OPENING TIP
UIndy returns to Nicoson Hall for a home contest against NAIA-member Olivet Nazarene Dec. 10 at 1 p.m. ET.
 
ABOUT THE TIGERS
Olivet Nazarene is located in Bourbannais, Ill., and travels to the Circle City with a 2-7 overall record and 0-5 road mark. Most recently, the Tigers fell to Saint Ambrose 96-90 back on Nov. 30. The Tigers are led by long-time coach Ralph Hodge (38th season), the third-winningest active coach in NAIA Division II and member of the NAIA Hall of Fame (2013). As a player and coach, Hodge has been a part of 1,365 of the 1,564 games in Olivet Nazarene program history
 
After making each of the last two NAIA National Tournaments, the Tigers have struggled this season thus far, especially on defense. ONU has allowed opponents to shoot 50 percent overall and is giving up 87.2 points per game, including 90 or more four times.
 
Individually, freshman forward Nic Reed leads ONU averaging 21.9 points per game, followed by senior Tyler Crater (16.3) and freshman Dakota Bennington (13). Reed also paces the Tiger with 9.1 rebounds per game.
 
GREYHOUNDS VS. TIGERS
UIndy and Olivet Nazarene have met five times, with three games played in the 1970s, one in the '90s and the most recent just last season. The Greyhounds hold a 3-2 all-time record against the Tigers, including an 89-65 victory last year (12/12/15) inside Nicoson Hall.
 
LATE TIME OUT
The Hounds dropped a pair of GLVC East Division games last week by a combined seven points, falling Thursday at Wisconsin-Parkside (63-61) and Saturday at Lewis (75-70).
 
A stagnant second half hurt the Hounds in their two-point defeat against the Rangers. Playing without regulars Eric Davidson and Ajay Lawton, the Hounds led for two-thirds of the contest. But they were especially doomed by a 22-8 run from the Rangers, which covered more than 12 minutes of game clock in the second half. Junior D.J. Davis scored 15 points to lead UIndy.
 
At Lewis, UIndy again found itself on the wrong side of a game decided in the final possessions. The Flyers hit a season-high 11 threes on just 18 attempts (61 percent), part of a 28-for-52 (54 percent) overall effort from the field. Sophomore Jesse Kempson netted 21 points in the loss.
 
Full recaps and box scores from last weekend's games can be found on pages 17 and 18 of the game notes.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
The Greyhounds are on a road swing that has them playing nine of 10 games on away from Nicoson Hall. This span included the first GLVC contests of the season, at Wisconsin-Parkside (Dec. 1) and Lewis (Dec. 3), and also encompasses away games down south against Nova Southeastern (Dec. 16) and Barry (Dec. 19). This week's game against Olivet Nazarene is the lone home game during the stretch.
 
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
The Greyhounds have complied an impressive 88-27 record in Nicoson Hall under Stan Gouard, including a 26-2 mark over the last two-plus seasons.
 
PERFECT VS. THE NAIA
The Hounds are also a pristine 18-0 against members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) under Gouard.
 
DEVELOPING ON D
Defense has been an area of concern for the Hounds this season, but, despite falling in both contests, the Crimson and Grey showed a sizeable improvement in their defensive efforts last week at Parkside and Lewis. Through the first five games of the season, UIndy was allowing a .495 opponent field goal clip and giving up 86.2 points per game. Last week, the Hounds brought both of those numbers down to .455 and 69.0, respectively.
 
A MEASURE OF BALANCE
The Hounds have had four separate leading scorers in their seven games, and currently have five players averaging double figures: Kempson (16.6), Davidson (13), Jimmy King (11.7), D. Davis (10.3) and Tate Hall (10). 
 
BUMPY START
With last weekend's loss at Lewis, the Hounds will have at least five losses prior to the New Year since Gouard's first season (2008-09), when UIndy started 1-5 out of the gate. It's also UIndy's first 0-2 start in GLVC play since that same season, in which the Hounds fell to former member Northern Kentucky and Bellarmine in early December.
 
JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED?
The Hounds dominated Olivet Nazarene last season in Nicoson Hall, winning 89-65 in a lopsided contest that saw the home side finish with four double-figure scorers, 16 team assists and 12 steals. The victory was part of a nine-game winning streak that lasted through the opening week of conference play in January.
 
Of players currently on the roster, Davidson led the way with 16 points on the strength of four 3-pointers. Alex Etherington added nine points in just 12 minutes.
 
MAKING THE FREE ONES COUNT
After a stellar year at the free throw line a season ago, the Greyhounds are excelling at the stripe thus far in 2016-17. UIndy ranks third in the GLVC and 29th in D-II with a 77 percent shooting clip from the line, led by Davidson (91.7%), who ranks fourth in the conference based on NCAA minimums*.
 
Not only do the Hounds make their freebies at a high rate, but their percentage increases during crunch time**, where they are shooting over 88 percent (23 of 26). Hall leads UIndy with a 6-for-6 mark in crunch time free throws. The complete breakdown for this statistic can be found on page 15 of the game notes.
 
* Min. 2.5 made per game, must play in 75% of team's games
** Crunch time free throws are all attempts in the final five minutes of regulation and any overtime period, with a margin of 10 points or less when the players goes to the free throw line.
 
HOOSIER VETERANS ASSISTANCE FOUNDATION
The Indiana chapter of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) is sponsoring a donation drive during the UIndy game to help support the Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation (HVAF). The HVAF helps homeless veterans return to self-sufficiency and engages at-risk veterans to prevent them from becoming homeless by providing supportive housing, case management, food, hygiene and clothing as well as other essential services.
 
Items needed include: hats, gloves, socks, toiletries (toothpaste, soap, shampoo, wet wipes), and non-perishable food items. All items will be distributed through the HVAF.