Indiana basketball is back in action once again and will be looking to improve to 2-0 on the year as they host Eastern Illinois. Hoosiers are coming off a 19-point win over SIUE this past Wednesday night.
Eastern Illinois enters this game 1-1 on the year having already played a Big Ten squad, Illinois, last week.
Tip is set for 12:00 PM ET. The game will air on BTN+.
Below is the full preview of Indiana basketball vs Eastern Illinois.
Key Indiana basketball Storylines
Rebound, rebound, rebound!
Indiana’s rebounding struggles year in and year out is starting to get just a little bit old. With the amount of size that the Hoosiers have in the front court every season, there is absolutely no reason they should not dominate on the glass.
In last week’s win over SIUE, the Hoosiers won the rebounding battle 43-34 but allowed 16 offensive rebounds to the Cougars. Keep in mind, SIUE was nearly half the size of Indiana basketball and offensive rebounding is what really kept them in the game at times.
“No, I just give them (SIUE) credit from a team standpoint,” said Mike Woodson last week. “They wanted it a little bit more than we did. That’s something that can’t happen. I got to go back and break this film down and put them in front of the film and try to get better.”
At the end of the day, it is all about Indiana basketball having the willingness to attack the glass on both ends of the floor. Have to see every player crash the glass this game as well as throughout the season.
Get Mackenzie Mgbako involved early
The sophomore forward had the best game of his Indiana basketball career last week scoring 31 points on 13-for-17 shooting from the field and four-for-five shooting from beyond the arc. Not only was his state impressive, Mgbako’s motor on both ends of the floor really stood as well.
“I thought he was the only one that truly played pretty good offense tonight,” Woodson said…..I mean, I thought tonight was one of the best games he’s had since he’s been here.”
In this afternoon’s game, it is very important to get Mgbako going as fast as possible. As the season goes on, the second year forward may end up being Indiana’s go-to scorer in many ways. The way he played last week even showed his potential as a All-Big Ten player.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s great to see. People don’t see it, but we all see. He puts in the work. He’s very efficient in his work,” said senior Indiana basketball guard Trey Galloway. “He’s a guy that can score for us, and we know that. He did that tonight. We’re going to need him to do it a lot of times. I think whenever it’s anybody’s night, just making sure we keep finding that person. It’s going to be a lot of guys’ nights throughout the season that can get out and score. Tonight was Mackenzie’s night and he played really well for us.”
Just play smart in all phases
If you thought that Indiana basketball was going to be a perfect product when they entered the floor last week, you would have been wrong. When it comes to the start of the season, no team is ever fully perfect and in their final form.
This Indiana team is still trying to jell with one-another. Yes they have been practicing all offseason together, but that is way different than play in actual game settings.
Last week’s first game showed some weaknesses like rebounding, turnovers, rotations, and other things. However, all that is correctable and can improve on a game-to-game basis.
For the game today, just play smart. Limit the turnovers, battle for boards, and if you are Mike Woodson, make sure the rotations make sense.
More experience will help this team in the long run.
Series History
The Hoosiers are 2-0 against the Panthers and 26-0 against teams currently playing in the Ohio Valley Conference after opening the season with a win over OVC foe SIUE.
Indiana advanced to the second round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament with a 94-55 victory over Eastern Illinois on March 19, 1992, in Boise. All-Americans Alan Henderson (19 points, 11 rebounds), Damon Bailey (18 points), and Calbert Cheaney (11 points) paved the way for the Hoosier win. Indiana would advance to the Final Four that season.
IU most recently beat EIU by a score of 88-49 on Nov. 13, 2015, in Bloomington. James Blackmon Jr. scored a game-high 17 points as one of six Hoosiers in double figures in the scoring column.
Indiana basketball Injury Updates
Anthony Leal: Leal missed the last two games with lower body injury he sustained vs Tennessee. He was seen limping around during last week’s game vs Marian. He is questionable.
Quick Hitters
Who?: Indiana (1-0) vs Eastern Illinois (1-1)
When?: Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024 • Noon ET
Where?: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) • Bloomington, Ind.
TV: B1G+ (Austin Platt, Alex Haynes, Kara Adams)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
Betting Lines: Indiana basketball is listed a 27-point favorite according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
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