Hoosiers host Hawkeyes in Big Ten battle

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/29/2012 - Bloomington, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ranked 16th in the nation to close out the week, the Indiana Hoosiers try to get back to .500 in Big Ten Conference play this evening as they entertain the Iowa Hawkeyes at Assembly Hall in Bloomington.

Since putting together a three-game win streak against the likes of Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State, the Hoosiers have fallen on hard times and are now a mere 4-5 in conference. The squad has dropped four of its last five contests, including a 57-50 final at Wisconsin on Thursday night. Indiana may be an impressive 12-1 at home in 2011-12, but against opponents on their floors the team is just 3-4.

As for the Hawkeyes, already 2-2 this season against nationally-ranked foes, they too have hit a rough patch in the schedule over the last three weeks since defeating Wisconsin and Minnesota in back-to-back matchups. Three nights ago, the squad was taken down by Nebraska at home in a 79-73 final, the second straight loss and the fourth in five tries for Iowa overall.

In a series that dates back more than a century, Indiana has the advantage at 94-73. However, the Hawkeyes have rattled off four straight wins, including a narrow 64-63 final in Bloomington last season.

In a game that experienced six ties and five lead changes, the Hawkeyes picked the wrong time to have shooting issues as they dropped from 53.6 percent from the floor in the first half to just 44.4 percent after the break, en route to the six-point loss to the Cornhuskers. Zach McCabe was responsible for 20 points and six rebounds before fouling out, followed by Roy Devyn Marble who tacked on 15 points, mostly at the free-throw line where he was 9-of-10 shooting. Matt Gatens and Aaron White chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively, the latter collecting nine rebounds as well. In conference games Iowa has four players scoring in double figures, led by Gatens and Marble with 12.0 ppg apiece, the former also clearing better than five rebounds per game to give the group a presence in the paint even as he takes more three points shots (33) than anyone else on the roster. Defensively the team has limited opponents to only 29.0 percent success on the perimeter, yet still those foes see fit to send up an average of more than 21 three-pointers per game.

Against the top defensive team in the nation the Hoosiers managed to generate 50 points, still seven shy of the Wisconsin Badgers as the hosts took the win earlier this week. Christian Watford and Verdell Jones III both tallied 12 points for Indiana, combining to shoot 10-of-16 from the floor, which means the rest of the unit made a collective 11 baskets. Several aspects of the game were lacking on Indiana's behalf, the team handing out just four assists, shooting 3-of-8 behind the three-point line and just 5-of-10 at the free-throw line. Even though he didn't show up as a scoring leader at Wisconsin, Cody Zeller is still one of the top producers for the team with his 14.2 ppg in league play. Watford (13.2 ppg) is not only deadly from three-point range in conference (.472), he is also the top man on the glass for the Hoosiers with close to six and a half boards per outing. Jordan Hulls (12.3 ppg) accounts for a team-high 19 triples over nine league bouts and because of his efforts the squad has connected on 43.2 percent out on the perimeter.

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Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.

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Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.

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