Hoosier State of Mind
Fansided

Indiana Basketball: 5 must-win games for the Hoosiers

By Adam Childs

BLOOMINGTON, IN - FEBRUARY 11: Indiana Hoosiers fans celebrate in the second half of the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Assembly Hall on February 11, 2016 in Bloomington, Indiana. Indiana defeated Iowa 85-78. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - FEBRUARY 11: Indiana Hoosiers fans celebrate in the second half of the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Assembly Hall on February 11, 2016 in Bloomington, Indiana. Indiana defeated Iowa 85-78. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
BLOOMINGTON, IN – JANUARY 07: Thomas Bryant #31 of the Indiana Hoosiers knocks the ball away from Mike Thorne Jr. #33 of the Illinois Fighting Illini in the first half of the game at Assembly Hall on January 7, 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN – JANUARY 07: Thomas Bryant #31 of the Indiana Hoosiers knocks the ball away from Mike Thorne Jr. #33 of the Illinois Fighting Illini in the first half of the game at Assembly Hall on January 7, 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

at Illinois – March 1st

This game is at the end of the season and could be a matchup of two bubble teams. Illinois is a trendy pick to be in the top half of the Big Ten, but are still a fringe tournament team like Indiana.

The Illini are picked to be ahead of the Hoosiers this year and that is mostly because of Ayo Dosunmu. He is going to be tough for anyone to stop and one Indiana must key on. If he is playing well then Illinois could be one of the better teams in the Big Ten.

The other thing that sets Illini apart is their intensity on defense. They get after you more than almost any other team in the Big Ten and the Hoosiers will have to stay away from turning the ball over which they had some troubles with last year.

Whatever hurdles they must cross to be the Illini it is a game that would be huge for them to win. Winning on the road against a team that you may be compared against come selection Sunday would be a big feather in their cap.

Getting a win in Champaign will be tough, but one the Hoosiers need to get if they want to make the tournament. There are other opportunities for road wins against possible bubble teams in Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan but this sticks out as one that could benefit them the most.

Home/Indiana Basketball