Indiana basketball can finish off 2022 on a high note with win on Friday

No. 18 Indiana basketball battles Kennesaw State for the first time since 2015, praying to end 2022 on a high note with a dominant home win.

The Hoosiers are 2-0 all-time against Kennesaw State and have won each of those games by 20+ points over the past 10 seasons.

Are the Hoosiers healthy enough to dominate the Owls at Assembly Hall? Can Jalen Hood-Schifino lead this offense to 90+ points yet again, or will the Hoosiers look ahead to the holiday break and sleep on this talented Kennesaw State team?

Here are my keys for Indiana basketball to end 2022 on a high note with a win at home against Kennesaw State:

Keys to an Indiana basketball victory over Kennesaw State

Dominate the paint and let the big men go to work

The tallest player in the starting lineup for the Owls stands at 6-foot-8, with the rest of the starters listed as guards and the next tallest player standing at 6-foot-6. Both Race Thompson and Malik Reneau have a big opportunity to get on track in the paint.

Jalen Hood-Schifino needs to be aggressive early

It seemed as though Hood-Schifino was passive early when running the offense, trying to get others involved instead of looking for his shot. For the Hoosiers to have big success this season, especially without Xavier Johnson for the foreseeable future, Hood-Schifino needs to look to score as much as possible and get comfortable in that position.

Tamar Bates can fire away from beyond the arc

The Hoosiers are 3-0 this season when Bates hits multiple three-pointers in a game. In his career, Indiana basketball is 7-0 when Bates makes multiple threes and he shoots 63.8 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from beyond the arc. Shoot with confidence, Scoop!

Projected Starters for No. 18 Indiana basketball vs. Kennesaw State

Indiana

G – Jalen Hood-Schifino
G – Trey Galloway
F – Miller Kopp
F – Race Thompson
F – Malik Reneau

Kennesaw State

G – Terrell Burden
G – Kasen Jennings
G – Chris Youngblood
G – Brandon Stroud
F – Desmond Robinson

Stat line predictions for No. 18 Indiana basketball vs. Kennesaw State

Jalen Hood-Schifino: 32 MIN | 18 PTS | 5 REB | 6 AST | 7/15 FG | 3/6 3PT | 4 STL

Chris Youngblood: 32 MIN | 16 PTS | 4 REB | 2 AST | 6/15 FG | 2/7 3PT | 6 TOV

Malik Reneau: 22 MIN | 14 PTS | 10 REB | 6/10 FG | 2/4 FT | 2 BLK | 4 TOV

Terrell Burden: 34 MIN | 8 PTS | 2 REB | 4 AST | 3/9 FG | 3 TOV | 2 STL

Tamar Bates: 26 MIN | 17 PTS | 2 AST | 6/11 FG | 5/10 3PT | 1 STL | 1 TOV

Brandon Stroud: 25 MIN | 5 PTS | 7 REB | 3 AST | 2/10 FG | 1/6 3PT | 3 TOV