GameDay Preview: 3 Things I Want to See From Indiana Against Nebraska
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indiana's up-and-down regular season is over now, and it's on to the Big Ten tournament, where the Hoosiers still have some work to do to get an NCAA tournament bid.
With several of the mid-major tournaments over, those finals haven't impacted the pool of at-large spots much. Indiana is still securely in the field right now on several of the most high profile bracket predictions.
For instance, here's where the Hoosiers stand as of Wednesday morning:
- Jerry Palm, CBSSports.com: Indiana is a No. 10 seed, and would face No. 7 seed USC in Albany, N.Y. If Indiana would win, it would likely face No. 2-seed Villanova in the next round.
- Joe Lunardi, ESPN.com: Indiana is a No. 11 seed and would have to play in the play-in game in Dayton, Ohio against Stanford. If the Hoosiers won, next up would be No. 6-seed Virginia in the first round.
- Andy Katz, Big Ten Network, Fox, etc.: Indiana is a No. 10 seed and would play No. 7 Houston in St. Louis, Mo.
- Mike Decoursey, Sporting News, BTN, etc: Indiana is an No. 11 seed in the South Region, and would play No. 6 Auburn.
Because Nebraska has lost 16 games in a row, Indiana is basically in a no-win situation come Wednesday night. A win wouldn't move Indiana up any, but a loss to a team ranked so low would be devastating and probably knock them out of the NCAAs. So, yes, it's a must-win for the Hoosiers.
Here are the particulars on Wednesday's game:
- Who: Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-24, 2-18 in the Big Ten) vs. Indiana Hoosiers (19-11, 9-11 in the Big Ten)
- What: Big Ten tournament first round game
- When: 8:30 p.m. ET (approximately), Wednesday, March 11
- Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.
- Latest Line: Indiana is a 13.5-point favorite as of Wednesday afternoon, according to VegasInsider.com.
- Poll rankings: Neither team is ranked.
- Kenpom.com rankings: Indiana is No. 39, dropping two spots after losing at home to Wisconsin on Sunday.
- TV: Big Ten Network
- Announcers: Brandon Gaudin, Stephen Bardo, Mike Hall
- Radio: Indiana Radio Network
- Announcers: Don Fischer, Eric Suhr, Joe Smith
Here are three things I want to see from the Hoosiers on Wednesday
1. Show a sense of urgency
Indiana played well against Big Ten co-champion Wisconsin but let a win slip away by missing 12 straight shots in the 60-56 loss to the Badgers. That late beat was devastating because it almost certainly would have locked up that NCAA bid.
Now that the postseason is here, there's still SO MUCH on the line for the Hoosiers. Indiana has yet to qualify for the NCAA tournament during Archie Miller's three-year tenure and they can't let that slip away with the bad loss to the Cornhuskers. Indiana has to play like there's no tomorrow on Wednesday because, well, there is no tomorrow if they lose. Be urgent and play hard, right from the opening tip.
2. Hope that Devonte Green is healthy for this run
Senior guard Devonte Green got off to a hot start against Wisconsin, but he rolled his left ankle late in the first half after landing on a Wisconsin player and after halftime he was never the same.
If Indiana is going to make a run this week, they'll need Green at his best to get points in bunches. He wasn't able to practice on Monday and his status for Wednesday night is questionable. The Hoosiers can probably get past Nebraska without him, but they sure could use him the rest of the week.
3. Get dominant performance from Trayce Jackson-Davis
The postseason is were legends get made, so it's a perfect time for Indiana freshman Trayce Jackson-Davis to get on a nice run. He's had 10 double-doubles this year, and he needs to turn some heads in this tournament with 20/10 type of games.
Nebraska usually likes to play small anyway, but with a couple of suspensions to team leaders Cam Mack and Dachon Burke Jr., the Cornhuskers are down to seven scholarship players. This is the perfect game for Jackson-Davis to put up some huge numbers.
Related Indiana basketball stories
- MEET THE HUSKERS: Nebraska has lost 16 games in a row and hasn't won in two months. Indiana gets the Huskers in the first round on Wednesday. CLICK HERE
- BENSON HAS HEART SURGERY: Kent Benson, one of the stars of the unbeaten 1976 Indiana team, had major heart surgery Monday, and he is doing well. CLICK HERE
- JACKSON-DAVIS HONORED: Indiana freshman made the All-Big Ten team and the All-Freshman team. Here's where he landed. CLICK HERE
- MILLER ON SESAME STREET: Indiana coach Archie Miller has his own take on IU's chances to make the NCAA tournament, throwing ESPN's Joe Lunardi into a trash can in the process. CLICK HERE
