What a difference a year makes. It was around this time that there were very quiet rumors about Darian DeVries to Iowa should it come available. Indiana was at the front end of a back-half collapse after
a a 13-3, 4-1 start, which saw Mike Woodson get the ax. Iowa was in the throes of the 3-game losing streak.
I guess some things don’t change.
Anyways, the DeVries rumors reached an (unfounded) crescendo after Fran McCaffery was fired & Iowa ended up with Beth Goetz’s first call: Ben McCollum.
Both teams seem better off: the January 17th-ish KenPom ratings have both about 20 spots higher than the same time last year and neither have the same pall hanging over them.
For this iteration of the matchup, the Iowa Hawkeyes (12-5, 2-4) reach the end of a tough stretch of 3 roadies in 4 games, with the 4th being hosting a top-15 Illinois team. Can they get a win at Indiana? It hasn’t been quite a house of horrors like Mackey Arena or the Breslin Center as Iowa’s pulled out a pair of wins in recent years. There are still plenty of bad memories, though – the chunk of concrete falling from the ceiling in 2014 still haunt my daydreams of “what ifs?” for Iowa basketball.
The Indiana Hoosiers (12-5, 3-3) are off a pair of tough losses to Based Fred Hoiberg and a blowout at Michigan State. Also in the “just like us!” category is a tough loss at Minnesota. Their best win right now looks like a home W to Washington a couple weeks ago.
Getting off the schneid is on the table for the boys in black & gold later today.
Indiana Hoosiers (12-5, 3-3)
Bloomington, IN
Darian DeVries (12-5 at Indiana, 181-73)
How to Watch
Today, 1/17: Iowa at Indiana
1:00 PM, FOX (Jason Benetti & Steve Smith)
Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, IN
Hawkeye Radio Network
Live Stats (StatBroadcast)
Stat Pack
KenPom ($): +19.86; 32nd (121.4; 30th | 101.5; 47th)
BartTorvik: 23rd (124.6; 12th | 100.4; 38th)
Sports-Ref:
PPG: 83.1 (78th) | 68.8 (70th)
RPG: 35.8 | 32.2
Leaders (via Sports-Ref)
PPG: Lamar Wilkerson (20.2), Tucker DeVries (14.6)
RPG: DeVries (4.9, 0.6 off), Reed Bailey (4.6, 1.6 off), Sam Alexis (4.6, 1.9 off)
APG: Tayton Conerway (4.5), Conor Enright (4.4)
FG% (min 10 MPG, 2 FGA/game): Alexis (65.2%), Bailey (56.2%)
3P% (min 1 3PA/game): Nick Dorn (42.6%), Wilkerson (42.4%)
Note: Wilkerson’s 42.4% leads the conference
Last 5 games
1/13: L at Michigan State: 81-60
1/10: L v Nebraska: 83-77
1/7: W at Maryland: 84-66
1/4: W v Washington: 90-80
12/22: W v Siena: 81-60
A little bit of the Spider-Man meme with DeVries & McCollum pointing at each other. Two Iowa guys leading their teams in a Big Ten showdown. Let’s go Hawks!
