397 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(02/11/14 4:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Last season was the best year in the history of IU baseball. And a year of many firsts.It was the first time IU had ever been ranked in the polls. The Hoosiers finished the year ranked No. 7 by Baseball America.It was the first year of Bart Kaufman Field.It was the first time IU advanced to the College World Series.This season, the Hoosiers will try for another first: win the College World Series.It would be the first time a Big Ten team has been national champion since Ohio State won in 1966.The Hoosiers won’t be sneaking up on anybody this year. They open up the year ranked No. 3 by Baseball America with expectations of winning the national title, IU Coach Tracy Smith said.“This group — from the end of last year — they said we have some unfinished business to do,” he said.Last year’s Bad Luck Even though IU finished the season with 49 wins (no other Big Ten team had more than 35), they were the second-unluckiest team in the conference.The Pythagorean Theorem of Baseball is an equation developed by baseball statistics pioneer Bill James.The theorem, which uses elements of the Pythagorean Theorem, is used to calculate how many games a team should have won compared to how games it actually won.The equation uses runs scored and runs allowed. It is designed to be a better indicator of how a team truly performed than standard wins and losses.Consider the following example.Team A wins three games by close scores of 5-4, 3-2 and 2-0. Their win record is 3-0.Team B wins two games by big scores of 11-2 and 6-0. But they also lose a close game 4-3. So their win record is 2-1.If one were to look only at the teams’ overall win/loss records, one might say Team A is better because of its better record.But, in actuality, Team B is a more dominant team and was “unlucky” in one game, losing a close battle.The Pythagorean Theorem of Baseball takes into account how a team did — not based on the standard win/loss records — but a more specific focus on how the team actually played.Last year IU won 49 games. But, according to the PTB, IU should have won 51.7 games.So the team had a PTB number of +2.7, meaning they should have won 2.7 more games than they actually did.Only one other team in the Big Ten had a higher PTB number: Northwestern had a +3.2 PTB.Not only did the Hoosiers have the best record by a significant margin, but that gap should have been even larger.This bodes well for the Hoosiers this year. Teams tend to regress toward the mean, or “average out” the next year if they have a high PTB number.Unlucky teams will become luckier, and luckier teams will become unluckier.Every national pundit predicts the Hoosiers will win the Big Ten fairly easily, as does the Pythagorean Theorem of Baseball.Replacing production The Hoosiers will need players to step up after losing three significant contributors up the middle of the field.IU lost shortstop Michael Basil and center fielder Justin Cureton to graduation and starting pitcher Aaron Slegers to the MLB draft.Slegers was the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year last season, boasting a 9-2 record with a 2.04 ERA.The 6-foot-10 Minnesota Twins prospect was the third starter for IU, pitching most Sunday games for weekend series.Basil was a four-year starter at shortstop and one of the main leaders of the team, Smith said.The speedy Cureton was the leadoff hitter and one of the Hoosiers’ best defensive players in center field.The expected replacements will be sophomore Nick Ramos at shortstop, junior Will Nolden at center field and sophomore Will Coursen-Carr in the pitching rotation, Smith said.These three players saw significant playing time last year in different roles than they’ll have this season, and performed well.To figure out how these players will step up statistics they must be evaluated one by one.Shortstop Basil had 49 RBIs last year compared to Ramos’ 23. However, Basil had 243 at-bats compared to Ramos’ 92.Basil had more opportunities to swing the bat, so his statistics should be much higher than Ramos.If Ramos had the same amount of at-bats as Basil last year, he would have had 61 RBIs. That’s a 24-percent increase in RBIs from the shortstop position from Basil to Ramos.According to the extrapolated statistics, Ramos would have hit 10.7 home runs, compared to Basil’s three home runs.The one major drop off from Basil to Ramos is batting average and on-base percentage.Basil hit .313 last year with a staggering .402 on-base percentage.Ramos hit at a significantly lower rate. He had a .228 average with a woeful .265 on-base percentage.There is a 27 percent drop off in batting average and a 34 percent drop off in on-base percentage from Basil to Ramos.While Ramos had more power, Basil got on base at a much higher rate.He was also more of a threat on the base paths. Basil stole seven bases last year. Ramos had zero.Center field Cureton was known more for his glove than his bat, so his hitting statistics were less than stellar.Nolden was a much better hitter last year as a sophomore than Cureton was as a senior.Cureton hit .216 but had a respectable .335 on-base percentage.Nolden hit 40 percent higher at .303 and got on base 21 percent more often with an impressive .404 on-base percentage.But IU will miss Cureton’s speed.Cureton stole 22 bases last year, which led the team and was one away from the most in the Big Ten.Extrapolating Nolden’s statistics shows he would have stolen only 9.5 bases given the same number of opportunities as Cureton.That’s a 57-percent drop off in stolen bases. Also, it’s tough to quantify the impact Cureton had in the field.Third Starter Last year saw the culmination of Aaron Slegers’ career. He was plagued by injuries his first two seasons at IU, but last year he was healthy and set the conference on fire.He was the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, he was 9-2 with a 2.04 ERA and he held batters to a .260 batting average.With Slegers now pitching in the Minnesota Twins farm system, the pitcher who will replace him appears to be Will Coursen-Carr.“We’re looking for him to step up and be that consistent guy early in the year,” Smith said of Coursen-Carr, “... but he should be a weekend guy for us.”Assuming Coursen-Carr eventually gets the weekend nod, the Hoosiers will be getting a pitcher who performed well last year.As the primary mid-week starter, Coursen-Carr excelled. He was 5-0 with a 1.93 ERA.However, Slegers usually faced stiffer competition, as he was the weekend starter.The main difference between him and Slegers is the strikeout-to-walk ratio.Slegers had more strikeouts, but he pitched 106 innings compared to Coursen-Carr’s 65 1/3.If he had pitched as many innings as Slegers, Coursen-Carr would have had 60 strikeouts. Slegers had 59. The big difference between the two is the walks given up.Slegers had only 17 walks, while Coursen-Carr’s extrapolated statistics suggest he would have had 44 walks. That’s a 158-percent increase in walks issued from Slegers to Coursen-Carr.To match Slegers’ efficiency, Coursen-Carr will have to cut down on the walks.Coursen-Carr, Ramos and Nolden also had an offseason to develop into better players.Therefore, these statistics shouldn’t be taken as absolute dogma, but they can be used to create a preliminary sketch of the kind of production IU is set to lose or gain.Follow reporterEvan Hoopfer on Twitter@EvanHoopfer.
(02/11/14 1:52am)
Three-fourths of the Paper Boys, Alden Woods, Evan Hoopfer and John Bauernfeind, discuss IU's loss to Minnesota, preview the Hoosiers' next two games, and discuss the Marcus Smart incident.
