Indiana’s 13-day layoff comes to an end tonight when the Hoosiers take on Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes are 8-6 overall and 0-3 in Big Ten play.
Thursday’s game will tip at approximately 9 p.m. ET on FS1:
Indiana resumes Big Ten play tonight in Iowa City against an Iowa team that is scuffling. The Hawkeyes have lost three straight games, including a 92-83 setback on Dec. 21 against KenPom bottom-feeder Eastern Illinois.
Indiana won its last two games, but plenty of question marks about the direction of this season persist. The Hoosiers are a solid 10-3 overall but are now without point guard Xavier Johnson (foot) for the foreseeable future. Trayce Jackson-Davis has also been sidelined recently by a sore back, bringing his status into question on a game-to-game basis.
MEET THE HAWKEYES
Iowa has one of the best NBA prospects in the Big Ten in junior wing Kris Murray. The 6-foot-8 lefty came off the bench and scored 29 points against Indiana in an 83-74 Hawkeye win last January.
With his twin brother Keegan now in the NBA as a Sacramento King, Kris Murray is the clear No. 1 option for Fran McCaffery. Murray’s 20.4 points per game lead the Hawkeyes and was recently named to the Wooden Award midseason watch list, placing him among the top 25 players in the country.
Along with the scoring, Murray also leads Iowa in rebounding at 9.8 per game. He’s shooting 50.3 percent overall from the field and 37.1 percent on 3s. He’s only getting to the free throw line an average of four times per game and is shooting a stellar 77.5 percent from the stripe. From a matchup perspective, Mike Woodson might have to try a variety of defenders to slow down Murray. This could be an opportunity for Jordan Geronimo to earn more minutes if he can stick with Murray on the perimeter and slow him down on the offensive glass.
Filip Rebraca starts at the five for Iowa and is quietly putting together a fantastic season. The 6-foot-9 center from Serbia transferred to Iowa before last season and has blossomed into a regular double-figure scorer. Rebraca’s 14.1 points per game are second on the team as are his 8.4 rebounds per game. He also has a team-high 20 blocked shots. Rebraca is shooting 61.2 percent on 2s and is 2-for-5 on 3-pointers this season. Free throw shooting is a weakness for the Serbian. He’s shooting just 59.7 percent from the line this season.
The Hawkeyes will be without Patrick McCaffery for tonight’s game and likely beyond that….