Kansas basketball coach Bill Self hopes for a great atmosphere in blue-blood, Indiana game
LAWRENCE — It’s been a while since Kansas basketball and Indiana have matched up, and even longer since the two sides played in Lawrence.
But those stretches will come to an end Saturday when they meet for an 11 a.m. tip-off inside Allen Fieldhouse.
The No. 6 Jayhawks (9-1) will look to protect their home court. The No. 16 Hoosiers (8-2) will look to pull off an upset. And with the talent each program is bringing into the contest, there’s a lot of hype surrounding the game.
Kansas head coach Bill Self said he hopes this game has the same atmosphere, and result, as the last time the two teams faced off in Lawrence. While the last time the two teams played, which was Nov. 2016 in Hawaii, Indiana won in overtime, back in Dec. 1993, the last time they met in Lawrence, the Jayhawks were the ones who topped the Hoosiers in overtime. Self said there probably isn’t a team Kansas has played this season that reminds him of Indiana.
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“They play fast,” Self said. “I mean, they score more points than we’re scoring right now. So, if you want to say Big Ten and Wisconsin, that’s not really a true indication because Wisconsin ain’t going to play near as fast as what Indiana is going to play. So, I would say they kind of — we kind of mirror each other a little bit in ways on how we attempt to play.”
Here are a few things to think about ahead of the game:
Kansas and Indiana don’t play often, but it won’t be a completely unfamiliar environment
Although it’s been years since the Jayhawks and Hoosiers have matched up, that doesn’t mean the teams’ players and coaches don’t know anything about each other. For Kansas redshirt junior forward Jalen Wilson, the game will be an opportunity to go up against Indiana senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis. Wilson said he played against Jackson-Davis growing up.
Wilson remembers Jackson-Davis, who stands at 6-foot-9 and 245 pounds, being a beast who can take advantage of his edge in size, and that hasn’t changed. Wilson considers him a talent that can win a team a game. So, the Jayhawks will have to be ready for him.
Jalen Hood-Schifino’s status or Saturday isn’t clear
On Thursday morning, the Indianapolis Star reported Hoosiers coach Mike Woodson said freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino would practice Thursday and then Indiana would see how he's doing Friday. Although Hood-Schifino hasn’t played the past three games, he started the first seven for the Hoosiers. He’s a former 247Sports Composite five-star prospect who was ranked No. 23 nationally, right behind current Kansas freshman guard Gradey Dick, in the 2022 recruiting class.
Self described him as one of the best freshmen in the country. Self said Hood-Schifino can score and handle the ball, while also playing with swagger.
Bill Self updates team’s health status
Overall, Self said the Jayhawks are pretty healthy. Apart from super-senior forward Cam Martin, who didn’t practice Monday or Tuesday due to a stomach ailment, the coach said everybody else is in pretty good shape. And Martin returned to practice Wednesday.
What’s more important than Martin being available is that Self didn’t highlight sophomore guard Bobby Pettiford Jr. when mentioning anyone dealing with anything health-wise. Pettiford played this past weekend against Missouri after missing a couple of games due to injury, which meant Kansas had its backup point guard back. If redshirt junior guard Dajuan Harris Jr. isn’t in the game, Self wants Pettiford to be in there.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas basketball, Bill Self hope for great atmosphere in Indiana game
