Indiana prepares for first road test of the season
Indiana goes on the road for the first time this season and will once again be without sophomore point guard Rob Phinisee. The team's matchup against Wisconsin will mark an opportunity to continue an unbeaten streak and to also start the season with an unbeaten conference record.
After an undefeated first month of college basketball, Indiana will venture away from Bloomington for the first time this season. With the road trip comes the test of playing in a new venue, alongside the challenges of tipping off against its first Big Ten opponent in Wisconsin.
Even though the Badgers are owners of three straight losses and sit at 4-4 on the year, the matchup brings a clean slate, as neither team has earned a conference win or loss.
“I think as they probably approach this game, I'm not speaking for them, but I think they look at it as their Big Ten opener,” Indiana head coach Archie Miller said on Friday. “Like every other team right now, regardless of what happened with what we did or what we were doing, this is one game in the Big Ten Conference season, everybody is looking at it as being 1-0 or 0-1.”
The Hoosiers have thrived early in the season by getting to the free-throw line and attacking the glass both offensively and defensively. However, the team’s first stout defensive effort came Tuesday against No. 17 Florida State thanks to an energetic crowd that packed the stands in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Without the luxury of a home crowd on Saturday, Indiana will have to muster its intensity on the court throughout the highs and lows of the game.
“Defensively, we are gonna have to bring the energy we brought the other night and we're gonna have to be just as good, if not better, without our home crowd behind us,” Miller said. “It's a team that hopefully we take up there and has everybody ready. We need all hands on deck so to speak to be able to do what we need to do. We are going to need a lot of guys to contribute like we did the other night.”
Early in the season, the team was without sophomore point guard Rob Phinisee and senior guard Devonte Green, giving extra playing time to rotational players in the backcourt. Green has been fortunate to work his way back into the past few games and even dropped a career-high 30 points against the Seminoles.
Phinisee, on the other hand, has not been as fortunate. He suffered a setback to his rehabilitation process after turning an ankle in practice. Miller said he is doubtful for the team’s road trip, and he may not see game action until the end of December, barring any more setbacks.
As a result, freshman guard Armaan Franklin has seen an uptick in playing time this season and has played well alongside the youth of the front court. Freshman forward Trayce Jackson-Davis has been one of the most consistent players for Indiana, averaging 15.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game on the season.
Despite their impressive play, it’s imperative for Miller and the Hoosiers’ veterans to help prepare the freshman — and other underclassmen with less experience — for the atmosphere that comes with an away game in the Big Ten conference.
“Just reminding them to stick together, and make sure we’re all on the same page,” junior guard and team captain Al Durham said. “And just not letting ourselves get out of control or get rowdy because we’re on the road in Wisconsin.”
Even in a hostile environment, the Hoosiers said they’re going to trust in their preparation to stack more wins in the upcoming road stretch.
“That’s why you come to Indiana,” redshirt junior center Joey Brunk said. “You come here to play in the big-time games, in the big-time atmospheres. That’s why we work as hard as we do over the summer.”
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