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

Published

5 months ago

December 15, 2023

Previewing Indiana basketball vs Kansas by looking at key storylines, injury reports, how to watch and other updates. (Photo By Andrew Mascharka/Indiana Athletics)

Indiana basketball continues its 124th season of competition in men’s basketball with a Saturday afternoon showdown against No. 2 Kansas. This is the second game of the a home-and-home series that started last season. The Hoosiers are coming off a 28-point loss to Auburn last Saturday in Atlanta and are looking to get their first signature win of the 2023-24 season.

Kansas (9-1) enters the game on a five-game winning streak and holds wins over Kentucky (89-84), Tennessee (69-60), UConn (69-65), and Missouri (73-64) this season. Senior center Hunter Dickinson, a Michigan transfer, leads the Jayhawks in scoring (19.4 points per game), rebounding (12.6), and total blocks (13). Fifth-year senior guard Kevin McCullar Jr. has produced a pair of triple-doubles this season and is averaging 19.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists a night.

Tip off is scheduled for 12:30 PM ET on CBS.

Below is the full preview of Indiana basketball vs No. 2 Kansas in Bloomington.

Key Storylines

Last chance for a signature non-conference win

The time for Indiana basketball have a true, signature win before they head back into conference play runs out on Saturday. The last opportunity, however, is the biggest one of the season with the No. 2 ranked team coming into Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

The Hoosiers are coming off a two-week stretch that saw them start the Big Ten season 2-0 but the momentum they had quickly shifted when they lost by 28 to Auburn in Atlanta. The game that they have at home vs Kansas is a big chance for Indiana basketball to regain that momentum as they wrap up the calendar year.

“When you experience a game like that, only thing you can do is go back and go to work,” said Mike Woodson on Thursday. “You practice to try to get better. Only time will tell.”

“I don’t know where we are until we tip it up tomorrow at 12:30. We’ll see where we are. I mean, we come back to practice and we work, we work. That’s the only way you going to get better. Hopefully our work this week will pay off and we’ll see where we are.”

This is the final game of a home-and-home series between Indiana-Kansas. Last season, the Hoosiers faced a disaster of a game with them getting embarrassed by the Jayhawks while also losing Xavier Johnson for the remainder of the season. This can also be viewed as sort of a revenge game for multiple reasons, as well.

No matter what, this is a game that Indiana needs to win to not only get back on the right side of the momentum, but to also build their NCAA Tournament resume, which is severely lacking.

Rotations, rotations, rotations…

The player rotations that Mike Woodson displayed in Indiana’s terrible loss to Auburn has been a hot topic since last Saturday.

Incase you missed the issue last Saturday, the questionable substitution method came when Indiana stretched its lead to 22-10 with 12:54 left in the first half. Kel’el Ware and Mackenzie Mgbako exited the floor. Then one minute later it was Gabe Cupps and Malik Reneau. The final 10:13 of the first half resulted in a 30-8 run by Auburn — a total unraveling from the Indiana basketball program.

With Mike Woodson electing to take 4 of his 5 starters off the floor when the Hoosiers had all the momentum, his substitution philosophy has been questioned by Indiana fans and the media alike. To be fair, this is the same rotation method that Mike Woodson has used all season up to this point, but other than UConn and Auburn, he could get away with it. Mike Woodson comes from the NBA where you can get away with having mass substitutions because you have pro players all across your roster. In the college game, that does not work hardly ever.

Woodson may trust his bench and is in his right to give breathers to his starters however, the rotations need to be smarter moving forward. You have to recognize the momentum and know when to give you key players a blow, especially in a game of this magnitude.

Guard play will determine the outcome

This is a reoccurring storyline but it still holds true, Indiana basketball needs so much more from it’s guards.

At this point, we know the rock of this team is Kel’el Ware and Malik Reneau, but not having a consistent guard and wing game is costing the Hoosiers majorly in critical games. Not having Xavier Johnson has been tough — that is for certain — however that is no excuse at this point in the season to have a senior guard like Trey Galloway completely disappear and the other guards not be able to create plays.

“Not having X — and I’m not using it as an excuse — I mean, he’s a senior point guard that scores the ball and makes plays for us especially when we’re being pressured like we were. That hurt,” Woodson said following IU’s 104-76 loss to Auburn. “But again, we showed some wonderful signs tonight against a good team and we just didn’t sustain over a 40-minute ball game.”

The positive sign that Woodson is referring to last game is Gabe Cupps, who went 4-of-6 from the field and scored 11 points. However, you can’t expect that from a freshman consistently at this point in the season.

What makes Kansas such a great team is that the get production out of everyone on the floor, not just the frontcourt. If Indiana wants to pull off this upset, it is time for the guards to step up and help. If Xavier Johnson is out again, Galloway, Cupps, Gunn, and Leal have to step up, period.

Read: With or without Xavier Johnson, Indiana basketball guards continue to be outplayed in big moments

Series History

Indiana and Kansas have played 15 times in men’s basketball with the Hoosiers earning victories on eight occasions. The Hoosiers are 3-0 all time in Bloomington against the Jayhawks. Indiana will look to avenge an 82-64 KU victory at Phog Allen Fieldhouse a season ago. Forward Trayce Jackson-Davis swatted a career-high nine shots in the game, the most ever by a Jayhawk opponent.

The Hoosiers took down KU to claim both the 1940 and 1953 NCAA Championship crowns. The Hoosiers won the program’s first title in ‘40 by a score of 60-42 behind double-figure scoring efforts from Marv Huffman (12), Jay McCreary (12), and Paul Armstrong (10). The ‘53 title came in a 69-68 win on the strength of a 30-point, 10-rebound outing from Don Schlundt. Charley Kraak added a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double, while Bob ‘Slick’ Leonard tallied 12 points.

Indiana (5 national titles) and Kansas (4) are two of the seven men’s college basketball programs with at least four NCAA Championships.

Indiana leads the series 8-7.

More: Mike Woodson comments on the passing of George McGinnis: ‘He meant so much not only to IU and the state of Indiana, but to the entire basketball world’.

Injury Updates

Indiana

Xavier Johnson: Xavier Johnson missed the last three games vs Maryland and Michigan due to a foot injury. His status is questionable heading into this game. Mike Woodson provided an update on Johnson earlier this week.

“I don’t know yet. Right now he’s rehabbing, and hopefully he’ll be back here in the near future. That’s all I can give you right now.”

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.

Podcast: Talkin’ Bout The Hoosiers Episode 12 – Indiana basketball 2-0 in Big Ten, Auburn loss recap, Kansas preview