Indiana (5-0, 0-0 Big Ten) is set to take on Lindenwood (5-1, 0-0 Big 12) on Tuesday night at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana.
The Hoosiers are coming off of two less-than-ideal performances
in buy games following three straight incredible showings on offense to open the season. Indiana has struggled shooting the ball and, while the defense has held firm, it hasn’t faced the kind of competition that should be expected to challenge it.
The Wildcats are coming off of their first loss of the season, falling 86-85 to Nebraska at the Hall of Fame classic. Kansas State has looked excellent on offense with three games against high-major competition under its belt, never putting up less than 86 points. The defense has shown cracks at times, but that offense has been more than enough to make up for the occasional lapses.
Indiana Hoosiers vs Kansas State Wildcats
- Game Time/Date: 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, November 25
- Game Location: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana
- TV Channel: FS1
- Streaming: YouTubeTV
- KenPom Spread: Hoosiers by 7
Predictions
I think Indiana really has its work cut out for it here.
Kansas State has a great offense. The Wildcats boast an eFG% of 61(!!!!) and shoot the ball as often and as well as anyone, hitting on 39.4% of their attempts from distance to open the season. Memphis transfer P.J. Haggerty has looked absolutely masterful up to this point, averaging a nation-leading 28 points per game with 5.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists to go with it while shooting 40.9% from 3 and 56% from the field. He’s as tough of a cover as they come in college basketball.
As stated above, Kansas State’s defense has shown some cracks. The Wildcats are allowing an eFG% of 52.8 and their opponents have gotten plenty of points at the rim. Indiana isn’t really built to score like that and doesn’t have a ton of reliable options to get downhill or score in the low post.
Indiana’s going to have to buck the trend of struggling from the 3-point line and find ways to get Tayton Conerway some looks at the rim. If Reed Bailey isn’t able to prove as effective as a scorer, the Hoosiers might have to turn to Sam Alexis for extended minutes at the five.
The Assembly Hall environment might be a bit sleepier given students are out. Kansas State has to be taken seriously or it could hand Indiana its first loss and do so by a fair few points.
