Indiana basketball gets a home date Thursday night after surviving its first real scare of the season.
The Hoosiers are back at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall to face Tennessee Tech following Monday’s 83-80 rally over Syracuse in Indianapolis. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m.
ET on Thursday, Nov. 12, with the game airing on Big Ten Network. Jack Kizer and Steve Smith will be on the call, while Don Fischer and Errek Suhr handle the radio broadcast for the IU Radio Network.
Indiana has handled Tennessee Tech every time the teams have met, winning all five previous matchups. The last meeting came on Nov. 25, 2020, when the Hoosiers opened the season with an 89-59 win at Assembly Hall. Trayce Jackson-Davis was the difference that day, finishing with 26 points and 11 rebounds.
The bigger story now is what Indiana learned from Monday. The Hoosiers’ first two wins came without much drama, but Syracuse forced them into a very different kind of night. Indiana had to lean hard on its starting backcourt, and the offense in the paint never really found a rhythm.
Markus Burton and Darren Harris each scored 20 points against the Orange, while Jaeden Mustaf added 18. Together, that trio accounted for 58 of Indiana’s 83 points, coming through again and again when the Hoosiers needed a bucket.
It was a good sign for the perimeter. It also showed how much Indiana needed that perimeter production.
Thursday gives the Hoosiers a chance to look more complete offensively, especially inside, where they struggled to produce consistently against Syracuse. But the more immediate test may come on the defensive end.
Tennessee Tech has been scoring in bunches through its first three games, averaging 100.7 points and 15 made 3-pointers per contest. Sophomore Caleb Sanders leads the Golden Eagles at 18.7 points per game, and first-year coach Tobin Anderson has a group that has been especially dangerous from deep.
That sets up a useful measuring stick for Indiana. The Hoosiers should have the edge in talent, but Syracuse showed some cracks on defense, and Tennessee Tech’s perimeter-heavy attack will give Indiana another chance to clean those up.
The Hoosiers already proved they can win when things get messy. Now they get a shot to show they can sharpen the rough edges, too.
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Branham also arrives with some historical context attached, since he is now the 10th-highest ranked recruit Indiana has landed in the 247Sports era. In the schools official release, coach Darian DeVries highlighted both Branhams ability and his character, which is usually the kind of combination a staff hopes will translate well once the real work begins and the recruiting buzz gives way to what he can actually do in Bloomington. [Read more 🡒]
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Tobi Osunsanmi May Decide Whether Indiana Can Survive USCs Attack
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Tobi Osunsanmi is at the center of that challenge. Indiana has to find a way to make USC uncomfortable early and often, because if Maiava settles in, the Trojans can turn a game fast through the air. The Hoosiers have shown they can defend at a high level, but this one may hinge on whether Osunsanmi and the pass rush can force USC out of rhythm before the secondary has to hold up for long stretches. [Read more 🡒]