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(01/17/12 3:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The honeymoon was nice while it lasted.The big wins, high expectations and national relevance — it felt like the good ol’ days of Hoosier basketball.After beating No. 13 Michigan at home Jan. 5 to advance to 14-1, the date was all but set to wed IU to a top-10 ranking — an estranged relationship reunited after four years of separation.But after reaching the height of its regular season, IU needs to make sure the slide down the other side of the hill doesn’t have too many rocks.After a 80-63 drubbing to Ohio State on Sunday, it is now evident the Hoosiers are in the midst of that fall.IU Coach Tom Crean’s squad is still a top-25 worthy team. I think they’re still a NCAA Tournament team.But, let’s be honest. Jimmy Chitwood was not going to walk into Value City Arena and lead IU to another shocking upset like the Hoosiers have done twice at home this season. I guess it’s a lot easier to travel from Hickory to Bloomington than to Columbus, Ohio.The Buckeyes have the talent to be a Final Four-caliber team, and no one has beaten them at home this season.That doesn’t mean I’m giving IU a free pass after playing its worst half all season, in which the Hoosiers were outscored 35-14 with a 27.3 field goal percentage, committed 16 turnovers to 12 assists and shot 7-of-21 from three-pointer range after making just 4-of-18 in the loss to Minnesota.But expectations need to be brought back down to earth by the fact that this team can’t stand toe-to-toe with the Ohio States of the country in terms of individual talent. This is still the same scrappy group of three- and four-stars plus a McDonald’s All-American in the post.In games when the Hoosiers have to match up in their own islands, they lose. But when the help is there and the defense isn’t giving up easy points at the hoop en route to a 54.4 percent Buckeye field goal percentage, the game tends to be more in control.After a nonsensical loss to Minnesota and subsequent defeat in Columbus to drop to 3-3 in the Big Ten, it’s clear this marriage is starting to have some issues, which is perfectly normal because no relationship is perfect.The Hoosiers have to cope with the defeats they weren’t supposed to drop and win the games they know they can. This union between IU and winning can still work.As long as the Hoosiers learn from these losses and keep their focus, I still have faith that this surprising couple will last.The defeats and poor play in those losses will drum up the murmurs of divorce, but what bonds the Hoosiers to success is how much they love it.
(01/16/12 1:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The honeymoon was nice while it lasted.The big wins, high expectations and national relevance — it felt like the good ol’ days of Hoosier basketball.After beating No. 13 Michigan at home Jan. 5 to advance to 14-1, the date was all but set to wed IU to a top-10 ranking. An estranged relationship reunited after four years of separation.But after reaching the height of its regular season, IU needs to make sure the slide down the other side of the hill doesn’t have too many rocks.After a 80-63 drubbing to Ohio State on Sunday, it is now evident the Hoosiers are in the midst of that fall.IU Coach Tom Crean’s squad is still a top-25 worthy team. I think they’re still a NCAA Tournament team.But let’s be honest, Jimmy Chitwood was not going to walk into Value City Arena and lead IU to another shocking upset like the Hoosiers have done twice at home this season. I guess it’s a lot easier to travel from Hickory to Bloomington than to Columbus, Ohio.The Buckeyes have the talent to be a Final Four-caliber team, and no one has beaten them at home this season.That doesn’t mean I’m giving IU a free pass after playing its worst half all season in which the Hoosiers were outscored 35-14 with a 27.3 field goal percentage. Or committing 16 turnovers to 12 assists. Or shooting 7-of-21 from 3-point range after making just 4-of-18 in the loss to Minnesota.But expectations need to be brought back down to earth by the fact that this team can’t stand toe-to-toe with the Ohio States of the country in terms of individual talent. This is still the same scrappy group of three-and four-stars plus a McDonald’s All-American in the post.In games when the Hoosiers have to match up in their own islands, they lose. But when the help is there and the defense isn’t giving up easy points at the hoop en route to a 54.4 percent Buckeye field goal percentage, the game tends to be more in control.After a nonsensical loss to Minnesota and subsequent defeat in Columbus to drop to 3-3 in the Big Ten, it’s clear this marriage is starting to have some issues. And that’s perfectly normal because no relationship is perfect.The Hoosiers have to cope with the defeats they weren’t supposed to drop and win the games they know they can. This union between IU and winning can still work.As long as the Hoosiers learn from these losses and keep their focus, I still have faith this surprising couple will last.The defeats and poor play in those losses will drum up the murmurs of divorce, but what bonds the Hoosiers to success is how much they love it.
