Iowa-Indiana breakdown

RECORDS

Iowa 19-4, 10-1 Big Ten; Indiana 19-5, 9-2 Big Ten

TV/RADIO

8:06 p.m., ESPN (Rece Davis, Dick Vitale, Kaylee Hartung)

600/800 AM (Gary Dolphin, Bobby Hansen)

LOCATION

Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind. (17,472)

LINE

Indiana by 1 (Iowa opened minus-2)

SERIES

Indiana leads 98-75 overall; Iowa won 77-63 in teams' only meeting last year; will play again March 1 in Iowa City

PROFILE

Iowa is ranked 4th by AP and 5th by USA Today/Coaches; Indiana is ranked 22nd by USA Today/Coaches and unranked by AP

KEY MATCHUP

Iowa G Anthony Clemmons vs. Indiana G Yogi Ferrell. Clemmons has become one of the Big Ten's top backcourt defenders and proved that Sunday in Champaign in holding explosive Kendrick Nunn to 2-of-13 shooting and 0 of 7 from 3-point range. But this is an altogether different challenge. Few, if any, Big Ten point guards are as explosive or as quick as Ferrell. Keeping Ferrell from penetrating, pulling up and distributing is a challenge for any defender, especially after Ferrell's poor performance at Penn State last Saturday.

KEY STATISTICS

SCORING/OPP: Iowa 80.7/67.4; IND 84.1/68.5

FG%/OPP FG%: Iowa 46.4/40.5; IND 51.1/43.3

3PT%/OPP 3PT%: Iowa 39.7/29.4; IND 42.2/33.2

FT%: Iowa 72.8: IND 71.7

LIKELY STARTERS

Iowa: G Mike Gesell (6-2; 8.4 ppg, 6.1 apg, 3.4 rpg); G Anthony Clemmons (6-2; 8.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 3.7 apg); G Peter Jok (6-6; 15.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.4 spg); F Jarrod Uthoff (6-9; 18.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg; 2.9 bpg); C Adam Woodbury (7-1; 8.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg)

Indiana: G Yogi Ferrell (6-1; 17.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 5.8 apg, 1.0 spg); G Robert Johnson (6-3; 7.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.2 apg); F Troy Williams (6-7; 12.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.1 apg; F Collin Hartman (6-7; 4.8 ppg; 2.9 rpg); C Thomas Bryant (6-10; 12.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.2 bpg)

KEY RESERVES

Iowa: F Dom Uhl (6-9; 7.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg); G Brady Ellingson (6-4; 3.3 ppg, 0.8 rpg); F Nicholas Baer (6-7; 5.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg); F Ahmad Wagner (6-5, 2.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg)

Indiana: F Max Bielfeldt (6-8; 7.9 ppg; 4.6 rpg, 1.0 spg); G Nick Zeisloft (6-4; 6.6 ppg, 1.7 rpg); F OG Anunoby (6-8; 4.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg); F Juwan Morgan (6-7; 1.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg)

WORTH WATCHING

Few basketball schedules contain an oddity quite like this one. This is Iowa's fourth straight game (and fifth straight trip) to Bloomington. The squads last played in Iowa City on Dec. 31, 2012 and won't play at Carver-Hawkeye Arena again until March 1. Their first meeting was in the 2012-13 opener (the Big Ten debuts of Yogi Ferrell, Adam Woodbury, Mike Gesell and Anthony Clemmons). Iowa's senior night will be held on March 1 against the Hoosiers (it's also Ferrell's final road game).

In 2013-14, Iowa had another trip to Bloomington, but the game was canceled when a ceiling tile crashed into the floor just a few hours before the teams were supposed to play.

BOTTOM LINE/PREDICTION

Expect one of the most explosive games of the Big Ten season in this showdown. Indiana (84.1 points) and Iowa (80.7 points) are the Big Ten's top two scoring teams. Nobody likes to get out and run like the Hoosiers and Hawkeyes. Each team has edges; Indiana is first in field-goal percentage and Iowa is first in turnover margin and assist-to-turnover ratio. Indiana is better on the boards (8.3 rebounding margin to Iowa's 1.3) but Iowa leads in blocked shots.

There's incredible talent on both sides, from Indiana's star athletes Thomas Bryant and Troy Williams to Iowa's scoring tandem of Jarrod Uthoff and Peter Jok. All four could be in the NBA within two years.

'I played Troy back in AAU,' Jok said. 'He's probably the most athletic dude in the Big Ten. I'm going to start off with him, try to make him shoot. He's real athletic, he rebounds, he's been playing great.'

These two teams are highly competitive when they play one another. It's not a defined 'rivalry' per se, but there seems to be a salty layer to their games. It's nothing dirty, just feisty.

'It's their tradition and their fans that they always bring to the game, kind of the aura around that gym,' Iowa center Adam Woodbury said. 'A lot of things go into it, and they've got a very good program that we always want to get a top-notch win against.'

There's plenty at stake for both teams. Iowa can gain significant separation with Indiana in the Big Ten standings. Only Maryland would have a realistic chance of passing the Hawkeyes for the regular-season crown. Indiana could have a bit of desperation to it as well. The Hoosiers lost at lowly Penn State last week (a team Iowa beat by 24 points) and Indiana next plays Michigan State. A home loss to Iowa could send the Hoosiers on a downward spiral.

Indiana is 13-0 at home and has won its five Big Ten games by an average of 19.6 points. Iowa has won nine of its 10 Big Ten games by double digits, including a 17-point road win at the Breslin Center and a seven-point victory at Mackey Arena. It's a pick 'em game, and it should be a tremendous atmosphere.

Prediction: Indiana 84, Iowa 82

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com