Often, easy games on a team’s schedule are referred to as cupcakes. But now that we’re in the winter season, perhaps tonight’s game should be referred to as a holiday cookie.
The IU men’s basketball team is often criticized for it’s weak schedule. The Hoosiers rank last in the conference in this respect, exemplified by tonight’s tilt with New Orleans.
But besides maybe Rutgers, who IU plays twice later in the season, this is the last easy game on the Hoosiers’ schedule. And those Scarlet Knight games count toward the conference record, which makes tonight’s game the final tune-up before the conference season.
IU still has Georgetown on Dec. 27, but that’s hardly a walk in the park. The Hoyas have been waffling between the end of the AP Top 25 and the “Others Receiving Votes” section for a few weeks now.
Regardless, this game against New Orleans will be IU Coach Tom Crean’s last chance to play around with line-ups and give bench players a chance to impress without potentially serious consequences.
Even the charismatic freshman forward Tim Priller may not see much action after tonight’s game.
But even more important than that will be to let IU’s top forwards, junior Hanner Mosquera-Perea and sophomore Troy Williams, build confidence down low. The Privateers don’t have much in the area of post players – offensively or defensively.
Against Butler, Mosquera-Perea and Williams showed their potential, combining for 30 points, 20 rebounds and six blocks. Expect similar numbers against New Orleans.
The Privateers have a guard-heavy rotation and they are likely to start four of them. The average height of their probable starting lineup is a paltry 6-foot-2. Look for Mosquera-Perea to stay in the lane and wait for penetration to reach him.
Come game time, the Hoosiers should have no trouble with the Privateers and will likely find themselves with an early lead.
This game is more about fine-tuning IU’s weak points than playing to their strengths. We have all seen what freshman guard James Blackmon Jr. can do on offense, but he remains a liability on the defensive perimeter.
Blackmon needs to improve in that respect. Mosquera-Perea has the capacity to be an interior rim-protector, but not if his opponents have uncontested paths to the basket. Blackmon is the weakest defender in the rotation and other teams have targeted him as a potential doorway to the lane.
No one is expecting Blackmon to suddenly become an All-Big 10 defender, but he has aspirations to make an NBA career for himself. If he wants to accomplish that, he will have to drastically improve on that end of the floor.
Tonight will be an easy win for IU. But rather than look for where IU has success, look for where New Orleans has success. Those are the areas where the Hoosiers will need to develop moving forward this season.
My prediction: IU 91 – NO 59
Casey Krajewski is 5-0 in predictions this season
