Preview: Indiana at Iowa

[March 01, 2016]  No. 11 Indiana has clinched a share of the Big Ten regular-season title while No. 15 Iowa is sliding in the wrong direction as the teams prepare to meet in Tuesday's contest in Iowa City. The Hoosiers have won four of their last five contests and hold a two-game lead in the conference while the Hawkeyes dropped four of their past five outings and are part of a four-way tie for second place.

Indiana's rise to the top and Iowa's slide began when the Hoosiers notched an 85-78 home victory in the Feb. 11 meeting and now Indiana aims for a series sweep that will give it an outright title. "We always say all the time that we control our own destiny and I know these guys are everyday guys," senior point guard Yogi Ferrell told reporters. "We are going to take it one day at a time, prepare how we need to prepare, get some treatment, watch some film, put up extra shots because it's coming down to the last few games." Iowa's late-season fade continued with a 68-64 road loss to Ohio State on Sunday and coach Fran McCaffery departed his postgame press conference after 82 seconds and in mid-question. "Everything went wrong," McCaffery tersely said. "We didn't defend and we didn't rebound."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT INDIANA (23-6, 13-3 Big Ten): Ferrell leads the Hoosiers in scoring (17.3) and assists (5.5) and he needs two assists to join Illinois' Dee Brown (2002-06) as the only players in Big Ten history with at least 1,800 points, 600 assists and 400 rebounds. "I hope people see how valuable he is, not only in this league but nationally, because he deserves it," Hoosiers coach Tom Crean told reporters of Ferrell. "You can't argue with the numbers, and you can't argue with the record that he's put forth as a senior. You can't argue with the performances that he's put together." Junior forward Troy Williams, who averages 12.6 points and six rebounds, suffered a thigh bruise during Thursday's 74-47 rout of Illinois and is probable to play.

ABOUT IOWA (20-8, 11-5): The Hawkeyes' lone win in the past five games came against 13th-place Minnesota and they have averaged just 61.5 points - more than 17 below their average - in the last two defeats against Wisconsin and Ohio State. Senior forward Jarrod Uthoff leads the team in scoring (18.5) and blocked shots (76), and junior guard Peter Jok (16.3) is also faring well but they are the only two players scoring in double digits. Iowa, which has a stellar 13-1 home mark, got no scoring from its bench in the first meeting while the Hoosiers received 28 points.

TIP-INS

1. Indiana has won five of the past seven meetings.

2. Hoosiers sophomore G Robert Johnson (ankle) could return after a one-game absence.

3. Hawkeyes senior PG Mike Gesell scored 16 points against Ohio State after averaging five points on 5-of-25 shooting over the previous three games.

PREDICTION: Indiana 76, Iowa 74

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