BLOOMINGTON – Minnesota coach Tubby Smith said Indiana had matured shortly after the Hoosiers knocked off his Gophers last Sunday.

IU further backed up Smith’s point with its first road win in the Tom Crean era Thursday at Penn State.

The Hoosiers (9-9, 3-3 Big Ten) look to extend the win streak to three at home today against Iowa (7-12, 1-5). The game has been moved to 6 p.m. to avoid as much as possible a conflict with the AFC championship game that starts at 3 p.m.

One of the role players making strides during the stretch has been Bobby Capobianco.

“If anybody grew up (against Minnesota), it was him,” IU coach Tom Crean said.

The freshman forward is averaging 17.5 minutes in IU’s last four games.

“I try to go out there with the same attitude every time and be physical and do the things I can do to help the team,” Capobianco said. “My shot is a weapon, and it’s something I need to use. I looked for it, and I ended up making two shots that were real good shots for me.”

Capobianco had five points, four rebounds and two steals off the bench against Minnesota. He made a pivotal three-pointer, the first of his career.

“It felt good. I come out and shoot before a game and I’ll be hitting threes,” he said. “It was nice to come out and show that to people. That’s not something anybody has seen.”

Capobianco is averaging 1.9 points and 2.3 rebounds.

“He’s learning more and more. He’s starting to talk more,” Crean said. “He’s still not where he needs to be when he gets fatigued. Bobby is consistently one of our better shooters.

“… We went four-on-four no dribble, and I thought (Wednesday) he was the best player inside of that (drill), made the most passes, got the most rebounds, made the most baskets. Those are signs that he is going to be a pretty good player because he does have a pretty good understanding and feel for the game. He just has to get experience, and I think his confidence will grow.”

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