crew that additionally will get to the road and converts its alternatives. The Buckeyes shoot 35.2 % from deep in Large Ten video games and rating 30.5 % of its factors from 3, which is center of the pack within the convention and nationally.
The Buckeyes have the fifth-best free throw charge (FTA/FGA) within the league and are taking pictures 78.4 % from the stripe, which ranks third within the convention. Thornton shoots 84.1 %, Mobley 88 %, Royal 78.2 % and Parrish 79.1 % from the stripe.
Defensively, the Buckeyes have two key points. Ohio State is 14th within the Large Ten in defensive rebounding share and final in opponent free throw charge. Indiana had 14 offensive rebounds and went 17-for-23 from the road in Columbus.
WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO
The KenPom projection is Indiana by one with a 54 % likelihood of a Hoosier victory. Bart Torvik’s scores favor Indiana by two with a 57 % likelihood for the Hoosiers to prevail.
Indiana ought to have one in every of its liveliest crowds of the season. It’s senior day in Bloomington and the Hoosiers can take one other step in direction of an NCAA match berth with a win. Whereas not an elimination sport for both crew with the Large Ten match looming, the winner can have far much less stress going to Indianapolis and also will keep away from a Wednesday sport.
The Hoosiers are enjoying arguably their greatest basketball of the season on the proper time. Indiana gained three straight video games earlier than Tuesday’s loss at Oregon. The ultimate rating of that contest was not indicative of how shut the sport was as IU led within the ultimate two minutes earlier than it needed to foul, which allowed Oregon to stretch the lead.
The keys for Indiana are dominating the paint, changing alternatives on the line and never permitting the trio of Thornton, Mobley and Parrish to get in rhythm offensively.
(Photograph credit score: IU Athletics)
Class: Commentary
Filed to: Ohio State Buckeyes
