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Indiana heads to Dayton in a play-in matchup against the Mountain West's Wyoming Cowboys.

The winner of this 12-seed play-in will battle St. Mary's Thursday evening in Portland, Oregon. Indiana was last in the NCAA Tournament in 2016, and Wyoming is back in the Big Dance for the first time since 2015.

The Cowboys are led by second-year head coach Jeff Linder, who coached the team to a 25-8 record. They were briefly ranked in the top-25 in mid-February but lost that status after a late-season slide. Wyoming has lost five of their last nine games since February 15th and has a downward trajectory heading into this matchup. Still, they are loaded with talent and poise a major threat to the Hoosiers.

The Cowboys hold a dynamic duo of Hunter Maldonado and Graham Ike. Maldonado is a 6-foot-7 point forward who can do just about everything on a basketball court except shoot threes. The senior forward is second on the team in scoring (18.4 ppg), rebounding (5.8 rpg), and tops in assists per game (6.3 apg). He only hits 23.8 percent of his long-range looks, but is adept in the pick and roll and can play out of the post as well.

Ike is not a perimeter player either but gets a team-high 19.6 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-9 sophomore gets his work done in the post and off of second-chance points spurred by his offensive rebounding. Ike has scored 30+ points per game twice this season, including 33 against eight-seed and Mountain West champion Boise State.

Drake Jeffries is the marksman and floor spacer in the Wyoming starting lineup. Jeffries shoots 6.8 threes per game and hits a team-high 42.0 percent of his attempts, making him one of the best shooters in the country. He averages 10.5 points per game and also contributes by rebounding, grabbing 5.3 boards.

The lanky 6-foot-8 Jeremiah Oden (7.9 ppg) makes for the other half of the front court next to Ike. Oden moves with fluidity and has promise as a shot-maker, but he has yet to find his stride on that side of the ball. He hits just 29.8 percent of his three-point attempts but does make 51.8 percent of his twos. Oden is adept in the midrange area and can get to the basket as well.

The starting lineup is rounded out by guard Xavier DuSell, who averages 7.8 points per game. DuSell shot 45.6 percent from three last season but that number has dipped to just 32.9% percent this year. He scores his points mainly in pick and roll as well as cutting at the opportune time.

Linder uses a limited bench, with only three players receiving 11+ minutes per game. 6-foot-7 wing Brendan Wenzel (5.2 ppg) plays 22.4 minutes per game, 6-foot-3 guard Noah Reynolds (2.9 ppg) plays 11.3 and 6-foot-10 forward Hunter Thompson (2.6) averages 11.0 minutes played. The lack of depth could be a reason why the Cowboys faltered down the stretch.

G- Xavier Dusell (So; 6-4; 190)

Season Stats: 7.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg

G - Drake Jeffries (Sr; 6-5; 185)

Season Stats: 10.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg

G - Hunter Maldonado (Sr; 6-7; 200)

Season Stats: 18.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 6.3 apg

F - Jeremiah Oden (So; 6-8; 222)

Season Stats: 7.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg

F - Graham Ike (So; 6-9; 245)

Season Stats: 19.6 ppg, 9.6 rpg

Xavier Johnson is in the pick and roll. Trayce Jackson-Davis has made it known that he asked Mike Woodson to shift to a more pick-and-roll heavy offense instead of pounding the post. Since those changes, the Johnson/Jackson-Davis pick and roll combo has been lethal.

Johnson's speed and decision-making are best utilized in pick and roll situations, and Wyoming happens to struggle defender ball handlers in screening situations. Per Synergy Sports, the Cowboys are in the bottom quadrant of the NCAA in pick and roll ball handler defense.

Furthermore, aside from Graham Ike, every player on Wyoming's roster struggles to defend the post. Race Thompson and Jackson-Davis will both have plenty of opportunities to dominate down low against mismatches.

Fortunately for Indiana, their style of play matches up very well against a Wyoming team that limped into the tournament. If the Hoosiers take care of the ball and play their style, they should come away with a victory.

Who: Indiana (20-13) vs. Wyoming (25-8)

When: Tuesday, March 15th, 9:10 p.m. ET

Where: Dayton, OH

TV: Tru TV

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

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QUICK HITTERS

• Indiana is 3-0 all-time against Wyoming with their last matchup coming in 1999

• Hunter Maldonado is 6th in the NCAA in assists with 6.3 per game

• Maldonado and Graham Ike combine for 52.1 percent of Wyoming's points per game, 43.1 percent of its rebounds and 66.7 percent of the teams assists

• Wyoming shoots 72.7 percent as a team from the foul line on 20 attempts per game

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