Ken Pomeroy’s advanced statistics rank the Tigers as the country’s No. 279 team, well behind IU at No. 25. The season is young and projections are frequently wrong, but the numbers tell a story in favor of the Hoosiers.
IU’s roster boasts two former McDonald’s All-Americans. Texas Southern’s has none.
IU has won 73 games the last three seasons. Texas Southern has tallied ?just 51.
Friday night, as IU scored 116 points in its season-opening victory, Texas Southern struggled offensively, falling 86-62 to future IU opponent Eastern Washington. It shot just 40 percent from the field and 16 percent from 3-point range in the loss.
The Hoosiers’ guard-oriented lineup had given them trouble on the glass in two exhibition games, but IU dominated the rebounding category against Mississippi Valley State. The Hoosiers pulled in 38 rebounds against the Delta Devils’ 26.
“One of the main reasons we’ve won 73 games over the last three years is because our rebound margin has been so good,” Crean said. “We made some improvements the other night inside of the game when we got physical and when we got aggressive and when we made contact first, and I think that’s really, really important for this team.”
IU Coach Tom Crean said the Hoosiers’ focus will be on junior forward Chris Thomas, who averaged 12.7 points and 4 rebounds at Marshall last season.
Thomas, a former top-10 recruit, is at his sixth school in three years.
He attended prep schools in Maryland, Arizona and Connecticut before committing to Xavier in 2012. He decommitted before ever joining the program. He played the 2012-13 season at Chipola Junior College and planned to play last season at Manhattan but was left off the roster following an arrest.
He moved on to Marshall, where he spent one season before being released from the team and transferring to Texas Southern.
“(Davis) has got a very good player right now among others in Chris Thomas, who has been a national name on the circuit for years, back even going to his freshman, sophomore year in high school,” Crean said.
Thomas, a 6-foot-8-inch forward, could cause problems for an IU frontcourt playing with just two post players. Junior forward Hanner Mosquera-Perea is a starter for the first time this season, and freshman center Jeremiah April made an unexpected college debut Friday after an injury.
Crean said he hasn’t changed his practice routine or game plan with the absence of big men in sophomore forward Devin Davis and freshman forward Emmitt Holt in addition to suspended wings sophomore forward Troy Williams and sophomore guard Stanford Robinson.
The Texas Southern contest will be IU’s last without Williams, Robinson and Holt.
“Not preparation-wise,” Crean said. “But we’ve got a lot of games in a short period of time, so you have to start factoring that.
“It doesn’t change a lot. Every game is different, but there’s certain things we’re going to go to every game, and then we just make our revisions based on what we see from the other team offensively and defensively.”
