WHO: Indiana Hoosiers (13-3, 4-1 Big Ten)

WHEN: 7:00 PM CT (Saturday, January 11, 2025)

WHERE: Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, IA)

TV: FOX (Cory Provus, LaPhonso Ellis)

RADIO: Hawkeye Radio Network (Gary Dolphin, Bobby Hansen)

MOBILE: foxsports.com/mobile

ONLINE: foxsports.com/live

FOLLOW: @HawkeyeBeacon | @IowaHoops | @CBBonFOX | @IowaonBTN

LINE: Iowa -5.5 (total of 166.5)

KENPOM: Iowa -4 (Iowa 63% chance of winning)

Fresh off a thrilling comeback overtime win over Nebraska on Tuesday night, Iowa (11-4, 2-2 Big Ten) hosts red-hot Indiana (13-3, 4-1 Big Ten) for a Saturday night primetime game. The Hoosiers are part of a trio of teams (alongside Purdue and Illinois) sitting at 4-1 in the league, tied for third behind Michigan and Michigan State (each 4-0).

The secret sauce behind Indiana's 13-3 record and 4-1 start to conference play? Home cooking -- literally. The Hoosiers are 11-0 at Assembly Hall this season. They're just 2-3 away from those friendly confines, though, including two neutral-court losses at the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas. The Hoosiers have played just one true away game this season -- an 85-68 loss at Nebraska a month ago.

G Brock Harding (6'0", 165 lbs; 9.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 6.0 apg; 49.3 FG%; 45.5 3FG%)

G Josh Dix (6'6", 210 lbs; 13.3 ppg; 3.6 rpg; 2.8 apg; 53.4 FG%; 39.6 3FG%)

G Drew Thelwell (6'3", 195; 8.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.2 apg, 55.3 FG%, 38.2 3FG%)

F Payton Sandfort (6'8", 215 lbs; 16.5 ppg; 5.8 rpg; 3.4 apg; 40.7 FG%; 33.7 3FG%)

C Owen Freeman (6'10", 245 lbs; 17.1 ppg; 6.5 rpg; 1.5 apg; 66.1 FG%; 40.0 3FG%)

On Thursday, Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said that he "expected" Drew Thelwell to play on Saturday, though it will depend on his ability to avoid further setbacks before the game. Thelwell aggravated an injury during pre-game warm-ups and sat out the Nebraska game. If he doesn't start, expect Ladji Dembele to get another start.

Cooper Koch will not be available for Iowa off the bench.

G Myles Rice (6'3", 185 lbs; 12.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.4 apg, 45.8 FG%, 29.5 3FG%)

G Trey Galloway (6'5", 205 lbs; 7.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 4.1 apg, 44.4 FG%, 39.5 3FG%)

F Luke Goode (6'7", 203 lbs; 7.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.5 apg, 40.9 FG%, 38.0 3FG%)

F Mackenzie Mgbako (6'9", 222 lbs; 13.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 46.6 FG%, 39.4 3FG%)

C Oumar Ballo (7'0", 265 lbs; 14.3 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.4 apg, 68.1 FG%, 0 3FG%)

Malik Reneau is questionable for Saturday's game with a knee injury; Reneau started the first 14 games of the season for IU, but has missed the last two games. Prior to his injury, he was second on the team in scoring (14.1 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg).

Despite Indiana's strong start, they're not a team that the advanced metrics believe in yet -- the Hoosiers rank 55th in BPI (behind Iowa at 48) and 49 in KenPom (almost even with Iowa at 51). Even with a 4-1 start to Big Ten play banked, KenPom still projects IU to go just 10-10 in league play; every other team currently at 4-1 or better in the league is projected to finish 13-7 or better.

Why the skepticism for the Hoosiers? Probably because IU isn't excellent at anything on the court this season. The Hoosiers rank 54th in offensive efficiency and 49th in defensive efficiency. They rank 95th nationally in effective FG% and just 12th in the Big Ten. In league games, the Hoosiers are 12th in 2-point FG% (50%) and 11th in 3-point FG% (32.5%). They've even been bad at making free throws -- 68.9%, 15th in the league.

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Opponents have posted a 47.8% effective FG% against IU this year, with teams making 49.5% (132nd) of their 2-point attempts and 30.0% (49th) of their long range efforts. In Big Ten games, IU has held teams to 51.7% effective FG% (10th), primarily by doing a good job of contesting three-point shots -- B1G teams have converted just 26.9% of three-point attempts against the Hoosiers. They've had a lot more success inside the arc, though, making 57.1% of 2-point attempts; IU ranks just 15th in the league in defending 2-point shots.

Indiana's strength has been rebounding, especially in Big Ten action. The Hoosiers rank 2nd in the league in offensive rebounding in league games, hauling in 36.1% of their misses. They've also been good at keeping opponents off the glass, allowing teams to grab just 22.4% of their misses this year (2nd best in the Big Ten).

The Hoosiers have also taken better care of the ball in Big Ten games; they've turned the ball over on just 14.4% of possessions, 2nd best in the league. Overall, the Hoosiers have turned the ball over on 17.2% of possessions, 156th nationally. The Hoosiers have been middling at forcing turnovers, both overall (16.6%, 230th) and against league foes (15.6%, 14th).

The main force for Indiana this season has been Arizona transfer Oumar Ballo, a 7'0", 265 lb wrecking ball in the post who leads the Hoosiers in scoring (14.3 ppg) and rebounding (9.5 rpg). Ballo has especially flourished with fellow big Malik Reneau slidelined; over the last three games, Ballo is averaging 21.7 ppg, 11.0 rpg, and 2.3 bpg.

While Reneau a very good player in his own right, he's been an awkward fit with Ballo on the court as well. With Reneau sidelined, the Hoosiers have gone to more one-big lineups with Ballo, who has flourished in that setup. IU's offense has enjoyed better spacing with those lineups as well.

The high-level play of Ballo has caught Fran McCaffery's eye as well.

"He's a handful," he said. "The thing about him that I like is that he plays with energy. A lot of those big, wide-body guys don't -- they play in spurts. He's been able to sustain effort and he's skilled. He's not just a load in the post, he can pass, he looks for his teammates. That's really good for your offense, and puts pressure on us. You've gotta collectively defend them."

Outside of Ballo, IU's other notable additions out of the transfer portal were Myles Rice and Luke Goode. Rice, a Washington State transfer, has flourished in the back court with 12.4 ppg and 3.4 apg. Goode, an Illinois transfer, has moved into the starting lineup in Reneau's absence and is averaging over 12 ppg over the last three games. He's also bee one of IU's better 3-point shooters this year, connecting on 27 of 71 (38%) attempts from deep.

The IU starting lineup is rounded out by a pair of returning faces, guard Trey Galloway, in his fifth year in Bloomington, and forward Mackenzie Mgbako, in his second. Mgbako has been a double-figure scorer for the Hoosiers, with 13.2 ppg, as well as a solid rebounder (4.7 rpg). Galloway and Mgbako have also been IU's top three-point shooters this season, each shooting 39% from deep on the year.