Is Indiana basketball capable of taking Iowa down in Hawkeye Arena on Thursday?

No. 15 Indiana basketball has a chance to extend Iowa’s losing streak to four games on Thursday night in Hawkeye Arena. Can they take down the Hawkeyes?

The last time the Hoosiers were ranked coming into a game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena with Iowa unranked, Indiana basketball was led by Yogi Ferrell, Cody Zeller, Victor Oladipo, Christian Watford, and Jordy Hulls. The Hoosiers were ranked No. 5 in the nation and came out of Iowa City with a 69-65 win on December 31, 2012.

How can the Hoosiers carry the momentum from the end of 2022 into the beginning of 2023?

Here are my keys for Indiana basketball to take down Iowa in Hawkeye Arena on Thursday night:

Keys to an Indiana basketball victory over Iowa

Contest three-point attempts

Over their last three contests (all losses), Iowa is shooting 21-for-86 (24.4 percent) from beyond the arc and has allowed their opponents to shoot 23-for-56 (41.1 percent) during those games.

Winning the three-point game has not been a strong suit for Indiana basketball in recent seasons, so defending and not letting the Hawkeyes get open shot attempts from three-point range is a huge key for the Hoosiers to keep them from getting hot and holding them down while the Hoosiers are in town.

Rebound the dang ball!

The Hawkeyes have been outrebounded by 14 (126-112) in their last three games combined, despite winning the offensive glass by 20 rebounds (43-23) in those games. Iowa is 8-2 this season when outrebounding opponents but is 0-4 when getting outrebounded by opponents.

If Trayce Jackson-Davis and the Hoosiers can control the glass, they should have a firm grip on winning this game in Iowa City.

Jalen Hood-Schifino needs to stay aggressive and make plays

Since taking over the point guard duties in the Kansas game, Jalen Hood-Schifino is averaging 15.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 4.3 turnovers on 15-for-31 (48.4 percent) and 5-for-10 (50.0 percent) from three-point range.

Hood-Schifino has improved on his scoring career-high in seven of his 10 games this season and seems to be getting more and more comfortable in Coach Woodson’s offense. If Hood-Schifino is knocking down shots, the Hoosiers should be in a decent position to win this game on the road.

Projected Starters for No. 15 Indiana basketball @ Iowa

Indiana

G – Jalen Hood-Schifino
G – Tamar Bates (first career start)
F – Miller Kopp
F – Race Thompson
F – Trayce Jackson-Davis

Iowa

G – Ahron Ulis
G – Tony Perkins
G – Connor McCaffery
F – Kris Murray
F – Filip Rebraca

Stat line predictions for No. 15 Indiana basketball @ Iowa

Jalen Hood-Schifino: 34 MIN | 19 PTS | 6 REB | 5 AST | 7/13 FG | 2/5 3PT | 3 TOV

Kris Murray: 38 MIN | 19 PTS | 8 REB | 7/19 FG | 2/8 3PT | 1 BLK | 2 TOV

Trayce Jackson-Davis: 36 MIN | 22 PTS | 10 REB | 8/14 FG | 6/9 FT | 3 BLK

Filip Rebraca: 32 MIN | 14 PTS | 11 REB | 5/10 FG | 4/7 FT | 1 BLK

Tamar Bates: 31 MIN | 13 PTS | 3 AST | 5/10 FG | 3/8 3PT | 1 STL | 1 TOV

Tony Perkins: 36 MIN | 8 PTS | 6 REB | 5 AST | 2/7 FG | 1/4 3PT | 2 STL | 2 TOV