KIAC Basketball Game of the Week: #25 IU East vs. #17 St. Francis (IN)

12/23/2015 12:00:00 AM

(PIctured: Lucas Huffman leads IUE at 18.6 ppg)

This week's KIAC Basketball Game of the Week takes the stage at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, home of the NBA's Indiana Pacers. No. 25 Indiana University East represents the KIAC versus No. 17 St. Francis (Ind.) on Dec. 23 at 10:00 p.m. The matchup follows the Pacers versus the Sacramento Kings.

Live Video & Stats are scheduled to be provided by IU East. Click the links above for game coverage. Follow the KIAC Basketball Game of the Week on Twitter hashtag #KIACgotw.

(Game Preview courtesy of IU East sports information):

#25 IU EAST (9-5) vs #17 SAINT FRANCIS (IN) (10-3)

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- An NBA arena will be the scene of the Indiana University East men's basketball NAIA Division II Top 25 clash against the University of Saint Francis (Ind.) on Dec. 23.

The 25th-ranked Red Wolves will face the 17th-ranked Cougars in Indianapolis at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers.

Tipoff will be at approximately 10 p.m., following the Pacers' home game against the Sacramento Kings.

IU East is 9-5. Saint Francis is 10-3.

The matchup has been designated as the "Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Game of the Week."

LAST TIME OUT

IU East is coming off of a 70-67 home win against Carlow University on Dec. 19.

This is the first NAIA meeting between IU East and Saint Francis.

IU East is playing on the Pacers' home floor for the first time since 2008, when the Red Wolves beat Holy Cross College 95-75 behind 30 points from current IU East assistant coach Tyler Rigby.

IU EAST STORYLINES

* IU East is considered the host school for this game.

* This is the first of three consecutive games against Top 20 teams for IU East. The Red Wolves have already played five Top 25 teams this season.

* IU East is 2-3 against ranked teams this season.

* Sophomore guard Lucas Huffman (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central High School) leads IU East with 18.6 points per game. Huffman scored a team-high 24 points in the Dec. 19 win against Carlow. He has scored in double figures in IU East's last 12 games.

* IU East is 8-0 when it shoots 43 percent or better.

RED WOLVES IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

IU East is eighth in the nation with 4.6 blocks per game.

Senior guard Vasha Davis (Hammond, Ind./Morton High School) is 22nd in the nation with an .859 free throw percentage.

Sophomore guard Jacoby Claypool (Fort Wayne, Ind./Northrop High School) is 28th in the nation with 2.0 steals per game.

SCOUTING #17 ST. FRANCIS (IN)

Saint Francis is a regular in the late stages of the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship. The Cougars reached the quarterfinals at the national tournament last spring.

Saint Francis has won five in a row, with four of those wins against Top 40 opponents.

The Cougars are eighth in the nation in rebound margin (+8.77) and 11th in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage (.402).

Kegan Comer, a 6-3 junior guard, and 6-6 sophomore forward Bryce Lienhoop lead Saint Francis' balanced offense with 13.2 points apiece. Five Cougars average double digits in scoring.

FOR THE FANS

The Pacers' game is one of 10 "Hickory Nights" on the team's schedule.

The Pacers will wear their NBA Pride Hickory uniforms as part of a season-long tribute to Indiana basketball as symbolized by the Academy Award–winning movie, Hoosiers.

FOLLOW THE GAME

Bankers Life Fieldhouse is located at 125 South Pennsylvania Street in Indianapolis.

Fans must have a ticket to the Indiana Pacers game to attend the IU East game. Fans with upper-level tickets can move down to the lower section of the arena following the Pacers game.

Fans can purchase tickets directly from the Pacers by calling 317-917-2819.

Live video and live stats are scheduled to be available.

Monitor iueredwolves.com for the game recap and box score.