IU coach Tom Crean met with members of the media Thursday and talked about his team's upcoming battle with No. 16. Here are a few highlights from what he had to say:
- Crean said he expects sophomore forward Bobby Capobianco to play. Capobianco missed the Hoosiers' victory against Savannah State last Saturday with a foot injury.
- With the Hoosiers have their most time off between games that they've had so far this year, Crean said the most important thing to see is fundamental improvement.
- Although the players have changed from last year's Kentucky team, Crean said the playing style hasn't. "The way that they attack, the way they get into the lane, that has not changed. I think they really move the ball well, and they've got some very, very good individual talent that is really starting to play a lot better as a team.
- "It's a great environment," Crean said about Rupp Arena. "It's one of the toughest in college basketball. I would hope, and I'm sure, that most people say that when they've come through Indiana over the last 40-50 years. It's one of those situations. It's why it's Indiana, it's why it's Kentucky in the sense of why it's been such a great rivalry."
- Crean said he doesn't think the fact that IU has had a week to prepare while Kentucky played Wednesday gives his team any distinct advantage. "You try to make each situation that you're in advantageous to your team. When we were playing a lot of games in a row, we were talking about being in a rhythm. And when we're preparing we're talking about not only getting ready for a game but getting better."
- Crean said that the guy that might scare him the most outside of the loads of Wildcat scorers is Kentucky forward Josh Harrellson. "He's got 30 offensive rebounds in their games. He's not getting a lot of shots, but anytime you've got a guy that can rebound the ball like that at that size and is a very capable shooter, those create problems."
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