Preview: Iowa vs No. 15 Indiana

WHO: #15 Indiana Hoosiers (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten)
WHEN: 8:07 PM CT
WHERE: Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa City, IA)
TV: FS1 (Jason Benetti and Bill Raferty)
RADIO: Hawkeye Radio Network (Gary Dolphin and Bobby Hansen) | Sirius/XM 372
ONLINE: Fox Sports Go
FOLLOW: @IowaAwesome | @IowaHoops | @IowaonBTN
LINE: Iowa -1.5

Iowa
G Tony Perkins (11.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.3 bpg, 41.5%, 33.3 3FG%)
G Ahron Ulis (5.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.6 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.2 bpg, 35.1 FG%, 23.5 3FG%)
F Connor McCaffery (7.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.9 bpg, 45.2 FG%, 38.1 3FG%)
F Kris Murray (20.4 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.4 spg, 1.1 bpg, 50.3 FG%, 37.1 3FG%)
F Filip Rebraca (14.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.1 apg, 0.8 spg, 1.4 bpg, 60.3 FG%, 40 3FG%)

Indiana
G Jalen Hood-Schifino (10.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.0 bpg, 41.1 FG%, 37.9 3FG%)
G Xavier Johnson (9.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.9 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.0 bpg, 41.5 FG%, 37 3FG%)
F Miller Kopp (9.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.1 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.2 bpg, 49.4 FG%, 44.6 3FG%)
F Race Thompson (8.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.8 spg, 1.4 bpg, 47.3 FG%, 27.6 3FG%)
F Trayce Jackson-Davis (16.4 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 0.7 spg, 2.7 bpg, 63.4 FG%, 0 3FG%)

If you could pick an opponent for Iowa to try and end a three-game losing streak, you probably wouldn't pick Indiana. The Hoosiers are 10-3 overall, 1-1 in Big Ten play, and ranked 15th by the AP and 19th in the KenPom rankings. The Hoosiers are also extremely well-rested, having been off since their December 23rd win over Kennesaw State. While most of the rest of the Big Ten was getting deep into the action last weekend, the Hoosiers were on break -- they haven't played a league opponent since splitting two games with Rutgers (a road loss) and Indiana (a home win) almost a month ago.

Indiana's non-conference schedule featured a mix of cupcakes (five opponents ranked 287th or worse in the KenPom rankings) and elite opponents (four opponents ranked 24th or better via KenPom). They swept the cupcakes but split their games against top competition, beating Xavier and North Carolina and losing lopsided games against Kansas and Arizona.

The Hoosiers have one of the most balanced statistical profiles in the Big Ten, ranking in the top 33 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Defensive efficiency has been their bread and butter under Mike Woodson -- they were 24th in that stat a year ago and currently rank 22nd. On defense, IU is especially good at contesting -- and blocking -- shots. They're holding opponents to 46.0 eFG%, including just 44.2% on 2-point field goals. 15.6% of possessions against IU end in blocked shots, too, which ranks 10th best in the country. Trayce Jackson-Davis (2.7 bpg) and Race Thompson (1.4 bpg) are the main guys swatting shots, but it's a team-wide process for the Hoosiers -- they're averaging almost six (5.7) blocks per game this season. They're also excellent at dragging out possessions on defense and forcing opponents to use a lot of clock -- opponents average 17.9 seconds per possession against them, 264th nationally.

The strength of the Hoosiers' offense is, simply, making shots -- particularly 2-point tries. They have an eFG% of 56.7 (12th best nationally) and they really excel inside the arc and near the rim, making 57.6% of their 2-point attempts. They're not particularly strong on the offensive glass (rebounding 28.8% of their misses) or getting to the free throw line, but they do avoid turnovers well (only 17.4% of possessions end in a turnover) and don't get their shots blocked very often (only 6.9% of possessions).

The lead man for Indiana on offense is the same man it's been for a few years, Trayce Jackson-Davis. Jackson-Davis put his name in for NBA Draft consideration a year ago and then -- somewhat surprisingly -- decided to return to Bloomington for another year. He's picked up where he left off a year ago, averaging 16.4 ppg and hauling in 8.2 rpg. He's also dishing out 2.8 assists per game and blocking almost three shots per game. He's going to be a handful for Rebraca and Murray down low. The last time he played Iowa (the Big Ten Tournament) he scored 31 points.

Outside of Jackson-Davis, IU only has one player averaging double figures in points (Jalen Hood-Schifino, with 10.7 ppg), but six other players are averaging at least six points per game. Guards Hood-Schifino and Xavier Johnson have near-identical stat lines (10.7 ppg, 4.3 apg for Hood-Schifino, 9.9 ppg, 4.9 apg for Johnson) and also provide some outside scoring pop (both shooting 37% or better from deep). Their best outside shooters are Miller Kopp (almost 45% on five attempts per game) and Tamar Bates (9.2 ppg, almost 42% 3FG on nearly four attempts per game).

This looked like a difficult game for Iowa even before Patrick McCaffery's absence. Iowa edged IU 80-77 in the Big Ten Tournament the last time that these teams played, but while the Hoosiers are returning everyone of significance from that game, Iowa is not. The top three scorers for Iowa in that game were Keegan Murray (32), Patrick McCaffery (16), and Jordan Bohannon (12). None of those three will be available for this game. That said, home court can make a big difference in Big Ten play and one of the few positives from Iowa's loss to Penn State was Kris Murray again looking like a wrecking ball on the basketball court. If the Hawkeyes can get another big game from him and some outside shooting help from Connor McCaffery or Payton Sandfort, there's a path to victory for them in this game. I think it's a close game, but IU has more weapons to close out the game at the end.

INDIANA 72, IOWA 66