(02/10/14 3:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Everybody knows it. You’ve seen the meme on Google. Personally, it makes me laugh every time. It reads, “Are you not entertained?!”That is the one recurring theme, or meme, of the 2013-2014 IU men’s basketball season.The Hoosiers (14-9, 4-6) lost to the Gophers (16-8, 5-6) Saturday, 66-60. Sure, it was disappointing — if you’re an IU fan.The eerie script IU followed was particularly frustrating. Come out of the gates gangbusters, look like they’re actually taking that important step forward and give IU fans dreams of dancing in March.Cut to the harsh reality of this team hanging tough in the first half and coming out flat in the second half.Again.Syracuse, Michigan State, Nebraska and now Minnesota have all been road games where IU came out strong and then wilted in the second half.The Hoosiers are 1-5 on the road. And that one win is against a Penn State team that opened Big Ten play 0-6. Until the Hoosiers take that next step and knock off a decent team away from Assembly Hall, they are National Invitational Tournament bound.But you know that. Now I want to make a point that most IU fans will hate.First, put aside all the heartache, disappointment, anger, jubilation and all the hair you pulled out during the season.OK, you’re a cold, rational robot now.Because the point I’m going to make has to be read without the sway of emotion.This team is more entertaining than last year.While you’re wiping the coffee off your laptop or phone, let me explain myself.Last year saw the culmination of years and years of preparation. That team was beautiful to watch and had an enormous amount of success.But this team is more entertaining. First, it’s played more close games. This team outscores opponents by an average of 8.0 points. Last year’s team averaged a 16.5 point differential.And this year has been wildly inconsistent. IU fans have no idea what they are getting from game to game. One day, the Hoosiers knock off Wisconsin, the No. 3 team in the nation. Four days later, they lose to sub-.500 Big Ten team Northwestern.The subsequent results for the fans have been extreme jubilation mixed with downright sorrow. And that’s what makes a team entertaining. Fans have to experience the full gamut of emotions. Fans must experience the extreme lows to appreciate the extreme highs. The Northwestern and Nebraska losses made the Wisconsin and Michigan wins that much sweeter.Plus, last year the fans were all looking forward to March. That team was a national championship contender. Everybody knew it. The stress IU fans felt all year was downright nerve-wracking.This year, everybody knows this team isn’t winning the national championship. And now, it doesn’t look like they’ll even make the NCAA Tournament. The expectations are lower, making the stress of the fans lower.IU fans can now just go into a game and watch the product on the court without wondering if the team will win the championship, if failing to do so would be a disappointment or if any starters will leave after this year.All those questions create stressed fans. This year’s team is young, talented and inconsistent. The perfect recipe for entertainment.Next year, when this team mature and has higher expectations, IU fans can go back to stressful living. But for now, sit back and enjoy the show. The incredibly inconsistent, entertaining show.— ehoopfer@indiana.edu
(02/07/14 4:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I’m going to write a sentence that at first seems to be an extreme case of hyperbole.When IU (14-8, 4-5) travels north to play Minnesota (15-8, 4-6), it could be the biggest win of the year for IU.Now, stay with me.Sure, the Hoosiers have been giant killers at Assembly Hall this year. They defeated previously-unbeaten No. 3 Wisconsin and then took down No. 10 Michigan on Super Bowl Sunday.But this would be bigger.IU is 1-4 on the road this season. Its only win was against Penn State, who opened up the season 0-6 in the Big Ten.The Hoosiers need this. They need this to become .500 in the conference, and to take one more step toward making the NCAA Tournament.When the Hoosiers play at home, they feed off the energy of fans in Assembly Hall. They exude confidence and intensity. The next step in becoming an upper-tier Big Ten team is to become a force on the road.The Hoosiers melted in Lincoln, Neb., after building a 13-point lead at halftime, only to be outscored by 18 points in the second half. They put together one good half of basketball on the road. The Barn will be a great test of whether or not they can sustain that intensity.The Gophers beat Ohio State and Wisconsin by a combined 23 points. Minnesota barely lost to Northwestern by one point last Saturday, which suggests they might be vulnerable.Guard Andre Hollins’ health will be a key factor. Hollins was doubtful for Wednesday’s game against Purdue, and ended up playing. But he looked very sluggish and rusty.Against Purdue, the Gophers’ best player was 5-foot-9 guard Deandre Mathieu.He was scrappy, quick and was always in the middle of everything. Expect Mathieu to drive a lot in this game, especially if Hollins still isn’t 100 percent.But when Mathieu does drive, he will be met by the long arms of freshman forward Noah Vonleh, who has a propensity for stuffing players at the rim.Everything about this game screams an IU win. The Gophers have lost three straight and four of their last five.And those three losses weren’t to the Big Ten’s elite. Minnesota has been beaten by Nebraska, Northwestern and Purdue in its last three. But those were without a healthy Hollins.IU is coming off its single best defensive performance of the year, holding the dynamic Wolverine offense to just 52 points. The Hoosiers didn’t have a midweek game, so their legs should be as fresh as ever.But I just can’t do it. I can’t pick IU to win.This team is too inconsistent. This team folded in the second half against Nebraska on the road. It beat Penn State by three. In its best-played road game, it lost to Michigan State by just five. And the Spartans were playing without NBA prospect Adreian Payne.Until IU proves me wrong, which it has a chance of doing, I won’t pick it on the road against a decent Big Ten team. Which of course means it will probably win.Nevertheless, my prediction – Minnesota 71, IU 70.Evan Hoopfer is 8-5 in predictions this year.Follow columnist Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer
(02/06/14 2:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU football signed 26 new recruits Wednesday.“We’re recruiting on paper as good as we have,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “Now we have to take what’s on paper and turn it into a better product on the field.”According to recruiting database rivals.com, the class features two four-star recruits, 16 three-star recruits and eight two-star recruits.Six defensive backs were signed, the most of any position. In total, the Hoosiers signed 14 defensive players and 12 offensive players.IU signed six players from Ohio, the most from any state. The Hoosiers also welcomed five recruits each from Indiana and Georgia.Dominique Booth 4-star wide receiverIndianapolisWide receiver Dominique Booth, the only 4-star recruit, is one of the six recruits already enrolled for the spring semester.Booth was originally committed to Tennessee. He then decommitted, citing his desire to enroll mid-year at IU.Booth is 6-foot-1 and weighs 200 pounds. With the departure of Kofi Hughes, Cody Latimer and DuWyce Wilson, the wide receiver position is expected to become more open.Kiante Walton3-star cornerbackColumbus, Ga.Wilson said Walton’s size is very valuable — the Georgia native stands 6-feet and weighs 200 pounds.The two starting cornerbacks last year for IU were Tim Bennett (5-foot-9 and 190 pounds) and Michael Hunter (6-foot-1 and 190 pounds).Walton was an honorable mention for the Georgia all-state team and recorded 47 tackles as a senior.Greg Gooch 3-star linebackerLongwood, Fla.One of the main focuses of recruiting this year was “bigger, longer and faster dudes” on defense, Wilson said.Gooch is a 6-foot-2, 245-pound linebacker from Florida. With the addition of defensive coordinator Brian Knorr, who has coached a 3-4 system in the past, the Hoosiers defense could change from a 4-3 to a 3-4.But Wilson said they didn’t put a particular emphasis on 3-4 personnel, instead trying to get as many quality defensive football players as possible.Gooch played both inside and outside linebacker in high school, but was named the No. 30 linebacker nationally by rivals.com.Delroy Baker3-star offensive linemanOcala, Fla.Baker was another one of the six mid-year enrollees. Last year, the Hoosiers only took one offensive lineman because of the depth that was returning.The Hoosiers signed four offensive linemen this year, headlined by Baker.The 6-foot-6, 290-pound athlete was named the No. 31 offensive tackle in America by ESPN.com.Tegray Scales3-star linebackerCincinnatiScales was called “the most athletic linebacker” by the IU coaching staff.He is a 6-foot, 205-pound recruit that was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year of the Southwest District. Scales was also named first-team all-Ohio by USA Today.