(01/13/12 5:49am)
(01/13/12 5:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Nothing about this loss makes sense.IU doesn’t lose at home. It didn’t when then-No.1 Kentucky or then-No.2 Ohio State came to Bloomington en route to a perfect 11-0 record in Assembly Hall.The Hoosiers shoot the three. Entering Thursday, IU Coach Tom Crean’s squad was the No.1 team in the country when it came to three-point percentage.And finally, a banged-up Minnesota team does not win conference games. The Golden Gophers, without leading scorer Trevor Mbakwe, had gone 0-4 in Big Ten play prior to facing IU.Well, common logic, along with the Hoosiers, lost Thursday, as No.8 IU was upset at home, 77-74 at the hands of Tubby Smith’s Gophers.In their first game this season playing as a top-10 program, fresh off a three-game winning streak since their first loss of the season, the Hoosiers’ mental game was simply not there.“We played hard, but we didn’t play as smart as we needed to,” IU coach Tom Crean said. “We were prepared, our guys had really good practices, but as I look at the game now, we weren’t playing on edge the way that we have.”I don’t think Crean’s players heads got too big. That wasn’t the problem.The national attention garnered from being in the spotlight as America’s darling comeback story from a year ago didn’t mean the Hoosiers were suddenly puffing out their chests and bragging.But I think at times Thursday, this team expected that epic comeback victory to happen and when it wasn’t happening, the Hoosiers began forcing things.After shooting just 1-of-8 from beyond the arc in the first half, IU continued to be stone cold from three in the second, converting just 3-of-10, two of which were from marksman Matt Roth.One of the only bright spots for IU was the play of freshman forward Cody Zeller, who led all scorers with 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Zeller was a winner at Washington High School. He understands what it means to expect victories.“It’s different for all of them,” Crean said. “We don’t have a lot of guys that have come from winning backgrounds, so when you start to win –as some of the younger guys have- when you start to win, as things change around you, your mindset can’t change and they’ve got tot grow through that.”Now some air is let out of IU’s hotair balloon and the ground is once again visible. Suddenly, all those little people in the Big Ten are much closer than they originally appeared.“We know we have to bring it every night,” IU junior guard Jordan Hulls said. “It’s the Big Ten, every team is good in this league.”Moving forward, winning the mental game is what may prove the difference between a strong push into March or a midseason breakdown.“It really comes down to the mindset,” Crean said. “We’re not the most talented team, even in our league, not even close, but when what you have plays on edge and plays with a togetherness on defense and communication and that ball is moving, you’re going to play better.”
(01/13/12 5:16am)
After upsetting the Buckeyes 74-70 on Dec. 31 in Bloomington, IU will face a much tougher task facing Ohio State on the road.
(01/12/12 3:46am)
The Golden Gophers almost had me fooled. Sporting a 12-1 record entering
Big Ten season, Minnesota seemed like it could actually be a contender.
