What to expect: Indiana in Kansas

Indiana returns to play this weekend after a week-long hiatus from the Finals. The Hoosiers will be on the road to take on Kansas on Saturday afternoon at Phog Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks are 9-1 and come away with a 28-point win over Missouri last weekend.

Saturday’s game is set for 12 PM EST on ESPN2:

Indiana’s last chance for another non-conference win comes on one of the toughest courts in college basketball.

Kansas, the defending national champion, is 836-116 all time at home and 298-16 at Phog Allen in the Bill Self era. The Jayhawks are the winningest program in NCAA Division I history.

Despite losing Christian Brown, Ochai Agbagi, Remy Martin, David McCormack and Mitch Lightfoot from last season’s team, the Jayhawks are once again back in the mix at the national level this season. Kansas beat Duke, NC State, Wisconsin, Seton Hall and Missouri. Its only loss to date came by a score of 14 to Tennessee at Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.

Meanwhile, Indiana has lost two of its last three cars and its defense was set on fire by Arizona last weekend in Las Vegas. The Hoosiers are hoping Jalen Hood Scheveneaux, who has missed the last three games with a back injury, will be available to play in Lawrence.

Meet JAYHAWKS

Galen Wilsonwho originally signed with Michigan out of high school before John Beilin left for the NBA, is one of the toughest covers on the wing in college basketball.

Without a senior currently in the regular rotation, Wilson plays all four and leads the Jayhawks in scoring with 22.1 points per game. He uses 30.8 percent of the team’s property while on the ground, the 31st highest in the country. Wilson only shoots 42.6 percent from the field but makes 36.5 percent from 3. He also leads Kansas in rebounding with 9.4 per game.

Citizen of Wichita Grady Dick He was a five-star prospect out of high school and lived up to his billing with 10 games. The 6-foot-8 Dick shoots 46.6 percent from 3 and is second on the team in scoring with 15.4 points per game.

KJ Adams, a 6-foot-7 sophomore from Austin, Texas, is likely to be assigned to guard Trayce Jackson-Davis. Offensively, Adams finishes the limited number of looks he receives. It shoots nearly 70 percent in 2 seconds. Adams is just 8-for-21 from the free throw line.

Self’s starting backroom is Texas Tech Transfer Kevin McCuller And the DaJuan Harris.

Harris, the team leader, is an excellent facilitator. He ranks 33rd nationally in assist rate and has made 65 assists compared to 19 turnovers. An excellent defender on the ball, Harris will try to thwart Xavier Johnson and apply relentless pressure.

McColar is just a 3-point shooter at 31 percent but connected at 36.4 percent through nine games for the Jayhawks. The former Red Raider ranks third on the team in scoring with 11.8 points per game. McColar is also a very good fullback and is second on the team with 22 steals in nine games.

Kansas still runs its rotation and only has three reserves with a double-digit minute average.

The backcourt reserves is a backup point guard Bobby Pettiford with MJ rice And the Joseph Yessouf. Pettiford, a Durham, North Carolina native, averages 2.9 points in 15 minutes off the bench.

A five-star freshman, Rice is a capable scorer off the bench who will have to wait his turn for long minutes. He’s had two double-digit scoring games against lesser competition but is potentially one season away from making a big impact. Yesufu transferred from Drake prior to last season and appeared in all 10 matches. He shoots 34.8 percent of 3.

Backups in the frontcourt are less stable and the Jayhawks are hoping the situation will crystallize as the season progresses. student hrnest return He was a highly regarded recruit with a legitimate size of 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds, but he did not appear to have earned the full confidence of the coaching staff for long. Another freshman, who’s 6-foot-9 and 9 attacking Ejiophore teeth, play the minutes. A second year student Zach Clemenswho is 6-foot-10, has played 45 minutes this season but hasn’t shot.

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In addition to Indiana playing offensively and defensively this season, Kansas has been better. The Jayhawks are ranked 10th nationally in modified defensive efficiency and 14th in modified offensive efficiency.

While Indiana has a definite size advantage in this matchup, Kansas has been a solid rebounding team this season. The Jayhawks are in the top 100 in the country in offensive rebound percentage despite having an undersized frontcourt. It is critical that Indiana limit the chances of getting a second chance.

Free throws and turnovers are always crucial away from home. Indiana had 16 fewer free throw attempts than Arizona in its most recent game and that’s a number that can’t be repeated if the Hoosiers hope to win on the road.

What does he come to

KenPom predicted Kansas by five with a 31 percent chance of an IU victory. Sagarin’s ratings also favor the Jayhawks by five.

Kansas rarely loses at home, and Saturday’s game is an uphill battle for an Indiana team that struggled in its last game on the road at Rutgers. Indiana has a size advantage in this game, but the Jayhawks have some games they can exploit with Wilson and Dick on the wings.

Indiana also needs Trayce Jackson-Davis to play a lot better than he has in recent weeks. The preseason All-American hasn’t been nearly as dominant lately, which must change for the Hoosiers to hit their cap moving forward. Hood-Schifino status also looms large. Indiana isn’t the same team without him in the lineup, and getting a ballplayer back into the mix is ​​crucial to taking some of the pressure off Xavier Johnson’s shoulders.

(Image credit: Kansas Athletics)

Submitted to: Kansas Jayhawks