INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI basketball team will continue its grueling early season schedule on Monday (Nov. 23) when the Jaguars trek south for two games in the Kennesaw Subregional of the 2015 Legends Classic. IUPUI (2-2) will face host Kennesaw State (0-4) at 6:30 p.m. on Monday (Nov. 23) before then facing either Belmont or South Alabama on Tuesday. Monday's game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and 107.5 FM in Indianapolis as Morgan Adcock (pxp) is on the call.
IUPUI labored to defeat Kentucky State on Saturday, 86-82 inside Indiana Farmers Coliseum. The Jags trailed at the midpoint of the second half, but built a late 11-point lead before fending off the feisty Thorobreds. The four Division I-transfers shouldered the load, each scoring in double-digits, led by junior
Nick Osborne's 18 points and eight boards. Junior guard
Darell Combs added 16 points, five boards and three steals and sophomore
Jordan Pickett had 15 points in his IUPUI debut off the bench.
Matt O'Leary was also superb, finishing with 13 points, seven boards and seven assists.
After a ragged first half, the IUPUI offense was effective and efficient after halftime, shooting 63 percent on 17-of-27 shooting. Both Osborne (4-of-4) and senior
Marcellus Barksdale (3-of-3) were perfect from the floor in the second half and five of O'Leary's seven assists came after halftime as he continually fed Osborne. The Jaguars finished the day shooting a season-high 51.7 percent from the floor and delivered 18 assists on 30 field goals. Barksdale closed with nine points and four assists and freshman
Evan Hall grabbed seven boards (four offensive) off the bench in just 15 minutes.
More importantly, the Jaguars were called for a season-low 16 fouls after entering play ranked third in the country in most foul calls. Subsequently, Kentucky State earned just 13 free throws while the Jaguars went 21-of-33 (63.6 percent) from the free throw line. IUPUI outscored the Thorobreds 21-7 at the charity stripe.
Monday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between IUPUI and Kennesaw State as the Jaguars are currently 0-2 in this year's Legends Classic. IUPUI previously dropped road games at Marquette and NC State in the opening half of the tournament.
JAGUAR TIDBITS
COACH NICK COMES HOME
The two games in Kennesaw mark a homecoming for IUPUI Assistant Coach Jon-Michael Nickerson. Nickerson played collegiately at KSU, scoring 795 points in his four-year career (2006-10) and was a four-year starter.
PICK HELPS JAGS ROLL
Sophomore
Jordan Pickett made his much anticipated IUPUI debut in the 86-82 win over Kentucky State on Saturday (Nov. 21), chipping in 15 points (6-13 FG) in 22 minutes off the bench. The Indianapolis-native missed the season's first three games due to injury.
RECEVING VOTES
Coming off the season-opening road win at Indiana State, IUPUI received votes in the most recent Mid-Major Top 25 for the first time in a long time. The Jaguars garnered six votes in this week's polls and was one of five Summit League teams considered.
WHISTLES
With the offseason rule changes allowing freedom of motion for offensive players, IUPUI has seen an inordinate number of whistles go against them through the season's first four games. IUPUI has been called for 25.8 fouls per game - five more per game than their opponents.
IUPUI has already had six disqualifications this season as senior
Marcellus Barksdale has fouled out of three of the Jags' four games.
The foul differential has led to IUPUI opponents shooting eight more free throws per game than the Jaguars.
10 HAVE HIT
Head Coach Jason Gardner knew he had a better shooting team this season, but it's been evidenced by the sheer number of three-point weapons on the roster. IUPUI has already had 10 different players make at least one three this season through just four games, coming off a season in which nine Jags made a trey a year ago.
Percentage-wise, IUPUI is only shooting 32.6 percent from three, but
Matt O'Leary (6-15) and
Nick Osborne (4-6) have been deft from deep.
O'L3ARY
After making just eight treys for the entire 2013-14 season at Loyola,
Matt O'Leary has shown he's a dependable three-point threat in an IUPUI uniform. The 6-foot-8 O'Leary has already hit six treys this season, including four in his career-high 17-point effort at NC State on Wednesday.
UPSET THWARTED
IUPUI had upset on the mind at Marquette last Monday night (Nov. 16) before ultimately falling in overtime, 75-71. The Jaguars had a potential game-winning three blocked at the end of regulation and were outscored 6-2 in the extra frame.
Darell Combs scored 16 of his game-high 21 points after halftime, including 12 straight at one point. The Jaguars trailed by as many as 10 in the first half, but battled back to knot the score at 36 at the break.
