IU looks to crack PSU code in 2012 Big Ten Tournament

It’s been the end for three straight years.

Every year that IU Coach Tom Crean has been at the helm of the men’s basketball team, the first round of the Big Ten Tournament marked the end of another postseason-less campaign.

This year, it might be just the beginning.

The No. 5-seeded Hoosiers (24-7, 11-7) will try to get their first Big Ten Tournament win in the Crean era when they take on No. 12 Penn State (12-19, 4-14) at 1:55 p.m. today at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

But don’t tell that to Crean.

“It’s a different year,” Crean said. “We don’t even bring it up. I think the veterans are well aware of that, but that’s not anything we
bring up.”

In three of those early Big Ten Tournament exits, Penn State has been the victor twice, including this past season’s 61-55 loss to the Nittany Lions.

But this season, the script is flipped. Penn State comes into today as the 12-win team in last place in the conference while IU is the favorite with a chance to better its postseason aspirations.

“This year you could say we’re more confident,” sophomore guard Victor Oladipo said. “Last year it was like we had a big chip on our shoulder, and we really had nothing to lose.”

Part of that reason could be the fact that IU enters the tournament having won seven of its past eight games, compared to 2010-11 when IU stumbled into the first round riding an eight-game losing streak.

“Our mindset’s different because we actually feel like we can win it,” junior forward Christian Watford said. “We’re not just playing with nothing to lose. We actually do have something to lose.”

Losing a three-game conference winning streak and a chance to better its resume for the NCAA Tournament are what’s at stake for IU.

In the team’s way is a Penn State squad that IU has already defeated twice.

Guard Tim Frazier, who dished out five assists in this past year’s first round win, helped carry the load for Penn State by averaging 18.6 points, 6.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game.

The first team All-Big Ten selection scored 21 points in both of the teams’ meetings this season.

Crean said shutting him down will be a major point of emphasis if IU wants to snap its Big Ten Tournament losing streak.

“He’s been one of the most complete guards not only in our league but in the country for a long time,” Crean said.

After letting up 82 points in the first meeting, IU trailed at halftime in the second meeting at Assembly Hall.

Freshman forward Cody Zeller said IU cannot afford to come out sluggish.
“We have to bring that same defensive intensity,” Zeller said. “That’s a big key to our success. We’ll have to bring it straight from the start instead of waiting until the second half.”

IU has led in the first half of Big Ten Tournament games. The Hoosiers hung within a couple possessions in this past year’s loss to Penn State.

But moral victories are not the goal for IU this weekend.

For this team, breaking the postseason losing streak and moving on is all it is focused on.

“It’d be big for us because it’s been a while since we’ve done that,” Oladipo said. “For what this program has gone through, it’d be big for this program. But at the same time, if we win one game, we can’t be satisfied. That’s just the beginning.”