Indiana Basketball: Hoosiers ride momentum into matchup vs Auburn
Indiana Basketball will head to Atlanta, Georgia, to take on the Auburn Tigers on Saturday at 2 pm EST.
They will participate in the third annual Holiday Hoopsgiving at State Farm Arena, playing after the conclusion of Mississippi State and Tulane.
The Hoosiers will enter this game with confidence and momentum, riding a 4-game winning streak. Indiana most recently took down the Michigan Wolverines on Tuesday, getting the job done down the stretch in their first actual road game. Mike Woodson’s squad committed ten turnovers in the first half but cleaned it up and played more intelligent basketball in the second. They made critical shots down the stretch and got the defensive stops they needed to. The Hoosiers were resilient and fought to the final whistle, a mindset they must continue to play with as they head down south.
Auburn is coming into this game on a different trajectory than Indiana. The Tigers were defeated by the Appalachian State Mountaineers this past Sunday, 69-64. Auburn lost its first road game of the year despite being 7.5-point favorites. They rallied late after being down nine points with 7:35 to go, but the Mountaineers made the shots and free throws they needed to seal the win. The Tigers shot an abysmal 39.4% from the field, 11.1% from three, and 47.4% from the line in the loss.
Despite the surprising loss, Auburn is still a very talented team and will be hungry to return to their winning ways. The Tigers have received votes in the Coaches Top 25 poll in all five weeks and currently rank 17th in KenPom. For reference, Indiana currently ranks 65th in the country.
Bruce Pearl’s squad is impressive on both sides of the ball. They are aggressive on the defensive end, ranking in the top 15 in the country in opponent field goal percentage per game (37.3%). They also rank top-20 in opponent three-point percentage at 26.7%, but this shouldn’t be much of a factor against an IU team that only shoots about 12 shots behind the arc per game. Talented on the offensive end, the Tigers play team ball and love to share the rock. They are top-10 in the country in assists per game (18.4) and third in team assists per field goal made (0.683).
The player to watch for the Auburn Tigers is junior forward Johni Broome. The Florida native was invited to the NBA Draft combine this summer but decided to return to AU and is having an impressive start to the season. He is averaging 18.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game on 57% shooting from the field. In the Tigers’ win against Virginia Tech, Broome accounted for 30 points and 13 rebounds and swatted three shots.
The Hoosiers will likely again be without their sixth-year point guard, Xavier Johnson. When meeting with the media on Thursday, Mike Woodson alluded that Johnson may not return for some time.
“Right now he’s rehabbing, and hopefully he’ll be back here in the near future. That’s all I can give you right now.”
Indiana basketball again needs guards Trey Galloway and Gabe Cupps to step up in Johnson’s absence. In the win against Michigan, Galloway shot an abysmal 3-12 from the field, which included 0-3 from distance. Cupps did not convert a field goal as he missed his lone shot attempt. Against an Auburn team deep with guards, the tandem will need to contribute more for the Hoosiers to leave Atlanta with a win.
Saturday’s matchup should be a physical battle between two teams hungry for a significant non-conference win. The interior struggle between Johni Broome and Kel’el Ware will be in the spotlight, but Indiana basketball must again play team ball to come away with the victory. Despite Auburn University being less than a two-hour drive from the arena, the crowd will have plenty of cream and crimson. The Hoosier faithful will hope to energize the building and help lead Indiana to a big win before a home matchup against Kansas.