Indiana Faces St. Johns Today in Maui Invitational

The Indiana Hoosiers (3-1), will face St. Johns (3-1) who is coached by NBA Hall of Famer, Chris Mullin in the consolation round of the Maui Invitational.

Indiana needs to be ready for this matchup against St. Johns. Why? for the second time in as many nights the Indiana Hoosiers’ opposing coach is a former NBA All-Star. IU fans witnessed what Danny Manning‘s team was capable of last night. Chris Mullin may be in his first year as head coach of the St. Johns Red Storm, but is an NBA Hall of Famer and knows how the game is played. After a disappointing loss in the second round of the Maui Invitational, the Hoosiers will look to rebound against the Red Storm.

In fact, it is rebounding that needs to be their focus as they gave up far too many offensive boards to the Demon Deacons yesterday. Tom Crean will need his Hoosiers to get their bigs engaged early and often to reanimate their flatlined defense. Sometimes a little offense can kick start a defense, but either way, the starters cannot fade out like they did against Wake Forest.

WHO: Indiana Hoosiers (3-0) v. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-1)
WHEN: Today, 5 pm ET / 4 pm CT
WHERE: Maui

TV: ESPN2
RADIO: –
STREAM: WatchESPN

St. John’s is still licking its wounds after being outclassed by #19 Vanderbilt last night 92-55. Indiana is looking to get back on track defensively as they face the Red Storm’s European duo of freshman guard Federico Mussini (15.8 ppg) and senior forward Ron Mvouika (11.3 ppg).

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Indiana’s game plan needs to be focused on being aggressive in the paint on both ends of the court. Attacking the glass and pushing the ball up the court in transition can help Indiana keep the tempo and momentum in their favor.

If the Hoosiers offense can refrain from incessant dribbling and work the game from the inside-out, their perimeter players should be able to go on the attack and force the defense to collapse allowing more high percentage shots.

Indiana needs Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Thomas Bryant to play like he did against Creighton and not look so much like a freshman as he did against the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. Yogi Ferrell, James Blackmon Jr, and Troy Williams must find a way to create for each other and spread the floor. Most importantly, the entire team must show a dedication to defense. Another abysmal defensive effort could spell trouble for Indiana.

Before this week, many would have scoffed at the idea of this being a must-win game. For most, this game was not even on their radar. It was expected that Indiana would be playing Vanderbilt today. Unfortunately, Indiana played like they expected their opponent would roll over and play dead. They didn’t last night and they won’t tonight.

In a sense, this is a must-win for IU. Should Indiana drop two-in-a-row in Maui, the perennial hot-seat might start warming up for coach Tom Crean. Hopefully, the loss Wake Forest was enough of a wake-up call for Indiana and they realize what is at stake this season. If they want to be considered Big Ten contenders they need to come out today like gangbusters and prove that it was a one-game fluke and not a sign of a larger problem.

Next: IU Gets Caught Looking Against Wake Forest

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