Indiana
Three Things To Watch For As Indiana Basketball Takes On Sam Houston
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana men’s basketball entered the season with hope and expectation that a return to the NCAA Tournament was imminent and that the Hoosiers might find their way among the national powers again.
Indiana entered Battle 4 Atlantis with the No. 14 ranking in the polls. A preseason victory at Tennessee seemed to justify those hopes.
However, Battle 4 Atlantis proved to be a humbling experience for the Hoosiers. An 89-61 loss to Louisville in the opening game was a shocker that sent much of the Indiana fanbase into immediate angst. Indiana got a chance to make amends with a quality win over Gonzaga, but the Bulldogs rolled 89-73 in another heavy defeat for the Hoosiers.
Indiana avoided an 0-3 Battle 4 Atlantis performance with an 89-73 win over Providence, but the damage was already done. Indiana did not get the quality wins it needed in the Bahamas and Monday’s NCAA NET rankings put Indiana in 71st – well off the pace needed to be considered a NCAA Tournament team.
Indiana (5-2) can make up for none of this in its nonconference matchup with Sam Houston at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, but the Hoosiers need to demonstrate – if not to themselves, then to the fans – that they are proceeding down a path that can lead them out of the hole they’ve dug for themselves.
One thing is certain – Indiana has removed any room for slip-ups. Without any quality nonconference wins in the Bahamas, the Hoosiers have to run the table against their mid-major nonconference foes. If they lose even one of those games, even a couple of quality wins in the Big Ten play won’t necessarily make up for it.
Here are three things to watch for from the Hoosiers when they face off against the Bearkats:
1. Can Indiana Win By A Large Margin?
It’s sad, to me at least, that margin of victory has become such an important part of how metrics are used by various rankings systems and how it’s baked into the NCAA’s NET rankings.
The NCAA claims it doesn’t use margin of victory data, but it does use offensive and defensive efficiencies, which are absolutely influenced by margin of victory, which in turn, is influenced by strength of schedule.
“This thing’s become a complete numbers game,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said in a Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch story in February. “Unfortunately, I think it takes away from the sportsmanship. … You’ve got to try and beat the heck out of people just to improve your NET.”
Unfortunately, that’s the way the criteria works in 2024-25 too, so scores shall be run up.
The expected victory margin over Sam Houston is 14 points. The Hoosiers need to exceed that and push the margin as high as they can. Should it be that way? Not in any kind of sporting way it shouldn’t, but the Hoosiers have to play the game, especially given that they lack quality wins elsewhere.
2. Will Indiana Take More 3-Point Shots?
In the 2023-24 season, Indiana endured a lot of criticism for not taking 3-point shots. Indiana ranked 273rd in 3-point shooting percentage in 2024 at 32.4%.
While the construction of the roster could be, and was, criticized for not having enough shooters, once the season started, it didn’t make much sense for Indiana to foist threes it couldn’t consistently make, especially when it had high-percentage producers like Kel’El Ware and Malik Reneau near the rim.
So far in the 2024-25 season, Indiana has been similarly dependent on 2-point shots. Unlike last season, the Hoosiers don’t need to be.
This was mentioned in the How To Watch story, but it bears repeating. Of the 58.9 shots per game Indiana takes, 41.3 of them are from 2-point range. Indiana ranks 305th and 340th nationally in 3-point shots made (6.3) and 3-point shots attempted (17.6).
With last year’s roster? This stood to reason, but not with this one.
The Hoosiers rank 105th nationally in 3-point percentage at 35.8%. That puts the Hoosiers in the top third of Division I in 3-point shooting.
One understands the temptation to throw the ball into the paint to Oumar Ballo and Reneau – both can be very difficult to stop in the paint. However, Indiana needs to take better advantage of what appears to be a good shooting team.
3. Can Indiana Run Sam Houston Off The 3-point Line?
Sam Houston (4-4) will not hesitate to fire away from long range – and for good reason. The Bearkats rank 17th nationally in 3-point percentage at 40.3%. Lamar Wilkerson, Dorian Finister and Cameron Huefner all convert at better than 40% from long range.
Indiana has done a good job in 3-point percentage defense (29.9%, ranked 95th nationally), but a bad job in preventing 3-point attempts to begin with. Indiana opponents have averaged 26.3 attempts per game, which puts the Hoosiers in the bottom quarter of Division I.
Indiana has done a poor job of preventing opponents’ shots of any kind (Indiana is giving up almost 64 field goal attempts per game, a bottom 30 Division I ranking), but against the dead-eye Bearkats? The 3-point defense has to be on-point.
Indiana basketball practice observations from June 25: Freshmen mixing in
IU has a game-changer, Thursday’s practice open to the media showed. IndyStar IU insider Zach Osterman explains what he saw.
BLOOMINGTON — Whatever he can.
That’s the answer. The question — one prompted by an urgency to add strength to his game — is what Vaughn Karvala, Indiana basketball’s athletic freshman wing, is doing to add weight. IU’s highest-ranked signee in the 2026 class, it’s not hard to envision a role for Karvala in Darian DeVries’ second season in Bloomington. The player himself knows that starts with meeting the physical demands of the college game.
