Non-conference play is winding down and the Indiana Hoosiers stand at 10-1 with a huge neutral site game coming up Saturday against Notre Dame. Here we breakdown some of the matchups to keep an eye on.
It’s been a good start to the year for Indiana Basketball. Aside from a slip-up in Madison against Wisconsin, the Hoosiers have been unscathed. That includes a perfect non-conference record albeit against less than stellar competition. The Hoosiers do have a double-digit win against a ranked Florida State squad to hang their hat on, but the Fighting Irish come in with some confidence.
It’s been a bit of a rocky start for Notre Dame this season, suffering blowout losses to North Carolina and Maryland, and a one point loss to Boston College. They’re still a respectable 8-3 and are coming off of their biggest win of the season against UCLA at home.
The Irish are led by seniors TJ Gibbs and John Mooney. They’re easily the teams most experienced and most skilled players, having played meaningful minutes since their freshmen years. Outside of that, two sophomore guards in Dane Goodwin and Prentiss Hubb have been pleasant surprises for this Notre Dame team that came into the season with relatively low expectations. The two young guards average 11 points apiece.
While Notre Dame relies heavily on a couple of players, Indiana’s depth has been its calling card this season. The Hoosiers have a number of players who can take over any particular game, and that depth could be the difference come Saturday.
It will not only be another fun in-state rivalry game on Saturday at the Crossroads Classic, but the teams will try to make it even more memorable than the last matchup in 2017, that saw the game go to overtime.
Here are the three key matchups to watch on Saturday.