(01/10/12 4:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Hoosiers are lucky their magic carpet ride has been caught in this nationwide updraft.In the past week, eight ranked teams, including four in the then-top 10, suffered upset defeats. The Big Ten, four games into conference play, is in flux with the middle of the conference playing an unpredictable game of Chutes and Ladders.Under these circumstances, IU controls its own destiny. The time is right for the Hoosiers to play consistent, quality basketball as other quality teams lose games they shouldn’t be losing.IU Coach Tom Crean’s squad has already reaped the benefits of this national recession (OK, maybe not the best wording) with its highest ranking in the polls since 2008. In the latest Coaches and AP poll, which were released Monday, the Hoosiers were ranked No. 8 and No. 7, respectively.Just like after the Kentucky game, this doesn’t have to be the high point of the season. A top 10 ranking doesn’t have to be a short-lived phase that fades as conference play drags on.There are the factors IU can control, and then there are the circumstances that made the Hoosiers a much more appealing team by comparison in March. Circumstances like No. 8 Duke losing at unranked Temple, previously undefeated Missouri being upset at Kansas State or Connecticut — which was ranked No. 8 last week — dropping two consecutive road games to then-unranked Big East opponents.In the national conversation, the Hoosiers have gone from that awkward girl who participates too much in your physics class to the popular girl that gets all the candy grams on Valentine’s Day.Of course, to keep its high social standing, IU needs to keep winning. And in a Big Ten where nobody is raising their hand as a clear front-runner, the Hoosiers can’t get caught in the trap of confounding losses.Purdue, picked ahead of IU in some preseason forecasts, was pounded by 20 at Penn State on Thursday — the same Nittany Lion team who lost consecutive games in December to Lafayette at home and Duquesne on the road. But the loss stands as the Boilers’ only conference defeat, as the team compiled notable victories at Iowa and Minnesota, in addition to defeating Illinois in Mackey Arena.In perhaps the most confounding case in the Big Ten, Wisconsin, which was ranked as high as No. 9 this season, dropped out of the rankings this week and has begun conference play with an underwhelming 1-3 start.Minnesota, the Hoosiers’ opponent Thursday, ate up mediocre nonconference opponents en route to a 12-1 start but has dropped all four of its Big Ten games against Illinois, No. 16 Michigan, Iowa and Purdue.From my view, there’s a logjam at the top of the country’s best conference between Ohio State, Michigan State and IU. Below that is anyone’s guess until a squad shows it can prove dependable.By beating upcoming middle-of-the-pack opponents such as Minnesota, Wisconsin in the Kohl Center and Iowa, the Hoosiers will solidify their status as not only the Big Ten’s best, but one of the nation’s top teams.
(01/07/12 6:15pm)
Per IU Athletics, quotes from Tom Crean, Victor Oladipo and Jordan Hulls:
(01/06/12 5:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>1. Avoid the gray warm-upsI understand injuries are not something IU can control. They are random occurrences that have already affected four Hoosiers this season in Maurice Creek, Will Sheehey, Derek Elston and Verdell Jones III. IU has proven it can overcome the challenge of playing without those first two contributors by defeating Ohio State on Dec. 31, but IU Coach Tom Crean’s squad can ill afford to play with any thinner of a bench. At this point, no further information has been released that could let us know when Sheehey could return, but until he does, fans are hoping the basketball gods smile favorably upon the Hoosiers for the rest of the season. 2. Prove the doubters wrongAnalysts, both national and local, are paid to have an opinion. Sometimes they’re right, while other times the egg ends up on their faces. I can’t say whether Crean or his team pay any attention to these pundits because I haven’t asked them. However, I do know that after garnering the best pair of wins in the country, IU basketball has drawn the most national attention since Crean was hired. And no matter what you think of them, the fact that you have an opinion about what these columnists say, means you — and many others across the country — are reading them.One opinion that has emerged from the national conversation of IU’s identity is that the Hoosiers are overrated and unproven because they have yet to record a quality road win. Whether this argument holds water, instead of thinking of this opinion as a conspiracy against Crean’s rebuilding efforts, I think this can be an opportunity to once again prove the doubters wrong. The Hoosiers can go on the road and pick up big-time road wins at Wisconsin on Jan. 26 or in Ann Arbor on Feb. 1 and end this useless speculation if they capitalize on these opportunities.3. Find a way to integrate the freshmenNobody likes the columnist