How to watch Indiana basketball vs. Sam Houston

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana men’s basketball team’s mission is clear after the NCAA announced its NET rankings on Monday.

Indiana can’t afford any nonconference losses on its home roster if it has any hope of reaching the NCAA Tournament.

The mission begins with Sam Houston as the Bearkats come to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for a tip-off on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Indiana ranked 71st in the first NET rankings released by the NCAA. This is lower than other metrics such as barttorvik.com (Indiana is ranked 44th) and Kenpom.com (Indiana is ranked 55th).

Indiana also fell out of the Associated Press Top 25 on Monday, but that won’t affect Indiana’s NCAA Tournament chances. The NET ranking is important.

The Hoosiers’ numbers highlight the team’s imbalance. Of the 58.9 shots per game Indiana takes, 41.3 come from 2-point range. Indiana ranks 33rd and 38th nationally in two-point shots made and 2-point shots made, respectively.

Of course, that means Indiana doesn’t shoot many 3-pointers. Indiana ranks 305th and 340th nationally in 3-point shots made (6.3) and 3-point shots attempted (17.6). There are only 364 Division I programs (and the NCAA officially only counts 355 schools in team statistics because those transfer from Division II), so Indiana is near the bottom in both categories.

This is despite the fact that the Hoosiers rank 105th nationally at 35.8%.

Meanwhile, Sam Houston (“State” dropped for athletic branding reasons) doesn’t hesitate when it comes to shooting from 3-point range. The Bearkats rank 17th nationally in 3-point percentage at 40.3%. Guards Lamar Wilkerson (45.3%), Dorian Finister (43.5%) and forward Cameron Huefner (40.9%) are all excellent shooters.

*** LIVE BLOG: Once the game begins, CLICK HERE to read our live blog which will include live updates, highlights and thoughts on the game.

Here’s how to watch Indiana vs. Sam Houston

• WHO: No. 16 Indiana Hoosiers (5-2) vs. Sam Houston Bearkats (4-4)

• What: Indiana returns to regular non-conference play after losing 2-1 in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament last week. Sam Houston will be Indiana’s fifth non-conference opponent, playing at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

• When: 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, December 3rd.

• Where: Simon Skjodt Auditorium.

• TV: Big Ten Network.

• Announcer: Jeff Levering (play-by-play), Brian Butch (color).

• Radio: IU Radio Network (Bloomington: 105.1 WHCC-FM; Indianapolis: 107.5 WFNI-FM or 1070 WFNI-AM, or see media guide for other radio partners).

• Radio announcer: Don Fischer (play-by-play), Errek Suhr (color), John Herrick (pregame, halftime, postgame).

• Distribution of points: Not available at the time of publication. Please check back Tuesday for updates.

• Current results: Indiana went 1-2 in Battle 4 Atlantis, with an 89-61 loss to Louisville on November 26th, an 89-73 loss to Gonzaga on November 27th and an 89-73 win over Providence on November 28th. November.

Sam Houston is also 1-2 in its last three games. The Bearkats lost to Appalachian State 66-63 on November 27th and UNC-Wilmington 69-60 on November 29th. Sam Houston then defeated Colgate 82-78 on November 30. All of these games took place at the Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic in Wilmington, NC

• Home, street and neutral trends: Indiana is 4-0 at home and 1-2 in neutral games. Sam Houston is 2-3 in away games, 1-1 in neutral site games and 1-0 in home games.

• Last season: Indiana posted a 19-14 record overall and finished sixth in the Big Ten with a 10-10 record in conference play. The Hoosiers missed the NCAA Tournament and declined a bid to the NIT. Sam Houston was 21-12 and was the Conference USA regular season champion but did not make the NCAA Tournament.

• Series history: Indiana leads 1-0. Indiana went 99-45 in 2012.

Leading scorers

Indiana Hoosiers

• F Mackenzie Mgbako, 17.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.6 apg.

• F Malik Reneau, 14.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.3 apg.

• C Oumar Ballo, 13.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.1 apg.

Sam Houston Bearkats

• G Lamar Wilkerson, 19.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.9 apg.

• G Dorian Finister 11.4 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.6 apg.

•.F Cameron Huefner 10.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.5 apg.

Kenpom rankings

• Expected score: Indiana 85, Sam Houston 71

Indiana Hoosiers

• In total: 53

• Adjusted defense efficiency: 70

• Adjusted offensive efficiency: 48

• Strength of Schedule: 105

• Preseason: 39

Sam Houston Bearkats

• In total: 128

• Adjusted defense efficiency: 104

• Adjusted offensive efficiency: 197

• Strength of Schedule: 91

• Preseason: 114

Meet the trainers

• Chris Mudge, Sam Houston: Mudge is in his second season at Sam Houston with a 25-16 record at the Huntsville, Texas school. Mudge has been part of the Sam Houston team since 2010. He previously worked for head coach Jason Hooten, who won 261 games at Sam Houston from 2010 to 2023. Previously, Mudge was an assistant at Midland College from 2008 to 2010. Mudge is a former team manager under Rick Barnes at Texas and was with the Longhorns when Kevin Durant played there.

• Mike Woodson, Indiana: Woodson is in his fourth season at Indiana with a 68-42 overall record and a 31-29 record in Big Ten regular-season play. Indiana reached the NCAA Tournament in Woodson’s first two seasons, culminating with a trip to the Round of 32 in 2023, but the Hoosiers missed the tournament last year. Woodson, 66, has experience as an NBA head coach with the Atlanta Hawks from 2004-10 and the New York Knicks from 2012-14. Woodson played at Indiana University from 1976 to 1980 and was named the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player as a senior under coach Bob Knight. He was the 12th overall pick in the 1980 NBA draft and played for various teams from 1980 to 1991, averaging 14 points in 786 games.