New guys make it look easy in exhibition win

As good as advertised.\nThat’s the verdict on IU’s newcomers after they scored 88 points in a 121-76 rout of North Alabama. Eric Gordon and Jordan Crawford alone dropped 54 points on the visitors.\nGranted, the Lions came to Bloomington as a sacrificial lamb to help prepare the Hoosiers for the regular season. But Sunday was the first real glimpse of what kind of team Kelvin Sampson has assembled. \nSo far, so great.\nEvery newbie contributed something unique in the rout. For Jamarcus Ellis, it was steals (six); for Eli Holman, it was blocks (three); for DeAndre Thomas, it was energy (unquantifiable). Then there were Gordon and Crawford.\nThe versatility of Gordon’s game was on full display Sunday afternoon. He drained 3-pointers, he drove to the basket, he used pump fakes and created shots. The Indianapolis native tallied 24 points on 10-16 shooting despite chipping his tooth in the second half. Sophomore guard Armon Bassett said there is a lot more where that came from.\n“He’s got some way better games in him,” Bassett said. “He probably would have went for 32 if he didn’t mess his tooth up. E.J. is going to be E.J. He’s going to have a lot of big games for us.”\nCrawford stole the spotlight in the second half, scoring 17 of his 30 points after halftime. Before the season, senior forward D.J. White tabbed the Detroit native as someone that would surprise. Crawford made a prophet out of White, hitting all six of his 3-point attempts in his first game at Assembly Hall and benefiting from easy transition baskets. \nHe also displayed his flare for the dramatic by lofting several alley-oop attempts – most of them ill-advised.\nThe most electric moment of the game, however, came in the second half when Crawford set up Gordon on a reverse dunk alley-oop in transition. Crawford ended up getting fouled and Gordon missed the dunk, but the potential play still had the \ncrowd buzzing.\nAfter the game, Sampson joked about Crawford’s risky passing, but couldn’t deny the freshman’s talent.\n“Just remind him, he’s playing for Indiana. He’s not playing for the And 1 All-Stars,” Sampson said. “Jordan has that in him. He’s a very talented young man ... A lot of people tonight had a chance to see what we’ve been seeing. He has a chance to be \nreally good.”\nAt times, the starting lineup appeared nearly unrecognizable from a year ago, with only one returning Hoosier on the court with four new faces. One striking difference from last year was IU’s ability to drive to the basket. Bassett and Gordon drove to the hoop quicker than you can say “Roderick Wilmont.” Ellis joined the goal rush as well. \nYou think IU will be going to the charity stripe more often than last season?\nEven a 45-point victory can have its imperfections though. The Hoosiers’ defense looked suspect at times in the first half, allowing the overmatched opposition to get some open looks. IU closed the door in the second half by pushing the ball up the court for easy dunks, but you can bet the Hoosiers will be working on their man-to-man this week.\n“There’s always a breakdown somewhere, an open shot,” Sampson said. “We’ve got enough mistakes tonight to last us this week.”\nThat’s the scary thing about this team. As good as they were Sunday, they aren’t even close to their potential.