With a wink and a smile, Crawford shines

Eric Gordon sat wasting away in his warmups. Armon Bassett was dressed in his Sunday best on the sidelines. As tip-off approached for IU’s game against Kentucky, it appeared the “Curse of the White Out” had struck before the opening whistle ever blew.\nThe last time the Athletics Department encouraged fans to form a sea of marshmallow-colored minions, IU lost to then-No. 1 Duke 75-67 as D.J. White looked on from the bench with a foot injury. During the buildup to that game, it was necessary to clarify the phrase “White Out.” \nThis time around, White was in, and the Hoosiers gave Kentucky an unpleasant re-introduction to Assembly Hall after a 17-year absence. \nIU filled the Grand Canyon-sized scoring void left by Gordon and Bassett with toughness and business-like cool in a 70-51 win.\nWithout their top two guards, the Hoosiers looked to freshman Jordan Crawford to run the offense. Crawford returned to the lineup Saturday to make his first career start after sitting out the last three games due to an unspecified violation of team rules. \nThe game wasn’t just a return to the cream and crimson for Crawford – it was a personal affair as well. His older brother, Kentucky forward Joe Crawford, guarded him for the team in blue, while a wall of white chanted “Jor-dan’s bet-ter.”\nA typical freshman would crumple under such circumstances. But after watching Crawford skin the Cats for 20 points while committing only three turnovers in 39 minutes, this much is clear: Jordan Crawford is not your typical freshman.\nWhile Crawford might not be in the “Gordon echelon” of college freshman, he certainly belongs in the next tier. In the six games in which he has played, the Detroit native has shot 51 percent from the field and averaged 13.8 points, good for third-best on the team behind Gordon and White. At 6-foot-4, Crawford can get to the rim. \nHis twisty-turny drives combined with his pinpoint shooting make him one of the most entertaining players to watch. At times, Crawford looks more comfortable shooting off-balance than with the tips of shoes pointing towards the hoop. Call it a flare for the unconventional. Call it a playground pedigree. Call it a naturally unnatural style. Whatever you call it, Crawford gets the job done.\n“He really ran the offense,” IU coach Kelvin Sampson said of Crawford’s performance against the Wildcats. “He studies things pretty good, just listening to the comments he made to me at practice about what he saw while he was sitting.”\nJoe might be Jordan’s older brother, but it was the elder Crawford who looked like the baby in the family last weekend. The senior forward shot a paltry 4-for-15, missing several easy baskets, and he was whistled for a technical foul in the second half. \nCrawford the younger said he enjoyed taking it to his older brother.\n“It was fun playing him. I didn’t think that he was going to check me at the game,” Jordan Crawford said. “When I saw him on me, I took a smile and had to get to business.”\nA smirk and a herky-jerk game. That’s what makes Jordan Crawford so likable. And so good.