Hoosier Gameday: Indiana vs. Wichita State
The Hoosiers take on Wichita State in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the NIT.
Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET and will be aired on ESPN.
TheHoosier.com has gathered previews and predictions for the game below.
1. Juwan Morgan avoiding foul trouble -- Morgan historically has struggled against bigger fives this season when it comes to avoiding early foul trouble. Jaime Echenique, at 6-foot-11, 258 pounds, will make it challenging.
2. Crashing the glass -- Wichita State is one of the most sound defensive teams in the country, but they've struggled mightily on offense this season. Its 3-point percentage of 31.0 ranks 320th out of 353 Division I teams according to KenPom. Its 2-point shooting isn't much better at 47.3 percent - 279 nationally. There's going to be a lot of missed shots, so it's important for Indian to protect the defensive glass and prevent the Shockers from getting second chances off of offensive rebounds as well.
3. Taking care of the basketball -- If there's one glaring weakness on defense for the Shockers, it's their inability to create turnovers. They steal the ball on just 6.8 percent of possible possessions per KenPom, good for 329th nationally. Unforced errors will hurt Indiana's chances greatly if they can't played discipline Tuesday night.
Wichita State is led by senior forward Markis McDuffie, who was a sophomore back in 2017 when the Shockers knocked Archie Miller and Dayton out of the NCAA tournament in Indianapolis.
McDuffie averages a team-high 18.3 points per game and can generate offense in a variety of ways. McDuffie is shooting a stellar 81.9 percent from the free throw line on 188 attempts and is shooting 34.6 percent on 3s on a healthy number of attempts (228). He rarely turns it over and is the type of veteran who won’t get caught up in the moment in a tough road environment. McDuffie and Juwan Morgan should be quite a matchup.
Senior point guard Samajae Haynes-Jones is the only other Shocker averaging in double figures at 11.9 points per game. He’s struggled from the perimeter in his final season and is shooting just 30.2 percent from distance on 205 attempts.
1. Wichita State has already won two road games in the NIT.
As a No. 6 seed in the NIT, Wichita State has already had to play two road games.
Wichita State won in the first round against No. 3 seed Furman University, 76-70, and in the second round against No. 2 seed Clemson University, 63-55.
In regular season play, the Shockers were 6-7 on the road. They lost their first six road games of the season, each by an average of nearly 17 points, before figuring it out down the stretch.
“We would go on the road, early on, and for 10 of my scholarship players it was the first time they had played a college basketball game on the road,” Marshall said. “We just played scared, we played tentative.”
Including NIT games, Wichita State has won its last five road games, thanks largely to senior forward Markis McDuffie, who averages a team high 18 points and also five rebounds per game.
Predictions and Probabilities
TheHoosier.com Staff Predictions
Jon Sauber: Indiana 66, Wichita State 62
Stu Jackson: Indiana 60, Wichita State 55
KenPom
Indiana 74, Wichita State 67 (75 percent chance Indiana wins)
Thrill Score: 48 (Second among Tuesday's games)
ESPN
Indiana 81.1 percent
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