(02/03/14 11:40pm)
IDS Sports' IU basketball staff breaks down a topsy-turvy week in on-the-court action and rank every Big Ten team from No. 1 to No. 12.
(02/03/14 4:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>We are not worthy.Sophomore guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell put on a virtuoso performance Sunday. It was maybe the best two-way showing an IU player has had this season.In this season, laden with inconsistent play that makes fans want to pull their hair out, this IU team did it again when it shocked the college basketball world.IU (14-8, 4-5) defeated No. 10 Michigan (16-5, 8-1) yesterday 63-52.And when IU knocked off Michigan, who was previously undefeated in the Big Ten, Ferrell carried the team on his back.Both on offense and defense, Ferrell played out of his mind.He was 7-for-8 from behind the arc en route to a game-high 27 points.Michigan Coach John Beilein adjusted to a 1-3-1 zone late in the game to try and cool down Ferrell, but it didn’t work.“We had no answers for Yogi,” Beilein said. “He wasn’t passing it. They only had six assists today. It wasn’t an assist game. It was, ‘Get the ball into Yogi’s hands.’”No defensive scheme could defeat Ferrell. If he had playing NBA JAM, the ball would have been flaming the entire second half.Perhaps even more impressive was his defensive performance.Ferrell had the job of guarding the 6-foot-6 sharpshooter Nik Stauskas. Stauskas was averaging 18.6 points a game in the Big Ten.Stauskas finished with six points.Four of those points came from free throws. He was 1-for-6 from the field.So not only was Ferrell keeping the Hoosiers afloat on offense, he was suffocating one of the conference’s best scorers on defense.Ferrell needs the credit he deserves. Freshman forward Noah Vonleh is the team’s most NBA-ready player. And he was no scrub either Sunday, boasting 10 points and 12 rebounds in 30 minutes.But this is Ferrell’s team.Hell, this is Ferrell’s state.Coming into this season, Ferrell needed to become the No. 1 scoring option. And he did. Last year, he was a 30 percent 3-point shooter.This year he’s an absurd 44 percent from behind the arc. That number is even more staggering when you consider he’s taken the bulk of shots, and teams’ game plans revolve around stopping the Indianapolis native.And don’t forget about his mad handles.With a little more than 12 minutes remaining, Ferrell crossed his defender up at the top of the key so bad Assembly Hall was filled with “ooh’s” and “ahh’s.” He finished at the rim to give IU a 37-31 lead.Ferrell is the perfect leader for this team. He’s a scrappy, hard-nosed hustler who exudes confidence. He is the player IU fans identify with.If you walk past a court where guys are playing pickup basketball, they try to emulate his moves and yell, “Yogi!” as they attempt a pull-up 3-pointer.He’s the player your mom remembers, partly because she likes rooting for the little guy — he’s 6-feet tall — and partly because he has a cool name.He’s the player little kids in Indiana watch and then go out in 40 degree weather to practice their crossover. To be just like Yogi.He’s the player who won this game.Although Vonleh may be the most talented Hoosier, Ferrell is the most valuable.Nobody can come to a consensus on what a Hoosier actually is.But everybody knows Yogi Ferrell is a Hoosier in the truest sense of the word.-ehoopfer@indiana.edu
(02/02/14 9:41pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>We are not worthy.Sophomore guard Kevin ‘Yogi’ Ferrell put on a virtuoso performance yesterday. It was maybe the best two-way showing an IU player has had this season.In this season laden with inconsistent play that makes fans want to pull their hair out, this IU team did it again when it shocked the college basketball world.IU (14-8, 4-5) defeated No. 10 Michigan (16-5, 8-1) today 63-52.And when IU knocked off Michigan, who was previously undefeated in the Big Ten, Ferrell carried the team on his back.Both on offense and defense, Ferrell played out of his mind.He was 7-for-8 from behind the arc en route to a game-high 27 points.Michigan Coach John Beilein adjusted to a 1-3-1 zone late in the game to try and cool down Ferrell, but it didn’t work.“We had no answers for Yogi,” Beilein said. “He wasn’t passing it. They only had six assists today. It wasn’t an assist game. It was get the ball into Yogi’s hands.”No defensive scheme could defeat Ferrell. If he was playing NBA JAM, the ball would have been flaming the entire second half.Perhaps even more impressive was his defensive performance.Ferrell had the job of guarding the 6-foot-6 sharpshooter in Nik Stauskas. Stauskas had been averaging 18.6 points a game in the Big Ten.Stauskas finished with six points.Four of those points came from free throws. He was 1-for-6 from the field.So not only was Ferrell keeping the Hoosiers afloat on offense, he was suffocating one of the conference’s best scorers on defense.Ferrell needs the acknowledgment he deserves. Freshman forward Noah Vonleh is the team’s most NBA ready player. And he was no scrub either yesterday, boasting 10 points and 12 rebounds in 30 minutes.But this is Ferrell’s team.Hell, this is Ferrell’s state.Coming into this season, Ferrell needed to become the No. 1 scoring option. And he did. Last year, he was a 30 percent three point shooter.This year he’s an absurd 44 percent from behind the arc. That number is even more staggering when you consider he’s taken the bulk of shots and teams gameplan around stopping the Indianapolis native.And don’t forget about his mad handles.With a little over 12 minutes remaining, Ferrell crossed his defender up at the top of the key so bad Assembly Hall was filled with “ooo’s” and “ahh’s”. He finished at the rim to give IU a 37-31 lead.Ferrell is the perfect leader for this team. He’s a scrappy, hard-nosed hustler who exudes confidence.Ferrell is the player IU fans identify with.If you walk past a court where guys are playing pickup basketball, they try to emulate his moves and yell, “Yogi!” as they attempt a pull-up three pointer.He’s the player your mom remembers, partly because she likes rooting for the little guy (he’s 6-feet tall), and partly because he has a cool name.He’s the player little kids in Indiana watch and then go out in 40 degree weather to practice their crossover. To be just like Yogi.He’s the player who won this game. While Vonleh may be the most talented Hoosiers, Ferrell is the most valuable.Nobody can come to a consensus on what a Hoosiers actually is.But everybody knows Yogi Ferrell is a Hoosier in the truest sense of the word.
