With limited fans allowed to attend Big Ten basketball games this season, IU lost one of its key advantages. In a normal season, Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall is one of the toughest places to play, giving the Hoosiers a distinct advantage and providing the team with an added boost of energy throughout the game.
This season, it’s not the fans that are bringing the energy for IU, but the players themselves. For players not in the game, the Hoosiers’ “bench mob” has become a core element to the team’s success.
“We have to be able to bring our own energy,” senior guard Al Durham said Wednesday. “We have to be able to bring our own fight. We have to be able to replace what Assembly Hall has with fans and bring it ourselves.”
A part of that energy exhibited on the bench comes from the team’s strong bond. Freshman forward Jordan Geronimo said because members of the team can’t go out due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he’s been able to spend more time with teammates off the court.
On game days, the added comfort level between teammates shows up. When players on the bench see a play developing, they have already established trust between each other allowing them to make callouts from the sideline without worry.
“The bench is always up and communicating to players on the court. There’s never a moment when everyone is just watching the game,” Geronimo said. “Whether it’s keeping track of stops or letting people know on the court shot clock, we’re just a really together team, and I think that really helps with the energy.”
As IU returns home after upsetting No. 4 Iowa on Thursday, the team will once again rely on its bench’s energy to create a home-court advantage against Rutgers and carry forward the momentum gained following its marquee win.
Related: [Jordan Geronimo establishes himself in IU men’s basketball’s upset over No. 4 Iowa]
Rutgers enters Sunday’s matchup on a five-game losing streak, with its last win coming nearly one month ago against Purdue — a far cry from the team projected as a 9-seed in the NCAA tournament last season after winning 20 games.
While the Scarlet Knights have struggled so far this season, they’ve been just a few plays away from knocking off two Top 10 teams. At the beginning of January, they fell to Iowa by 2 points and last week lost to No. 10 Wisconsin by 6.
Rutgers is led by junior forward Ron Harper Jr., a stretch-four that will force either sophomore Trayce Jackson-Davis or junior Race Thompson to guard him on the perimeter. Harper Jr. is averaging a team-high 18.6 points per game while shooting 41.6% from beyond the arc.
Senior guards Geo Baker and Jacob Young join Harper Jr. in the starting lineup.
Baker was touted in the preseason as one of the best returning players in the country after averaging more than 10 points per game in each of his first three seasons at Rutgers but has struggled to match expectations so far this year. Baker is averaging career-lows with 8.7 points per game and 2.6 assists per game.
Young has impressed this season averaging 15.2 points per game — second behind Harper Jr. — and leads the Scarlet Knights with 4.2 assists per game. Rutgers often puts Young in pick-and-roll situations, with nearly 44% of Young’s offensive possessions utilizing ball screens, according to Synergy Sports.
After their impressive win over the Hawkeyes, the Hoosiers are determined to show their performance Thursday wasn’t a fluke while taking care of a struggling Scarlet Knights team.
“The mood of the team is not satisfied,” Geronimo said. “We’re just hungry to get more W’s and win for the program.”
