The set-up: Indiana opened the season 11th in the AP's preseason poll but upset then-No.3 Kansas 103-99 (OT) at Pearl Harbor to open the 2016-17 season. The 3-0 Hoosiers are up to No. 3 in the latest AP poll and tonight take on the 2-2 Mastodons in Fort Wayne. Indiana agreeing to play Tuesday night's non-conference contest at Fort Wayne raised more than just a few eyebrows. Summit League teams like the Mastodons rarely get TV league programs to venture into the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum but Indiana head coach Tom Crean felt it was an opportunity that couldn't be passed up. It is the Hoosiers' third of their four games in the Indiana Classic and with the other three in Assembly Hall, this was one they could afford to play on the road. "It was an opportunity to involve Fort Wayne and an opportunity to go on the road at the second-largest city (in Indiana), I think, and a great IU fan base up there," Crean said. "Now we've got to go play the game. It's going to be easier said than done." Who said there aren't any good guys left these days?

Indiana: Indiana is 7-1 all-time in Fort Wayne, where it played one game annually from 1960-67, seven of which were against in-state foe Notre Dame. It's also a homecoming for Indiana star James Blackmon Jr, a Fort Wayne native who has topped 20 points in each of the team's first three games. An injury ended Blackmon's season last year after 13 games but he's 100 percent now and averaging 23.0 & 7.3. With PG Yogi Ferrell (17.3 & 5.6 APG) and the sweet 6-7 Troy Williams (13.9 & 5.8) both gone, this is Blackmon's team. However, he's hardly a one-man show. Guard Johnson (13.0) joins him in the starting backcourt plus up front, the 6-8 Anunuby (12.7 & 7.3) and the 6-10 Bryant (12.3 & 6.) are off to solid starts.

Fort Wayne: The Mastodons were formerly known as IPFW (Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne) but the athletic department opted for a rebranding. The Mastodons have their own star guard in senior Mo Evans (23.3 & 4.8 APG), who set career highs for points (33), assists (13) and steals (five) in a 94-81 win over UMass-Lowell on Saturday. Three other players are averaging in double figures, led by 6-5 swingman Konchar (12.8 & 9.3), plus guards Scott (12.5 & 4.5) and Harrell (11.0).

The pick: Yes, it's technically a road game for Indiana but the sold-out crowd probably will be a bit torn in its allegiances when the hometown Mastodons host the No. 3 Hoosiers, who are making their first visit to the state's second-largest city since 1967. Fort Wayne is 0-9 all-time against ranked opponents, with each loss coming by double digits. Staying with 20 points tonight, will be an achievement. Indiana is a 10* play.