The current four-game winning streak for the IU men’s basketball program has come by a combined margin of eight points.
IU’s victories against Northwestern and Penn State to start Big Ten Conference play, as well as Saturday’s win against Butler University, were all decided with the final play of regulation.
That likely won’t be the case for the two games IU will play during winter break, against the University of Central Arkansas and Jacksonville University.
While IU is now ranked No. 22 in the country in the latest Associated Press poll released Monday, the memories of close wins during Thanksgiving Break against the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of California at Davis are still fresh in the mind of Coach Archie Miller.
During his final radio show of 2018, Miller previewed the Wednesday night matchup with Central Arkansas.
Central Arkansas is led by an undersized point guard and a center who shoots three-pointers.
The Bears are 4-6 so far this season, with a 1-6 record on the road. These may seem like mundane marks for a team in the Southland Conference traveling to play major conference teams to start the season, but there is a statistical breakdown behind the Bears’ opening 10 games.
Central Arkansas is led in scoring by sophomore point guard DeAndre Jones, who is just 5 feet 11 inches tall. Jones played in 35 games last season and started 19 of those contests, averaging just more than six points per game. He’s taken on an increased role within the offense during his second season, as he leads the team in points per game with 13.9 and assists per game with 4.7.
Jones generates a significant amount of his points from being fouled. He has attempted 39 free throws this season, 15 more than any other Central Arkansas player. Jones leads the Bears with 90 total shot attempts this season, with 46 of them coming from behind the three-point line.
Having started all 10 games this season and as the only player on the team averaging more than 30 minutes played per game, Jones figures to be on the court with the ball plenty Wednesday night.
“They’re a skilled team," Miller said. “They run five-out motion. They’re not very set play oriented.”
Juxtaposing the undersized Jones is 7 feet tall, sophomore center Hayden Koval. A Prosper, Texas native, Koval has also started all 10 games this season, but he’s also attempted 31 three-pointers, the fourth-most on the team. Among Central Arkansas players who have attempted more than five three-pointers, Koval has the third-best shooting percentage from distance on the team.
The Hoosiers have allowed 10 or more three-pointers in each of their last two games, including six by Butler forward Sean McDermott.
“Wednesday night is just as important as our game was on Saturday,” Miller said. “I think like all of our games, we just got to be ready to go.”
Archie Miller has a couple keys to success for his team to start games better.
Each of IU’s last five wins has required Miller’s team to erase a deficit. This has come in part due to slow offensive starts from the Hoosiers.
The trend continued against Butler, as IU scored just four points in the first seven minutes of the game.
Given this, Miller said the Hoosiers have a long way to go in order to get better on offense, but that’s a good thing because of the team’s potential on that end of the court.
“Our offense can be our Achilles," Miller said. "Whether it’s quick shooting, turnovers, or ineptness, so to speak, early in games until we figure out how we’re going to play."
IU’s sluggish starts to games have forced players, like senior forward Juwan Morgan and freshman guards Romeo Langford and Rob Phinisee, to alternate scoring in stretches. Saturday’s game was Morgan’s turn, as he recorded a career-best 35 points against the Bulldogs.
Morgan’s scoring output was the most by an IU player since former guard Yogi Ferrell scored 38 points in 2015.
While Morgan generated a lot of his offense Saturday far from the basket, as he made four three-pointers, he also found success in the post. This has been reflective of IU’s offensive mindset under Miller, as the Hoosiers prefer to drive toward the basket and try and get fouled, rather than settling for jump shots.
“I think some offensive execution, some patience on offense early in the game, especially in transition,” Miller said. “Being able to reverse the ball and get more reversals, more post touches early, instead of quick jump shots and less turnovers.
Central Arkansas has nine players listed as being 6 feet 7 inches or taller, meaning inside drives by IU’s guards will encounter more resistance than usual. Among these players is 6 foot 7 inch freshman forward Eddy Kayouloud, who averages the second-most points on the team with 13.1.
A native of Paris, France, he’s also made 16 of his 37 three-point attempts, but has only started three games this season and didn’t play in a recent loss at the University of Louisville because he “did something stupid” according to Central Arkansas coach Russ Pennell.
Assuming the Frenchman stays in the good graces of his head coach, he figures to be an important figure at both ends of the court for the Bears.
IU and Central Arkansas will tip off at 7 p.m. Wednesday night, and the game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