CHARITABLE EFFORT
IUPUI was a perfect 10-of-10 at the foul line at Marquette on Monday (Nov. 16). The last time previously IUPUI had been perfect at the line was on Feb. 6, 2014 when the Jags made all 11 in a loss at North Dakota State.
FOR OPENERS
IUPUI's season-opening win at Indiana State was the first season-opening victory since 2012 when the Jaguars started with a home win over Utah Valley. It was the first season-opening road win since 2009 when the Jaguars opened with an 88-82 win at Drake that season.
AVENGED
The season-opening win at Indiana State avenged a loss from a season ago as ISU defeated the Jags in the 2014-15 opener at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. IUPUI led throughout, including leading by as many as 10 in the first half.
DEBUTS
Five of IUPUI's nine players that saw the floor at Indiana State on Friday (Nov. 13) were making their IUPUI debuts. All five showed well, including the two true freshmen
Evan Hall and
T.J. Henderson coming off the bench.
Darell Combs (16 pts, 9-14 FT, 4 ast)
Matt O'Leary (7 pts, 7 reb)
Nick Osborne (9 pts, 8 reb)
T.J. Henderson (4 pts, 1 ast, 26 min)
Evan Hall (13 pts, 6-8 FG, 3 reb)
SEEING RED
Sophomore guard
D.J. McCall and freshman forward
Noah Thomas are expected to redshirt the 2015-16 season. Two duo be joined by Syracuse-transfer
Ron Patterson in anchoring the practice squad this season.
THREE SIGNEES
The IUPUI basketball program inked three signees on National Signing Day as Elyjah Goss (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield East), Anthony Jones (Indianapolis, Ind./Speedway/FCI) and T.J. Washington (Tulsa, Okla./Jenks) all made their commitments official.
Goss, a 6-foot-7 forward, is considered one of the top power forwards in the state of Illinois while Washington, a 6-foot left-handed point guard, is among the top guards in the state of Oklahoma.
Jones, a 6-foot-5 swingman, was among the city's top players at Speedway High School and is spending this season at Florida Christian Institute in Coral Gables, Fla..
TRENDING UPWARD
Year one under Head Coach Jason Gardner saw huge gains for the IUPUI basketball program. The Jaguars increased their win total against Division I opponents from three to 10 last season and climbed from the basement of The Summit League to a sixth-place 6-10 finish a year ago.
The Jags' non-conference wins included victories at Milwaukee and Pepperine and home wins over Ball State and South Alabama.
ATTENDANCE INCREASE
IUPUI boasted the nation's 30th largest increase in home attendance last season, gaining more than 900 patrons per game in year one at Indiana Farmers Coliseum. The Jaguars averaged 1,527 fans per home game last season, led by the season-opening 3,159 at the game against Indiana State.
BALANCED ATTACK
For the first time in school history a year ago, IUPUI was without a double-digit scorer as then-junior
Marcellus Barksdale scored a team-high 9.5 points per game. All total, IUPUI had nine different players average between 4.4 and 9.5 points per game, with five of those individuals returning to the 2015-16 roster.
Gardner tried virtually every combination available last season with 10 different players averaging more than 12 minutes per game. Barksdale was the lone IUPUI player to play more than 24 minutes per contest.
BETWEEN THE LINES
The Jaguars bring back six letterwinners from last year's team, most notably seniors
Marcellus Barksdale and
Mason Archie, II.
Barksdale was an honorable mention All-Summit Leaguer last season after posting a team-high 9.5 points per game and 52 steals. He was second on the squad in rebounding (4.7 rpg) and (2.4 apg) was easily the team leader in minutes played (32.0 mpg). Archie, who started 19 games, averaged 7.6 points per game while sinking a team-high 33 treys.
The other four returners are all sophomores -
Aaron Brennan (6.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg),
D.J. McCall (4.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg),
Leo Svete (4.4 ppg, 30 3's) and
John Hubler (0.3 ppg).
CELLUS WATCH
Senior
Marcellus Barksdale, the program's lone four-year senior this season, has quietly stacked up some impressive numbers in his IUPUI career. Barksdale, in his fifth year with the program, has accumulated 703 points, 449 boards and 234 assists.
It's not unreasonable to think Barksdale could finish as the 23rd member of IUPUI's 1,000 Point Club, while also landing in the top 10 on the program's all-time list in rebounds and assists.
GRADS
Both Barksdale and Archie have earned degrees from IUPUI and are working towards graduate studies this season.
Last year, IUPUI had four grads on the active roster with both Najee and Williams having had earned degrees prior to the season.
