Hey everybody,
Sorry for the delay on this score, I've been riding my bike outside the greater (okay not really) Lafayette/Dayton area this afternoon (It's cold up here, folks). Anyway, the Hoosiers defeated the Wichita State Shockers (no comments on that nickname please) 64-54 to get to 4-1. After yesterday's close loss to Wake Forest, the Hoosiers came out today and looked a lot better, shooting 51 percent from the field and 38 percent from 3-point range. I watched some of the game from the gametracker, but not all, so here's what I gathered from that plus the postgame wrap: 1) One obvious thing would be improved shooting. The Hoosiers were just 30 percent from the field against Wake Forest and only 21 percent from behind the arc. Both stats shot up today by 21 percent and 17 percent, respectively. IU has struggled to be consistent from the field this year, but some level of continuity in that column would probably make them a solid team in the middle of the Big Ten. 2) Turnovers were about even today, with 18. But more importantly, the Hoosiers forced 24 off Wichita State. Any time you can win the turnover battle, it goes a long way toward a win, and with a young team that stat is even more important. 3) In the vein of turnovers - or more specifically steals - Whitney Thomas absolutely filled up the stat sheet today. She snagged seven steals, but that was hardly all. She also scored 10 points and added five rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes of play. Jamie Braun and Nikki Smith each had 19 and 16, respectively, and Braun added five rebounds and three assists. 4) Rebounding was one of few areas that Wichita State actually got IU on: They outrebounded the Hoosiers 34-26, but that might not be surprising. The Shockers have five players six feet or taller, while the Hoosiers have just three, and Georgia Follmer didn't play Friday. 5) One last hit and then I'm gone to find a bar in this one-horse town that shows the Big Ten Network to see if I can catch the men's game: Andrea McGuirt is finally healed and seeing minutes. The freshman guard from my hometown of Atlanta logged five minutes against Wake and three minutes today. McGuirt looked lively and quick in the preseason, but fell with an injury by the time exhibitions started. It will be interesting to see if she still has that spark, and if she can earn herself minutes in coach Jack's rotation.
The Hoosiers face a tall test - literally and figuratively tomorrow, as they face their first ranked competition of the season. Texas A&M (#10/11 according to our friends at www.iuhoosiers.com) has seven players six feet or taller, as well as five seniors. It will be interesting to see how well the Hoosiers have gelled in this young season against a better opponent. If they shoot like they can and limit turnovers, the Hoosiers might have a chance against the Aggies, but time will tell. The game tips off at 3:30 ET and you can catch it radio-ward on WHCC 105.1 FM. Until tomorrow, I'm out.
