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Indiana seeks its first road win of the season Thursday, taking on a high-scoring Iowa team.

Much like Indiana, Iowa has over ten wins but finds itself in need of some resume-boosting opportunities. They have suffered losses to Purdue, Illinois, and (most recently) Wisconsin by single digits, although they did beat Maryland on January 3rd.

The Hawkeyes come into Thursday as the 4th-best scoring offense in the nation at 86.7 points per game and lead the Big Ten in assists per game with an average of 17.5. They are one of the best offenses in the country for the second season in a row, thanks in large part to Keegan Murray.

Most of the time when a team loses the National Player of the Year, they struggle to find an option to replace his production the next season. Fran McCaffery has no such problems. Murray has darted onto the national scene as a top-10 NBA talent and the top scorer in college basketball (24.7 ppg).

Murray does more than just score, however. He is top six in the Big Ten in blocks (2.1), steals (1.5), and rebounds (7.9) per game. He can step out and make from the perimeter, connecting on 36.5 percent of his 4.5 three point attempts per game. Murray also is one of the most efficient in the country, leading the NCAA in player efficiency rating at 42.5. He's 10th in the NCAA in offensive rating (137.4) and 12th in effective field goal percentage at 64.6 percent.

Murray does the majority of the work for Iowa statistically, but he is surrounded by a solid group of veterans that know how to play with one another. Jordan Bohannon is back for his sixth college season and is doing what he has done his whole career -- hit threes like no one's business. Bohannon hits 40.2 percent of his long balls and scores a third-best 10.8 points per game for his team. He is attempted a career-low number in both field goal attempts (7.6) and 3's per game (5.8). He is, however, shooting his best percentage from both since his sophomore season. Bohannon may not always have the ball in his hands, but when he does, he rarely turns it over, at just a 5.1 percent clip per game.

Patrick McCaffery has also jumped onto the scene in his sophomore season and is a major contributor. The former Rivals150 no. 75 recruit is second on the team in scoring at 11.2 points per game and also hauls in 3.6 rebounds. McCaffery isn't super effective for the role that he plays, shooting just 42.1 percent from the field and 30.6 percent from three (2.8 attempts per game).

Filip Rebraca plays the post for Iowa and is second on the team in rebounds with 5.9 per game. Synergy Sports grades Rebraca as one of the team's few very good defenders. He shoots 58.3 percent from the field but takes just 4.0 attempts per game. He does bring solid size as a true post player to a team that lacks depth at that spot. He stands at 6-foot-9 and 230 pounds.

The Hawkeyes also boast a pure point guard in Joe Toussaint. Toussaint is 12th in the Big Ten in assists with 3.9 per game, an impressive number considering he only averages 18.0 minutes per game as a starter. He has a 32.7 assist rate but just a 16.2 usage rate this season.

The bench rotation consists of Kris Murray (brother of Keegan), Lawrence North graduate Tony Perkins, Connor McCaffery, Payton Sandfort, and Ahron Ulis. It is not uncommon for Fran McCaffery to go 13 players deep off the bench, and only four players on the roster average more than 20 minutes per game.

G- Jordan Bohannon (Sr; 6-1; 175)

Season Stats: 10.8 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 1.5 apg

G - Joe Toussaint (Jr; 6-0; 190)

Season Stats: 5.3 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.9 apg

F- Keegan Murray (So; 6-8; 215)

Season Stats: 24.7 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.1 bpg

F - Patrick McCaffery (So; 6-9; 200)

Season Stats: 11.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg

F - Filip Rebraca (Sr; 6-9; 222)

Season Stats: 5.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg

The fortitude of the defense. Iowa is as elite a team offensively as the Hoosiers will play all season. They not only have the nation's leading scorer and likely top-10 draft pick in Keegan Murray but also have capable offensive players all over the court. Fran McCaffery has turned his program into an offensive juggernaut year-in and year-out. It's the classic battle of elite offense versus elite defense.

To score enough points, Indiana's backcourt will likely have to support Trayce Jackson-Davis the way it did against Minnesota. Iowa has the size to match up with Jackson-Davis, sporting three starters surpassing 6-foot-8-inches in height. Spot-ups shooters will need to be ready to knock down open kickouts without hesitation.

It also shouldn't go without notice that Indiana played Iowa last season better than they played almost anyone else. Does that carry over into this season, or will Keegan Murray offer a different look and stump the Hoosiers?

Who: Indiana (12-3) vs. Iowa (11-4)

When: Thursday, Jan 13th, 9:00 p.m. ET

Where: Iowa City, IA

TV: FS1 (Joe Davis and Bill Raftery)

Radio: IU Radio Network with Don Fischer, Errek Suhr and Joe Smith

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QUICK HITTERS

• Indiana is 70-58 all-time against Iowa

• Indiana defeated Iowa in both their matchups last season

• Keegan Murray leads the NCAA in points per game with 24.7

• Iowa ranks 4th in the NCAA in points per game with 86.7

• Iowa is 1st in the Big Ten in free throw percentage

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