KIAC MBB Game of the Week: Ohio Christian at IU East
KIAC MBB Game of the Week: Ohio Christian at IU East
LIVE VIDEO / LIVE STATS
RICHMOND, Ind. -- Two of the top teams in the KIAC Colonial Division meet for the KIAC Men's Basketball Game of the Week on Saturday, Jan. 9 when the Ohio Christian Trailblazers meet the Indiana University East Red Wolves at 2 p.m. at Earlham College.
It is key game in the KIAC Colonial Division as IU East (9-8, 3-0 KIAC) is tied with Rio Grande for first place at 3-0 KIAC. Ohio Christian (12-4, 2-1 KIAC) is just 1.0 game back in the standings and tied with WVU Tech for third place. The IU East-OCU winner could decide who is in first place at the end of the week.
Watch Live Video and Live Stats at the links above. Follow the game on Twitter @KIACSports and @KIACScores with hashtags #KIACgotw and #KIACBasketball.
The following is a Game Preview courtesy of IU East Sports Information.
OHIO CHRISTIAN (12-4, 2-1 KIAC) at IU EAST (9-8, 3-0 KIAC)
The Indiana University East men's basketball team hosts Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference newcomer Ohio Christian University on Jan. 9.
Tipoff is at 2 p.m. at the Earlham College Athletics and Wellness Center in the second game of a women's-men's doubleheader.
The matchup has been designated at the KIAC Men's Basketball Game of the Week.
The Red Wolves are 9-8 overall and 3-0 in the KIAC. The Trailblazers are 12-4 overall and 2-1 in the KIAC.
LAST TIME OUT
IU East's most recent game was an 86-77 setback against then-No. 19 Valley City State University on Dec. 30 on the final day of the Bellevue University Fairfield Inn Holiday Classic.
IU East is 5-3 against Ohio Christian since joining the NAIA. The most recent meeting was an 87-82 Trailblazer win in the opening game of the 2012-13 season.
IU EAST STORYLINES
* All 13 of IU East's remaining games are conference games.
* The Red Wolves are 4-1 at home this season.
* IU East is 8-2 in NAIA "home" games played at Earlham College.
* The Red Wolves look to keep pace with the University of Rio Grande atop the KIAC Colonial Division standings.
* Sophomore guard Lucas Huffman (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central High School) leads IU East with 17.5 points per game. Huffman has scored in double digits in 15 consecutive games.
* Senior guard Nick Bollenbacher (Cedar Lake, Ind./Hanover Central High School) had eight points and five assists in the IU East-Ohio Christian game in 2012.
* IU East is tied with the University of Rio Grande atop the KIAC Colonial Division.
* The Red Wolves are 7-0 when they shoot .480 or better from the field and 5-0 if they score 80 points or more.
RED WOLVES IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
IU East is ninth in the nation with 4.6 blocks per game.
Senior guard Vasha Davis (Hammond, Ind./Morton High School) is 21st in the nation with an .867 free throw percentage.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Ohio Christian has won two in a row, most recently a 79-75 home win against Brescia University on Jan. 7.
Marquis Jackson leads the Trailblazers and is 27th in the NAIA with 20.6 points per game.
Ohio Christian is in its first season in the KIAC and is part of the league's Colonial Division with IU East.
The Trailblazers know how to take care of the ball. Ohio Christian is 10th in the nation with a +4.62 turnover margin and 14th in the nation with a 1.41-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
FOLLOW THE GAME
The Earlham College Athletics and Wellness Center in located in the heart of the Earlham campus at 801 National Road West in Richmond.
General admission for IU East basketball is $5. All students are admitted free. IU East faculty and staff are admitted free with their Wolf Card.
Live video and live stats are scheduled to be available.
Monitor iueredwolves.com for the game recap and box score.