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IU set to open Big Ten Tournament against Rutgers

NEW YORK (WISH) — It’s now or never for the Indiana Hoosiers. The Cream and Crimson open their Big Ten Tournament campaign Thursday night against Rutgers at Madison Square Garden.

The only path to the Big Dance for the Hoosiers is a run of four wins in four days, culminating a tournament championship.

Historically IU has not performed well in the Big Ten tourney, going 12-20 over the years, but Coach Archie Miller says his guys are ready to go, starting against a team that finished at the bottom of the league during the regular season.

“I don’t care who we play or when we play them. Especially on a neutral site, we should have great confidence that we can do some stuff,” Miller said. “And I think we’re playing extremely hard. And when you win one game, if you’re able to win one, feels like a million dollars, you get a lot of confidence.”

In conference play, the Hoosiers beat the Scarlet Knights handily in nearby Piscataway, New Jersey. Senior guard Robert Johnson said that will give the team confidence going into Thursday’s game.

“We’re still familiar with them. You know, we don’t have to dig back that far into our memory to remember some of the things that we did against them that work well and some of the things that didn’t go as well,” Johnson said. “So I think it’s definitely a good thing.”

An IU win would set up a second showdown between the Hoosiers and rival Purdue late Friday night.