Indiana basketball is starting to rise up the national rankings heading into the rest of Big Ten play. What will the Hoosiers need to do to defeat Illinois?
Indiana basketball has played extremely well to begin this 2018-19 season. And while the team has slipped up a couple of times (road losses to Arkansas and Duke), they stand at 11-2 on the year with a strong collection of wins. They Hoosiers have risen up the national rankings behind steady play on both ends of the floor and five wins over teams ranked in the KenPom top-50. This is the second year for the program under head coach Archie Miller and it has clearly not taken him long to return IU to national relevance.
With senior Juwan Morgan and freshman sensation Romeo Langford leading the way, this is a balanced team with the star power needed to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament later in the year. Additionally, the team has rarely been able to take the floor as a complete unit so far this year due to injuries and they have the potential to skyrocket up the rankings once completely healthy. Thanks to their strong start, media members around the nation have started to take notice. Through the first two months of the year, IU is ranked at No. 21 in the AP poll and No. 19 in my top-25+ power rankings.
But there is still plenty we have to learn about this team in conference play. Despite securing their fair share of wins, the Hoosiers have struggled in a few major facets of the game. Indiana already has a 2-0 record in conference play (from late Nov. and early Dec.) and they will be looking to build on that in the next couple of weeks. This all starts with an upcoming home matchup against Illinois on Thursday, Jan. 3. And considering four of the five games that follow this one come on the road, a strong performance against Illinois is necessary.
So, without any further ado, let’s dive into three potential keys to success for the Hoosiers against the Fighting Illini. (All statistics used this article were found via KenPom or Sports-Reference unless otherwise noted.)
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