After squeaking out a victory over Penn State, Indiana basketball begins its west coast trip in Seattle with a must-win road game against Washington on Saturday evening.
The Hoosiers (17-11, 8-9 in Big Ten play) used another second half comeback to earn a win against the Nittany Lions on Wednesday. The Huskies (13-15, 4-13 in Big Ten play) enter Saturday's contest fresh off a 26-point loss in Madison to Wisconsin on Tuesday.
Prior to tip-off on Wednesday evening, preview the matchup between Indiana and Washington.
HEAD COACH PROFILE
Head Coach: Danny Sprinkle
Record: 122-65 record in sixth season overall, 13-15 in first season at Washington
Sprinkle made the move to Washington after guiding #20 Utah State to a Mountain West regular-season title and NCAA Tournament at-large appearance in his first season with the Aggies.
He was named Steve Fisher Mountain West Coach of the Year in addition to being selected as a finalist for the 2023-24 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award and a semifinalist for the 2024 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's Coach of the Year.
Before taking over at Utah State, Sprinkle spent four years as the head coach at Montana State, leading the Bobcats to an 81-43 (.653) record, including 49-23 (.681) in the Big Sky Conference. He led MSU to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2023. The Bobcats were the regular season Big Sky Champions in 2022 and won the Big Sky Tournament in both the 2022 and 2023 campaigns.
Before Sprinkle took over, the Bobcats had not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 1996. MSU appeared in three-straight conference championship games for the first time in school history and had consecutive 25-win seasons for the first time since 1927-29.
THIS SEASON
It has been a tumultuous first season for Danny Sprinkle and the Huskies as they are the only Big Ten team with a losing overall record.
Washington started the season 6-1 with a victory over Colorado State. However, conference play has not been kind to the newly-added Huskies, posting five wins in its 17 Big Ten games.
The Huskies sit at the bottom of the Big Ten, putting them out the Big Ten Tournament at this point.
So far this year, Washington is averaging 72.3 points per game, while allowing opponents 74.6 points a contest. The Huskies are shooting 45.0% from the field and 34.9% from 3-point range as a team. On the flip side, Penn State allows its opponents to 46.3% from the floor and 34.4 % from deep.
The Huskies turn the ball a dozen times per game, while forcing the same amount opponents turnovers this season.
Washington currently ranks 97th in KenPom, holding the nation's 113th-ranked offensive and 107th-ranked defense. The Nittany Lions sit 100th in the NET entering Saturday night.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Forward Great Osobor - Washington's best player by leaps and bounds, Great Osobor leads his team in the major scoring categories this season. The Utah State transfer is averaging a team-high 14.9 points per game on 47.3% shooting. Osobo adds 8.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Osobor has made 11 of his 43 attempts from deep this season.
Guard Tyler Harris - Harris is the team's second-leading scorer on the season. The sophomore is averaging 12.0 points and 4.8 rebounds a night, while shooting 49.8% from the floor and 49.4% from 3-point range. Standing at 6-foot-8, Harris could be a matchup nightmare for the Hoosiers.
STORYLINES TO WATCH
Will Indiana be able to take momentum out west...
Now that Indiana has held serve at home against Purdue and Penn State, it will look to keep its momentum on its sole trip out west. With its tournament hopes looking good, Indiana must at least beat Washington to stay in the conversation for the NCAA Tournament.
A first quad-two loss could be detrimental for the Hoosiers' hopes come Selection Sunday.
Can Indiana perform well without Reneau...
Following Wednesday's victory, Indiana head coach Mike Woodson provided insight as to why junior forward Malik Reneau was not with the team.
"I know we took him to the hospital, the emergency. He was fine in shoot-around. Then he came down with something," Woodson said. "I don't know where we are with Malik right now. But the sooner he can get back, the better."
Indiana played a few games in December and January without Reneau when he went down with a knee injury, but losing him in the stretch run could be detrimental. The Hoosiers will once again have to rely on Oumar Ballo to do the work if Reneau is not yet healthy enough to play on Saturday.
QUICK HITTERS
Who: Indiana (17-11, 8-9) vs. Washington (13-15, 4-13)
Series History: Indiana leads the all-time series 3-1 (Last Meeting: Indiana won 102-84 November 13, 2013 in New York)
When: Mar. 1, 2025, 6:00 p.m. ET
Where: Alaska Airlines Arena, Seattle, Washington
TV: Peacock: Noah Reed (play-by-play), Eldridge Recasner (analyst)
Radio: IU Radio Network: Don Fischer (Play-by-Play), Errek Suhr (Analyst), John Herrick
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