Indiana's Yogi Ferrell to challenge Iowa in every possible way

IOWA CITY — There are Big Ten point guards, and then there is Indiana senior Yogi Ferrell.

He's a four-year starter with sizzle to his game and the statistics to match. Ferrell boasts rare quickness, ruthless efficiency and can score from any location on the floor.

'Yogi is as tough a cover as there is out there,' Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said, 'because he comes at you 100 miles an hour and he pulls up, shoots the 3 right in your face or he goes by you, and equally gifted at scoring the ball or finding other people. So he really puts pressure on all five guys every possession.'

Ferrell was named one of 10 finalists for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award and with good reason. He ranks in the top 10 in eight league categories, including fourth in scoring (17.3 points per game), fourth in assists (5.8 per game) and sixth in steals (1.3 per game). His free-throw and 3-point percentages also are top-10 worthy.

'He's a guy that can do it all,' said Iowa point guard Mike Gesell, whose No. 5-ranked squad (19-4, 10-1) plays at Indiana at 8 p.m. Thursday. 'He's a guy that's going to have the ball a lot, and he's got the ultimate green light. Guys like that are hard to guard, and you've got to really be locked in the entire possession and the entire game. It's going to be a concerted effort of all five guys; not one guy is going to shut him down.'

Ferrell's career stacks up nicely in Indiana's tradition. He's the all-time assists leader with 577 and ranks seventh in scoring with 1,793 points. He's the only active player in a power conference with at least 1,550 career points (1,793), 500 assists (577) and 350 rebounds (404). He's one of five players in Big Ten history with at least 125 assists in four consecutive seasons, joining Iowa's Dean Oliver, Ohio State's Aaron Craft, Illinois' Dee Brown and Michigan State's Mateen Cleeves.

The career statistics are nice, but it's all about the here and now for Ferrell. He engineered one of the most impressive sequences in Big Ten history last week, guiding the Hoosiers (19-5, 9-2 Big Ten) from a four-point deficit to a 28-0 run at Michigan. Ferrell finished the game with 17 points, nine assists and nine rebounds.

'He has it all,' Iowa guard Peter Jok said. 'He can shoot, he can drive, he's really quick, he's probably one of the quickest guards in the Big Ten. I think Mike and Sapp (Anthony Clemmons) got him handled. I might end up with him one time or so, but you've got to stay down low and stay on him the whole time because he can shoot and he can drive.'

'He's one of those guys that you've got to be locked in at all times,' Clemmons said. 'You have to stay true to your defensive principles and the way you defend.'

Saturday, Ferrell posted perhaps his worst performance in Big Ten play this year. He was 3-of-12 shooting for 13 points with five assists and five turnovers in a 68-63 upset loss at Penn State. But that's hardly a trend for him; it was only the fourth time this year he had fewer than four field goals.

'I think his decision making this year has been really good,' McCaffery said 'He views himself as an NBA player. He contemplated coming out last year and came back and wanted to make the most of it, and he's done that.'

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