Indiana plays Tennessee Tech on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Bloomington. This is a weird spot for the Hoosiers, as they are coming off an emotional win against Syracuse, and play Arkansas and Kentucky next week. Here is what I am watching for in this one.

Tempo

Tennessee Tech is one of the faster teams in the country. They are 61st in tempo per Bart Torvik, whereas Indiana is at 223. This is going to be a great tune up for an Arkansas team that ranks 99th in tempo, but wants to play as fast as possible. Indiana will probably want to slow this one down, but I am excited to see how they look if they are forced to play at breakneck speed.

Defense

Tennessee Tech shoots a ton of threes, with 55% of their shots coming from deep, no. 23 nationally. They can make them in bunches as well, sitting at 41.2% on the year and 41st nationally in 3 point %.  They played Mississippi State on opening night, and scored 88 points on them in Starkville. This Indiana defense has looked suspect at times already this season, and they will need to be disciplined against a sneaky good offense.

Frontcourt

Indiana has dominated the rebounding battle so far this year, mainly because of their frontcourt. If this team wants to take the next step, they need to learn how to score in the paint as well. I am watching for Sam Alexis, Aiden Sherrell, and Samet Yigitoglu to dominate against a team whose “center” is just 6’8. Tech runs teams off the three point line well (28% of opposing shots coming from deep), but when opponents do shoot the three, they make it at a 44.1% rate, good for no. 344 nationally.

This is going to be a closer game than people realize, simply because Tennessee Tech can shoot the ball. They will keep this relatively competitive, but Indiana should prevail as long as they do not panic. Hopefully for fans, this game is smooth sailing, and the team can gear up for their showdown with Arkansas next Tuesday.

Kenpom projects a 92-73 victory.