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(01/11/10 4:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Welcome to the Big Ten, IU.Saturday might have marked the Hoosiers’ third game already in conference play, but IU coach Tom Crean’s squad received a good taste of what it will be facing during the rest of the season.On a day in which Wisconsin handed Purdue its first loss and Ohio State fell to 1-3 in league play, IU dropped a hard-fought yet winnable game to an Illinois team that is tied for first in the Big Ten.With IU especially, no double digit lead is safe, and certainly not against an experienced and well-disciplined team like Illinois. The Fighting Illini deserve a lot of credit for making the correct adjustments in the second half, and they also were able to benefit from a cold second half-shooting Hoosier team (and, yes, some questionable fouls called against IU).The way the Illini have played virtually all season long – winning many of their games from behind and often going on large runs to cut big deficits – the Hoosiers needed a great start.And they got one.After trailing 8-6, IU went on a 25-9 run to grab a 31-17 lead. Freshman guard Jordan Hulls had 11 points in the first 8:08, and the Hoosiers helped hold the Illini to five field goals in the entire half.As Illinois coach Bruce Weber said, his team “didn’t respond to the physicality of the game” from the get-go. But they quickly turned things around – especially as Illinois began getting to the free throw line and putting IU in early foul trouble.Among other things, Illinois adjusted to IU’s ball pressure and kept feeding it inside to 7-foot-1 center Mike Tisdale. In the game’s first 12 minutes, the Riverton, Ill., native managed just two points – both free throws. However, Tisdale finished with 27 points, including an impressive 13-of-14 showing from the free throw line, as well as 9 rebounds.He was also efficient from the floor, making 7 of his last 9 shot attempts and 5-of-7 in the second half to help close the gap. "We were trying to be physical with him, and he’s a great player. He’s really, really long,” IU freshman forward Bobby Capobianco said. “When you’re in front, they’re going to throw over. When you’re behind, he can shoot over ... We tried the best we could to keep him at bay, and he ended up being in the right spots a lot of times.”Tisdale and junior guard Demetri McCamey’s combined 9-of-10 second-half free-throw shooting was especially key, as it helped Illinois put points on the board without any time running off the clock. This, Weber said, was “part of our strategy.”IU might not face another big man like Tisdale for the rest of the year, but they will continue to be challenged by quality teams with quality coaching.For much of the second half, when Illinois began chipping away at IU’s lead, Crean’s team showed its resiliency. For example, after a 9-0 run by the Illlini sophomore guard Verdell Jones converted an old-fashioned three-point play and brought the crowd to its feet.IU found other creative ways to score – including a running hook by freshman forward Christian Watford and a no look pass from junior guard Jeremiah Rivers to a cutting Capobianco. But Illinois always seemed to have an answer.The Hoosiers also missed a number of open looks in the second half – which contributed to their 1-of-11 3-point shooting after the half – and IU got sloppy late while Illinois kept their composure. In fact, the Fighting Illini finished the game on an 18-3 run.As Crean admitted, there was plenty of encouraging aspects of his team’s performance. But as IU presses further, it might be much of the same. Early leads are great, but keeping them and holding off veteran teams will continue to be a challenge. With two upcoming road tests and a home contest against 12-4 Minnesota next Sunday, it will continue to be tough for IU to come away victorious – even when they come out playing hot like they did Saturday.Illinois showed it wouldn’t back down Saturday. It is critical for IU to continue to try to do the same.
(01/11/10 12:24am)
Gregory Echenique, a big time 2008 prospect originally from Venezuela, received a conditional release from Rutgers earlier this week.
(01/08/10 8:06pm)
When Tom Crean walked into the interview room after the Ohio State game on Wednesday, he wore a scowl on his face. Among the many disappointments of the game were the fundamental errors committed by his team.
