IU to face New Mexico State on Thursday in NCAA Tournament

PORTLAND, ORE. — Two years ago, New Mexico State was one possession away from stunning Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Aggies went home while Sparty rolled along to the Final Four. Little did the IU men’s basketball team know that comparing the two squads’ physicality would help prepare it for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

No. 4-seeded IU (25-8) will look to utilize similar preparation to the Big Ten foe when it takes on No. 13 New Mexico State in its first game of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at approximately 9:30 p.m. at Rose Garden Arena.

“We’ve used that comparison all week,” IU junior forward Derek Elston said. “Ever since we got out here — they have a player like Draymond (Green), like (Derrick) Nix and like (Adreian) Payne — we’ve been using them all week.”

The player IU compared to Green was New Mexico State leading scorer and rebounder Wendell McKines. The senior forward drew comparisons for the way he filled the stat sheet like Green.

“McKines is a little like (Green),” IU junior guard Hulls said. “He can do a little bit of everything. He’s their go-to guy. We’ve just got to try to stay attached to him and not let him get going.”

While Hulls compared McKines to the Big Ten Player of the Year, IU Coach Tom Crean said to liken McKines to somebody is almost unfair.

“I don't think Wendell McKines takes a backseat to anyone,” Crean said. “He's one of the better, undersized, but also undervalued forwards probably in the country.”

McKines fuels an Aggie attack on the boards that ranks fourth in the country in defensive rebounds.

IU freshman forward Cody Zeller said McKines’ 10.8 rebounds per game will not be the Hoosiers’ sole focus on the glass.

“It starts with McKines, but all the way down, they’re one of the tallest teams in the country,” Zeller said. “They get a ton of offensive rebounds. Like I said, we’re going to have to do a nice job getting on the defensive rebounds not only with McKines but the other four guys on the court because they’ll crash the boards hard. That’ll be a big key.”

Crean seconded the notion that New Mexico State is more than one deep on the glass.

“Michigan State is a team where when Draymond Green has it, when the shot goes up, you have to account for everybody on the court,” Crean said. “Not all teams are like that.  But New Mexico State is like that.”

When the Hoosiers upset No. 5 Michigan State on Feb. 28, IU outrebounded the Spartans 30-28. Green still finished with 29 points, but that didn’t prevent IU from holding the rest of the Spartan lineup to 26 points on 30 percent shooting.

IU sophomore guard Victor Oladipo said if it wants to win its first NCAA Tournament game in the Crean era, it starts and ends on the defensive side.

“That’s going to be a big thing for us to win, we’ve got to play defense,” Oladipo said. “I know these guys want to win, so I’m pretty sure we’re going to play defense.”