Indiana v. UConn

Who will WIN this matchup?

Indiana Hoosiers (8-1)

UConn Huskies (6-2)

Current odds:

Indiana Hoosiers: (-135)

UConn Huskies: (+115)

• The line for this game is Indiana by 2 points.

• A hot start cooled in the Big Ten opener for Indiana, and a few more non-conference challenges await before the Hoosiers dive into conference play with both feet. Indiana will try to bounce back from a 20-point loss at Wisconsin when it meets Connecticut in New York City on Tuesday. The Hoosiers breezed through their first eight games – including an 80-64 home triumph over No. 21 Florida State – before finally going on the road and suffering an 84-64 setback at Wisconsin on Saturday. “Our team was pleading with each other in the four-minute timeouts, talking on the bench and searching for that breakout moment early to get our two feet back on the ground and for everyone to say ‘we’re fine, we’re okay’,” Hoosiers coach Archie Miller told reporters. “We never really got there so that was a little frustrating, but it happens.”

• The Huskies come in riding a three-game winning streak and had nearly a week off after knocking off Iona 80-62 on Wednesday. UConn already owns a pair of victories over major conference foes Miami and Florida and is winning by an average of 22.3 points during the current three-game spurt.

• Coach Dan Hurley is looking for center Josh Carlton to play with strength and toughness and went so far as to do his own flexing toward the crowd after a particularly strong play from his 6-11 center against Iona. “Josh is really good, and he has been in a little bit of a funk,” Hurley told reporters after Carlton collected 19 points and 12 rebounds. “A lot of times when a player is really struggling, it has a lot to do with the mental, and I just want him to believe in himself. I wanted him to see me (flexing) in his direction, see that I believe in him. That I think he’s a beast.” Carlton, who is second on the team in scoring (12.4 points), recorded two points and three boards in his previous game.

• Guard Devonte Green (14.8 points, 3.2 assists) and forward Trayce Jackson-Davis (14.8 points, 8.7 rebounds) lead a balanced Hoosiers offense that got off to a slow start in the first half Saturday. Guard Al Durham was the only player to score more than 10 in the loss, finishing with 17, and Miller is aware that they need to pick things up for Tuesday. “Obviously, we’re on a big stage Tuesday night as we head to (Madison Square) Garden,” Miller told reporters. “This feeling that’s in us right now, it’s not going to go away until you work it out. You have to earn that right and we’re going to try real hard to do that as we take the floor on Tuesday.”

• G Christian Vital paces the Huskies with 14.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

• Hoosiers F Justin Smith is 14-of-24 from the floor over the last three contests.

• UConn G James Bouknight was held to two points against Iona after averaging 15.7 over the previous three games.