Got back from practice a little while ago, where we media types met with IU coach Tom Crean and selected players (Nick Williams and Tom Pritchard this time) before tomorrow's game.
We caught the last few minutes of practice, just free throw practice mostly, but something struck me about the way IU players and coaches were behaving -- They were loose.
Not loose like, 'Great, practice is over, I can go home,' loose or 'Man, it's nice not to be out in this frigid weather' loose, but genuinely without great anxiety or nervousness. Williams even fell down laughing when it appeared Jeremiah Rivers missed a guaranteed free throw or some such thing.
The reason matters not. What matters, really, was that these Hoosiers don't have the look of a team nervous about their 0-4 Big Ten record or their last two losses. The players come off like an easy-going bunch enjoying the ride, as it were. Basketball should always be fun, obviously, but keeping heads up and worry down is one way to make sure slumps like these do eventually break.
So there's that. I've linked the audio for you at the bottom of this post. There's stuff there from Crean, Pritchard and Williams. See you tomorrow.
Tom Crean speaks at Jan. 16 practice
Nick Williams from Jan. 16 practice
Tom Pritchard speaks at Jan. 16 practice
