Indiana Basketball Game Preview: Army – key storylines, injury report, how to watch

Indiana basketball returns to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for the second straight game as the Hoosiers host the Army Black Knights. Indiana is coming off of a hard-fought 69-63 victory over Florida Golf Coast this past Tuesday. Tip off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.

The Army Black Knights enter the contest with an 0-2 record after dropping games against Marist (71-55) and Stonehill (57-44) to open the season. Army is under the leadership of first-year head coach Kevin Kuwik. The long-time college basketball assistant coach was named the 32nd head coach in program history. He spent time with former IU Associate Athletic Director for Basketball Administration Thad Matta at both Butler and Ohio State.

Below is the full preview of Indiana game vs Army.

Key Storylines

Not a national level game, but this one means a little more…

In the grand scheme of things, this not a nationally touted game that many will have their eyes on. However, for Mike Woodson and Indiana basketball, there is a special twist to this one and it honors the late, great Bob Knight.

This will be the first time in program history that Indiana basketball and Army will face off with one-another on the men’s side of things. As most fans are aware, the first team that Bob Knight ever coached was Army, first as an assistant (1963–1965) and then as head coach (1965–1971).

In six seasons as a head coach at Army, Knight won 102 games and led Army to 4 NIT appearances. During his time at Army, Bob Knight also coached legendary Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski during his time at Army, as well.

This game will likely be an emotional one with Bob Knight on the hearts and minds of fans and Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson, who is still thinking of his mentor every day.

“As long as I come into this building knowing that this is Bob Knight’s building, I’m going to always think about him and just hopefully I can make him proud,” Mike Woodson previously said. “That’s all I think about every day that I come here and work and coach.”

Gabe Cupps, man. He is legit.

Yup, Gabe Cupps is everything we thought he was. Competitive, tough, scrappy, smart, and just a winner. With his performance in Indiana’s win over FGCU last Tuesday, the freshman guard showed that he is ready for the college level. Cupps, who came off the bench, was arguably the most important player down the stretch for Indiana on their way to a victory.

“He’s a winner. That’s the first time I’ve had an opportunity to play he and X some extended minutes,” Woodson said about Cupps postgame. “Especially in crunch time you don’t expect that, but I felt comfortable enough with Gabe in the game. I’ve seen him enough plays.”

Mike Woodson elected to go with a three guard lineup of Cupps, Johnson, and Galloway as he felt that was the best option to get the Hoosiers past the Eagles. While Cupps only scored 5 total points, he did hit a big, off-balanced three that boosted the momentum for Indiana basketball while also doing all of the little things very well.

“I thought he did a great job coming in, stepping up in a big-time moment. I think he was really good at talking and kind of just staying poised,” Trey Galloway said postgame about the play of Cupps. “So good to see that, and know we can rely on him and trust him in crunch time. I think just him staying ready and being ready off the bench was good.”

If Cupps continues to do what he showed on Tuesday, he’s going to have more chances to close out the game in the near future.

These Hoosiers are going to be a work in progress so be patient

Indiana fans are going to have to be patient with this Indiana basketball team this season. While there is no question about the talent level that is on the floor at all times, there are still some major areas that the Hoosiers need to focus on fine-tuning as the season goes on.

Let’s first start with the defense. Mike Woodson is a extremely defensive heavy coach the performance that the Hoosiers showed on that end will not be acceptable moving forward. The defensive rotation was the main concern which led to FGCU getting wide open three after wide open three. In the second half alone, FGCU shot 8/18 (44.4%) from three.

“I think just missed communication and knowing our spots, knowing where we need to be. They made a lot of shots, but a lot of the those we could have affected more,” Galloway said postgame. “I think just going back and watching film and knowing what they need to do next time to prevent that from happening.”

Next, is the half court offense. When Indiana basketball is out running, there is nobody stopping them. However, when FGCU forced Indiana to play the half court, that is when things got ugly. There was too much stalling, lot of forced shots, and too much 1v1. Have to find some flow moving forward.

And the lastly, the issues with free throw shooting and rebounding look to be coming back. The Hoosiers shot 19/30 (63.3%) from the free throw line against Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday and in three games have been inconsistent from the line at best.

We just got to step up to the line and make them,” Woodson said after the game.

When it comes to rebounding, the Hoosiers finished tied in total rebounds with the Eagles with 33 a piece, but the defensive rebounding struggles were a cause for concern. IU allowed FGCU to grab 13 offensive rebounds despite their size disadvantage. With Indiana’s size and length, there should not be any reason for the Hoosiers to not put on a rebounding clinic.

So yes, the Hoosiers got some work to do however, there is plenty of time to get things smoothed out.

Related: Kel’el Ware set tone for Indiana basketball defense while displaying highly intriguing skillset in opening win

Series History

The two sides have not met on the hardwood. IU has played six games total against Patriot League opposition and hold victories over Boston, Colgate, Holy Cross, and Lafayette.

Army rosters a trio of players on the travel squad with Indiana high school basketball roots. Senior forward Charlie Peterson, a native of North Central, serves as the team’s captain and has career averages of 6.9 points and 4.9 rebounds across 82 career starts. Senior forward Matt Dove, a Princeton Community alum, has 72 career appearances off the bench. Junior guard Blake Barker, a Columbus North graduate, has appeared in 13 career games.

Watch: Indiana basketball forward Malik Reneau discusses growing skillset ahead of Army matchup

Injury Updates

Indiana

Payton Sparks: The junior center missed last Tuesday’s opener due to an ankle injury. His status is questionable for Sunday.

Jakai Newton: Newton had a lower body surgical procedure done this past offseason to help fix a previous injury he sustained during high school. He is still recovering and is not expected to play awhile at this point.

More: Indiana Basketball needs more from Mackenzie Mgbako, CJ Gunn and Kaleb Banks

Quick Hitters

Who?: Indiana (1-0) vs Army (0-2)

When?: Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023 • 7 PM ET

Where?: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall

TV: BTN (Matt Schumacker, Robbie Hummel)

Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)

Betting Lines: Indiana is favored by 23.5 points.

SEE ALSO: ‘He is a Hoosier’: 2024 5-star wing Liam McNeeley officially signs with Indiana basketball

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