No. 11 Indiana basketball has begun the season 4-0 and looks to handle the Little Rock Trojans on Wednesday in Assembly Hall.
After taking care of business against Xavier and Miami (OH) last week, the Hoosiers face off against Little Rock and Jackson State this week in Assembly Hall.
Besides the three players below, there is one more player that Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers need to keep an eye on to come out of Wednesday 5-0. That player is Chris Walker (#10), a freshman guard that can shoot the ball.
Most Hoosier fans know this, but almost every player, besides an Indiana player, that walks into Assembly Hall becomes one of the best shooters ever and seemingly can’t miss. It’s happened plenty of times in recent seasons. Walker comes in as one of the best shooters in the country already, shooting 40.6 percent from deep and leading the team in three-pointers made (11) and attempted (27).
Here are three Little Rock players that the Hoosiers need to try to halt for Wednesday’s game in Bloomington:
Three Trojans to halt for No. 11 Indiana basketball
3. D.J. Smith – Sophomore Guard – #2
2022-23 stats: 5 GP, 26.0 MIN, 10.8 PPG, 3.0 AST, 2.2 TOV, 28.6 3P%, 83.3 FT%
In his five games this season, Smith has been very up-and-down for the Trojans thus far. In his last game against Jackson State, Smith registered 18 points and five assists in 34 minutes played. In the first game of the season against SIU, Smith poured in a season-high 21 points on 56.3 percent shooting.
Smith has the ability and talent to go off if he’s hitting his shots. Last season as a freshman, Smith posted his career-high with 27 points on 66.7 percent shooting against UT Arlington on January 22, 2022.
In his lone game against a major conference team (then-ranked No. 10 Arkansas in 2021-22), Smith tallied just five points on 20.0 percent shooting and five personal fouls in 25 minutes.
Keep an eye on Smith, especially if he’s hitting shots early and taking them often.