UK vs Indiana Preview

Lwcat
Wildcats Thunder Administrator


UK vs Indiana (Sat. 12/8/07 4PM-CBS)

Indiana

2006-07 Record: 21-11
2006-07 Big Ten Record: 10-6
2006-07 Postseason Record: 1-1(Lost in NCAA 2nd round)

Head Coach: Kelvin Sampson
Career Record: 476-268 (.640) in 24 seasons
At Indiana...one season....record..21-11

2007-08 Record (7-1 to date)
Indiana 99 Chattanooga 79
Indiana 100 Longwood 49
Indiana 95 NC-Wilmington 71
Indiana 70 Illinois St 57
Xavier 80 Indiana 65
Indiana 83 Georgia Tech 79
Indiana 64 Southern Ill. 51
Indiana 84 Tennessee St. 72

Starters

Armon Bassett G-6'0" Sr.--(PPG Ave-11.3)
Eric Gordon G-6'4" Fr.--(PPG Ave.-24.3)
Jamarcus Ellis G/F 6'5" Jr.--(PPG Ave-8.4)
DJ White F/C 6'9" Sr.--(PPG Ave.-14.8)
Lance Stemier F 6'8" Sr.--(PPG Ave.-5.9)

Indiana

The Hoosiers are off to an excellent start this year with only one loss. Indiana has three seniors in their starting lineup led by DJ White. White is excellent around the basket as a scorer and rebounder....he is definitely a terrific player. White is shooting 63.4% from the floor so he is obviously getting some high percentage shots. As good as White is....it's freshman sensation Eric Gordon who has grabbed the spotlight as one of the truly great freshman in America. Gordon is scoring at 24.3 clip which is amazing, but equally impressive is that Gordon is shooting at a 54.3% from the field including an eyepoping 50% from 3 point range. Gordon is the real deal and will be very difficult to defend.
At this time, there is a question mark regarding Gordon's availability for Saturday's game due to a spill he took in the last game. However, it appears more than likely that the Cats will face Gordon.

There is no question that Indiana presents a tough challenge for the Cats, especially since the game is played at Assembly Hall, the Hoosiers home court.

For UK, the last game against North Carolina, an elite team this year, provided some optimism despite the loss. The Cats played hard for 40 minutes....never giving up......and lost by only 9 points.

Patterson continues to perform at a very high level, both offensively and defensively, for a freshman and he is truly one of the elite freshman in America. Patterson vs DJ White should be a very interesting matchup. Importantly, Bradley and Crawford played good games against the Tarheels and the Cats must have leadership and consistency from these two seniors to have a successful year. UK is still a work in progress as Stevenson, Harris and Stewart strive toward providing much needed help on the frontline. Unquestionably, the loss of Meeks and Jasper has been a serious blow to the Cats as these two very talented players are much needed in the lineup. There return to the floor is still up in the air. Also, unfortunately, UK is now dealing with the possible transfer of Alex Legion, a terrific talent whose loss would further hurt the Cats. At this time, UK fans are waiting to see whether Legion returns to the team or follows through with his intention to transfer. This is obviously a distraction that the Cats don't need.

The IU vs UK game should be a good one.....but, the margin for error is very small for the Cats this year. This UK team lacks the overall talent from past teams and must make up for it by playing hard for 40 minutes.....shooting well....minimizing TO's......and playing hard nose defense. A win over Indiana would be very sweet indeed. GO CATS!