Tomorrow at noon in Assembly Hall, the No. 5 IU men's basketball team will take on No. 8 Minnesota in the first matchup of two top 10 teams in Bloomington since Feb. 19, 2000.
Both teams come into Saturday undefeated in their conference schedules and tied for first atop the Big Ten. Minnesota (3-0) have beaten then-No. 18 Michigan State and Northwestern at home before starting a two-game road trip with a win against No. 12 Illinois.
IU comes into Saturday the only team in the conference yet to play a home game, but Saturday they will face the only team able to beat the Hoosiers in Assembly Hall last season. The Hoosiers lost exactly one year ago Saturday to the Golden Gophers 77-74 which began a three-game losing streak.
We had a chance to talk with IU Coach Tom Crean along with sophomore forward Cody Zeller and junior guard Victor Oladipo Friday afternoon as they continue to prepare for Minnesota's large front court and dominant rebounding on the offensive end, and here's what they said:
Crean on graduate student forward Trevor Mbakwe:
"He's got a real maturity on the court. It's there with his patience. He's playing extremely hard.
"He's always been a tough-minded, very physical player, and now he's just that much more so after his year off. I always thought he would be a pro. Nothing has changed my mind on that, even with the injury. I don't doubt he will play in the NBA a long time."
Crean on Minnesota's front court:
"In college basketball, they might not be prototype size, but when you take the height out, and you put the length, the quickness and the speed, their front court doesn't take a backseat to anyone.
"I think they've really grown as a team, and I like watching them because they play so hard."
Crean on expectations for Saturday's game:
"We fully know what we're in for tomorrow. That was our only loss a year ago at home. We went up there and played very well. We've had some great battles with them. I think our guys are well aware. I don't think our freshmen are well aware yet, and maybe that plays into it. They don't have a freshman , and we're going to play three of them, maybe four, but we're definitely going to play three, so that factors into the game somewhere, but we can't worry about that. We've got to go play."
Zeller on Minnesota's success so far this season:
"With the teams they beat already, they've already proven themselves. They're a very tough team. They've got a lot of guys that can hurt you in a lot of different ways. We've got our work cut out for us."
Zeller on Minnesota's rebounding:
"They're relentless on the glass, not only Williams and Mbakwe, but their guards rebound well. They hurt us a lot last year on offensive rebounds. They're one of the best in the country rebounding on offense and defense. You've got a lot of guys who can rebound every time. It's definitely one of their strengths."
Oladipo on getting more pumped up for Saturday's game:
"Probably a little bit. This is a big game. It's a big game for us, and it's a big game for them. It;s two top 10 teams, and it's a big game. It doesn't get any more high-level that that."
Oladipo on playing in front of a home crowd:
"We'll have the crowd, and we'll have the students here. It's not break anymore, even though the crowd was still pretty cool over break, but we've got the students in here, and they're just as anxious as we are to get the game on. It's going to be a fun atmosphere. It's going to be our first home Big Ten game, and it'll be good to see how intense it is and how fun it is. We're looking forward to it"