(01/08/10 4:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After the way IU played against Ohio State on Wednesday, it had to feel good to return home. But it was not as much about playing on the road against a likely NCAA Tournament team as it was the Hoosiers simply defeating themselves – Value City Arena was anything but a hostile environment and most of IU’s mistakes were unforced. That’s why, although the Hoosiers will be the home team for Saturday’s tilt with Bruce Weber’s Illinois Fighting Illini, things might not be much easier. While the Illini have had a few head-scratching defeats and have yet to play to their full potential, there is plenty of reason to believe they could give IU major fits on its home court. Weber’s team presents IU with a tough matchup on several fronts, one that the Hoosiers struggled with a year ago. Last January, IU dropped a 76-45 contest at the “other” Assembly Hall in a fashion not entirely different from Wednesday’s Ohio State blowout. In mid-February, when the Illini visited Bloomington, they eased into a 13-point win. But it could have been much worse for the Hoosiers, who trailed by 21 twice during the first half.Aside from some production in the paint from freshman Christian Watford, IU has struggled offensively in the interior. On the other side of the ball, the Hoosiers have not played well against teams with a lot of size.Illinois boasts 6-foot-9 junior Mike Davis at power forward, who averages 12.4 points and a Big Ten-best 10 rebounds per game. 7-foot-1 center Mike Tisdale, meanwhile, has the ability to create some havoc in the post, and he likes to step out and shoot. The junior big man, who scored 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds versus Northwestern on Dec. 30, is shooting 59 percent from the floor and has hit 86 percent of his foul shots. Additionally, Tisdale has recorded two or more blocks in eight of the team’s 15 games. But the potential problems aren’t limited to the front court, as the Illini have a talented backcourt as well. Freshmen D.J. Richardson and Brandon Paul – the top scoring freshmen in the Big Ten outside of Watford and the injured Maurice Creek – have teamed up with junior Demetri McCamey. All three are averaging double-digit point totals, while the trio has combined to shoot a stellar 38.9 percent from behind the arc. As we will see throughout much of the Big Ten season, IU might need a near-perfect effort to seriously contend in these types of matchups. Illinois is not the most talented team in the league, but it is athletic, has a solid starting five – though Weber shook things up a bit in their last game versus Iowa, sitting Richardson and McCamey to start the game – and can put the ball in the basket.But the Fighting Illini have been a bit vulnerable at times defensively and have become almost notorious for starting out sluggishly and falling behind early. And, if it were not for a 23-point turnaround at Clemson on Dec. 2, it could look worse. Like all games, this one is certainly winnable, but don’t expect it to be easy for the Hoosiers. Prediction:It’s been an up-and-down season for Illinois, including late November losses in Las Vegas to Utah and Bradley, both of which share IU’s same 7-7 record. The Fighting Illini have looked good at times and a bit mediocre at others. Yet their guard play and post presence does not favor IU. The students will be back and will heckle Weber from start to finish, but it seems unlikely that they will witness a home win for the Hoosiers. Illinois 79 - IU 67
(01/07/10 7:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>COLUMBUS, OHIO - Simply put, the IU men’s basketball team’s first Big Ten road game couldn’t have gone any worse. Aside from a 14-for-17 effort from the free throw line and a game-high 22 points from sophomore guard Verdell Jones, it’s hard to pinpoint anything else that went right for the Hoosiers.IU coach Tom Crean couldn’t in the post game press conference. Neither could sophomore guards Daniel Moore or Jones before they boarded the bus to head back to Bloomington.With all due to respect, even the IU football team played a closer game this year versus the Buckeyes, losing by just 19 points back in October.While final scores and box scores don’t always do games justice, in this case it more or less did.A quick glance at the stats show much of what went wrong on Wednesday: 35 missed shots including 4-of-18 shooting from beyond the arc, 24 turnovers and a difference of 24-10 in favor of the Buckeyes in terms of points scored off turnovers.Junior guard Jeremiah Rivers flushed home what was essentially an uncontested dunk less than a minute into the game, prompting a 30 second timeout by Ohio State coach Thad Matta. But IU never held a lead again and the Hoosiers were dominated on both ends of the court from that point forward.The story from the Ohio State side of things was that star junior Evan Turner was back from a serious back injury. While he did make an impact, the Buckeyes did just fine without him.When Turner went to the bench with two fouls nine minutes into the game, as fellow starter David Lighty had done a minute earlier, IU senior Devan Dumes responded with a two-point jumper. Then Ohio State went on a 16-0 run, extending their lead to 23 points less than 15 minutes into the game. The Hoosiers never brought the deficit under 17 points the rest of the contest and were down by as much as 32 points at one point.