IU men's basketball team hosts cousins to the North

Even though the schools are only about 50 miles apart, IU-Purdue University Indianapolis will make its first visit to Assembly Hall tonight to take on the Hoosiers.

It’s a game of seconds – the second time in history IU will face IUPUI and the second game of the season for IU coach Tom Crean and his inexperienced team. IU (1-0) is hoping to build off of its opening night, 18-point victory against Northwestern State.

It’s IUPUI’s (1-1) third game of the season. The Jaguars notched their first victory a week ago against Michigan Tech, but lost the day before to Northeastern.

Proximity isn’t the only similarity the two schools have.

Like IU, the Jaguars’ roster is overall vertically challenged. There isn’t one player on IUPUI’s projected starting lineup taller than 6-foot-8. And through the first two games of the season, two of the eight players on the team who’ve recorded playing time are less than 6-foot.

The matchup figures to be one of the last of the season IU will have the luxury of being the taller team, but as was the case against Northwestern State on Saturday, the Hoosiers might struggle crashing the boards.

The Hoosiers were out-rebounded 52-41 against the Demons. In IUPUI’s last contest, they out-rebounded Michigan Tech 47-25.

IU made up for its difficulty rebounding by playing tough defense, limiting Northwestern State to just 31.9 percent shooting from the floor, but Crean noted how important it is that his team improves in rebounding.

“We defended at a pretty good level, but obviously we’ve got to get better in the rebounding department and taking care of the basketball,” Crean said.

Only discussing height would come short of the similarities between the two teams. Although it would be nearly impossible to find a team more inexperienced than IU, the Jaguars come close.

IUPUI starts two sophomores and a freshman, and through the first three games, the lone senior on the team hasn’t seen the floor. The Jaguars so far have been led by freshman Alex Young, who is averaging 16 points. Young also averages five rebounds.

After the Jaguars, the Hoosiers will take on another in-state foe in Notre Dame. But unlike tonight, the game will not be played in Bloomington against a mid-major conference team. It will be played in Maui, Hawaii, against the No. 9-ranked team in the country.

“I don’t think we have anytime to grow up,” freshman forward Tom Pritchard said. “Coach Crean, the things that he’s doing with us in practice, he’s helping us to grow up right there.”

Crean said the team can ill-afford to look past any team this season, and every school IU faces this season will fully believe they’ll emerge victorious.  

“What our guys have got to understand is that we’re going to get everybody’s best shot no matter what,” Crean said, “because it’s payback for some, it’s a chance to capture some glory for others.”

While Crean refuses to look past any opponent, the task may be more difficult for the players. The prospect of leaving for Maui to play against some of the highest-regarded teams in the nation this year might result in the Hoosiers looking past Tuesday night’s game.    

But junior Devan Dumes doesn’t expect the effort to drop off at all from their first game of the season to tonight.

“I’m expecting us to play hard every night,” Dumes said.