Delaware St.-Indiana Preview (Dec 19, 2016)
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- After a humbling loss the Indiana Hoosiers return home, where they've been unbeatable, as the Delaware State Hornets visit Simon Skolt Assembly Hall on Monday.
Hoosiers coach Tom Crean bemoaned his team's lack of defense in an 83-78 loss to then-No. 18 Butler in Saturday's Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The defeat dropped Indiana seven spots to No. 16.
"We just didn't guard well enough," Crean said.
Indiana (8-2) had been proficient at shooting and defending against 3-pointers, but did neither well against the Bulldogs. The Hoosiers missed their first eight 3-pointers and allowed Butler to make 7 of 14 as Indiana trailed by 14 at halftime.
"Really, it was a mindset thing, energy thing," junior guard James Blackmon Jr. said. "That was what we were upset about, the way we came out in the first half."
If recent history is an indicator, Monday will be a different story.
Indiana is 7-0 at home this season and looking to extend its home winning streak to 25 games, which would tie for fifth longest in program history. The closest any team has come while visiting the Hoosiers' home floor this season was then-No. 3 North Carolina, which lost 76-67. Since 2011-12, the Hoosiers are 88-11 (.888) at home, best in the Big Ten.
Delaware State also lost on Saturday, 85-66 at Binghamton (N.Y.). The Hornets (3-9) are just 1-8 away from home.
The Hoosiers are averaging 86.6 points per game while allowing 67.4 points, hence Crean's disappointment in the recent defensive effort. The Hornets are averaging just 68.7 points and allowing 75.9 per game.
For the season, Indiana is 91 of 240 (.379) from 3-point range while opponents have made 60 of 220 (.273). Delaware State has hit 99 of 253 (.391) from beyond the arc while opponents have converted 104 of 296 (.351).
Indiana junior forward OG Anunoby was rusty in his return after a three-game absence due to a sprained left ankle. He scored seven points and grabbed seven rebounds against Butler, which dropped his scoring average to 11.7 per game.
Blackmon, who scored a team-high 26 against the Bulldogs, is Indiana's leading scorer at 17.9 points per game. Junior guard Robert Johnson averages 12.9 and sophomore center Thomas Bryant is at 12.2.
Delaware State is led by sophomore guard Devin Morgan at 13.8 points per game, but he attempted just four shots in finishing with six points Saturday. He was the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Rookie-of-the-Year last season.
Hornets junior forward Kavon Waller averages 11.5 and senior guard DeAndre Haywood is at 10.8.
Kevin Walker is in his third full season of coaching Delaware State, which upset St. Johns 79-72 on the road on Nov. 29.
The Hoosiers' two losses came against in-state schools, the other in overtime at Fort Wayne. Their eight wins also include knocking off then-No. 3 Kansas in the season opener at Hawaii.
The Hornets and Hoosiers are meeting for the first time.
