FACTS & STATS: Site: Assembly Hall (17,484) – Bloomington, Indiana. Television: ESPN+. Home Record: Charlotte 4-2, Indiana 2-2. Away Record: Charlotte 2-0, Indiana 0-2. Neutral Record: Charlotte 0-0, Indiana 0-1. Conference Record: Charlotte 0-0, Indiana 0-0. Series Record: Indiana leads, 3-0.
GAME NOTES: The Indiana Hoosiers shoot for their first win in the month of December when they host the Charlotte 49ers in non-conference action tonight from Assembly Hall. After winning their first two games of the season, the Hoosiers have gone on to lose their last five contests. The team was last in action this past Sunday, dropping a slim 56-53 decision at Missouri. Indiana, which has failed to score 60 points in any of its last three games, now heads back to Assembly Hall where it is an even 2-2 thus far. As for Charlotte, it comes into the game on a roll with three straight wins and five in its last six games overall. Most recently, the club cruised past UNC-Asheville, 64-52, on Sunday to improve to 6-2 on the year. The 49ers have yet to lose on the road this season, winning a pair of games over Davidson (87-68) and Valparaiso (85-71). Charlotte, however, has never defeated Indiana before, going 0-3 all- time, including a 70-60 setback in 2003.
Putting points on the board has come pretty easy for the 49ers, who are netting 83.1 ppg behind 47.7 percent shooting from the floor and 41.4 percent from three-point land. Curtis Withers leads the team in scoring at 15.1 ppg and is also collecting a solid 6.7 rpg. Eddie Basden, however, is arguably the team’s most important player, as he is turning in 14.9 ppg with a team-best 8.0 rpg and 30 steals. Brendan Plavich adds 13.9 ppg and is the club’s top long-range sniper, making good on 48.6 percent of his attempts. Mitchell Baldwin is chipping in 10.8 ppg for Charlotte, while E.J. Drayton rounds out the double-figure scorers with 10.1 ppg. In the team’s last game, Basden notched his second double-double of the year with 14 points and 11 boards in a 12-point win over UNC-Asheville. The 49ers shot 44.6 percent from the floor in the game, although they made just 1-of-12 three-point tries. The team made up for the poor three-point shooting by controlling the boards, 42-34, and forcing 18 turnovers.
While scoring points has been rather easy for Charlotte it has been anything but for Indiana. The Hoosiers are currently turning in just 58.3 ppg behind a dismal 36.1 percent shooting from the floor. The team is also being dominated on the glass, as opponents are outrebounding it by 6.7 rpg. Bracey Wright can’t be blamed for any of the team’s offensive woes, as he is turning in 17.0 ppg behind 41.1 percent shooting from the floor. With 11.0 ppg, Robert Vaden is the only other player on the roster averaging in double figures. In their last outing, the Hoosiers took a 31-16 lead into the break, but allowed Missouri to shoot an unconscious 83.3 percent from the floor in the second half of an eventual three-point loss. Indiana made 42.2 percent of its total shots in the game, but just 2-of-9 from behind the arc. The team was also outscored at the foul line, 18-13, in addition to losing the battle on the boards, 29-23. D.J. White paced the Hoosiers in defeat with 13 points and three boards. Wright had 12 points of his own, while Vaden chipped in with 10 points.
Charlotte can put up points with the best of them, while Indiana can’t seem to get anything going on offense. It should be a close game, but the 49ers simply have too many weapons and that will make the difference down the stretch.