(01/31/14 5:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Every one knew IU was inconsistent. But when IU (13-8, 3-5) lost to Nebraska (11-9, 3-5) 60-55 last night, it showed IU can be inconsistent even within the same game.Nebraska, a team that lives and dies by the jump shot, was dead as a doornail in the first half. The Huskers had just 19 points and shot 35 percent from the field.Nebraska Coach Tim Miles tweeted at halftime, “They banked in those two threes, and we lost our composure and fractured. We have to regroup and bounce back in the first five minutes.”Oh, they bounced.The Huskers, who missed jump shot after jump shot in the first half, couldn’t miss in the second.Nebraska looked like a completely different team. And more frustrating for IU fans, so did the Hoosiers. The Huskers scored 41 points in the second half, compared to IU’s 23.In yesterday’s column, I didn’t think IU could stop Nebraska’s Terran Petteway.Though he was controlled in the first half, he was the best player on the floor in the second half, hands down.Petteway’s step-back three with about two minutes to go just about sealed the Husker victory. The shot put Nebraska up by six points, and the way IU was scoring, that lead was safe.The question on the minds of every IU fan: when will this team develop some consistency?In the first half, IU had two separate runs of 12-0 and 15-0. They were getting to the basket, hitting open jumpers and the 2-3 zone was suffocating the Husker offense.And then at halftime, this IU team let their foot off the gas pedal. To take the analogy further, the Hoosiers let their foot off the pedal and just got out of the car.Mantras like “this team is young” need to go in the waste basket of excuses. These players have been playing basketball for a very long time.Yes, this team is a young team. But it is an incredibly talented team.Winning in Lincoln, Neb., has been almost impossible, for whatever reason. The Huskers improved to 10-1 at home this year. Their only loss was a one-point defeat to Michigan (8-0 in the Big Ten).So losing at Nebraska is not the horrible blunder it appears to be. This Husker team is good.The actual loss isn’t the discouraging part.The discouraging part if you’re an IU fan is you’ve seen what this team can do. In fact, you saw what they could do in the first half of the game when IU raced out to a 16-point lead.The loss is not ideal, obviously. But if they were in a hard-fought battle the whole game and came up short at the end, oh well. Like I said, there’s no shame in losing to Nebraska.But there is shame in dominating the first half, and getting blown out of the cornfields in the second half.It’s not the results that are frustrating. It’s the absolute roller coaster in between that has IU fans pulling out their hair.But there’s nowhere to go but up, right?Follow columnist Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer
(01/30/14 3:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In 11 matchups between Nebraska and IU, the Cornhuskers have won only twice.One of those came in 1920. But nobody was there to live-tweet it, so who knows if it really happened.The other time is fresh in the memories of Hoosier fans. In 2012, the Cornhuskers upset the Hoosiers 70-69 in Lincoln, Neb.Expect to see Nebraska register its third-ever win against IU.IU (13-7, 3-4) plays Nebraska (10-9, 2-5) at 8:15 tonight on BTN. Nebraska features 6-foot-6 forward Terran Petteway. He is third in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 18.2 points per game. And the Huskers like to go to him.A lot.Petteway is used in an incredible amount of the Huskers possessions. He has a usage rate of 29.7 percent, which is 63rd in the country, per kenpom.com.That is a large number.The Huskers go to Petteway a lot as is, but he may get even more touches.Junior guard Deverell Biggs was kicked off the team earlier in the week for undisclosed reasons. Biggs was averaging 10.8 points per game in Big Ten play.So with Biggs out of the equation, expect to see Petteway get an even bigger piece of the shot distribution pie.In the one game Nebraska played without Biggs, Petteway went off.His stat line was pretty amazing — 35 points, six rebounds, and three assists on 10-for-15 shooting from the field, including four threes in just 31 minutes. He also went 11-for-14 from the line.But perhaps the most amazing part was he only had two turnovers.Look, Petteway will get to double figures in scoring. And probably a lot more. He’s scored in double figures in 18 of 19 games this year.So the question becomes, who can check Petteway?IU will probably do a rotation of Will Sheehey, Stanford Robinson, Jeremy Hollowell and maybe even a little bit of Jeff Howard on Petteway.But this won’t be enough. I don’t think IU will contain Petteway.Nebraska is a steady, non-flashy team. They are pretty much average in every statistical category, except their dominance at home.Given IU’s inconsistency, I don’t think the Hoosiers are ready to knock off a decent team on the road quite yet. But it will be close.However, if IU wins this game, it should turn heads. It will be one of the biggest wins of the year for the Hoosiers.But IU will have to wait for their signature road win.Prediction — Nebraska 67, IU 65.Evan Hoopfer is 7-4 in predictions this year.— ehoopfer@indiana.edu
(01/29/14 3:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This is part two of columnist Evan Hoopfer’s predictions for the rest of the men’s basketball season. Part one can be found in Monday’s Indiana Daily Student or on idsnews.com.Vs. Penn State, Wednesday, Feb. 12 — WIN IU will come back to Bloomington for some much needed home cooking.The Hoosiers knocked off Penn State in State College, Pa., earlier this season, and now the Nittany Lions are coming to Bloomington.Penn State is 1-6 in the conference. They are the worst team in the Big Ten. IU should win this one fairly easily.Emphasis is on the word “should.”At Purdue, Saturday, Feb. 15 — WINThe rivals’ only meeting this year will take place in West Lafayette.Mackey Arena will be alive with “IU Sucks!” chants. It may be the most hostile place the Hoosiers will play this season.This will be a great step for the young IU team. I can’t wait to see how IU will respond to the adversity, hostility and hatred that will emanate from the stands.I doubt either team will play in the NCAA tournament, so this will be the big game for both Indiana schools. The young Hoosier team will feed off that hatred and roll the Boilermakers.This is Indiana, after all.Vs. Iowa, Tuesday, Feb. 18 — LOSSComing off two wins, according to my predictions, the Hoosiers will be riding high. And the distant pipe dream of the NCAA tournament will be a little more attainable, at least in the minds of IU fans.Then the Hawkeyes will come to town.The casual IU fan may not know about Iowa, but this team is really, really good this year. The Hawkeyes have the fifth-best offense in the country and the 19th-best defense in the country. Iowa will make a deep run come March and will be the dark horse in a lot of people’s brackets.Aside from the Purdue matchup, this is the game I’m most looking forward to. Iowa, the 16th-fastest team in the nation, likes to push the ball.IU also likes to run. The Hoosiers are the 31st-fastest team in the country. This won’t be a Big Ten slugfest that makes you want to bring a pillow to the game.This will be a fast-paced, high-scoring affair. I think IU will be much closer in this game than pundits think, but Iowa will prove too much and pull out a close one.At Northwestern, Saturday, Feb. 22 — WINThe loss at home to Northwestern is still fresh in the minds of IU fans, and, I suspect, the players.IU is the better team. Northwestern did a spectacular job scouting for the game. They packed the paint and made IU shoot jump shots.But IU will learn from its mistakes. And a team can’t shoot 25 percent from the field again, right?IU will get its revenge in Evanston, Ill.At Wisconsin, Tuesday, Feb. 25 — LOSSIU hasn’t won at Wisconsin since the dawn of time, pretty much.The Badgers have beaten the Hoosiers 11 straight times in Madison, Wis. IU got the Badger-monkey off its back when the Hoosiers pulled