ISU announcers. Indiana State has played only 1 home game and are 3-5 ( 0-1) with a 4 game loosing streak. Miami has played 5 home games and is 5-2. We have a 10 day Finals Week break after this game.
Indiana State
W at Green Bay 81-77
L at Purdue 67-92
W home Hanover 90-49
Myrtle Beach tournament
W Old Dominion 77-36
L Oklahoma 63-87
L New Mexico State 68-80
L at Ball State 75-97
L at Loyola ( Chi) 76-88
They have played a tougher schedule than we have. They have a first year coach who was a 4 time national Coach of the Year at lower levels. Leading scorer is 6-4 Cooper Neese at 14.9 ppg, but their best player is 6-6 Cameron Henry who averages13.9 ppg and leads the team in both assists and rebounds. All time ISU holds a 4-3 edge. Many of us remember the last time we played them in Terre Haute because we were there. It was a 6th man club trip and we beat them 74-56 and we irritated some fans sitting near our group with our loud cheering ( where has Hoops Junkie been lately?).
Dalonte Brown will set a new Miami record, passing Ron Harper in career starts with118. Dae Dae Grant is first in the MAC in A/TO ratio and 4th in scoring. Brown, Grant, Mekhi Lairy, and Precious Ayah are all in the top 10 in 4 different statistical categories, while as a team we are first in 7 different MAC categories. Those stats are aided by playing 2 d-3 teams at home. We really need a win to have a great start to the season.
It’s likely we’ll beat Bellarmine and that other D3 school and lose to Clemson. This is our last remaining OOC toss-up, IMO, and it would be a key win. With this schedule, 7-4 should have been the bare minimum. Starting off with our win against GT, we just have to go at least 8-3.
After watching them against Ball St., this should be a good matchup for us if we’re ready to play and execute. The Sycamores are almost the polar opposite of UC: they want to play fast, they’re not good defensively, and their size is a non-factor. Their coach is in his 1st year after making the Division 2 Final 4 last year and 3 of his rotation guys are transfers from Lincoln Memorial. Cam Henry is one of them and he is good. Henry is quick, has a really nice handle and is strong. Neese looks to score every time he catches the ball. Micah Thomas is another good player that wants to attack and is their best shooter. Stephens is probably their best inside player, though he’s more of a wing. They’ll shoot a lot of 3s, but they only make 32%. They’ll get in the lane and finish and they take good care of the ball.
Defensively, they’re in the bottom 20 in effective field goal percentage. They’re poor at contesting shots. Now, playing at home may give them a lift in defensive energy so we need to be patient. We’ll get good shots if we’re patient. If we play a mature, focused game, we should win.
Bellarmine is a strange one. It won’t be a “gimme,” but we should win fairly easily if we play focussed. They started 0-5 against a very tough schedule, losing by 22 a game. They then beat a bad CMU team and a non-D1 team before losing by 19 to WVU. They now play three straight non-D1 opponents.
For the people who complain about our media deal, this game, the WIU game, and WKU desperately trying to escape C-USA and join us are proof that things could definitely be a lot worse.
Defensively, we’re a mess. There’s no need to guard anyone tight at the 3 point line besides Thomas and Neese. Henry wants us to guard him tight because he’ll take any one of our guards all day.
What’s saving us is our offense. We could actually be more patient and get better shots, but we’re showing enough to get to comfortable spots to take familiar shots. I’d like to see fewer quick jack 3s and work the ball inside more.
We’re up 6 at the under 12 timeout. A little chippy between Lairy and Henry coming back down the floor after Lairy stopped him in the lane without fouling. Henry could’ve easily been called for a flagrant or technical foul.