Rutgers @ Indiana preview
Assembly Hall
Last Meeting ( Jan 15, 2020 ) Indiana 50, Rutgers 59
Indiana picked up a much-needed win at No. 4 Iowa by holding the high-scoring Hawkeyes to their lowest point total of the season.
The Hoosiers will now look to carry that defensive mindset into a Sunday afternoon Big Ten matchup against reeling Rutgers in Bloomington, Ind.
Indiana (9-6, 4-4 Big Ten) held Iowa, the Big Ten's top scoring offense at 92.2 points per game entering the game, to 38.1 percent from the field and 21.7 percent (5 of 23) from 3-point range to improve to 1-4 against ranked teams on the season. In beating No. 4 Iowa, Indiana picked up a win against its highest-ranked opponent since knocking off No. 3 North Carolina on Nov. 30, 2016.
"The win was really satisfying," said Indiana freshman Jordan Geronimo, who scored a career-high seven points off the bench against the Hawkeyes.
"Taking down the No. 4 team in the country is something not a lot of people can say but we did it. It was a team effort so it felt really good."
Offensively, the Hoosiers will look for continued production inside from Trayce Jackson-Davis, who scored 23 points in the Iowa win. Jackson-Davis is averaging 20.6 points and 8.8 rebounds while shooting 54.2 percent from the floor and leading Indiana in blocked shots with 27.
Indiana point guard Rob Phinisee also has picked up his offensive production of late, scoring a career-high 18 points on Jan. 10 against Nebraska and matching that with 18 points against Iowa on Thursday.
Rutgers (7-6, 3-6) is looking to snap a five-game losing streak. The Scarlet Knights, ranked as high as No. 11 in the country in December, have been banged up of late, with Ron Harper Jr. and Geo Baker dealing with leg injuries. Even with Harper and Baker now both back, Rutgers was unable to snap its skid on Thursday, falling behind by 18 points before a comeback bid fell short in a 75-67 loss at Penn State.
"We have to play better and we'll figure this out," Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. "When hard times hit, you see what you're made of. There's still a lot of basketball left to be played. I have confidence that we'll get better."
Rutgers is 0-3 all-time against Indiana in Bloomington, including an 89-73 loss in its last game at Indiana on March 10, 2019.
--Field Level Media