nse the Hoosiers have battled before -- the pack line scheme created by Dick Bennett and still run by the likes of Wisconsin and Virginia

Indiana might have lost the best point guard in the Big 10 Conference to graduation in Yogi Ferrell, but if the seasons first two games are any indication, it has regained perhaps the conferences most explosive scorer.Back from a torn right ACL he suffered last December, 6-foot-4 junior guard James Blackmon Jr. has scored 26 and 23 points in wins over Kansas and UMass Lowell, respectively. Blackmon is canning 55.2 percent of his field goal tries, including an impressive 9-of-17 on 3-pointers.Whats more, Blackmon has enjoyed 20-point halves in both games. He victimized Kansas in the second half and extra period of a 103-99 overtime win at the Armed Forces Classic in Honolulu, then picked up where he left off in the first half of Wednesdays 100-78 pounding of UMass Lowell with another 20 points.So Blackmon, Jr. will be in the spotlight again Saturday night when the sixth-ranked Hoosiers continue the Indiana Classic at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind., against Liberty.I think theres a confidence when they look at him, Hoosiers coach Tom Crean said of Blackmon. James is a lot more explosive than what he was. Hes playing with more force. Hes playing downhill more. Hes covering more ground.I think the fact that hes moving the ball, that hes getting better defensively, thats a really good thing. To come back from an injury like that and to be a better athlete than he even was and be stronger like he is, that takes a little time for him to get used to.Blackmons presence forces opponents to respect him from 25 feet and in, leading to more scoring opportunities for teammates like 6-10 center Thomas Bryant (14 points per game, 7.5 rebounds), 6-8 forward OG Anunoby (14 points, 5.5 rebounds) and 6-3 point guard Robert Johnson (13 points, 3.5 assists).Indianas offense has been clicking on nearly all cylinders so far, canning 50 percent of its field goal attempts and nearly 45 percent on 3-pointers (26-of-58). Its ability to either get to the rim or create open 3s can test any defense.Liberty (1-1) will counter with a defense the Hoosiers have battled before -- the pack line scheme created by Dick Bennett and still run by the likes of Wisconsin and Virginia. Fourth-year coach Ritchie McKays squad held up-tempo VCU to 64 points in a five-point home loss Tuesday night.I thought everyone came in and battled, and you have to play well on the defensive end to have a chance, McKay said to the Lynchburg (Va.) News & Advance. And we had a chance.The Flames are expected to challenge Winthrop for the Big South Conference title with the return of four starters, plus the arrival of 6-7 freshman forward Brock Gardner. McKay, in his second stint as Liberty coach, said Gardner is the best player he has landed there since signing Seth Curry in 2008.Former Marquette guard John Dawson, a 6-2 senior, is the teams leading scorer at 14.5 points per game. Libertys tallest starter is 6-5, 255-pound forward Myo Baxter-Bell, which will put it at a serious disadvantage inside against the likes of Bryant and Anunoby.It is Indianas second game in the Indiana Classic and Libertys first. The Flames will host UMass Lowell, Mississippi Valley State and Central Penn in their other games in the event. The Hoosiers visit Fort Wayne and host Mississippi Valley State next week to finish their games in the event.Kawhi Leonard Raptors Jersey . In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team -- Watford. Fred VanVleet Jersey .5 seconds to play in the game, Kevin Love never stopped believing that they would come out of there with a win. https://www.raptorsrookiesshop.com/Og-Anunoby-City-Edition-Jersey/ . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. Pascal Siakam Raptors Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Devin Robinson Jersey . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker.After rolling to an easy victory Friday night over Washington State, the next test for Creighton at the Paradise Jam tournament will be a bit more challenging.The No. 22 Bluejays will play North Carolina State on Sunday in the semifinals of the eight-team tournament at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.There was no letdown by Creighton (3-0) en route to its 103-77 victory over Washington State three nights after an upset of No. 9 Wisconsin.Creighton led 25-12 and 38-22 in the first half before taking a 60-36 halftime lead. Cole Huff led the Bluejays with a season-high 19 points while Kansas State transfer Marcus Foster and 7-foot freshman center Justin Patton finished with 16 and 10 points, respectively.The 3-point game was working for the Jays as they made 15 of 27 shots from beyond the arc. Foster (4-of-5) and Huff (4-of-6) led the way, and Isaiah Zierden was 2-for-4 on his way to scoring eight points.All 14 of the players who suited up for Creighton scored at least two points against thhe 2-1 Cougars.ddddddddddddOne player the Bluejays need to focus on in Sundays matchup with the Wolfpack (3-0) is Abdul-Malik Abu. The 6-foot-8 junior led N.C. State in its first round 85-72 comeback victory over Montana with 25 points, while freshman Dennis Smith Jr. added 21 points.Montana led 40-38 at halftime and the game was still tied with less than 13 minutes to play. When the Wolfpack went on a 20-8 run, Abu had nine of N.C. States points.If the Bluejays can force Abu, Smith and N.C. States other top scorers into taking quicker, less effective shots, Creighton proved it can be a force on the boards in the win over Washington State.After getting outrebounded 42-27 in the win over Wisconsin, Creighton won the battle of the boards 39-33 over the Cougars. Huff led the way with six rebounds while Martin Krampelj and Ronnie Harrell Jr. had five apiece. ' ' '