The closing stretches of this and last season have not been kind to IU.
Last year, the Hoosiers lost four of their last six and closed out on a three-game losing streak. Illinois beat IU in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, making it eleven consecutive years that the Hoosiers failed to make it past the Tournament's second round.
IU finds itself on a similar slide this year. The Hoosiers (19-11, 9-8) will look to avoid a third consecutive loss when they play the Michigan State Spartans (20-11, 11-6) at Assembly Hall on Saturday at noon.
IU is just 4-7 over its last 11 games. The closing record is identical to how the Hoosiers finished last season.
But don’t begin to think that’s a trend, junior guard Yogi Ferrell said. The Hoosiers feel confident and aren’t concerned with fizzling out down the stretch.
“I think that’s a really just unfair characterization,” Ferrell said. “Everybody sees what they see when we play out there, but everybody’s not in here when we’re out here on the court grinding and working every day.”
Ironically, it’s that work ethic that has the potential to get in the way.
IU Coach Tom Crean once again mentioned his players were shooting more after practice Friday. It’s a common occurrence on the courts at Assembly and Cook Halls whether it be late at night or early in the morning.
Crean said a handful of his former players—including Victor Oladipo, Will Sheehey and Jordan Hulls—did just the same.
Now it’s Ferrell putting in extra work around 10 p.m. after others have already gone home. It’s freshman guard Rob Johnson waking up early in the morning to work on drills before the others even arrive.
“They’re so hungry to get better,” Crean said.
But that enthusiasm to get better can be a double-edged sword.
While the extra individual practice can be helpful, Crean said he’s keen to monitor whether his guys are overworking themselves.
The grind of an 18-game Big Ten regular season can take a toll on players. It brings the possibility of hitting a fatigue wall into play, even more so with younger players still not used to the marathon of a college basketball season.
Crean’s remedy is to taper practice. He said he’ll still run the same drills but for shorter periods of time so that players working extra outside of practice don't hurt themselves.
“I factor that in,” Crean said. “I factor that into our practices. I factor that into who I pull in and out. But we’re in a good place energy wise.”
Ferrell described the last few practices as upbeat and “full of energy.” He likes the mindset of his team right now, despite its recent struggles.
He added that he and his teammates are excited for their last chance to play at Assembly Hall this season, and that they’re willing to do whatever it takes to head to the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago with a 20th win.
“We know what we’re capable of,” Ferrell said. “We know what we can do. We know we’re going to go out there and work as hard as we can because we want to succeed. So whatever it takes for us to succeed, we’re going to do.”
