Column: Scouting the Eagles

WHO North Carolina Central University (14-12, 8-5)

WHAT IU’s chance to finish its nonconference season undefeated for the first time since the 1989-90 season

WHEN 7 p.m. today

WHERE Assembly Hall

HOW Live stream on BTN.com and a re-airing of the game at 10:30 p.m. today on Big Ten Network, IU Radio Network and Live Audio on IUHoosiers.com

Scouting North Carolina Central

Conference
MEAC

Head coach
LeVelle Moton, third season

Leading scorer
Senior forward Dominique Sutton, 16.3 points per game

Leading rebounder
Senior forward Dominique Sutton, 7.6 rpg

What they do well
The Eagles have a 47.5-percent field goal percentage on the year, good for 32nd in the nation.

What needs work
Rebounding. NC Central averages 33.2 boards per game, is ranked 240th in the country and has a 67.7 defensive-rebounding percentage.

Projected starters

Indiana
G Jordan Hulls 11.4 ppg
G Victor Oladipo 11.0
F Derek Elston 4.9
F Christian Watford 11.9
F Cody Zeller 15.6

NC Central
G Emanuel Chapman 3.4 ppg
G Justin Leemow 4.8
G-F Ray Willis 15.8
F Nick Chasten 8.3
F Dominique Sutton 16.3

My take

After climbing the treacherous mountain of Big Ten games for weeks, the Hoosiers have a chance to relax a little on level ground in a contest against North Carolina Central. IU Coach Tom Crean’s unorthodox scheduling worked out perfectly, as his team can have a confidence boost against a MEAC team following a disappointing loss at Iowa.

Unless the Eagles pull off a monumental upset tonight, the Hoosiers will finish their nonconference season undefeated for the first time since the 1989-90 season.

In IU’s way will be the Eagles of the MEAC, a conference currently being led by Savannah State, which the Hoosiers defeated earlier this season in Bloomington.

NC Central has had to play most of the season without senior guard Landon Clement, who averaged 15.9 points per game before injuring his foot nine games into the season.

In Clement’s absence, the Eagles have found a leader in senior forward Dominique Sutton, who transferred to NC Central after three years at Kansas State to be with his girlfriend and two daughters.

The shocking transfer, which occurred in July 2010, gave the Eagles their leading scorer and rebounder this year.

Aiding the 6-foot-5-inch, 212-pound Sutton is 6-foot-6-inch junior guard Ray Willis, who transferred from Oklahoma before the start of his junior year.

Willis and Sutton have both scored in double figures in NC Central’s past 11 games.

Got all that? Good, because it won’t matter much tonight if IU comes to play. The Hoosiers are playing at home against a subpar mid-major team, which is 4-9 on the road this season.

Unless the Hoosiers come out with the same level of play they displayed in Iowa City, Iowa, this will count as win number 21 with three to go in the regular season.