Indiana Men's Basketball looks to make it a perfect 2-0 opening week Sunday as they play host to the Eastern Illinois Panthers at Assembly Hall.
Indiana (1-0, 0-0 in Big Ten play) struggled at times in its season opening 80-61 victory against SIU-Edwardsville on Wednesday evening. Eastern Illinois (1-1, 0-0 in Ohio Valley) trounced Division III Earlham 97-61 on Wednesday evening.
Before Sunday's tipoff in Assembly Hall, preview the matchup between the Hoosiers and the Panthers.
HEAD COACH PROFILE
Head Coach: Marty Simmons
Record: 311-315 in 20th season overall, 29-67 in fourth season at Eastern Illinois
Simmons returns to Bloomington as a coach after playing two seasons at Indiana under Bob Knight from 1983-1985 before transferring to Evansville.
The Lawrenceville, Illinois native averaged 6.5 points per game and was a part of the 1984 team that beat Michael Jordan's North Carolina squad en route to an elite eight appearance.
Last season, Simmons led the Panthers to a 14-18 record and were bounced in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament to the hands SIU-Edwardsville.
THIS SEASON
Eastern Illinois is one of the few teams in the country playing three games in the first week of the season.
To open the season, Illinois thumped the Panthers in Champaign 112-67. As a team, Eastern Illinois shot 38.2% from the floor and just 4-of-12 from beyond the arc. The Panthers struggled from the charity stripe, converting 11-of-25 (44.0%).
Eastern Illinois doesn't have much bench depth and were outscored 63-19 by the Fighting Illini.
In their second game of the season, the Panthers took down Division III Earlham College. EIU shot 52.2% from the field while making 5-of-14 from three. Eastern Illinois dominated the paint, outscoring the Quakers 56-22 on their way to the 36-point victory.
KEY PLAYERS
-Guard Nakyel Shelton: Since transferring from a junior college last season, Nakyel Shelton quickly solidified himself as the top scoring threat for Eastern Illinois. Last season, the Chicago, Ill native had 16 games in which he amassed double-digit points. The 6'3 senior scored 16 points in the season opener at State Farm Center and finished Wednesday's contest with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting. In addition to the 14-point performance, Shelton grabbed 6 rebounds on the way to the team's first victory
-Guard Artese Stapleton: Following an inefficient opening night against Illinois, Stapleton dropped a game-high 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting on Wednesday against Earlham. The 6'3 transfer from Kansas City added 8 assists and 2 steals in the last game. Stapleton will likely be matched up with Myles Rice with hopes to wreak havoc.
STORYLINES TO WATCH
Can Indiana avoid lapses...
At various times throughout both halves of Wednesday's opener, Indiana looked very slow. There were moments in which the Hoosiers appeared disinterested in the game. Between the mental and physical lapses, SIUE was able to stay within striking distance in the first half, even tying the score in the later stages of the first half. Indiana has to begin playing full 40-minute games as lapses will hurt them more when competition stiffens later in the month.
Who will step up in game two...
Wednesday night was the Mackenzie Mgbako show. Last year's co-Freshman of the Year in the Big Ten started his sophomore season with a bang, scoring a career-high 31 points in the victory. Following the game, Trey Galloway noted that it cannot be Mgbako that carries the team and other guys will need to have a breakout performance. As Indiana is finding its identity, it would a welcome sight for someone new to take a big leap like Mgbako did. A well-balanced attack starts with parity and proving that the offense doesn't run through one person. It is imperative that the Hoosiers are well-rounded offensively in order to be successful.
Can Indiana succeed with a 10-man rotation...
Mike Woodson has an issue that every coach dreams about: a deep roster with an abundance of talent. It is now up to him and his staff to determine what works best through trial and error the next couple of weeks. Ten different Hoosiers checked in on Wednesday and outside of Galloway, nobody stuck out. Depth is fantastic when used correctly. It will be a task for Woodson to find the lineups that work while also finding the ones that don't work, but it is something can be answered in these early season games.
QUICK HITTERS
Who: No. 17 Indiana (1-0) vs. Eastern Illinois (1-1)
Series History: Indiana leads 2-0 (Last Meeting: 88-49 Indiana won on Nov. 11, 2015 in Bloomington)
When: Nov. 10, 2024, Noon ET
Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
TV: B1G+: Austin Platt (Play-by-Play), Alex Hynes (Analyst), Kara Adams (Sideline)
Radio: IU Radio Network: Don Fischer (Play-by-Play), Errek Suhr (Analyst), John Herrick
Vegas: Indiana -26.5, over/under at 149.5
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