The time has finally come. The 2009-2010 IU basketball season tips off tonight at 8 o'clock as the Indiana Hoosiers welcome the Howard Bison to Assembly Hall. Howard is in the MEAC. This conference is traditionally a low-major conference that usually lands a team as a 16 seed or in the play-in game. The Bison were 8-23 (6-10) last season but did have a surprising upset of the Oregon State Beavers. They lost a couple of key players including top-scorer Eugene Myatt (15 points a game, 1st team MEAC) and Randy Hampton.
Key Players for Howard
-Adam Walker- The junior forward is expected to fill some of the scoring void left by Myatt's departure.
-Curtis White- White is a senior from Pike High School. He has had to play out of position at Howard but is expected to move back out to the perimeter this season. He is a very capable three-point shooter and IU can't let him get into a comfortable groove.
The Keys for the Hoosiers
-Set The Tone Early
When you are favored and playing against an over-matched opponent, it is critical to play like the better team immediately. This is the season opener and Howard is going to feel like they can win. IU needs to get out to a quick lead and let the Bison know that they have no shot in Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers need to establish the quick tempo they want to play with before the first media timeout. Get ahead early, get the crowd into the game and let Howard know there will be no upset.
-Control the Paint
Howard has a little bit of size. Three freshmen plus Adam Walker and Paul Kirkpatrick will be playing down low. None of them are over 6'8" and they are all more long and lean than they are big and physical. The Hoosiers need to win the rebounding battle and the points in the paint. Christian Watford should be a force. I think Tom Pritchard could have a nice game. Expect Derek Elston and a couple of the guards (Creek in particular) to contribute on the glass as well.
Limit Turnovers
Indiana was one of the most turnover-prone teams in all of college basketball last season. That has to be remedied this year if IU is going to up their win total. Jeremiah Rivers and Jordan Hulls are going to help that and another year of maturity for Devan Dumes and Verdell Jones should help as well. Indiana has to value possession, beginning tonight.
Prediction
Howard was not a good basketball team last season and they don't appear to have gotten any better. They have seven freshmen on the squad. These freshmen could be a real surprise and help Howard stay in the game. Early season games tend to be sloppy and I would expect that tonight. I don't think IU will play consistently well. However, they should have two or three stretches of good play that puts the game out of reach. Indiana wins by 10-15 points and Christian Watford is the player of the game.
A quick college football note, three Tennessee football players were arrested and face charges of armed robbery. The three players allegedly robbed a man outside of a gas station. The chain is owned by one of Tennessee's biggest boosters. Two of the players were the highest ranked recruits in Lane Kiffin's first recruiting class. As expected, it looks like Kiffin is going to run a high-class program in Knoxville.
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