Indiana men’s basketball is set to take on Purdue on Friday night in the second of two matchups in the annual in-state conference rivalry series.
The Hoosiers are looking to solidify their standing on the right side of the bubble ahead of the NCAA Tournament while the Boilermakers are playing for a higher seed and revenge for the first game, a 72-67 loss back in January at Assembly Hall.
Here’s three keys to a win:
Strong 3-point shooting
(Yeah, duh)
It’s not innovative to suggest that the team that makes the most 3-pointers
will win the game, but Indiana depends on long-range scoring more than most teams around the country and it’s what helped lift the Hoosiers over the Boilers in the first game.
Indiana starts three players who’ve had strong 3-point shooting performances in Lamar Wilkerson, Tucker DeVries and Nick Dorn. Wilkerson has consistently been Indiana’s best scorer and DeVries has broken out of a prior shooting slump but Dorn has struggled mightily as of late with four made 3s in his last 26 attempts dating back to the game at USC.
The Hoosiers need the best version of Dorn to compete against strong competition. Keep taking those shots and eventually they’ll fall. If Dorn performs like the player who helped ignite a winning streak this is a vastly different game than it would be otherwise.
The battle on the boards
Purdue’s frontcourt had a very strange game in the first matchup. Trey Kaufman-Renn scored like his usual self but wasn’t the rebounding machine he usually his while Oscar Cluff struggled offensively and as a rebounder, one of his strengths as a player.
That probably won’t happen again, especially after the Boilermakers’ rebounding struggles against Michigan on Tuesday. Purdue will probably look to make a point in winning matchups in the frontcourt and it’ll be up to Sam Alexis, Reed Bailey and DeVries to stop the Boilermakers from doing so.
It’s a tall task, but Indiana was up for the challenge last time as DeVries pulled down a game leading ten rebounds, something that’s become more of a focal point for him as of late as his role has shifted from scorer to connector.
Managing the environment
This is the most hostile environment several of these players are ever going to see during their respective collegiate careers. It’s gonna be a factor and has to be accounted for.
Purdue’s going to go on runs, its offense is far too efficient to not string productive possessions together. Calling timeouts in those situations can help make adjustments and cool opposing scorers, but it can also offset the crowd effect at times. Ohio State’s Jake Diebler was excellent at this in the Buckeyes win in West Lafayette last season.
There’s gonna be plenty of pressure moments from the first tip to the final buzzer and Indiana can’t let communication break down or give up an early scoring run to fall behind.
