Top 5 Reasons IU will beat Georgia Tech

Here are the top 5 reasons IU will beat Georgia Tech: (1) Assembly Hall IU is undefeated under Kelvin Sampson at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers shoot the ball much better at home and the crowd seems to help them defensively. Once IU is able to get a couple turnovers and Gordon or Crawford goes in for a big dunk, the Hall gets rockin' and the Hoosiers usually cruise to victory. (2) D.J. White gets 10+ FG Attempts Although far from dominant, the last 3 halves of basketball for DJ have been his best ones of the year. He's finally starting to rebound and I think the Xavier game showed Sampson that DJ needs the ball more. DJ was 7-9 against Xavier while the rest of the team shot a horrible percentage. On the year, DJ is leading the team in FG% at 64% but he is only averaging 7 FG attempts per game, which is 4th on the team. Out of those 7, a couple of those are usually offensive rebounds and a couple are usually dishes from a guard for a dunk. That means that DJ is really only getting 3 or 4 shot attempts from posting up and using his post moves. DJ needs to do a much better job of posting up and the rest of the team needs to do a better job of feeding him and Sampson needs to be a better job of coaching both. I think we all figured DJ and Gordon would combine to average 40 points per game. Currently, we're getting that, but it's Gordon averaging 27 and DJ 12.2. I think this team is much more dangerous if there is more balance. Perhaps Gordon at 23 or 24 and DJ at 16 or 17 per game. Aw, screw it, let's keep Gordon in the upper 20s, but still have DJ up his effort to 16 or 17 per game. In theory, IU's half-court offense should be nearly unstoppable when they go through DJ. I like DJ's 1-on-1 post moves against almost anybody in the country (especially now that Greg Oden is no longer in college basketball). Also, it's pretty clear that opposing teams are not going to leave Gordon no matter what. So, it would seem that you could use that to your advantage when trying to give DJ room to work. And if they do double-team DJ, he should be able to pass out of it and this team is good enough to either score or to make another extra pass for the open shot. So, I say, go to DJ early and go to DJ often. He needs at least 10 FG attempts. (3) Eric Gordon Enough said. He's going to be a huge factor in every game they play. (4) Ellis Does It All Jamarcus Ellis is currently leading the team in rebounds, assists, and even tied for the lead in blocked shots. His rebounding has been incredibly impressive at 8.4 per game and although he occasionally tries to thread the needle, he has made some great passes. These things don't make headlines, but they sure do help the team win games. I expect more of the same against Georgia Tech. (5) Finally, a Good Draw After years of playing Duke, North Carolina, and Maryland in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, IU finally gets a break by playing Georgia Tech at home. I'm not saying this game is a guaranteed win, but it sure beats having to play UNC or Duke. Prediction: IU 81 Georgia Tech 71 Let's hear your prediction. Go Hoosiers!