“It’s our latest experience of learning what this level is like,” Crean said.Crean, obviously displeased with his team’s effort, admitted that nothing led him to believe they would play as poorly as they did. He said the practices, the pre-game preparations and the walk-through before the game all went well.Listening to his comments after the game, it seemed like a mystery to him why things turned out the way they did – regardless of the fact that Ohio State with Turner at maybe just 50 or 75 percent is a better team than IU.You could try to blame some of it on playing in their first true road game, but as Crean said, “You don’t win at home with those turnovers.”Turner said the difference between Ohio State’s performance Wednesday and their previous two losses were that they “attacked instead of reacted.” IU meanwhile, didn’t do a great job of attacking and even when they tried, it was to no avail. Rivers tried penetrating, but it was like going into a black hole – the offense was sucked out. None of his teammates were hitting the open shots when he kicked out and the Buckeyes played good interior defense to prevent most of Rivers’ potential passes into the post.Another disadvantage was Turner’s 6-foot-7 frame, which forced 6-feet-tall freshman guard Jordan Hulls to guard 6-foot-6 junior Jon Diebler who hit five 3’s and a team-high 21 points. But when Turner wasn’t playing and the smaller P.J. Hill ran the point, Hulls still struggled as Rivers tried to do his best on “Three-bler.” Ohio State, a team that normally runs about eight deep with Evan Turner in the lineup, played 13 versus the Hoosiers, and by the 7:07 mark in the second half there was a mass exodus among the home fans.This game was over early and the Hoosiers couldn’t jump onto the bus to go home soon enough. With Illinois headed to town on Saturday, the only thing IU can really do at this point is to go back to the drawing board at practice. As bad as Wednesday’s performance was, it was just one game and there are 16 more to go.
(01/06/10 3:29pm)
UPDATE (12:35) - Evan Turner's mother, Iris James, texted Bob Baptist of The Columbus Dispatch: "Evan is playing." No official word yet from OSU.
(01/06/10 4:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When reflecting on IU’s Dec. 8 win against now-No. 23 Pittsburgh, it does no good to hang on to the fact that junior Gilbert Brown wasn’t in the lineup and senior Jermaine Dixon saw limited action in what was his first game following a significant injury.Looking back at the Hoosiers’ 71-65 win versus Michigan on Dec. 31, it does not make a lot of sense either for anyone outside the team and perhaps the media to focus on the fact that the Wolverines missed 19 3-point attempts.For a team as young and inexperienced as IU, one building an actual NCAA Tournament resume in only the unlikeliest of scenarios, a win versus a top-level opponent is a win no matter the circumstances.It’s about things such as building confidence, developing as individual players and as a team and learning how to play and handle the pressure in various environments. So if Ohio State’s Evan Turner doesn’t suit up tonight versus the Hoosiers, or simply plays an insignificant amount of minutes, it is what it is. A potential 2-0 record in the Big Ten for the Hoosiers would be exactly that, whether they would have to beat a short-handed Buckeye squad or one led by the midseason Wooden Award candidate.With Turner at 100 percent – which, even if he plays, is doubtful – IU stands little chance playing at Value City Arena; without “ET,” the Hoosiers match up quite well. And watching the Buckeyes struggle versus Michigan on Sunday, Ohio State looked very beatable. Though the Buckeyes’ three losses since the Turner back injury – Butler by 12, Wisconsin by 22 and Michigan by 9 – all came on the road, Ohio State has yet to be tested at home since their star guard was sidelined on Dec. 5.While the Buckeyes are 80-2 at home versus unranked opponents under coach Thad Matta and also hold a 35-7 record at “The Schott” versus Big Ten opponents the last five years, expect the Hoosiers to seriously challenge their conference rival on Wednesday night.Why IU can win1. Bucks hurting Though Ohio State managed to climb back up to No. 15 in the country a week ago, college basketball fans didn’t need to see them fall to 0-2 in the Big Ten to show us what we already knew – the Buckeyes are not a Top 25 team without Turner. The team’s entire offense ran through the 6-foot-7 junior, and the whole dynamics of the team changed when he injured his back. Even when he was not scoring, Turner got his teammates open. Junior sharpshooter Jon Diebler, for instance, averaged 17.1 points and hit an impressive 52.2 percent of his 3s in the eight games with Turner in the lineup. Since then, Diebler