BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana basketball returns home for just the third time in the month of December on Tuesday evening, playing the first of three final tune-up non-conference matchups. Up first, the Hoosiers (7-3, 2-0) welcome in the Morehead State Eagles (8-3, 0-0) to Bloomington.
Indiana's looking to reenter the win column, heading into the contest on the heels of two consecutive losses in marquee contests versus Auburn and Kansas. IU played some of its best basketball this season, but as Mike Woodson said Monday night in his weekly radio spot, the Hoosiers are "still learning how to win." The Jayhawks clawed back into the contest and denied Indiana a signature feature in its cap.
On a positive note, if the Hoosiers are able to replicate such performances going forward, Indiana should be well enough off to succeed in the Big Ten, a league that's searching for sustained quality outside of West Lafayette so far.
Morehead State is the first chance in getting back right before the Hoosiers head west to reopen the conference slate after the turn of the calendar, but the Eagles are no slouch. Tip off for the contest is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET.
Here's what you need to know about the Eagles and the matchup with Indiana.
Opponent Profile
Head Coach: Preston Spradlin
Eighth year, all with Morehead State.
Career Record: 124-110
After taking over in the midst of the 2016-17 season as interim coach, Spradlin is in his eighth season overall with the Eagles' program and his seventh as full-time head coach. He's the program's 14th-ever men's basketball head coach.
Under his guidance, Morehead State is in the midst of a run of three consecutive 20-win seasons – which has only happened one other time in program history. Last season, the Eagles won the Ohio Valley Conference regular season outright for the first time in 39 years, made their inaugural appearance in the NIT and stole a victory at Clemson in the first round.
A two-time OVC Coach of the Year award winner and member of the John Calipari coaching tree (occupied multiple assistant roles with the Wildcats), Spradlin is among the most well-respected head coaches in the mid-major ranks.
This Season
KenPom: 157th
Bart Torvik: 190th
EvanMiya: 173rd
NET ranking: 124th
A first glance at the Eagles' analytic profile won't wow you. They're a solid shooting team, with an effective field goal percentage mark three points higher than Division I average. Yet, the Eagles struggle to handle the ball, turning it over on 22.6% of all possessions – 12th-worst in the country at doing so. They don't turn opponents over often either, forcing opponent turnovers on just 14.4% of possessions.
Tempo-wise, Morehead State's offense operates at one of the slowest paces in the country. In turn, however, opponent possessions against the Eagles are amongst the quickest, on average, in all of college basketball this season. Teams are able to run in transition versus Morehead State, and that's when Indiana's offense has been at its best this season. If the Hoosiers are to take advantage of a schematic mismatch, don't be surprised if this is it.
The three losses on the Eagles' schedule so far are all to high-major opponents, and none have been particularly close. Outcomes versus Alabama, Purdue and Penn State have resulted in an average point differential of 28.3 points. The closest such loss – on the road at Penn State – was by 23 points.
But, the Eagles have handled business otherwise and roll into Tuesday night's contest on a six-game winning streak. The Eagles were tabbed as top team in the Ohio Valley's preseason poll, but are without reigning OVC Player of the Year Mark Freeman. Freeman was picked to repeat the honor, but a wrist injury is likely to keep him out for the entire 2023-24 season.
– Graduate senior guard Riley Minix transferred to Morehead State this season after a stellar career at NAIA Southeastern (Fla.), where he averaged 25.4 points, 13.6 rebounds and just under 3.0 assists a night in 2022-23. Standing 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds, Minix has assumed the leading role in Freeman's absence this season. Averaging 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds a night, Minix uses just under 29% of possessions and takes a north of 30% of the shots when he's on the floor.
– Junior guard Drew Thelwell mans the other backcourt position for the Eagles. Another OVC preseason honoree, Thelwell averages 11.8 points a night. In eight games against Division I competition, his 117.8 individual offensive rating is tops of all significant contributors for the Eagles. He's the Eagles' leading facilitator this season, with 55 total assist. The Eagles score 49.5% of their field goals, via assist, which is 195th in the country.
– Graduate senior guards Kalil Thomas and Jordan Lathon are Morehead State's top three-point shooting threats, shooting 44% and 42% from three respectively. Each average double-digits scoring-wise and have above average individual offensive ratings. Against D1 opposition, Thomas' effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage are each above 61%.
- 7-footer Dieonte Miles is the clog in the middle for the Eagles. The Xavier transfer is shooting nearly 70% from the field, scoring 5.6% points and grabbing 6.6 rebounds a night. He only plays 53.4% of the minutes, but his contributions when on the floor are of value. A 125.4 offensive rating pairs with a 65.5% effective field goal percentage.
Storylines to monitor...
Bounce back, and make it look comfortable
Indiana's come around a bit as of late, but still lacks consistency. IU thumped Maryland at home after utilizing a strong second half to pace Harvard, but the Hoosiers have yet to put it all together for 40 minutes. This will likely be the re-emerging theme as the non-conference schedule comes to a close – Indiana will be the better team on the floor in each of the next three contests, without question.
Indiana must act and play like it. Establishing itself as such means Indiana could parlay success into a pivotal beginning back into the Big Ten – at Nebraska, home to Ohio State, at Rutgers. IU will need to be that much better in conference play without a bigger win on the portion of the schedule leading up to it. The best thing IU can do for itself is roll into those contests with three victories of comfort.
Galloway's rise as Johnson continues to heal
Trey Galloway turned in his most impressive game of his career on Saturday, pouring in 28 points and being Indiana's main offensive engine. With Xavier Johnson still not doing any on-court activity (per Woodson on the radio show), his timetable for return is still up in the air.
A way to offset that would be more consistent performances from Galloway. There was clear emphasis and aggression from him versus the Jayhawks to get downhill and score at the rim, pushing the pace before Kansas took Indiana out of its offense. The senior guard was successful in his efforts, and is in the process of rebounding from a slow start to the season.
With three games between now and the new year with him as the guard of experience alongside Gabe Cupps in the backcourt, there's no better time to begin stacking such performances.
Quick Hitters
Who?: Indiana (7-3, 2-0 in Big Ten play) vs. Morehead State (8-3, 0-0 in OVC play)
Series History: Indiana leads, 6-0. (Last Meeting: IU 88, MSU 53 on 11/7/22 in Bloomington)
When?: Tuesday, December 19, 6:30 p.m. ET
Where?: Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
TV: BTN: Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Bruce Weber (color)
Radio: IU Radio Network, Don Fischer (play-by-play), Errek Suhr (analyst), John Herrick
Vegas: Indiana -12.5, o/u 140.5
KenPom: Indiana 77-68, 81% chance of an Indiana victory
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