3 Things I Want to See From Indiana Against Notre Dame on Saturday

There haven't been a lot of high-profile games on Indiana's basketball schedule so far this season, but there's one on Saturday in the Crossroads Classic, when the Hoosiers take on Notre Dame in the second game of the doubleheader. Here are three things I want to see from the Hoosiers against the Fighting Irish.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana hasn't had a lot of national spotlight games so far this season, but the Hoosiers get one on Saturday when they take on Notre Dame in the final game ever of the Crossroads Classic.

The Fighting Irish are just 4-4 on the season, but they had a huge win last weekend, knocking off then No. 10-ranked Kentucky 66-62 in South Bend. Freshman guard Blake Wesley, who was an Indiana target for a long time, has been playing well. He's scored in double figures in six of eight games, and even had 24 against Illinois. He's averaging 13 points per game.

"I'm thrilled with how Blake Wesley's coming along,'' Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said recently. "I think, overall, he has been pretty darn good, and it's our older guards who have been struggling.” 

Indiana is 8-2 on the season, winning all eight home games and losing twice on the road, to Syracuse and Wisconsin. This is their first and only neutral-court game all year, so there is some uncertainty about what we might see from the Hoosiers, who are a modest favorite in the game. (For the latest on the point spread, CLICK HERE)

Indiana hasn't played since last Sunday because of finals week. Here's what I want to see from the Hoosiers against Notre Dame at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. (Tip at 2:30 p.m. ET). Here's all the information on how to watch the game. CLICK HERE

1. Get Points in the Paint Early

If there is an early concern about Indiana, it's that they've lost their two biggest games so far, against Syracuse and Wisconsin. Sure, the St. John's win was nice, and Nebraska too, because it was Big Ten win. But Indiana still really needs to make a statement, and this is a good time to do it.

The best way to do that? Get Trayce Jackson-Davis involved early and often in the paint. He's their best player, and he needs to carry this team to a signature win. He's had several big games already, and is averaging 19.3 points and 8.4 rebounds a game. But something like his back-to-back nights against Marshall (43) and Syracuse (31) would really be nice. 

The Irish will have to double-team Jackson-Davis to keep him under control, but they also don't like leaving three-point shooters. Teams are shooting 38.3 percent from three-point range against them. If they try to single cover Jackson-Davis, he needs to go off. Putting a lot of pressure on Notre Dame early will be critical.

2. Finish Out Signature Win

That bitter taste of blowing a 22-point lead at Wisconsin just doesn't go away overnight. There is going to be a lingering question of whether this team has the fortitude to finish off games. So before the Big Ten season starts, it would be good to erase all doubt on Saturday.

This should be a tight game, at least according to the oddsmakers, so it will be interesting to see how Indiana plays down the stretch in a close game. It was a slow start that hurt them at Syracuse, and a bad finish at Wisconsin. It would be nice to see a big 40-minute game out of them against Notre Dame, but it's really huge to close out a tight one with solid play in late-game possessions.

"If we play a full game, I think we can beat anybody in the country,'' Jackson-Davis said.

Playing a full game sounds like a good idea.

3. Durr and Jackson-Davis Together?

When Indiana signed 7-foot center Michael Durr from South Florida out of the transfer portal in the summer, the assumption was that he would be a big boost against all those big centers in the Big Ten. His arrival was supposed to allow Trayce Jackson-Davis to play alongside Durr at the four, but we haven't seen that pairing at all through nine games.

I asked Jackson-Davis about it Friday, and he said we might see the pairing soon.

“We have been practicing a little bit at the same time together lately,'' he said. "We did at the same time two practices ago, him and me at the same time. He’s going to be really big for us when the Big Ten starts, even if we’re not playing together.

“He’s going to be a huge part of our team in the Big Ten season banging with the 7-footers like Kofi (Cockburn of Illinois) and Trevion (Williams of Purdue) and teams of that nature and guys like that. He’s still getting healthy, but you can start to see him getting more and more comfortable every day. Hopefully he can continue to build on that and continue to work.''

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• HOOSIERS FAVORED:  The point spread is out on Saturday's game between Indiana and Notre Dame. Here's the latest on the line. CLICK HERE
• WOODSON GOES HOME: Proud Indianapolis native Mike Woodson takes his Indiana team to his hometown for the first time on Saturday when the Hoosiers play Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic. He'd like to see more games in Indy, and he dropped some names — Kentucky, UCLA — as options. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA SETS HOME/HOME WITH KANSAS: Looking to beef up its schedule with high-profile games, the Hoosiers will play Kansas in a home-and-home series starting in December 2022. The first game will be in Lawrence, and the second one in Bloomington in December of 2023. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA SCHEDULE: Here is the complete 2021-22 Indiana men's basketball schedule, with game times, TV information where applicable, and links to all the game stories and Tom Brew columns so far. CLICK HERE