Don’t ask the Indiana Hoosiers if they had a good time in Hawaii. The Hoosiers entered the Hawaii for the Maui Invitational ranked No. 13 in the AP poll and exited with two losses and are now out of the Top 25 rankings. So yeah, Hawaii was pretty forgettable for Yogi Ferrell and company. It’s still early, though, and the Hoosiers could get back to the thick of things, especially if they will be able to take down No. 7 Duke later tonight.
Betting on the Indiana Hoosiers (5-2, 0-0 Big Ten)
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]Tom Crean must be feeling his seat getting warmer and warmer with every Indiana loss this season. And that’s despite the team’s 112-70 win over Alcorn State in the Hoosiers’ first game back from Hawaii.
Indiana was ranked No. 15 in the AP preseason poll, but a couple of losses in Maui have sent the Hoosiers careening out of the Top 25 picture. And based on their recent trip to Hawaii, the Hoosiers may come tumbling further out of the polls if they’re not going to fix their defense that allowed 75.6 points in the past three games.
It could be even worse for them if Yogi Ferrell misfires anew just like he did in the loss to UNLV last Wednesday, when he scored a season-low nine points on 3-for-9 shooting. Ferrell is the team’s leading scorer with an average of 15.3 PPG. Ferrell’s backcourt mate James Blackmon, meanwhile, is putting up 14.3 PPG.
Another Hoosier who needs to show up against Duke is highly touted freshman Thomas Bryant (12.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG). Bryant’s boxing out will be paramount against a ferocious rebounding team in Duke. He’ll need help from the likes of Troy Williams and Max Bielfeldt in keeping Amile Jefferson and Marshall Plumlee out of the paint.
One thing that has been going right for the Hoosiers is their outside shooting. Indiana is among the nation’s leader in threes with 10.7 long bombs per contest.
Duke is coasting right now. Following an early loss to Kentucky on November 17, the Blue Devils have gone beast mode and strung together four-straight wins, including an 85-52 victory over Utah State on Sunday.
Grayson Allen, who was a no-show in the loss to the Wildcats, led Duke against the Aggies, scoring 22 points on 8-for-15 shooting, while adding five rebounds. Allen is the leading scorer for Duke, but he’s hardly the only one producing for the Blue Devils, who ranks 30th in the nation with 85.4 PPG.
There’s Matt Jones and Amile Jefferson, who are averaging 12.7 PPG and 11.7 points per game, respectively. Also throw in freshman Luke Kennard, who seems to have finally broken out of a shooting slump when he went off for 22 points (7-9 FG, 4-5 3FG) in the win over Utah State. Duke’s offense was clicking on all cylinders in that game, as Allen and company shot 30-for-54 (55.6 percent) from the field.
Aside from scoring, Duke also is a great hustling team, as evidenced by its 12.7 offensive boards per game average. Jefferson and Marshall Plumlee have been feasting on the glass this season, combining for 18.0 RPG. Of the two, it’s Plumlee, who’s been doing the most damage in terms of giving Duke second chances. Plumlee is making 45.5% of his baskets of putbacks, per hoop-math, while Jefferson is at 20.8%.
Duke is 2-0 ATS in its last two games as the home team.