Which starts with building onto to his 6-foot-7, 190-pound frame.
“The biggest thing for me is just putting on weight,” Karvala told reporters after practice Thursday. “That’s my biggest thing, getting stronger, trying to play with these guys that are three, four years older than me. I have to get stronger, I have to get faster, everything.”
A three-year letter winner at Oregon (Wisconsin) High School, Karvala spent his senior season at Bella Vista Prep in Arizona, bolstering a profile that saw him ranked No. 62 nationally per the 247Sports Composite.
Karvala averaged 26.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in his final season with Oregon, shooting close to 42% from behind the 3-point line. He averaged another 14.7 points per game with Team Herro on the EYBL circuit.
He handed DeVries a major recruiting win last fall, when Karvala picked the Hoosiers over Xavier and Cal. Now, both at the rim and behind the arc, Karvala looks like a player who can contribute meaningfully in his first year in college.
“I know my athleticism catches the eye, but I can still shoot it,” Karvala said. “But another thing is just working on rebounding, trying to get extra possessions for us.”
Whether on the glass or elsewhere, embracing the physical challenge of college basketball has been an emphasis for Karvala since he arrived in Bloomington earlier this summer.
That manifests itself offensively, when he tries to push the ball downhill and leverage that athleticism to attack the rim. It shows up defensively, where Karvala said he’s comfortable guarding the two, the three and, matchup depending, the four.
It even plays out on the glass, battling bigs up to including 7-2 teammate Samet Yigitoglu, who Karvala described with a smile as “the biggest guy I’ve ever seen.”
“Physicality, 100%,” Karvala said, when asked where he’s challenging himself. “Just playing with all these guys that have 20, 30, 40 pounds on me.”
Which starts with the physical demand of more weight. Karvala said he’ll eat chicken, steak or “whatever we have in the locker room” that can help him in that effort. His focus, he said, is simply to “eat a lot, and work out every day.”
As that weight and strength begin to build, Karvala knows the next step — to mentally prepare for the rough-and-tumble nature of life on the floor in the Big Ten — is just as important. Preparing his body comes first. Challenging himself to toughen up once it’s required follows quickly after.
“Just getting fully there, mentally,” he said. “You’re going to have to push your body to get through this.”
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
KOSCIUSKO COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — It’s fair season and a new law uncorks adult beverage sales!
The new Indiana law will go into effect July 1st, making it legal to sell alcohol at county fairs.
The Kosciusko County Fair is set to kick off in just a few weeks and Indiana is officially allowing alcohol to be sold.
The law is bringing back something that’s not necessarily new to this fair.
Here’s what you need to know
The new law will go into effect on July 1st. It officially allows county fairs to apply for fee-free permits to sell alcohol.
Officials with the Kosciusko County Fair say they are participating this year. They are implementing the same guidelines they used when they sold alcohol just at grandstand events.
The difference now is, you can walk around the grounds with your drink. But strict guidelines will be in place for purchasing a drink.
“Actually, we’ve never had any issues. Because we card everybody, so we take that seriously. We also got the ID guides so we can identify the different types of IDs,” said Sheal Dirck, Treasurer of Kosciusko County Fair.
The Kosciusko County Fair already have guidelines in place, so this was an easy transition for the fair.
They will be the only vendors selling alcohol, which will make it easier to control distribution.
The sales will also bring in more revenue.
“Hopefully it allows to keep our ticket prices where they are because right now, insurance, utilities and everything else is going sky high and it’s hard to make ends meet,” said Dirck.
However, some fairs cannot participate because of the July 1st start date, like the Pulaski County Fair, which is going on right now. Pulaski County officials said it is on the agenda for next year. Whereas other fairs are choosing to sit this year out.
“We wanted not spend some time to, to see what that really means for us. It was not a decision we wanted to rush into. But we are happy for the option of it,” said Shelly Steury, GM of Elkhart County 4H Fairgrounds.
Leaders at the St. Joseph County and Elkhart County Fairs said neither of them are selling alcohol.
The Kosciusko County Fair is the only fair that will sell alcohol in our area this year.
-
Alabama41 seconds agoBest downtowns in Alabama? These 10 towns made the list
-
Alaska6 minutes agoLavrov Challenges Rubio: Kremlin Says Trump-Putin Reached Deal as Moscow Questions Washington’s Neutrality
-
Arizona13 minutes agoCentral Arizona is home to the ‘World’s Oldest Rodeo.’ Here’s what to see and do there
-
Arkansas16 minutes agoSanders announces Medicaid work requirement soft launch for Arkansas ARHOME recipients
-
California21 minutes agoNewsom urges a national ‘billionaires’ tax’ while fighting one in California
-
Colorado28 minutes agoAvalanche Re-Signs Kulak | Colorado Avalanche
-
Connecticut31 minutes ago40 Years, Zero Accountability: The Union Deal That’s Been Emptying Connecticut’s Wallet
-
Delaware36 minutes agoMajor bills loom as Delaware lawmakers face final day of session
