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As expected, Indiana won easily against Mississippi Valley State today, 85-52. It wasn’t a particularly notable game, as the outcome was never in doubt, but one notable thing that happened was that James Blackmon Jr. didn’t suit up for this one. Before the game, the Hoosiers announced that JBJ wouldn’t play due to a left knee injury, and afterwards, Tom Crean revealed that the junior shooting guard is still questionable for Wednesday night.
Will Blackmon play Wednesday? Crean: "It's too early to put a prediction on that. He's better every day, but he hasn't practiced." #iubb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) November 27, 2016
Crean said Blackmon Jr. "took a shot" in the Fort Wayne game. Doesn't sound like the injury is a long term situation. #iubb
— Alex Bozich (@insidethehall) November 27, 2016
Indiana has a 20-game home streak on the line and that will be put to the test Wednesday night when the Hoosiers host fourth-ranked UNC. Not having JBJ for that one would take away one of IU’s top scorers and the hero of the Kansas victory, so IU will need to be hopeful for his return.
In addition, IU announced that Kyle Schwarber will be an honorary captain on Wednesday night, so expect a nice homecoming for the recent World Series champ.
As for the game itself, the Hoosiers once again got out to a slow start and were only up by 12 at the half, but methodically put away the Delta Devils after halftime, finishing with a 33-point victory. OG Anunoby, who was limited on Tuesday night, led all scorers with 21 points, and Thomas Bryant had his third double-double of the season, notching 13 and 11. Zach McRoberts also started the game for the Hoosiers, as the walk-on continues to get good minutes early in the season.