IU PREPARES FOR WISCONSIN

IU SPORTS INFORMATION

THE OPENING TIP
Indiana is in its 113th season of college basketball and will play host to Wisconsin in the second of a two-game homestand. Both teams enter the contest with six game winning streaks and IU is off to its first 3-0 start in the Big Ten since the 2007-08 season. The Hoosiers are currently ranked No. 2 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and by the Associated Press, the 23rd straight week they have been nationally ranked, the longest since they were ranked for 71 straight weeks from 1989-94. This was the first time since the 1979-80 preseason and the third time in school history (1975-76), that IU started the season as the top ranked team in the country.

Indiana was also picked by the Big Ten media to win the conference championship. The Hoosiers, who have won 20 Big Ten titles, including 11 outright, have the best winning percentage in league game history winning 59.5 percent of its conference tilts (822-558).

THE COACHES
Indiana named Tom Creanas its 28th men's basketball coach on April 2, 2008, and he is in his fifth year with the Hoosiers. In just five years, he has taken over a program that returned 36 career points among two walk-ons and built a team that was ranked No. 1 in the country this preseason, leading IU to a 42-10 record since the beginning of the 2011-12 season. He is 260-172 all-time as a head coach and has eight wins over nationally ranked foes in the last two-plus seasons. The .808 winning percentage by the Hoosiers against Division I opponents over the last two seasons in the highest in the Big Ten.

Bo Ryan is in his 12th year at Wisconsin and has a 280-105 record with the Badgers. Overall, it is his 29th season as a head coach with stops at Milwaukee and Wisconsin-Platteville. His overall record is 663-208.

THE STARTING FIVE
The Hoosiers have the third rated offense in the country and the ninth-best defense in the nation according to kenpom.com.

Indiana leads the nation in scoring (87.1), scoring differential (26.6), free throws made (333) and are second in free throws attempted (451). IU also leads the Big Ten in field goal percentage (51.1, 4th nationally), free throw percentage (73.8), 3-point field goal percentage (41.9, 6th nationally) and assists (17.1).

The Hoosiers are the only team in the Big Ten with five players averaging 11 points or better per game (Zeller, 16.6; Oladipo, 13.8; Watford, 12.9; Hulls, 11.6; Sheehey, 11.4).

Junior Victor Oladipo leads the country in effective field goal percentage at 73.0 percent and is third in the nation in overall field goal percentage at 68.3 percent. Sophomore Cody Zeller is sixth in the country at 63.4 percent and senior Jordan Hullsis the nation's top 3-point shooter at 52.5 percent.

The Hoosiers are one of the most improved teams in the country defensively ranking sixth in the nation in field goal percentrage defense with a Big Ten best (36.4 percent) and third in the country in rebound margin (+11.1). After two weeks of Big Ten play, the Hoosiers lead in conference games only holding their three opponents to 36.5 percent shooting.

ZELLER NAMED B1G CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore All-American Cody Zellerwas named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week (Deshaun Thomas) after he averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, 3.0 steals and 1.5 assists per game as the fifth-ranked Hoosiers beat Penn State and No. 8/10 Minnesota to improve to 3-0 in Big Ten play.

Since Zeller put on the Cream and Crimson, Indiana is 42-10 for an .808 winning percentage and the Hoosiers lead all Big Six Conference school's in field goal percentage (49.8 percent), 3-point field goal percentage (42.7 percent) and free throw percentage (75.5 percent). He had 18 points, six rebounds, four blocks and two steals against Minnesota. He leads the Big Ten in free throws made per game (5.3) and attempted (7.4). He is fourth in scoring (16.6), second in rebounds (7.8) and in field goal percentage (63.4 percent).

In 40 minute stats, Zeller leads the Big Ten in points/assists/rebounds per game at 36.9. He has also been named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 and was a consensus Preseason National Player of the Year pick.