Hoosiers Now

3 Things To Watch As Indiana Hosts Rutgers Thursday

Indiana has to find a way to contain two of the best freshmen in college basketball, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.

Jack Ankony

Rutgers guard Dylan Harper (2) high fives Ace Bailey (4) against Ohio State.
Rutgers guard Dylan Harper (2) high fives Ace Bailey (4) against Ohio State. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana has turned the page on nonconference play as it resumes Big Ten action Thursday night. 

Coach Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers host Rutgers at 8:30 p.m. ET at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, and the game will stream on Peacock. Indiana concluded nonconference play Sunday after a pair of nine-point wins over Chattanooga and Winthrop.

Rutgers comes to Bloomington with an 8-5 record and wins in three of its last four games. Most recently, the Scarlet Knights defeated Columbia, 91-64. In its ninth season under coach Steve Pikiell, four of Rutgers’ five losses have come by five points or fewer against Kennesaw State, Alabama, Texas A&M and Princeton. It split its first two Big Ten games, losing by 14 at Ohio State and beating Penn State at home, 80-76.

Here are three things to watch as the Hoosiers battle the Scarlet Knights.

1. It runs in the family

Indiana fans will remember former Rutgers guard Ron Harper Jr. stunning the Hoosiers on Senior Night at Assembly Hall during the 2021-22 season. Indiana led by nine points in the second half, but Rutgers came back to win 66-63, thanks to a 3-pointer by Harper with two seconds to play. Ron’s younger brother, Dylan, is now the leading scorer for the Scarlet Knights. 

Indiana recruited Dylan out of high school and hosted a visit, but the nation’s No. 3 recruit followed in his brother’s footsteps to Piscataway, N.J. He’s coming off a triple-double against Columbia, with 16 points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds and three steals. Through the first 13 games of his college career, he’s averaging 22.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 37.3% from 3-point range. 

Pikiell lets the 6-foot-6 point guard run the show for Rutgers, and he plays with a ton of confidence. Whether it's Myles Rice, Trey Galloway or Kanaan Carlyle drawing the assignment, they could be facing the most talented guard Indiana has seen all season.

2. Who guards Ace Bailey?

It’s not just Harper that Indiana has to worry about. Pikiell also brought in the nation’s No. 2 recruit, Ace Bailey, a 6-foot-10, 200-pound freshman. There’s a good chance Harper and Bailey are both taken in the top three of the upcoming NBA Draft. 

Bailey enters Thursday’s game averaging 18.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, one block and one steal per game while shooting 32.6% from 3-point range. He’s a potential matchup nightmare for Indiana, due to his rare combination of athleticism, size, ball-handling and shooting ability. 

Rutgers starts three guards alongside Bailey and 6-foot-10 center Emmanuel Ogbole. That could mean Malik Reneau draws the one-on-one matchup against Bailey, who has a speed and quickness advantage. Reneau has also had foul trouble throughout his career. Mackenzie Mgbako will likely spend time on Bailey, too, but defense is not his strength. It’ll be a team effort to try to stop Harper and Bailey, and Indiana’s defense is still a work in progress at this point.

3. How does Indiana’s frontcourt play?

For many games this season, Indiana has leaned on the big-man duo of Reneau and 7-foot center Oumar Ballo. That wasn’t the case Sunday against Winthrop, though. Ballo missed his first game of the season for a reason Woodson did not want to discuss postgame. 

“I'm not going to address that,” Woodson said. “But didn't have a lot of lead time. But that doesn't matter. You know, guys that are in uniform have got to play, and he didn't play tonight, and you know, we'll sit down tomorrow and address his situation and get ready for Rutgers.”

Reneau was in the starting lineup as usual, but he played a season-low 14 minutes due to foul trouble. When he was in, he put together a solid offensive game, with 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting and seven rebounds. But he also made just 4-of-8 free throws and reverted back to the foul trouble he’s often dealt with in his career. 

With uncharacteristic lack of production from Ballo and Reneau, Langdon Hatton stepped up and played 26 minutes off the bench. He finished with seven points and 11 rebounds, his best numbers through 10 games with the Hoosiers. If Ballo and Reneau play at or near their best, Indiana should have a noticeable advantage inside, but that remains to be seen.

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Jack Ankony
JACK ANKONY

Jack Ankony is a Sports Illustrated/FanNation writer for HoosiersNow.com. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism. Follow on Twitter @ankony_jack.

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