Game Day Essentials
Indiana (10-3, 1-2) v. No. 13 Ohio State (9-2, 3-0)
- Tip Time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern
- Location: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
- Television: FS1 (Aaron Goldsmith and Bill Raftery)
- IU Radio Network: IU Radio Network
- Stream: Fox Sports Live
- Point Spread: Indiana is a 3.5-point favorite
- KenPom Projected Score: Indiana W, 71-70
- Series: Indiana leads, 108-87. The Buckeyes have won six of the last seven meetings.
Common Opponents
Indiana and Ohio State have faced the same three Big Ten opponents to open 2021-22 conference play. While the Hoosiers have gone 1-2 in those games, the Buckeyes are 3-0. Here is how OSU fared:
- at Penn State – 76-64 W
- vs. Wisconsin – 73-55 W
- at Nebraska – 87-79 W (OT)
Welcome back Joey Brunk
After spending two seasons at IU, 6-foot-11 Joey Brunk is a backup center for the Buckeyes. He is averaging 1.0 points, and 1.0 rebounds in 5.6 minutes per contest. Brunk started 31 games for Indiana in 2019-20 before missing the entire 2020-21 campaign with a back issue.
Ohio State Notes
- The Buckeyes have won five consecutive games and are 9-2 overall and 3-0 in Big Ten play. OSU is one of three teams undefeated atop the Big Ten standings, joining Michigan State and Illinois.
- Their game Sunday vs. Nebraska was the Buckeyes’ first game in 22 days as they were forced to cancel three games do to positive COVID tests within the program.
- In the win over Nebraska, the Buckeyes made 16 three-pointers, which marked the sixth game this season with 10 or more threes and was tied for the fourth-most in program history.
- Freshman Malaki Branham made six of the 16 three-pointers against Nebraska and finished with a season-high 35 points. That was the most points by an OSU freshman in a Big Ten game in program history. His previous season-high was 11 points and he had made just five three-pointers on the season entering the game.
- Jamari Wheeler made three of his four three-pointers in the final 30 seconds of regulation and overtime vs. Nebraska and finished with a season-high 16 points and seven rebounds. He is shooting over 43 percent from long range this season.
- E.J. Liddell had a tough shooting night vs. Nebraska but still finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and a career-high seven assists. He is the only player in the country with season averages of 19.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 3.0 assists.
- Zed Key pulled-down a career-high 14 rebounds against Nebraska. He has scored 10 or more points six times this season and the Buckeyes are 11-0 when he reaches double figures in points over the last two years.
- As a team, Ohio State is shooting 48.9 percent from the floor which is second in the conference and in the Top 15 nationally.
Coach Chris Holtmann
Chris Holtmann begins his fifth season at the helm of the Buckeyes in 2021-22. His four seasons at Ohio State followed tenures at both Gardner-Webb and Butler.
He was named the 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading the Buckeyes to a 25-9 overall record, a No. 2 finish in the Big Ten regular-season standings (15-3) and a Second Round appearance in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
Holtmann is just the second Ohio State coach to win 20 or more games in each of his first four seasons in Columbus joining current IU associate AD Thad Matta (12 from 2005-2016).
KenPom Notables
Offense – No. 8; Defense – No. 55 ; Tempo – No. 248
- OSU’s slow tempo is largely a product of their offense, which at 18.5 seconds per possession is No. 296 nationally
- That offense methodically finds good shots. The Buckeyes are No. 8 nationally with a 57.3 percent effective field goal percentage. They are top-25 in both 2-pointers (55.6 percent, No. 21) and 3-pointers (39.7 percent, No. 10)
- The offense goes through E.J. Liddell, whose 33.8 percent usage rate is No. 9 in the country. He is top-5 nationally in drawing fouls.
- Defensively Ohio State doesn’t look to turn teams over and stand at just No. 315 nationally with a 15.9 percent turnover rate. Like Penn State, they will focus instead on executing principles and scheme rather than taking risks.
- That defensive formula has been successful, as OSU is limiting opponents to a 45.6 percent effective field goal percentage, good for No. 45 nationally. They are particularly effective defending 2-pointers, where opponents have made just 44.5 percent, No. 34.
- They force teams into a lot of one-on-one actions, allowing assists on just 40.2 percent of made field goals, No. 14 nationally.
- The Buckeyes are No. 49 with a 13 percent block rate.
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