off the upset earlier this season.I don’t see the Badgers taking IU lightly. The Hoosiers played out of their minds when they won, so it will be hard to replicate a win.But it doesn’t even matter. IU slayed the Badger-dragon earlier this year, isn’t that enough?Vs. Ohio State, Sunday, March 2 — WINOhio State has struggled this season. The Buckeyes lost four straight games before beating Illinois on Jan. 26, and three of those four losses came on the road. Much like how Assembly Hall was a sixth man for the Wisconsin win, I see the hall rising up again and willing the Hoosiers to a win.Ohio State has a scary good defense. The team is second in the nation in defensive efficiency, but it has had a lot of problems scoring.I see IU winning this game. The next question is, will IU fans rush the floor?Vs. Nebraska, Wednesday, March 5 — WINRemember how I raved about Nebraska at home and how good the team was? Well, that’s not the case on the road.The Huskers are pretty abysmal away from Lincoln, Neb., this year. They are 0-6 on the road including losses to Purdue, Cincinnati and Penn State.IU will split the series with the Huskers. At Michigan, Saturday, March 8 — LOSSMichigan could be the No. 1 team in the country at this point in the season.If IU can’t beat the Wolverines in Bloomington, the team isn’t beating them in Ann Arbor, Mich. It’s that simple.The projected loss to Michigan puts IU at 18-13 (8-10 in the Big Ten) on the year. This record isn’t good enough to earn an NCAA tournament berth, but this team is looking promising.IU will lose seniors Will Sheehey and Jeff Howard to graduation and probably freshman Noah Vonleh to the NBA draft. Graduate student Evan Gordon will exhaust his eligibility this season.But I like the nucleus this team is putting together. Add 5-star recruit James Blackmon, and this Hoosier team will be fun to watch next year.That makes this year a rebuilding or transition year that will have the IU fans saying, “Just wait ‘til next year.”— ehoopfer@indiana.edu
(01/28/14 5:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The hunter lost sight of his dog. “You see him?” Troy asked his hunting partner, Tom. Emmett is Troy Wood’s hunting dog. Troy trained him as a puppy.Emmett has proved to be a master hunter, the highest honor for a hunting dog, and is one of the best hunters in Indiana. “No,” Tom said. “Can’t hear him neither.”Emmett’s collar has a bell attached. When the dog moves, the bell sounds.“Maybe he’s pointing,” Troy said softly. He scratched his thick red beard peppered with gray hair. The midday sun was bright, reflecting off Troy’s sunglasses.When a dog finds a bird covey, or group of birds, it points.When pointing, the dog becomes still. All its muscles tense. It becomes like a statue.Troy’s eyes scanned the hunting grounds for Emmett. The two men walked along withTroy’s other hunting dog, Sally, following along.“Got him,” Troy could see Emmett pointing.“Sally, whoa,” Troy commanded his other dog to stay as he and Tom investigated Emmett’s target.“You stay there,” Troy said to Tom. “I’ll go in.” Troy went into the brush, while Tom waited.“Ready?” Troy asked. For the first time since they found Emmett pointing, Troy and Tom made eye contact.Ever since Troy was young, this is what he dreamed of. Hunting with his dogs, tracking birds and shooting them.He started his dream with Mack, his previous hunting dog. Now he’s continuing the dream with Emmett.His relationship with Emmett is everything. Troy has spent hundreds of hours training Emmett and strengthening their bond.That day was like so many others. Hunt. Aim. Kill.“Ready,” Tom said, putting his shotgun to his shoulder.***There are only 20 to 30 master hunter dogs in the state of Indiana, Troy said. Emmett is one of them.When Emmett points, he stands with his body perfectly tense. He’s always had a confident stance, Troy said.“He looks real good.”Emmett came from breeder Tim Conley, who runs Montgomery Creek Farm in Knightstown, Ind. The German Shorthair’s full name is Emmett Von Montgomery Creek.When Troy decided he wanted a dog, he trusted Tim to find the best pup in the litter.“He didn’t care what color it was, or whether it was a boy or a girl,” Tim said. “He wanted the best.”So Tim studied the pups. To test the newborns, Tim would throw out a frozen quail and see which dog would emerge and be “king of the hill.”“Emmett would always end up with that bird,” Tim said. “All the puppies would chase him around and try to get that from him.”They never got the bird from Emmett. Troy purchased him for $750, the best hunting dog he’d ever owned.But Emmett has faults. When he hunts, Emmett struggles with retrieving. When a bird is shot down, the dog is supposed to find the carcass.Troy sternly pressured his dog. Emmett used to be better at retrieving, but Troy said now the dog thinks too much and gets nervous.Tom said to Troy, “I don’t think he likes being away from you.”***On the hunting grounds, Troy crept through the brush, gun in hand. His aim was to flush out the hiding quail. Tom was ready nearby with a gun of his own.The birds flew out of the brush. Troy and Tom raised their guns and shot at the fleeing flock.The 30 or so birds flew straight, hugging the tree line. Troy shot one, but trees blocked Tom’s shot.“I’m sorry, dude,” Troy said. Tom couldn’t get a shot off.“No other way you coulda done it,” Tom said. “I saw them land up there.” He pointed to the left. “Behind those trees.”“Alright,” Troy yelled to his dogs. The command released them from their frozen stances. Emmett and Sally sprinted forward, noses glued the ground, looking for the quail.A few minutes later, they lost Emmett again.“I bet he’s sittin’ on a covey,” Tom said, thinking the dog was pointing. The brush was high, seven feet in some places, so it was easy to lose track of a brown dog barely more than two feet tall.“Got him,” Troy said. He found Emmett pointing again.A group of quail flew up before the men were set. One flew close to Tom.He shot, but the birds escaped. It had been an easy shot, Tom just whiffed.“How the fuck did I miss that one?” he asked himself.“Can’t believe you missed that one, dude,” Troy said.***Both hunters and their dogs suffer cuts, nicks and bruises while hunting. It’s a rough sport.“It’s like jacking off a wildcat in a phone booth,” Tom said.Their hunting grounds, at Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area, an hour southwest of Bloomington, were no exception.Troy rolled his ankle stepping into a hidden hole. Emmett’s snout was bright red from cuts from the sharp brush. Scars from previous hunts are under the fresh wounds.Later in the day Troy pulled his groin.But he and Emmett kept hunting.Dogs and their owners have a special bond, obvious only when they hunt together.Emmett and his hunting companion Sally are both German Shorthaired Pointers. It’s a breed that has hunted for thousands of years, but they aren’t just hunters to Troy and his wife, Angela Wood.They’re an integral part of home life, too.“Most people who have hunting dogs don’t consider them pets,” Angela said. “But we do.”Every night, Emmett climbs up in bed with Troy and Angela, as their former dog Mack once did.When Troy, 42, isn’t hunting, he runs Wright Quad at IU. He’s residence manager, the boss.Until he was 30 years old, Troy couldn’t have dogs because he lived on IU’s campus. He always wanted his own hunting dogs. So when he moved to his current home in Martinsville, he bought Mack, his first hunting dog.Mack was the first dog Troy ever trained. Now he implements what he learned from Mack when training Emmett, his prize-winning dog.Emmett is well-trained but makes mistakes. He might think there’s a covey and point to a location with no birds. Sometimes he accidentally eats a bird.“There are no guarantees in hunting,” Tom said. “You want guarantees, go to the grocery store.”Emmett is Troy’s most talented and patient dog.Patience is a key attribute. Dogs can go hours without pointing.But they won’t stop hunting.At the end of one long day of hunting, Troy had to pick up and lift Mack into the truck.He just wouldn’t stop hunting. But when Troy got home, he had to carry his dog into the house. Mack was too exhausted to move.