has recorded 10.2 points per game and hit 36.1 percent of his 3s in the subsequent six games. While those numbers are certainly respectable, anyone who has watched the Buckeyes before and after has seen Ohio State struggle to effectively create its own shots without Turner.If IU can play tough man-to-man defense and limit the number of open 3s shot by the Buckeyes – something they struggled with against Michigan – it could bode well for the Hoosiers.2. DepthWhile the impact of the season ending injury to freshman Maurice Creek has not truly been seen quite yet, there is no doubt it should hinder the Hoosiers. Though IU has only so much talent coming off the bench, especially with Creek and also sophomore Matt Roth out, IU coach Tom Crean can still comfortably run at least nine guys out there. Not Ohio State.With Turner sidelined, Matta has essentially gone just seven deep. Following the mid-season transfer of Walter Offutt, the Buckeyes were left with just 14 players – but four are walk-ons and two are big men who see purely garbage minutes. Seeing that Turner is hurt, Ohio State has relied on just seven guys. Diebler, junior David Lighty and sophomore William Buford have combined to play 16 full 40-minute games. Senior P.J. Hill has been forced into the starting point guard role, despite looking like more of a solid reserve. Junior Dallas Lauderdale, meanwhile is the lone big man in the starting lineup, and though he has definitely improved and also averages 3 blocks per game, he is the Buckeyes’ only legitimate post player.Senior Jeremie Simmons is a good shooter off the bench, but is small for a shooting guard and doesn’t penetrate very well as a point guard. Lastly, senior center Kyle Madsen is providing only 2.3 points and 2.1 points in just 12.1 minutes per game.3. Jeremiah RiversJunior Jeremiah Rivers came up real big for the Hoosiers versus Michigan last Sunday. Guarding the extremely talented junior Manny Harris, Rivers held the Michigan guard to just 13 points – 7 points below his average – on just 4-of-11 shooting. Four days later, Harris torched Ohio State for 24 points. With Rivers likely guarding either Lighty or Buford – both of whom have significantly increased their offensive production in Turner’s absence – shutting one of them down will vastly improve IU’s chances.IU might be forced to play freshman Christian Watford on Diebler, which could have mixed results, but the Hoosiers need to find a way to slow down one of the other two main scoring options via Rivers.PREDICTION: I was correct in picking IU to edge Michigan, but maybe I am getting ahead of myself by thinking the Hoosiers can do the same on the road at Ohio State. Surely with Turner playing everything will change, but it seems highly unlikely that he will play a big role – if any at all. Again, the Hoosiers matchup well in this one, though both Buford and Simmons posted career-high scoring totals versus IU on Jan. 31, 2009. A road contest against even an under-manned Ohio State squad could be a good barometer for the Hoosiers as they move forward and surely a win would be huge long-term. So why not let the magic live on a bit longer?IU 70, Ohio State 67
(01/05/10 4:18pm)
UPDATE (1:30 p.m.)
(01/02/10 2:43pm)
For any student getting bored at home and looking to head back to campus early, the Big Ten Network and TeamWorks Media are looking for the best student basketball players (not on the actual team) on campus.
(12/31/09 9:33pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The storyline for IU heading into Thursday’s game against Michigan was which guard step up in injured freshman Maurice Creek’s absence.Would it be senior Devan Dumes, sophomore Verdell Jones, junior Jeremiah Rivers or freshman Jordan Hulls? As it turned out, the answer was all of them. The Hoosiers lost their best scorer in Creek, but in his absence, the rest of the guards collectively put together an outstanding game. “We have a really good nucleus,” Dumes said. “Missing Mo, it was a big thing for us to step up.” Although Creek was the Hoosiers' go-to guy on offense, the IU guards needed to do a lot for the team other than simply putting the ball in the basket. Dumes, Jones, Rivers and Hulls combined for 46 points, but they did indeed do more than just score Thursday. Jones dished out 5 assists, while the other three pitched in 2 each. Jones recorded 3 steals, and both Dumes and Rivers had a pair as well. Most impressively, however, was the starting guard trio of Hulls, Rivers and Jones combining for 22 of the team’s 31 rebounds. Behind 9 boards from Rivers, 8 from Jones and 5 from Hulls, the guards did exactly what IU coach Tom Crean has needed them to do since the Kentucky game - rebound. “That’s how we have to play,” Crean said. “We’d have to play that way whether Maurice was in there or not. You’ve heard me say it: We have to get guard rebounds. We’re not big enough to just come down and play and think that we’re going to outrebound people because of our size.” Also impressive was how well the Hoosiers took care of the ball. IU committed just a single turnover in the second half, and the team committed