who is critical during winning times, but then again, people generally dislike me anyway, so I guess this won’t hurt an already soiled reputation. But I was really hoping freshmen guards Remy Abell and Austin Etherington would have played more of an active role on the roster up to this point — especially with Sheehey on the bench.Outside of the starting guards, the Hoosiers’ backcourt reserves include seniors Matt Roth and Daniel Moore, and then Abell and Etherington. I understand the argument to put experience first, but after a non-conference schedule that largely included opponents on the lower side of the RPI, I was hoping that Etherington and Abell would be averaging more than 6.6 and 7.8 minutes per game, respectively — numbers that will only diminish with conference play. I would imagine this potential-filled pair of freshman was recruited to be more than just good cheerleaders on the bench because I know they’re capable of more.But then again, who am I to say who should play when? If an approach that has gotten you to 13-1 ain’t broke, don’t fix it.4. Finish the year undefeated at homeThey ... could ... go ... all ... the ... way!Many point to the road as the place where IU can make a statement that defines its season. However, this year, the Hoosiers have the potential to do something that hasn’t been done since the 2006-07 season — win every game they play at Assembly Hall. IU’s remaining home games are against Minnesota, Penn State, Iowa, Illinois, Northwestern, North Carolina Central, Michigan State and Purdue to finish the season.I think the most difficult of that set will be the final two, but the Hoosiers have shown that when they play in Bloomington, they have the potential to beat anyone in the country. If Crean’s team does indeed run the table at home, it will give them at least 22 wins overall and nine in the Big Ten.Winning games you’re supposed to win is important, and at this point, I would count every match-up without an “@” next to it as a “should win.”— azaleon@indiana.edu
(01/05/12 11:00pm)
Michigan at Indiana
(01/01/12 6:21pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This Indiana team is on the Wankavator. There’s no other way to explain it.IU Coach Tom Crean and his team pressed a button to start the season, unsure of where it may lead, and thus far, it has propelled them to untold heights.After a loss at Michigan State, some surmised the Hoosiers’ glass ceiling was set at a sterling nonconference schedule and mediocrity at Big Ten play. IU could now confidently gobble up weak teams, but still struggle with those towards the top.Entering Saturday, Ohio State was undoubtedly the top.But just as they did with Kentucky, the Hoosiers proved that no one really knows what this team’s limit is after a 74-70 victory against No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday in Assembly Hall.Speculation has become useless.I thought the first loss of IU’s season was a barometer for expectations for the rest of Big Ten play. The Hoosiers would experience difficulty on the road and occasional success with the conference’s best teams in Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State.But that team doesn’t beat the second-best-ranked team in the country minus a key sixth-man in Will Sheehey, by allowing the Buckeyes to shoot 26 free throws in the game and 52.2 percent from the field in the second half, or with freshman forward Cody Zeller playing just four minutes in the second half.Under those circumstances, a win just doesn’t seem possible.However, this monumental win against Ohio State further proves the fact that everybody has a bad game, and in their lone loss of the season, some key contributors had just that.Now I’m completely stumped as to what this team is capable of. If it stays consistent, IU is far removed from any NCAA Tournament doubt.And when all five starters are clicking, scoring in double figures and clamping down on defense when it counts down the stretch, I don’t know who can stop them.The sample size is still too small to determine how this team can fare on the road in the Big Ten, but it’s not hard to see a tough, determined team when they play like the Hoosiers did on New Year’s Eve night.Those are the core concepts Crean’s squad needs to take away from Assembly Hall. It’s not by luck or coincidence that this is the first IU team to defeat the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked teams in the same season.This team is for real. They can play — and beat — the best under less than desirable circumstances stemming from injury and foul trouble.Now they need to beat the teams they’re capable of beating and do so in a friendly or hostile environment.Mighty Ohio State was supposed to be the Hoosiers’ stop.Just step off the elevator and walk onto the floor most expect you to end on.But, whoosh! Right through the ceiling they went, shattering the glass into a million pieces on the floor below.I don’t know where their unpredictable, overachieving elevator will end up. If this season has taught us anything, it’s really anyone’s guess.
