Recovered from IU’s sloppy loss at Arkansas? How about the average performance against University of Texas at Arlington?
No? Well, there's no rest for the weary.
The 4-1 Hoosiers will welcome the defending Big West regular season champions, the University of California at Davis Aggies, at 7 p.m. Friday in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
On paper, this game should be a cinch. But with nagging injuries and a resulting short bench, IU could be in for another tight game in Bloomington.
Here are three things to know about the matchup.
1. Unlike UT-Arlington, UC-Davis shouldn’t hurt IU offensively.
UT-Arlington made its money with fast transition buckets off turnovers Tuesday. UC-Davis is far from that play style.
The Aggies enter Friday near the bottom of Division I in offensive performance. Their 54.7 points per game ranks No. 351, while they're No. 346 with their 35 percent shooting percentage.
For context, IU ranks No. 34 and No. 3 in those same categories, respectively.
Further, if UC-Davis is to hurt IU on the offensive end, it will come through T.J. Shorts II. Shorts, a junior college transfer from Tustin, California, is the reigning Big West Player of the Year. Last season, he averaged 14.8 points, 4.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game.
Though at just 5-foot-9-inches, 160 pounds, he could have some trouble with IU’s bigger guards.
Beyond Shorts, this UC-Davis team is not anything IU can’t handle. Senior guard Siler Schneider and junior guards Joe Mooney and Stefan Gonzalez all average between seven and nine points, but none should pose a major threat.
2. IU has a survive-and-advance mentality.
If the injury bug could be measured on a 10-point scale, 10 being the highest degree of damage, IU would be at about a 12 just five games into the season.
In Tuesday’s game, the Hoosiers were again without Devonte Green, Zach McRoberts, Race Thompson and Jerome Hunter. De’Ron Davis also missed his first game of the season due to soreness in his left Achilles tendon.
Oh, and things got worse.
Al Durham left in the first half after falling hard on his hip and back. He did not return.
Romeo Langford did not finish the game either after getting his nose elbowed late against the Mavericks. He left with blood gushing down his face.
It doesn’t take an M.D. to see IU is clearly banged up. The team finished Tuesday’s win with just a five-man rotation. It’s hard to beat anyone with that kind of strategy.
Friday’s game against UC-Davis will be as much about surviving as it is about winning. The Hoosiers are less than a week away from a marquee matchup against the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. If Coach Archie Miller can get through the Aggies without dropping another player to injury, it will be a victory.
3. Freshmen have been forced to step up.
With injury comes opportunity for the younger members of IU’s roster.
Freshmen Rob Phinisee and Damezi Anderson have been obvious benefactors, though to varying degrees of success.
Phinisee has been a stalwart at point guard since Green went down. In five games, the Lafayette, Indiana, native has averaged 9.4 points, 3.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game all while showing an advanced understanding of Miller’s offense and exuding a veteran demeanor most 18-year-olds lack.
Anderson has been another story.
Offensively, Anderson is far from a finished product, but his jump stroke is smooth and Miller is confident in his ability to shoot the three. The Riley High School in South Bend, Indiana, alumnus is averaging 4.4 points, 1.2 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per contest.
Defensively is where he’s been a problem.
In IU's one-point loss at Arkansas, Anderson looked beyond lost on the defensive end and notched a couple personal fouls due to lack of positioning.
Of course, his defensive woes aren't entirely his fault. At the beginning of the season, Anderson seemed destined for a redshirt, but injuries have thrust him into action.
Phinisee has grown up quickly. Anderson has shown flashes. Both must mature fast or things could get out of hand quickly beyond Friday’s matchup with the Aggies.
