Hoosier basketball season is finally upon us! Tonight, Indiana will open the season with its first and only exhibition game against the University of Indianapolis (and with the way the IU football season has turned out, it couldn’t have come any sooner). Here is a breakdown of three things to look for during tonight’s exhibition game.
Zeller
Cody Zeller makes his much-anticipated debut tonight for the Hoosiers. Zeller brings a different dynamic to Indiana that it hasn’t seen in years: game inside the post. All eyes will be on Zeller to see not only how well he fares during the first game of his collegiate career but also his chemistry with the veteran Hoosier squad.
Defense
Coach Crean stressed during his press conference this week that much of their focus during practice has been on defense. I think Crean made a great call focusing on this side of the court and keep offensive practice on the back burner. IU’s fouling last season was atrocious and seemed like a fall back strategy for Indiana when it couldn’t compete with the Big 10 elite in the post. With the work they put into their defensive play and the addition Zeller’s height inside, hopefully we will see much improvement on this end of the court.
Sheehey and Oladipo
Sheehey and Oladipo have most improved over the offseason. Both have put on significant mass in the weight room and have worked relentlessly in the gym on their outside shots. These two showed much promise towards the end of last season. Between where they left off last season and the strides they put in over the past few months, Sheehey and Oladipo should gain significant momentum for the upcoming season…and hopefully posterize a lot more opponents.
