Indiana men’s basketball has already gotten a glimpse of the 18 conference contests that await.
The Hoosiers opened Big Ten play with a deflating loss at Minnesota on Dec. 3 before thrashing Penn State on Dec. 9 to go 1-1 in their early slate. They lost two other matchups — to the No. 11 University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky — in nonconference play.
Indiana (9-3, 1-1 Big Ten) now closes its nonconference schedule with its first-ever meeting with Siena University at 6 p.m. Monday inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers haven’t fallen to a mid-major squad in just over eight years — a streak they’ll look to continue against the Saints.
Here’s what to know ahead of Monday’s matchup:
Indiana’s rebounding troubles
The Hoosiers have been outrebounded by an average of four rebounds per game in their three losses this season. Indiana averages just over four total rebounds per contest more than its foes. However, defensive rebounding remains an issue ahead of Monday.
Indiana head coach Darian DeVries explained postgame Saturday that such aspect of his squad’s game is “not there.”
“We're not there yet and that's something as we get ready for our last nonconference game and come home from Christmas break and get ready for the last stretch run of Big Ten games, is that that has to become a priority for all of us,” DeVries said.
The Hoosiers must prevent opponents from corralling offensive rebounds if they want to be successful, DeVries said. But it just hasn’t registered quite yet with the first-year Hoosiers head coach’s squad.
“It's not going to be a run-and-jump contest for us,” DeVries said. “It's got to be a physicality, toughness contest, a want to. That's where we got to get to.”
Hot and cold from beyond the arc
Indiana had no issue connecting from 3-point range in the first half of its victory over Chicago State University on Saturday. The Hoosiers made 14 of their 26 attempts across the first 20 minutes, as they led by 23 points at the break.
However, the Cream and Crimson missed their first 16 attempts from range in the second half. It wasn’t until just less than eight and a half minutes remained in the game that they finally drained a longball — their only make from 3 in the half.
Senior forward Reed Bailey acknowledged postgame that it’s how basketball works. Shots will fall in some halves, and they won’t in others. DeVries thought the Hoosiers were getting clean looks, but they couldn’t convert.
Indiana is shooting 36% from beyond the arc thus far, making 129 of their attempts through 12 games. In comparison, the Hoosiers didn’t reach that mark until their 21st game last season, which was at the end of January.
Stats on Siena
Siena enters Monday’s contest with a 9-3 record, matching Indiana. Gerry McNamara leads the Saints in his second season at the helm after going 14-18 last season.
McNamara played four seasons as a guard at Syracuse University from 2002-06 under Hall of Fame head coach Jim Boeheim. He averaged 15.5 points per game throughout his career with the Orange.
The Saints are led by a trio of players who score in double figures: sophomore guard Gavin Doty, senior guard Justice Shoats and senior forward Brendan Coyle.
Doty paces the Saints at 14.8 points per game while sitting second in rebounds with 6.3 per contest. Shoats and Coyle average 12.7 and 10.4 points, respectively, while junior forward Tasman Goodrick averages a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game.
The game
Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. Monday inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Indiana’s final nonconference tune-up this season. After the contest, the Hoosiers are free to return to their respective homes for Christmas, DeVries said.
“So, get a nice little break here in college basketball world, at least, to go see some friends and family for a few days,” DeVries said, “so, I know they're excited about that.”
But the Hoosiers don’t just want to head home for any break — they want to do so after winning their final game ahead of a 13-day break between contests.
“Like I told them, the main thing is we have to make sure before we do that (break), we got a game we have to get ready for and make sure that we leave for a good Christmas,” DeVries said. “So, that's our number one goal: to make sure we come out ready to play on Monday.”
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
