:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52221245/usa-today-9004749.0.jpeg)
Game Info / How to Watch:
Who? #9 Indiana Hoosiers (7-1, #15 KenPom) vs. Houston Baptist Huskies (3-4, #267 KenPom)
When? Saturday, December 10th, 4 PM, BTN
Where? Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
Vegas? INDIANA -24.5
Pomeroy? IU by 24, 99% chance of Indiana victory
_____________________________________________________
When we last left our heroes they had just smothered Southeast Missouri State by 28 points and then went to study for finals. They'll spend their Saturday afternoon dunking on this team before taking another week to take tests and then play Butler at the Crossroads Classic.
HERE WOULD YOU LIKE SOME FACTORS?
| eFG% | TO% | OR% | FT Rate | |
| INDIANA (#13 Adj. Offense) | 56.9 (18th) | 23.0 (330th) | 40.7 (3rd) | 41.1 (71st) |
| HOUSTON BAPTIST (#283 Adj. Defense) | 60.2 (345th) | 19.0 (186th) | 25.8 (53rd) | 49.4 (333rd) |
| eFG% | TO% | OR% | FT Rate | |
| INDIANA (#33 Adj. Defense) | 42.0 (14th) | 15.6 (323rd) | 25.8 (54th) | 26.7 (39th) |
| HOUSTON BAPTIST (#231 Adj. Offense) | 49.5 (196th) | 19.6 (187th) | 28.8 (201st) | 30.7 (263rd) |
This team is not good and nothing will be learned by the result unless Indiana loses in which case the city will likely burn. If someone gets hurt I'll be furious.
To the Huskies credit, their startling lineup looks like a high-major lineup with a couple 6-3 guards, a 6-7 forward, and a 6-11 center. Obviously there is more to basketball than size but Houston Baptist is at least adequate in that department.
As you can see from the Four Factor table, the adequacy basically ends there. They are downright miserable at everything outside of defensive rebounding, but unfortunately Indiana's skill on the offensive glass has propelled them all the way to 3rd in the nation, making the Huskies one strength unlikely to be something they can count on in Assembly Hall. Womp womp.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH FOR:
- OG Anunoby vs. the creeping shadow of mortality: Keep resting that ankle, buddy. I don't expect Indiana's star forward to be on the court on Saturday unless he's 100% past his injury, and even then, the risk of a re-injuring it in a buy game with another tournament résumé builder just a week away may prove to be too great of a gamble. Maybe they can put him through warm-ups just to prove the ankle is still attached. We'll see.
- Three Swish Mafia gone? The Hoosiers have struggled, by their lofty standards, to hit the long ball this year, with just 38.2% of their attempts being cashed in, good for 63rd in the country. After being top-6 in the statistic four out of the last five years, what most teams would kill to be shooting qualifies as a struggle for the Hoosiers. Perhaps they can get it going against the Huskies, who are letting opponents hit at a 39.1% rate and giving up a higher ratio of 3PA/FGA than 200+ other teams.
- Block party? The Huskies are excellent at blocking shots, ranking 18th in the country in the statistic. Can the Hoosiers successfully navigate around rim traffic without getting swatted and looking like fools? We'll see.
REGRETTABLE TRASH TALK AND PREDICTION
Bouston Haptist. Hoosiers by 29.