IU - MSU PreGame

Come on Hutch... you know better than that!

With White out, IU faces a challenge -Allen, Kline appear to be on spot as Big Ten schedule heats up - Indystar.com

With White gone, which player has to step up the most?

This one is easy. IU fans have been calling for freshman center Ben Allen to get more playing time, and White's injury will give Allen an instant upgrade of at least 15 minutes per game. The bigger question is: How will Allen respond? For Indiana to remain one of the nation's elite, it needs Allen to be a threat offensively and not be a defensive liability. Most importantly, Allen needs to be able to handle the responsibility of being the primary big player if Marco Killingsworth is in foul trouble or needs a breather.

Nothing like calling out a Freshman as the "KEY" to saving IU's season. What are you thinking? So what happens if Ben Allen, who hasn't seen key playing time yet this year goes out and struggles on the road tonight? Will the "true fans" boo him next Tuesday at home like they did Sean Kline last year when he tried to come back from a blown knee and struggled? How unfair to put the weight of a program on the shoulders of a true freshman.

Obviously Davis hasn't put that expectation on Allen, or else he would have played him more in the pre-B10 season when White was hurt. But back then Davis just played Marco 35 minutes and stuck with a 4 guard lineup. Yet 15 minutes a game now? Does that mean Marco is only going to get 25 a game? That hasn't happened all year... I don't see it happening now.

Will Mike Davis go with Killingsworth and Allen at the same time, or play a small lineup with Robert Vaden at the power forward position?

Look for Davis to start small and look for opportunities to play Killingsworth and Allen together. What people need to remember, however, is that even after White returned for five games, IU had difficulty finding a way to incorporate White and Killingsworth into the offense at the same time. Guards were beginning to stand around as they tried to force the action into the middle. When IU goes small, that's when the offense moves the ball quickly around the perimeter, making the extra pass and playing at a faster tempo.

What??? Have you watched any of the games this year? Did Killingsworth and Allen play together at all in the early season games when White was out? NO! Allen gave Marco a blow and that was it. Why would you expect things to be different now? Playing the 2 together leaves you with no depth if both get in foul trouble. It's pretty obvious they will go small.

The real question to ask is this... How will IU adjust their offense when opposing teams defend the 3 point line, allowing Marco more freedom inside and then attack Marco and Vaden inside at the opposite end? Without the wide open 3s, will IU still be able to shoot 50%? I doubt it. If Marco gets in foul trouble, what happens to the inside-out offense? This is going to require a bunch of ingame coaching adjustments. Not just the play of a true freshman.

And if I hear the excuse of IU just missed shots if they don't make any adjustments and just chuck contested 3's... I am going to SCREAM!