Indiana basketball vs. Bethune-Cookman: Three Wildcats to keep in check

1. Joe French – Junior Guard – #30

2021-22 stats: 28 GP, 33.0 MIN, 15.8 PPG, 2.6 REB, 75 3PM, 44.1 3P%

What a rough start to his junior season for Joe French. French was 1-for-5 from the field with just three points, two steals, three turnovers, and three fouls in 28 minutes played in Monday’s loss to Iowa. It’s the lowest-scoring game for French when playing at least 25 minutes in a game in his college career.

In his last game played against a ranked opponent, French went off from 30 points and knocked down four made three-pointers against No. 21 Seton Hall last season. That was one of his two 30-point games in 2021-22, and he also notched five other games with at least 20 points.

Furthermore, French can really shoot the ball from deep and he’s not afraid to let it fly. Last season, he attempted 5+ threes in 20 of his 28 games played and made 4+ threes in 10 of those games.

Let’s expect an angry French coming into Assembly Hall and this is where Xavier Johnson can really show his worth and experience by shutting this guy down and not letting him get hot. Johnson was not the most impressive in guarding Morehead State’s lead guard, Mark Freeman, letting him score 14 points and make three three-pointers in just 14 minutes.