Wow.
Who would've thought that IU's two top ranked opponents would fall victim to the Hoosiers? To put that in perspective, IU had beaten just two ranked opponents total before this season. Now IU will hope to break the top 10 in the AP poll to enter 2012. That being said, here are three things we learned from Saturday night's win.
1. IU doesn't NEED Sheehey to win in the Big Ten
If there was ever a game in which Sheehey's absence was going to be exploited, it was going to be tonight.
A game against the No. 2 team in the country, with multiple starters in foul trouble and struggling offensively? But IU didn't get a single bench point in the first half yet still led by one at the break. IU was able to get key offensive production from the starting five and didn't have to rely on the bench for offense.
Every starter finished that game in double figures. Jordan Hulls knocked down clutch three's. Christian Watford showed off his versatility and became an inside scorer when Cody Zeller went out. Even Verdell Jones helped ride the ship with 12 first half points.
The team is still calling Sheehey's injury 'day-to-day' but it is becoming clear that he could be sidelined for multiple Big Ten games. And at just over 10 points per game, Sheehey's production was apparent. But not having Sheehey is no longer an excuse for IU to lose a game.
2. Cody Zeller can play in the Big Ten
A lot of people questioned that notion after Zeller struggled in his Big Ten debut, posting career-lows in points and rebounds in IU's loss at Michigan State on Wednesday night.
But tonight showed that Zeller can body up against anyone in the country, including All-Everything big man Jared Sullinger.
Even though Zeller fouled out and IU pulled off the upset without him in the final minutes, he made his presence felt early. The freshman scored 14 points and was able to get Sullinger in early foul trouble, which led to IU going on a first-half run to get back into the game.
The rebounds still weren't there for Zeller (4) but that could've been a result of being in foul trouble.
He might not battle against a player like Sullinger the rest of the way. However, it was clear that Zeller is capable of scoring in this league and was a different player than what we saw in his Big Ten debut.
3. Kentucky wasn't a fluke
Not that this was a universal thought, but Saturday night showed that IU can play with anyone in the country.
A lot of people said IU upset Kentucky because they caught fire from three in the second half. While that may be true, that wasn't the case against Ohio State.
IU only had five three-pointers made and shot just 39 percent from beyond the arc. For a team that came in as one of the most accurate three-point shooting teams in the country, IU did not have its best night from deep.
But they made clutch shots down the stretch, which is something we haven't seen with consistency in years past. Whether it was Hulls, Oladipo or Watford, IU was able to score in a variety of ways when they were leading or trailing.
Saturday night showed that they can close out a close game even when the other team has a dominant low-post presence like Sullinger. They were able to control the half-court tempo down the stretch against an OSU team that came in undefeated when Sullinger was in the lineup.
It was a back-and-forth battle between two of the Big Ten's top-ranked teams. It gave IU 13 wins on the season, the most in the Tom Crean era---and all before the new year. IU figures to be entering 2012 knocking on the door of the AP top ten.
Who would've thought?
