You could tell as soon as he put the ball on the floor. The senior guard took one dribble through his legs, crossed over again and took a step back from his defender before launching.
It was the dagger. The 3-point shot gave IU a 5-point lead with 30 seconds left in an eventual 81-78 win against Iowa.
Earlier this season, as the Hoosiers surged to the top of the Big Ten standings, Ferrell was the first to field a question about the potential of being Big Ten Champions.
The last time that happened, IU’s senior point guard was a freshman.
He had already experienced it and knew he wanted to once more before his historic IU career was over.
“We don’t just want to win it,” he said. “We want to win it outright.”
Ferrell’s 20-point, five-assist effort Tuesday night helped make that happen. He was 50 percent from beyond the arc on a night when, for the majority of the game, the Hoosiers couldn’t miss.
Once in the first half, as Ferrell jogged back on defense after hitting a three, he pulled out an imaginary arrow and shot it into the crowd with an invisible bow.
The Hoosiers’ hot shooting continued into the second half — after Ferrell hit another, he turned to the Iowa fans and puffed out his chest like Superman.
But on his last shot, Fer rell did nothing.
Instead of celebrating, he sprinted back on defense, where — not without a couple more scares — IU closed out the game.
It wasn’t Ferrell’s first time under pressure. And it probably won’t be his last as No. 12 IU heads into the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments later this month.
IU Coach Tom Crean, though, is most impressed with how his senior is defending.
Crean had Ferrell guard Iowa’s Peter Jok, who had averaged 25 points over a span of three games. Oftentimes, Ferrell has guarded one of the opposing team’s best players.
“He is showing that he is not only one of the best defenders in the league, but in the entire country,” Crean said.
Ferrell is the first IU player to win two outright Big Ten championships since the 1979-83 seasons. He’s also the second player in IU history to score 1,800 career points, 600 assists and 400 rebounds.
When asked if Ferrell’s final shot was the biggest of his career, Crean couldn’t answer.
There have been too many for him to rank it.
“I’d have to think about that, but that is a huge shot,” Crean said. “We’ll see when we watch the film, but I think he shot it right, too.”
As soon as the final buzzer sounded, the IU bench spilled onto the court. When the celebration ended minutes later and many of them walked to the locker room, Crean and Ferrell remained at center court.
Crean embraced Ferrell and talked in his ear.
“Here’s how I would sum up Yogi,” Crean said after the game. “He came in a champion, and he helped us win a championship.”
