Indiana is in the midst of a four game losing streak and turns to a ranked Ohio State team on the road on Monday night.
The Hoosiers currently sit at 16-9 (7-8) and are squarely on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament. Just 2 weeks ago, this Indiana team was comfortably in the tournament but the performance in the last 10+ days has obviously hurt the chances.
Indiana does have chances outside of Ohio State, however. A home-game against Rutgers, the hottest team in the country right now, is the second to last game of the season. Rutgers has won four-straight games, all against ranked opponents. Rutgers currently is just 1.5 games out of first place in the Big Ten. Then, obviously the season finale at Purdue. Indiana beat Purdue on the game-winner from Rob Phinisee in Assembly Hall earlier this season, but it is going to be a tough ask to beat Purdue twice in a season including on its home court to end the season.
Indiana is No. 44 in the NET rankings. Its record against Q1-Q4 are:
Q1: 2-6
Q2: 2-3
Q3: 4-0
Q4: 8-0
As it stands right now, Purdue and Ohio State are quad 1 games and Rutgers is quad 2. But, things can change in a hurry after this weekend.
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2022 Quaker Valley (Pa) guard
Adou Thiero visited Indiana on Tuesday and came away impressed with the program. He is a late bloomer in the class in large part to his growth spurt over the last 2 years.
He stands at 6-foot-6 after growing five inches in the past year and seven inches since his sophomore season.
Indiana has not offered but that is likely to happen. An official visit is probably the next step that will come after the end of the season.
This is one that, if Indiana wants to push would have a good chance in. There is still a lot of moving pieces with this recruitment due to the fact that he is really seeing his recruitment take off in the last few weeks.
Thiero on the visit: "I didn’t know much about Indiana if i’m being honest, after walking around the facilities I understood more things and learned new things about the program. I say the visit exceeded my expectations because the atmosphere was just crazy and I didn’t expect it to be like that. I also sat right next to Cody Zeller which was really cool... I was told about how crazy the atmosphere was, but I wasn’t prepared for it to be as crazy as it was last night."
More on his game and visit:
2022 guard Adou Thiero was impressed with Indiana following his visit.
indiana.rivals.com
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2023 Cathedral (IN) forward
Xavier Booker is another name that Indiana continues to pursue. He has had an up-and-down junior season and still needs to show more consistency.
This season he is averaging 12.2 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game. He is shooting 35 percent on 74 attempts from three this season. That's the most appealing part of his game, at his size someone who can stretch the floor and play on the perimeter.
Booker visited Indiana unofficially a few weeks ago.
@KylerStaley will be getting another look at Booker tonight when Cathedral takes on Ben Davis.
We will try to get some additional video on his play -- it's been tough some of the other games of his though because of his inconsistent playing time. He has sat a few fourth quarters out, even if the game is close.
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As for 2022 big man
Jeremy Foumena, it doesn't look like things are progressing as quick as a guy like Thiero. Indiana is still looking to add to the 2022 class (high school and/or transfer) and Mike Woodson is going to go after the guys he things will help now and in the future.
Foumena is an intriguing forward who could potentially blossom in to something really nice. At this time, however, it looks like the IU staff may play a 'wait and see' approach with Foumena. They are still in contact.
Someone to keep in the back of your mind moving forward.
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Lawrence North guard
CJ Gunn has been terrific this season, with multiple 30+ scoring games.
LN has its senior night tonight against Pike.
With his season after returning from his injury, Gunn has a real shot at Indiana Mr. Basketball this season.
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Small notes...
IU women's coach Teri Moren was named to the Naismith Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List earlier this week. IU women have been a staple in the top-10 this season and currently sit atop the Big Ten.
More:
Teri Moren was named one of 15 coaches to the Werner Ladder Naismith Women's Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List.
indiana.rivals.com
Staying on the women's side, All-American forward Mackenzie Holmes returned to the lineup last night for the Hoosiers - the first time playing since Jan 5. She had six points and six rebounds in 24 minutes.
A few recent clips of 2023 commits
Jakai Newton and
Gabe Cupps:
Partial season highlights for Indiana 2023 commit Jakai Newton.
indiana.rivals.com
Indiana 2023 point guard commit Gabe Cupps helped Centerville (OH) cap off an undefeated regular season last weekend.
Indiana.rivals.com