“Once they smell a bird, nothing else matters,” Tom said. “It’s their life.”***These hunting grounds were a gold mine for quail. They hadn’t seen quail for the first few hours, but now they were shooting every couple of minutes.This time, Sally was pointing.Troy told Emmett to whoa, and Tom flushed the quail out.The covey dispersed. The birds flew up in the air. Tom aimed left, Troy aimed right.Troy shot one. “You get one?” he asked Tom.“Nicked one,” Tom said. The wounded bird flew into the brush 20 feet to the men’s left, near a creek. It was thick, hard to traverse.“I’m going in,” Troy said, with Emmett following.Bird wings fluttered and the shots from Troy’s gun echoed through the grounds.Tom waited a second before asking, “Get him?”“Got him.”“Nice.”The bird landed across the creek, but it was too deep for Troy to cross.Troy was afraid to take his eyes off the spot where the bird landed. It’s easy to lose birds in the brush.Emmett waded through the water to find the dead bird.“Find your bird,” Troy told Emmett in a voice higher than normal. It sounded like he was talking to a child.Emmett found the bird, put it in his mouth and went back across the creek to Troy. But when Emmett came back, there was no bird.“Did he eat that?” Troy was upset with his dog.“No no no!” Troy yelled at his dog. With every sharp “no” came a smack on the snout.“I can’t believe he ate that,” Troy said, still in disbelief.Troy and Emmett came out of the brush. Troy was mad.He grabbed Emmett by the snout, and put his face right up against his dog’s, making Emmett look him in the eye.“You do that again I’ll beat your ass,” he said. He let go of Emmett, and turned to Tom.“I can’t believe he ate that.”***Mack was starting to get old and had been into the doctor before. The vets discovered a tumor on his leg.“They said it was no big deal,” Troy said. “Then it got bigger. Then it was a big deal.”It became clear something was wrong one night when Troy and Angela were watching Monday Night Football.Mack had wet the bed, and the dog didn’t even know it.“It was a puddle about this big,” Troy made a circle two feet in diameter with his arms.The cancer had spread to his bladder, he couldn’t control it anymore.“We knew he was declining,” Angela said.It was time. Mack had to be put down.The following Friday, Troy took Mack to Glenn’s Valley, the place he trained Mack.Their veterinarian appointment was one of the last that day.Mack went for one last run through the valley.Troy had already dug the grave, across the road. He was ready. He was giving Mack one last chance to be a dog. One last chance to do what he was bred for: running and jumping and hunting.After 30 or 45 minutes, Troy loaded up Mack and drove to the clinic.He remembers a lady in the waiting room saying Mack looked handsome.“I almost lost it at that point,” Troy said.Troy and Mack were called into the room. Troy put Mack’s head on his shoulder, so their faces were next to one another.Behind Troy’s back, the technician inserted the needle.Mack’s eyelids fell. After two breaths, with his head still on Troy’s shoulder, Mack died.***The sun was low over the hunting grounds. Emmett had stopped hunting altogether, too tired to continue. His snout was red and he had cuts all over his genitals.“His little balls must be killing,” Tom said, pointing to the dog’s backside. “Look, they’re all bloody.”Six hours passed since the hunt started. Troy and Tom shot eight quail. They’ll take only seven home, because of Emmett’s snack.“I’ll put these in the crock pot,” Tom said.The group neared Troy’s sliver GMC truck. Troy reached in his blue cooler and pulled out a McDonald’s breakfast burrito he bought that morning.“For the dogs,” he said. He loaded them into the dog box, latched the door and threw each a piece.“Well,” Troy said, looking at the remainder of the cold snack in his hand. “Can’t let this go to waste.”He ate the rest of the nine-hour old burrito and uploaded his hunting pictures to Facebook. He and Tom would be back out at 9 a.m. the next day.None of this would have happened if Troy hadn’t bought Emmett from Tim. Because of Emmett, Troy is able to live his dream.Tim remembers the scene of Troy taking Emmett. Tim knew he found a good home for the pooch.“When they drove away, I remember Emmett was curled up on top of Troy’s shoulder,” he said. “You knew they was gonna connect with one another.”Emmett is only four years old. He’ll keep hunting with Troy for years to come.And at the end of every hunting day, he’ll sleep by Troy’s side.Follow reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(01/28/14 1:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU is 20 games into the season standing at 13-7 (3-4 in the Big Ten).I think the Hoosiers have been slightly disappointing this year, because of unfairly high fan expectations coming into the season.IU has been wildly inconsistent this year, which has had good and bad results. The team knocked off previously unbeaten and then-No. 3 Wisconsin and lost to sub-.500 Northwestern just four days later.Predicting this Hoosier team has been a struggle for me. So far this season I’m 7-4 on predictions since taking over the basketball column.Twenty games into the season, this is a good point to reassess — a good point to look ahead in the schedule — and try and predict the unpredictable Big Ten.There are 11 games remaining, not counting the Big Ten tournament or potential postseason play.I could see this team reaching its potential and going 9-2. I could see this team not maturing and going 2-9.So with that, let’s try and predict.At Nebraska, Thursday Jan. 30 – LOSSI will cover this more extensively in Thursday’s preview column, but Nebraska has been a world beater at home.They are a different team in Lincoln for some reason. This year they are 9-1 at Pinnacle Bank Arena.That one loss? To Michigan (7-0 in the Big Ten) by one point.IU is a very young team, and young teams historically struggle on the road.Given that Nebraska has already knocked off Ohio State and Minnesota at home, I don’t see the Hoosiers doing any better than those teams.Vs Michigan, Sunday Feb. 2 – LOSSOk, so Michigan is really good again this year.They don’t have the star power like last year’s team did with Trey Burke, but they are still getting it done. Nik Stauskas has been out of his mind as an offensive player. Ever since Michigan lost to No. 1 Arizona back in Dec. 14, the Wolverines haven’t lost again. That’s nine straight wins, and Stauskas has been one of the major reasons.Lately, he’s gotten even hotter. He’s averaged more than 22 points per game the last four contests. But what is even crazier is Michigan’s balance.Nobody has a possession usage rate over 23.4 percent, which is pretty low. Nobody dominates the ball like last year, when Burke had a 29 percent usage rate.They share the ball up in Ann Arbor, Mich. This might be the best team IU will face all year. If the Hoosiers pull off the win, it will be even more surprising than the Wisconsin game.But I don’t see that happening.At Minnesota, Saturday Feb. 8 – LOSSThis will be the Hoosiers’ third straight loss, per my humble opinion.Similar to the reasons I don’t think IU will beat Nebraska, I don’t see the Hoosiers winning in the Barn. The Golden Gophers have had a pretty tough conference schedule thus far and have stayed afloat at 4-4.They’ve beaten both Ohio State and Wisconsin at home. Minnesota has one of the best offenses in the nation, ranking 14th in offensive efficiency, according to kenpom.com. Despite being prolific on offense, they like to slow it down. They are the 227th-slowest team in America.That is not the Hoosiers’ strong point. If Minnesota makes this a half-court slugfest, I don’t think IU has the horses to match up.I could see IU pulling off one major upset sometime during the rest of the season, but I don’t think this is the one.I simply don’t like this matchup for IU.See the rest of columnist Evan Hoopfer's predictions in tomorrow's IDS and on IDSnews.com.— ehoopfer@indiana.edu
(01/27/14 11:18pm)
IDS men's basketball staff writers John Bauernfeind, Alden Woods and Andy Wittry and columnist Evan Hoopfer discuss the past week in IU basketball and preview Nebraska and Michigan.
