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Indiana Basketball: 5 keys to a successful 2018-19 Big Ten schedule

BLOOMINGTON, IN - NOVEMBER 09: Indiana Hoosiers players take the floor against the Montana State Bobcats in the second half of the game at Assembly Hall on November 9, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. The Hoosiers won 80-35. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - NOVEMBER 09: Indiana Hoosiers players take the floor against the Montana State Bobcats in the second half of the game at Assembly Hall on November 9, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. The Hoosiers won 80-35. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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BLOOMINGTON, IN – DECEMBER 22: The head coach of the Hoosiers gives instructions. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN – DECEMBER 22: The head coach of the Hoosiers gives instructions. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Indiana basketball entered this season with high expectations. How can the Hoosiers continue to meet these as Big Ten play resumes?

Year 2 under head coach Archie Miller has been a roaring success so far for Indiana basketball. The Hoosiers, who have been led by the insane duo of Romeo Langford and Juwan Morgan, are already ranked in the AP top-25 (as well as my power rankings) and are currently riding a seven-game winning streak into the heart of Big Ten play. Quite simply, this team has been extremely impressive so far this season en route to their 11-2 record.

With this said, though, the conference schedule will be an entirely different animal. The Big Ten is arguably the best league in the nation this season and competing near the top will be extremely difficult. That does not mean, though, that the Hoosiers do not have that kind of potential. In addition to just the efforts of Morgan and Langford, this is a team will plenty of depth and one of the more underrated head coaches in the nation, in my opinion.

Looking forward, there are 18 conference games remaining on the schedule for IU (each Big Ten team already played two games in late November/early December). What are some facets of the game that will be most important for Indiana basketball to compete near the top of the league? Let’s take a peek at five. (All statistics used in this article were found via Sports-Reference and KenPom and are up to date through the games completed on Dec. 25.)