Column: Breakdown of Coppin State-IU

WHO Coppin State Eagles (1-5)
WHEN 7:30 p.m. Saturday
WHERE Assembly Hall
HOW Big Ten Network or 99.1 WIUX

Head Coach
Ron “Fang” Mitchell
(410-378 in his 27th year at Coppin State)

This season’s leading scorers
Patrick Cole, a 6-foot-5-inch point guard, leads Coppin State with 15.3 points per game. While the freshman from Newark, N.J., has shot only 34.7 percent from the field (26-of-75) and 37.0 percent from behind the arc (10-of-27), he has made his money at the free-throw line, going 30-of-39 to lead the Eagles in attempts and makes.

Following Cole are guard Troy Franklin (12.8) and forward Michael Murray (10.5). As a team, the Eagles are averaging 68.8 points per game while allowing opponents to score 75.5.

This season’s leading rebounder
Murray cleans the glass better than the people in a Windex commercial. The forward is averaging 10.5 rebounds a game through six games, including 3.67 offensive rebounds per game.

After Murray, the Eagles struggle in the rebounding department. No one else on Coppin State’s roster is averaging more than 4.5 rebounds per game, and the team is getting out-rebounded by opponents 42.7 to 35.7 on average.

If the Hoosier combination of junior guard Victor Oladipo, junior forward Will Sheehey and sophomore guard Remy Abell can lock down on Murray, the Hoosiers should be able to control the boards with ease.

Last win
It took five games, but the Eagles won their first game of the season by beating Cheyney University 98-78 last Saturday. Cole led the team with 21 points, and Murray posted a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds.

What they do well
Despite the losing record, Coppin State is actually winning the turnover battle against its opponents by a large margin. Through six games, the Eagles have forced 128 turnovers while only coughing the ball up 88 times themselves. Franklin leads the team with 20 steals, and Cole follows with 16 steals.

Matchup to Watch
This matchup will be three versus one. Oladipo, Sheehey and Abell will all get minutes guarding the most active Eagles’ player, Murray. Murray crashes the boards hard, so it will be a good test for IU’s trifecta of solid wingmen.

My Take
Coming off of an emotionally charged win against North Carolina, Saturday’s game doesn’t appear to be more than a glorified scrimmage to fans.

Although the game could get out of hand early, don’t think for a second that IU Coach Tom Crean and his staff will waste any opportunity to teach the Hoosiers in real-game situations.

While some Hoosier fans probably don’t even know the location of Coppin State ­— Baltimore, Md. — the Eagles have been a respected program in the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference under Mitchell.

In the 1990s, Mitchell’s Eagles won a share of nine of 10 MEAC regular-season titles, which equals the most conference championships won by any NCAA Division I program in the decade. Overall, Mitchell has led Coppin State to four NCAA tournament appearances.

Murray is an athletic player that is active on the boards, and Cole has shown the ability to score in bunches as a freshman. Both players have put up good numbers, but they could be in for a long night if the Hoosiers key-in on them defensively.

What it will come down to is the Hoosiers’ depth and pace of play.

IU currently boasts five players that average double figures in scoring. Sophomore forward Cody Zeller (15.9), senior guard Jordan Hulls (13.0), junior guard Victor Oladipo (12.1), junior forward Will Sheehey (11.9) and senior forward Christian Watford (11.6) are just the first wave of scorers that will attack the Eagles.

When you also have Abell, freshman guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell, freshman forward Jeremy Hollowell, junior guard Maurice Creek and a number of other Hoosiers to worry about, shutting down IU becomes an almost impossible task.

By controlling the glass and creating turnovers, the Hoosiers will run the Eagles ragged — just like they did against an athletic UNC team.

Because the Hoosiers are bigger, stronger and faster than Coppin State, the Eagles won’t have enough firepower to stick with IU.

Prediction
In the end, IU defeats Coppin State 102-57, which means free Qdoba for
Hoosier fans.
 
— mdnorman@indiana.edu