(01/27/14 5:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU fans know what they have in the stars in Noah Vonleh, Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell and Will Sheehey.But the success of not only this team, but future IU squads, lies with three youngsters.Freshmen Stan Robinson and Troy Williams coupled with sophomore Austin Etherington kept the stagnant IU offense afloat in the first half against Illinois.The three combined for 19 points while Vonleh, Ferrell and Sheehey combined for just four first-half points.The Hoosiers (13-7, 3-4) went on to grind out a 56-46 victory against the Illini (13-8, 2-6).Robinson, Williams and Etherington are instrumental for IU’s present and future success.Sunday, I liked what I saw.I’ve written about Robinson ad nauseam.But it’s my journalistic duty to give respect where respect is earned.Robinson’s ability to get to and finish at the basket cannot be taught. It is an instinctual facet of some players’ DNA.And getting to the rack runs thick in Robinson’s blood.Couple that with being a crafty lefty and an outstanding perimeter defender, and the 6-foot-4 Maryland native has a chance to be special.His weakness is obvious.He’s a horrible shooter, a rather vital attribute for basketball players to posses.Robinson is 1-for-8 (12.5 percent) from three this season. At the line, he’s an abysmal 51 percent.If he’s going to keep attacking the rim, he needs to lock himself in a gym and not come out until he’s at the 70 percent mark from the line.Then there’s Williams, one of the greatest pure athletes in IU history.But that’s the problem. Right now he’s not much beyond a pure athlete.Williams is an 11 percent 3-point shooter (2-for-19). But he’s shown flashes of a polished offensive game.During the Illinois game, Williams unleashed a jab-step-step-back-fade-away that made me do a double take. Did Kobe Bryant recover from his knee injury?The Lion-Mamba displayed flashes of brilliance.By the way, I’ve decided Williams’ nickname is Lion-Mamba. He loves lions. Just look at his social media accounts if you don’t believe me.The 6-foot-7 Virginia native has scary athleticism and an even more frightening disregard for his own safety when he throws himself around the court.If he can become more consistent, and stop traveling when he begins his dribble, Williams could become an Oladipo 2.0.And then there’s Etherington. He’s seen a lot of playing time in the last couple games, and his energy has kept him on the court.Etherington played a career-high 21 minutes yesterday. He provided a great spark off the bench, scoring seven points during the first 10 minutes of the game.He needs to emulate Sheehey.That means being more aggressive in attacking the basket, because he’s actually very good around the hoop.Also, Sheehey has a deadly midrange elbow jumper. It is a thing of beauty. He goes straight up and down and has a high release point.If Etherington develops that midrange shot to stretch the defense, the 6-foot-6 forward could become a lethal offensive weapon.The present may lay in the hands of Vonleh, Ferrell and Sheehey.But the future of Indiana basketball rests squarely on the shoulders of Robinson, Williams and Etherington.IU fans better hope they don’t shrug.Follow columnist Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(01/24/14 7:59am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With 11 minutes and 42 seconds to go, IU had a 59-52 lead.Illinois closed out the game with a 19-12 run to force overtime on Dec. 31. The Illini won 83-80.In the rematch, Illinois (13-7, 2-5) travels to IU (12-7, 2-4) on Sunday at 3 p.m.The Fighting Illini have been in a rut lately. They’ve lost five games in a row.And they haven’t really been close.In those five games, Illinois has been outscored by an average of 12 points per game.The Illini have kind of fallen off the map of relevancy in the Big Ten.On the other hand, you have an IU team that’s all over the map.IU beat Penn State by three (who is 1-6 in the conference), beat then No. 3 Wisconsin, lost to previously 8-10 Northwestern and then were right in the game until the end against No. 3 Michigan State.
(01/23/14 4:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As a good Indiana native, I love two things — basketball and euchre. I don’t think college basketball is in trouble by any means. Millions of fans watch or go see the game played on the collegiate level.But I’d like to see some changes.Some small alterations to the great game of college basketball to make it more exciting.You should note, my new rules are to increase offensive production because scoring points is fun. If you’re one of those people who love watching 51-49 games, this column probably isn’t for you.For the rest of you who like excitement in your life, strap in.The shot clock needs to be lowered The current 35-second shot clock is way too long.I would much rather see a faster-paced game giving each team more possessions than a half-court slugfest.If you like basketball, you should like this, too.A shorter shot clock equals more possessions per game, which obviously means more basketball playing per game.I’m tired of watching teams dribble the ball around the arc until the shot clock hits 18 or 19, and then getting into their offense.I’m not pointing any fingers, but this is your fault, Wisconsin.The shot clock doesn’t need to be as short as the NBA, which is 24 seconds, but could we compromise on a 28-second shot clock?Widen the laneRight now, the lane is 12 feet across.Widening the lane would allow for a more open court. It would lengthen the area where the offensive and defense could stand. Making the lane a perfect square, 15-by-15 feet, makes sense.The offense or defense would no longer be allowed to clog the area closest to the basket. The lane would open up with fewer people crammed into it, making it easier for guards to drive into the lane.The game would be freer flowing with less people around the basket.If this rule is implemented, my next rule would also have changed.Make defensive 3-seconds a ruleThe 3-in-the-key call is only existent on offense in the NCAA. Make this a rule, and the defense would not be able to clog the lane.Like my previous rule, this would open the court more.Also, it would pretty much kill the zone defense, which I like because I hate the zone defense.Call me crazy, but I like to watch teams score.Limit number of TV timeoutsI realize schools need to make money, but I’m an irrational fan, dagnabbit.Right now there is a television timeout every four minutes. The easiest solution is to just make it a television timeout every five minutes instead.So instead of four annoying stoppages that bring play to a screeching halt, the fans only have to endure three.Advance the ballIn the final two minutes of the game, the team inbounding the ball should be able to advance the ball into the frontcourt after they call a timeout.This rule exists in the NBA and needs to be in college basketball.It’s tough when there are two seconds left in the game and the team inbounding the ball is down by one, two or three.The team has to heave the ball up the entire length on the court. And if your name isn’t Christian Laettner, it’s almost impossible to get a clean look at the basket.This rule exists for the fans and the fans only. Seeing how basketball is a game, it should try and make the fans happy as much as possible.If you’re don’t like this rule, you must not like buzzer beaters.And I don’t like you.Follow columnist Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(01/22/14 5:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I have an idea.When IU Coach Tom Crean is prepping for the next game, he needs to lie to his team. No matter who IU is playing, put a single digit number in front of their name.Just say things like “No. 6 Nebraska is coming to town guys,” and, “Oh, we’re traveling to No. 4 Minnesota this weekend.”Even though IU (12-7, 2-4) fell to Michigan State (18-1, 7-0) 71-66 last night, IU hung in the game till the very end against the No. 3 team in the country.This young, raw IU team is the ultimate example of a team playing to the level of their competition.Look at the past few games.IU beat Penn State by three. The Nittany Lions are 0-6 in the Big Ten this year.The next game saw the Hoosiers beat