Hoosiers Look to Carry Similar Mindset into Iowa

When: 9:00 PM EST, Friday, February 22^nd, 2019

Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa

How to watch: FS1

Now in danger of falling under .500 for the first time all season, Indiana will face the tough task of battling the #21 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes on their home court.

Coming off a devastating defeat against in-state rival Purdue on a tip-in with three seconds left in regulation, Indiana will need to move on from the loss quickly and turn their sights to Iowa. The Hawkeyes themselves are coming off a similar home defeat, losing off a tip-in shot with 7.8 seconds in their loss against Maryland on Tuesday night.

Indiana will be looking to get revenge for the first match-up between these two teams, which saw the Hawkeyes leave Assembly Hall with a 77-72 victory. Indiana struggled mightily to defend the perimeter against the Hawkeyes, allowing Iowa to hit 10 three-pointers over the course of the game. Head coach Archie Miller will be looking for a similar defensive mindset that Indiana employed against Purdue, which saw the Hoosiers hold the high-octane Purdue offense to just 48 points overall, including just 6-of-30 from behind the arc.

Indiana will also need to find a way to limit the production of Iowa star forward Tyler Cook, who caused problems for Indiana’s defense throughout their last match-up. Cook was able to rack up 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists for the Hawkeyes against Indiana, and despite trying a variety of defenders on Cook, no one for the Hoosiers seemed capable of containing him.

In addition to their defensive concerns, Indiana will need to find a way to increase their offensive production if they hope to be able to pull off the upset against a potent Hawkeyes offense. Indiana is averaging just under 54 points per game over their last three contests, and arguably Indiana’s best offensive player, senior big man Juwan Morgan, has encountered his own problems over that stretch, averaging just 8.6 points on 25% shooting from the field.

Despite their loss to Purdue however, head coach Archie Miller liked his teams’ fight and togetherness, and they will need to replicate those as they travel to a hostile environment. Keeping the team’s intensity level high could be a problem for an Indiana team whose postseason hopes look all but defeated. However, now losers of 11 of their last 12 contests, their pride alone should be motivation enough for Indiana to break out of their struggles.