Indiana Basketball: Hoosiers to Watch Against Penn St.

After righting the ship against Northwestern, Indiana looks to stick to their winning ways tonight at home against Penn St.

Although the Nittany Lions have yet to win a Big 10 game, and Assembly Hall is one of the toughest places to play for any opponent, Penn St. have kept games close against the likes of Michigan St. and Wisconsin.

Indiana has failed to score 70 points in each of their last two games, the only time that has happened this year. If they look past the Nittany Lions, they could be in for a fight.

Here are three players who need to play well for Indiana to avoid the upset.

Christian Watford

Watford led the Hoosiers in scoring and rebounding in the last game against Penn St. Everyone knows about Cody Zeller, but it is Watford’s perimeter play that has given the Hoosiers a more balanced attack. Indiana is averaging 84.4 points per game, which is second in the nation.

Watford is also a force on the defensive end and was one of the main reasons that Indiana held Penn St. to just 51 points and 31-percent shooting in their previous matchup.

Victor Oladipo

The junior guard has also been a catalyst for the Hoosiers’ offensive this year. He is leading the team in three-point shooting and overall field-goal percentage.

He also has helped out on the boards this year. Oladipo is third on the team in rebounding and accounted for 10 points and six rebounds in the last game against Penn St. It is a given that Watford and Zeller are going to get their points, but if the Hoosiers can get quality production from Oladipo, it will be a long night for Penn St.

Cody Zeller

Very few teams have an answer for Zeller, but Penn St. kept the All-American relatively in check in their last meeting. Zeller had 15 points and five rebounds; not a bad day, but both totals were below his average. He has not scored less than 18 points since the last matchup, so look for him to have a big game tonight against an undermanned Penn St. frontcourt.

Penn St. does not have nearly the offensive firepower of the Indiana, so if the Hoosiers stick with their game plan, they should make quick work of the Nittany Lions.