previously unbeaten and No. 3 ranked Wisconsin. IU looked more like the Indiana Pacers than the Indiana Hoosiers in that game.Just four days later, IU lost to Northwestern. The Wildcats were 8-10 coming into the game.Then yesterday, IU went toe-to-toe against No. 3 Michigan State in East Lansing.Talk about inconsistency.The starting lineup IU trotted out against the Spartans featured three freshmen and two sophomores.As the old saying that I just made up goes, “The youth giveth, the youth taketh.”IU’s young players get amped up to play against the nation’s best. They come out with a fierce intensity.When the opponent is not a ‘good team’, the Hoosiers replace that intensity with lethargic play.Against Michigan State last night, the Hoosiers were right in the game until the very end.Sophomore assassin — I mean shooting guard — Gary Harris went off again against the Hoosiers.The Fishers, Ind., native scored 24 points on just 13 shots. Harris was crazy efficient and lethal, and continued his personal vendetta against IU.In four career games against IU, Harris has averaged 22.5 points per game.If sophomore guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell wasn’t in his shooting slump, the Hoosiers might have pulled this one out.Apart from the second half against Wisconsin where he donned a Superman cape instead of a cream uniform, Ferrell has struggled.Minus that second half against Wisconsin, Ferrell is 12-for-49 from the field — 24 percent — during his last four games.I expect Ferrell to break out of his slump soon, because that’s what great scorers do. And Ferrell is a great scorer.As for the rest of the IU team, the intensity shown yesterday needs to be present for all games this season.Not just when they play a top-five team or are featured on ESPN.They need to come to play no matter the opponent, and play the brand of IU basketball they have shown brilliant flashes of this year — a slashing team with suffocating defense that has an unguardable center in freshman Noah Vonleh.Until IU develops that consistency, they can’t be taken seriously as a potential NCAA tournament team.Play to the level of the competition when the opponent is Michigan State or Wisconsin.But don’t let the conference bottom feeders catch you sleeping.The Big Ten is too good and will eat the Hoosiers alive.—ehoopfer@indiana.eduFollow columnist Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(01/22/14 4:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I have an idea.When IU Coach Tom Crean is prepping for the next game, he needs to lie to his team.No matter who IU is playing, put a single digit number in front of their name.Just say things like “No. 6 Nebraska is coming to town guys,” and, “Oh, we’re traveling to No. 4 Minnesota this weekend.”Even though IU (12-7, 2-4) fell to Michigan State (18-1, 7-0) 71-66 last night, IU hung in the game till the very end against the No. 3 team in the country.This young, raw IU team is the ultimate example of a team playing to the level of their competition.Just look at the past few games.IU beat Penn State by three. The Nittany Lions are 0-6 in the Big Ten this year.The next game saw the Hoosiers beat previously unbeaten and No. 3 ranked Wisconsin. IU looked more like the Indiana Pacers then the Indiana Hoosiers in that game.Just four days later, IU lost to Northwestern. The Wildcats were 8-10 coming into the game.Then yesterday IU went toe-to-toe against No. 3 Michigan State in East Lansing.Jeesh, talk about inconsistency.The starting lineup IU trotted out against the Spartans featured three freshmen and two sophomores.As goes the old saying that I just made up goes, “The youth giveth, the youth taketh.”IU’s young players get amped up to play against the nation’s best. They come out with a fierce intensity.When the opponent is not a ‘good team’, the Hoosiers replace that intensity with lethargic play.Against Michigan State last night, the Hoosiers were right in the game until the very end.Sophomore assassin, I mean shooting guard, Gary Harris went off again against the Hoosiers.The Fishers, Ind. native had 24 points on just 13 shots. Harris was crazy efficient and lethal, and continued his personal vendetta against IU.In four career games against IU, Harris has averaged 22.5 points a game.If sophomore guard Kevin ‘Yogi’ Ferrell wasn’t in his shooting slump, the Hoosiers might have pulled this one out.Apart from the second half against Wisconsin where instead of a cream uniform, he was donning a Superman cape, Ferrell has struggled.Minus that second half against Wisconsin, Ferrell is 12-for-49 from the field (24 percent) in his last four games.I expect Ferrell to break out of his slump soon, because that’s what great scorers do. And Ferrell is a great scorer.As for the rest of the IU team, the intensity shown yesterday needs to be present for all games this season.Not just when they play a top-5 team or are featured on ESPN.They need to come to play no matter the opponent, and play the brand of IU basketball they have shown brilliant flashes of this year: A slashing team with suffocating defense who has an unguardable center in freshman Noah Vonleh.Until IU develops that consistency, they can’t be taken seriously as a potential NCAA tournament team.Play to the level of the competition when the opponent is Michigan State or Wisconsin.But don’t let the conference bottom feeders catch you sleeping.The Big Ten is too good and will eat the Hoosiers alive.
(01/21/14 2:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The state of Indiana is steeped in basketball tradition. Hoosiers eat, live and breathe basketball. The phrase “In 49 states, it’s just basketball ... but this is Indiana” is state dogma.But the state of Michigan has been flat out better than Indiana.The two Big Ten teams in Michigan have been much more successful than the two Big Ten teams in Indiana.IU (12-6, 2-3) plays at No. 3 Michigan State (17-1, 6-0) today and will be traveling to the conference’s best basketball state.Ever since IU made the Final Four in the 2002, it’s been tough sledding for the state of Indiana.In the last 11 years, IU and Purdue have gone a combined 418-296 — a .585 winning percentage.The Great Lakes State laughs at that.Michigan and Michigan State have gone a combined 527-264, a .666 winning percentage.In the same time span, Indiana schools have gone to four Sweet 16s, no Elite Eights and no Final Fours.The two Michigan schools have gone to a combined eight Sweet 16s, five Elite Eights and four Final Fours.There’s no question that for the past decade, Indiana hasn’t been the basketball state.And this year is no different.The Wolverines and Spartans have gone a combined 11-0 in the Big Ten this season.Meanwhile, the Hoosiers and Boilermakers have gone a pedestrian 5-5 in conference play.A microcosm of this migration of hoops power is the case of Michigan State guard Gary Harris.Harris, last year’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year, is a Fishers, Ind., native who was named Indiana Mr. Basketball.He spurned IU to go up north and play for Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo. Now, every time Harris comes to Bloomington, he is met with a chorus of boos.IU fans are upset simply because Harris didn’t come play for the cream and crimson.But Harris seems to revel in the chance to play the Hoosiers.When Michigan State beat IU on Jan. 4 in Bloomington, the sophomore guard went off.Harris had 26 points, four rebounds, two assists and five steals.He made five of 10 threes and the Hoosier defense simply had to answer for Harris.I don’t expect to see anything different when IU steps onto the court at 7 p.m. today in the hostile Breslin Center on ESPN.Especially with the Hoosiers in disarray. They lost to a sub-.500 Northwestern team, and sophomore forward Jeremy Hollowell hasn’t played a minute the last three games.Michigan State is No. 3 for a reason, and IU Coach Tom Crean acknowledged that after the 17-point thumping in Bloomington earlier this month.“They’re too good,” Crean said after the loss. “And they showed that today.”The Spartans are still too good, and IU will fall to below .500 in the Big Ten.The true basketball state will prevail.Prediction — Michigan State 79, IU 65Evan Hoopfer is 5-4 in predictions this year.— ehoopfer@indiana.edu