So…let’s begin with a quote.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.”
This common phrase attributed to Albert Einstein, Mark Twain, Benjamin Franklin and my high school algebra teacher seems to be the mantra that IU Head Coach Tom Crean and company are living by over the past few games.
After a two-game slide to a conference bottom-feeder in Nebraska at home and a beatable Louisville squad, the Hoosiers needed to regain control of their season with a victory over Big Ten foe Wisconsin. The game was in Assembly Hall and the Hoosiers had the talent, size and speed to create problems for the Badgers. This would be the chance for the Hoosiers to take back their season in front of a raucous crowd.
The hopeful thinking didn’t come to fruition.
Instead, IU came out flat as they have been lately, and their runs—at the end of the first half and midway through the second—just weren’t good enough against a smarter and better-managed team.
“It’s all of Indiana’s fault,” sophomore forward Juwan Morgan said. “It’s not just one player or one coach. It’s the whole team.”
And he’s right.
One tough loss can be forgiven, but three in a row in-state seem more of a precursor of things to come than a poor stretch.
This team has backpedaled in from the start of the season. The leadership is near nonexistent, the play-calling is imaginary and any semblance of a plan is out the window.
Immediately down 13-0 in the blink of an eye—177 seconds to be exact—the Hoosiers exhibited their mental toughness from the opening play. Men were lost on defense through simple backdoor cuts and miscommunication led to ridiculous turnovers.
It was a showing of inadequacy on a national stage.
From what we’ve seen thus far, this squad doesn’t have the makings of a team that can make a tournament run, let alone be a title contender.
In articles’ past, I have referenced the failings of sophomore center Thomas Bryant to make the next step and the ball-handlers to create open shots for fellow teammates, but at some point, this falls on the coaching staff, especially Crean.
The last eight minutes were a masterclass in how not to coach late in the game.
Players without the experience of the big moment like junior forward Freddie McSwain Jr. and redshirt-sophomore guard Zach McRoberts were given meaningful minutes and played just like one would expect.
The reason IU climbed back into the game—freshman De’Ron Davis’s dominance in the paint—was relegated to the bench and put back in too late.
The final nail in the coffin was the play calling, or lack thereof. Offensive sets routinely began with nine seconds or less on the clock.
On one of the last meaningful Hoosier possessions, IU dribbled the ball into the ground for 16 seconds before calling timeout. They then ran a play out of the stoppage in which sophomore forward OG Anunoby found himself trapped in the corner almost immediately. Then a turnover. Ballgame.
This is a travesty.
With 30 seconds shot clocks, IU should be able to get beyond the 3-point line before the countdown becomes a factor. The opponent must be the only thing working against the Hoosiers, not the time as well.
Now, we find the Hoosiers at an impasse.
There are two ways they can go. They can continue down this path of mediocrity attempting to coast on their stellar talent or they can buckle down and fight.
The last two recap columns post-defeat were cautiously optimistic. This one’s different.
Three times in a row, the Hoosiers did the same thing over and over again. And, they expected different results when they had no reason to.
Game after game, we collectively say, “They have time. They’ll figure it out.”
Just like the shot clock, that vaunted time is running out and the Hoosiers need to realize that they must make a change before the season gets away from them.
At his Wisconsin post-game press conference, Crean drubbed his fingers against the microphone stand for a few moments.
The sound of the echoes was the only thing in the room, holding the attention of the media awaiting something, perhaps a solution.
Bum-ba-da-bum-bum-bum-ba-da-bum.
“Go ahead,” he finally said signifying that the reporters should begin asking their questions. “Go ahead. Go ahead.”
For a coach that always seems to have an answer no matter the stage, right now he’s lost.
And so are the Hoosiers.
