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GAME INFO / HOW TO WATCH
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Yay NIT!
The Hoosiers are making their first appearance in the storied tournament since 2005 when the Mike Davis-led Hoosiers went one-and-done, falling to Vanderbilt. Their last win came in 1985 when they advanced all the way to the title game before falling to UCLA.
Tonight, they tip-off what has been nothing short of a controversial tournament game. It's the second true road non-conference game this year with IPFW being the other. We can complain about that mind-boggling stat later, but first, Indiana has a chance to drive fans crazy one more time.
HERE WOULD YOU LIKE SOME FACTORS?
| eFG% | TO% | OR% | FT Rate | |
| INDIANA (#27 adj. offense) | 55.6 (18) | 21.4 (322) | 36.5 (13) | 34.2 (217) |
| GEORGIA TECH (#9 adj. defense) | 46.1 (26) | 18.5 (175) | 30.2 (225) | 28.8 (40) |
| eFG% | TO% | OR% | FT Rate | |
| GEORGIA TECH (#269 adj. offense) | 47.0 (309) | 19.8 (262) | 28.3 (210) | 35.6 (168) |
| INDIANA (#103 adj. defense) | 48.5 (85) | 15.8 (323) | 28.1 (128) | 36.7 (206) |
Holy hell are the Yellow Jackets (1) horrific on offense and (2) really good on defense. This game will resemble something of a chess match on one end and a rock fight on the other.
Let's start on defense. Georgia Tech is really good at blocking shots (4th in block percentage, 5th in blocks per game). They also hold opponents to 39.8 percent shooting from the field, 15th in the nation. They're a stingy defense, but the good news is that they aren't a defense that forces turnovers. Most encouragingly, they aren't a good team at keeping opposing offenses off the boards, something the Hoosiers are really good at.
On the other end of the court, hoooo boy are we in for a show. Georgia Tech does nothing well on that end. Like not even marginally well. It's a good thing considering the Hoosiers gave up 90 points twice in the final four regular season games. Even better news for Indiana is that Georgia Tech is only slightly better than the Hoosiers in turning the ball over, which should help alleviate some of Indiana's problems.
Stuff To Watch For
- REBOUNDING - The Hoosiers are going to have a very distinct advantage on both the offensive and defensive glass. If the Hoosiers are to win, they are going to need to dominate the rebounding totals, especially on the offense where they should have a definitive advantage.
- BEN LAMMERS VS. THOMAS BRYANT - This match-up will feature two very good big men. Bryant got into foul trouble early against Wisconsin and was entirely ineffective. His match-up won't get any easier tonight when he takes on Lammers, who averages 3.3 blocks per game.
- DOES THE TEAM ACTUALLY CARE? - Look, there's no secret there's a whole lot of turmoil. The team looked entirely disinterested late in their last game. Do they even care to continue their season at this point?