Hoosiers prepare for test against No. 8 Penn State

Ask IU Coach Curt Miller what his chief concern is for tonight’s matchup with No. 8 Penn State, and he can’t nail down just one area.

“They have imposing size, and they have a lot of depth in the post,” Miller said. “They’re superior athletes. There’s a litany of concerns in this matchup, but right at the top is our rebounding. Is it my No. 1 concern? Well, I have a lot of concerns, but it’s right near the top if it’s not No. 1.”

The Hoosiers’ (10-12, 1-8) game against the Nittany Lions (18-3, 8-1) at Assembly Hall tonight will feature the highest ranked opponent the team has faced this season.

Penn State comes into the game as the top team in the Big Ten, after defeating then-No. 13 Purdue on Monday night 69-61.

The rebounding margin that Miller discussed refers to Penn State’s Big Ten-leading 15.3 offensive rebounds per game and its +5.3 rebounding differential against opponents that is second in the conference. The Nittany Lions average 42.1 rebounds per game, led by senior center Nikki Green, who is third in the conference, averaging 8.7 boards a game.

“That’s the main focus, is trying to keep them off the boards as much as possible, not let them outrebound us, especially offensive rebounds,” fifth-year senior center Sasha Chaplin said.

Penn State leads the league in points per game at 72.8, while IU only averages a league-worst 55.5 points a contest.

However, IU is fourth in the league in scoring defense, surrendering 58.4 points per game, just behind Penn State’s 56.7 points allowed. IU is the only team in the Big Ten to hold each opponent at less than 70 points per game this season.

Another concern for Miller is keeping possession of the ball. Penn State leads the conference in turnover margin at +5 per game and is second in steals at 11.6 a game.

“No one in this league will beat Penn State turning the ball over,” Miller said. “They’re so good at converting turnovers into points.”

Miller cited Penn State’s Alex Bentley, who was selected as Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, as someone with the “rare ability” to strip the ball in one-on-one situations. She leads the Big Ten with 3.7 steals per game.

With junior guard Andrea Newbauer out with a broken wrist, freshman guard Nicole Bell will be charged with bringing the ball up against Bentley and the Nittany Lion pressure.

“They could be up 30 on us, and they’re going to keep pressing,” Miller said. “We just have to feed off of that, and we have to understand that we’ve got to handle that pressure. I’m as excited to watch how we do that as scared. There’s an excitement and a scare how we handle that pressure.”

Another worry is guarding Maggie Lucas, who is shooting 49.3 percent from beyond the arc— the best in the Big Ten — and is third in the league with 19.8 points per game.

“She’s got the complete package as a scorer,” Miller said. “If you make her take a lot of shot attempts to get to her points, that would be our ultimate goal, and hopefully we can make her go two, by two, by two and not have a night where she makes five or six threes.”