IU basketball in March Madness: How will Hoosiers handle dangerous Wyoming in First Four?

DAYTON, Ohio — Indiana's NCAA tournament draw left it little time for reflection or celebration for finally ending its tournament drought. From the moment they were selected, the Hoosiers (20-13) had just over 50 hours to prepare for a team from the other side of the country in Wyoming (25-8), a dangerous team from the Mountain West.

They had some reason to complain about being stuck in the First Four in Dayton, but no time to do so between then and Tuesday's 9:10 p.m. First Four game.

"It's not going to be hard for me to get these guys to understand what's at stake here," IU coach Mike Woodson said. "We're in the tournament. We want to try to stay in the tournament. That's what it's all about."

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Here's what I'll be watching for Tuesday when the Hoosiers play their first NCAA tournament game since 2016.

How will IU guard Hunter Maldonado?

In senior point guard Hunter Maldonado, Wyoming has one of the best playmakers in the Mountain West, and his size makes him an even more difficult cover. The 6-7, 203-pounder and first-team All-MWC pick ranks sixth in the league in scoring (18.4 ppg), second in assists (6.3 apg), and 11th in rebounding with 5.8 per game. He's not a great outside shooter, making just 19 of 80 3-point attempts (23.7%), but he gets 52.4% of his shots at the rim according to hoop-math.com and makes 60.4% of those attempts, using his size to finish through contact.

He runs a Wyoming offense that is slow and methodical, ranking 299th in average possession length. He doesn't play with much pace, but he is always under control (38.6% assist rate, 10th in the nation) and finds a way to get the ball in the position he wants it (draws 6.3 fouls per 40 minutes, 27th).

The Hoosiers could use Xavier Johnson on him at 6-3, 200 pounds, but he'll still be giving up several inches. They could go bigger on him and use 6-5 sophomore wing Trey Galloway off the bench, but Wyoming's other main guards -- Xavier DuSell, Drake Jeffries and Blake Wenzel are all 6-4 or taller. And 6-8 power forward Jeremiah Oden will require the attention of his counterpart Race Thompson. Ultimately, the Hoosiers may have to simply deal with the fact that they count match Maldonado's height and simply find a way to keep him from bullying them.

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The Trayce Jackson-Davis vs. Graham Ike matchup

Indiana All-Big Ten center Trayce Jackson-Davis finally conquered a couple of his nemeses in Michigan's Hunter Dickinson and Illinois' Kofi Cockburn, averaging 25.3 points per game in the Big Ten tournament to earn a spot on the all-tournament team, the only player on the list who didn't play in Sunday's title game.

But the First Four brings another stiff challenge in the form of Graham Ike, the 6-9, 252-pound sophomore and second-team All-MWC pick. He ranks third in the league in scoring (19.6 ppg), second in rebounding (9.6 rpg) and fourth in field goal percentage (.510). He's actually better at drawing fouls than Maldonado, at 7.3 per 40 minutes

Jackson-Davis has some clear advantages. Ike has blocked just nine shots and Jackson-Davis was named to the All-Big Ten defensive team on the strength of his conference-leading 79 blocks. That suggests an edge in athleticism. Though Jackson-Davis has had some struggles finishing around the rim, he still shoots 58.9% from the field and has the advantage on Ike there. And Ike has a turnover issue, with 103 to Jackson-Davis' 57.

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The 3-point game

Wyoming ranks seventh in the MWC in 3-point percentage at .343 which isn't much better than IU's season mark of .339 but the Cowboys take a much higher volume of 3s, ranking second in the conference with 269 makes while the Hoosiers rank 12th in the Big Ten with 202. Jeffries leads the Mountain West with 94 3s, DuSell is eighth with 54, and they both have more than any player on Indiana's roster. The Cowboys also rank second in the Mountain West in opponents' 3-point field goal percentage, allowing opponents to make just .305.

That, obviously, could be an issue. In recent weeks, Jackson-Davis and Xavier Johnson are clearly Indiana's two best players. In Ike and Maldonado, Wyoming's best two players are at the same positions. If those two spots end up mostly a wash, it could come down to scoring production at other positions. Thompson gives the Hoosiers an edge at power forward but they haven't gotten much recently from the shooting guard or small forward positions. If Wyoming hits enough 3s, even if they also miss a lot, that's the Cowboys best chance to overcome any overall athleticism disadvantage they might have. So to avoid that, the Hoosiers' rotations have to be sharp, and they have to be ready to grab long rebounds and finish stops.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana Hoosiers vs. Wyoming Cowboys NCAA tournament First Four preview