Another day, another learning experience

Each game and scrimmage for the young IU men’s basketball team brings new lessons.

Against Anderson, IU learned what it was like to play in Assembly Hall against an actual opponent. Against Bemidji State, the team learned how to play in what IU coach Tom Crean called a “grinder” game. When the Hoosiers took on Northwestern State on Saturday they finally saw first hand the talent of a Division I team.

On Tuesday night, after squeaking out a 60-57 victory against IU-Purdue University Indianapolis, Crean and IU now have learned what it’s like to play in a down-to-the-wire affair.

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After a 16-0 run in the first half helped put IU up 11 at halftime, the Jaguars roared back in the second half, shooting 60 percent from the field and making about twice the amount of field goals they tallied in the first half.

When IUPUI surged, the Hoosiers struggled. Through the first four minutes of the second half, the Jaguars hit five of their first six shots, while IU only made two of six during the same time.    

IUPUI sophomore John Ashworth drove in for a layup to cut IU’s lead to just one with 2:51 remaining, setting the stage for tense final moments for both teams – and the fans.    

After 2:50 worth of missed shots and turnovers, IU freshman Daniel Moore came down with a rebound and was fouled with one second left. Moore hit both free throws, IUPUI sophomore Leroy Nobles missed a final 3-pointer, and IU came away with another lesson learned.   

“I think that we gained a lot,” freshman Tom Pritchard said. “We know that we keep our composure late in games. We didn’t break down, we stayed strong with our defense and got the rebound when we needed to.”

While the game was back and forth for the majority of the second half, only during the waning minutes of the game did both teams’ inexperience come out. Both squads shot 50 percent or better from the field during the second frame, but neither was able to hit a field goal in the final 2:51. Moore’s two free throws were the only points scored.

Crean said the reason each game is so valuable to his team is because few players had been in similar situations at the collegiate level.

“I don’t think you could describe what winning this way does,” Crean said. “We have to learn from all of our experiences because we don’t have experience to fall back on.”

IUPUI coach Ron Hunter, whose Jaguars are not much older than the Hoosiers, added the game was unique in that both squads were figuring out how to play in such a tight game.

“You saw two young teams really trying to find themselves,” Hunter said. “And both teams tried to find themselves at the end.”

Crean said one of the big advantages IU had was the home court advantage. When the clock read zeros, Crean and the entire team went to the center of the court to celebrate with the crowd.

Crean also grabbed a microphone to personally thank those in attendance, saying “This is the togetherness we have to have to bring this program back to where it belongs – one of the best in the country.”