(12/30/11 6:01pm)
Earlier today, IU Coach Tom Crean received mid-season honors from the folks at the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award. The Jim Phelan Award itself, is given to the nation's best coach for the whole season, and per a release, "will be announced on March 30 in New Orleans, site of the NCAA men's basketball championship." Past winners include Pitt's Jamie Dixon, John Calipari (while with Memphis) and Bo Ryan.
(12/29/11 3:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It was inevitable.A loss.Those will happen when IU is playing without a sophomore who averaged 10.7 points a game like Will Sheehey. It will happen when the opposition is 38-5 at home in the past three seasons, dating back to the 2009-2010 campaign.But that ugly “L,” which blemishes the face of an undefeated record like a pimple on prom night, also brings with it telling signs of weakness.In addition to injury and road environment, IU also lost at Michigan State on Wednesday night, 80-65, for reasons not beyond their control.Defeats will happen when starting point guard Jordan Hulls shoots 2-of-10 from the field with three turnovers. It will also happen when the Hoosiers’ leading scorer, freshman forward Cody Zeller, is held to 11 points below his season average coming into the game, both because of difficulty in the post and a failure to feed it to him. It happens when IU coach Tom Crean’s squad allows a 20-0 run in the second half after going on a 23-2 streak of its own, en route to allowing the Spartans to shoot 54.7 percent from the field.The one-dimensional IU offense was reminiscent of last season, as junior forward Christian Watford was the only threat, scoring 26 points, including 4-of-6 from the 3-point arc and pulling down 10 rebounds. The next-highest Hoosier scorer was senior guard Verdell Jones III, who chipped in 15 fewer points than Watford.IU’s offense is at its best when everyone gets involved and several players stand as scoring threats. Obviously that’s tough without Sheehey, but somebody — Oladipo, Elston, Roth — needed to step up.It was clear early that Hulls was not going to have one of his nights of better shooting. He dished out five assists, but his horrendous shooting made him more of a hazard than a help. Senior guard Daniel Moore did not record even a full minute of playing time. What harm could it have done to mix it up a bit when Hulls’ shot was asking to be taken to the backyard and put to pasture?But never fear, the sky is not falling in Bloomington.There are still 18 more games to play in this regular season.If I were an IU fan, I’d rather see the Hoosiers drop games like this, in which they weren’t even favored and learn from their mistakes early in the season. Sure, a win is a win and a loss is a loss, but which of the latter would be favorable in March?A loss to the likes of Michigan State away and No. 2 Ohio State are going to sting a lot less come tournament time than upset defeats to the Big Ten’s bottom-feeders.You feel that, Hoosier Nation? Yes, that familiar sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. It’s the realization there are still very, very good teams in the Big Ten.IU is likely among that group, but for now, take an aspirin and try to feel better in the morning. The hangover from this loss shouldn’t take too long.
(12/27/11 7:15pm)
Per IU Athletics:
(12/27/11 6:13pm)
No. 16/17 Michigan State
(12/22/11 9:57pm)
Indiana vs. UMBC
(12/22/11 3:24am)
A source confirmed to IDS men's basketball columnist Avi Zaleon Wednesday that IU sophomore forward Will Sheehey has sustained an injury and will likely not be able to play against UMBC Thursday.
(12/18/11 12:54am)
It wasn't pretty. It wasn't dominant. But a win's a win, and IU's 11-point victory against Notre Dame (7-5) kept the Hoosiers undefeated with two games to go till conference play. Here's how it happened:
(12/17/11 8:01pm)
Indiana vs. Notre Dame
(12/14/11 11:36pm)