only two turnovers in the final 28 minutes – both by sophomore big man Tom Pritchard. On the other side, Rivers truly showed why he has been dubbed a defensively specialist, while Dumes played the tough defense Crean had praised him for frequently this past week. Among other impressive stat lines, Jones recorded 20 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Also quite noteworthy was Jordan Hulls’ 8-for-8 effort from the foul line, including six in the final 23 seconds. The starting guards each played 35 minutes, while Dumes played a solid 22 minutes off the bench – especially in the first half. The senior talked about how he shared the ball well and also was solid defensively, but he was he even quicker in calling it a “good win for the team.”Freshman forward Christian Watford was also quick to recognize the team effort, in particular those guards. “Everybody played great,” Watford, who scored 19 of his own, said. “Verdell was phenomenal, Jeremiah was phenomenal, Jordan was phenomenal down the stretch too. Devan played a great game, too. He shot the ball well, he hit some key shots, some tough shots. They did a great job of rebounding for us and getting the ball inside, too.” Even Daniel Moore got in on the act, recording a big steal midway through the second half, ultimately leading to a bucket from Pritchard. As big as the Pittsburgh win was for the Hoosiers, this one was monumental, though Michigan’s record might not show it. But for the cream and crimson to continue to compete in the Big Ten, they will need a similar great effort from those guards day in and day out. It got them to 1-0 in Big Ten play – how many wins they get from here will depend on similar quality.
(12/31/09 4:17pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Tom Crean knew what he was getting into when he signed on as IU’s latest men’s basketball coach. He knew it would be an uphill battle to restore the glory of IU basketball, filled with many losses in the first couple seasons and many tough days out on the recruiting trail. Some argued that a 10-win season a year ago might have netted Crean some Coach of the Year consideration. After all, he dealt himself a ridiculously tough hand, and, realistically, a 10-win season would have been a major accomplishment. With the first of 18 Big Ten games tipping off for the Hoosiers at noon today, Crean will embark on what might be his most difficult task yet as a college basketball coach – rallying this IU team to compete through the entire conference slate without their best scorer. The NCAA let IU off pretty easy a year ago in the wake of the Kelvin Sampson scandal, and though Crean and his coaches were hurt a bit recruiting-wise, the worst days seemed to have been over. Prior to the season, when freshmen Maurice Creek and Bawa Muniru were both cleared to compete, it marked the first time since the 2007-08 season at Marquette that Crean had a full roster – albeit extremely young and inexperienced. The Hoosiers are now just 6-6 and have had some bad losses, but the progress being made both by individuals and the entire team appeared to have put IU right on track. And though the show must go on without the injured Creek, getting this team to compete at the same level as the Hoosiers of four days ago might be quite difficult. Who knows how the team might have fared this season had Creek not been declared eligible at all, but the fact that the freshman guard had been a staple in the team’s practices and games for months will be tough to overcome. Gone is the team’s most prolific shooter, and gone is yet another guard – they now have just four active scholarship players left in the backcourt. IU has the talent to play without Creek, the question is how they will respond to it for the first time when they hit the court today. Let’s face it, the Hoosiers should have beaten Michigan at home a year ago. Devan Dumes led the team with 17 points last January versus the Wolverines, while then-freshmen Verdell Jones and Tom Pritchard combined for 22 points and 16 rebounds. Even without Creek, this team is better than last year’s 6-25 squad. Yet to come out victorious, Crean needs those same types of efforts to go along with solid play from newcomers such as Jeremiah Rivers and freshmen Christian Watford, Derek Elston and Jordan Hulls. Michigan is not a top-15 team, as projected at the beginning of the season, but they do have arguably the best duo in the Big Ten – junior Manny Harris and senior DeShawn Sims. Depending on the lineup Crean runs with, IU could have a fairly decent size advantage on Michigan. They will also have the home crowd behind them and, though Creek won’t physically be on the court, his absence could give the Hoosiers plenty of motivation. IU can’t afford a lackluster start and certainly needs a complete 40-minute effort – one that would have won them the game a year ago. It wouldn’t be surprising if the maize and blue were to deal the cream and crimson a knockout punch fairly early. But don’t count out the Hoosiers, who are very capable of winning this one as well. Cohen’s Prediction: It won’t be easy for the Hoosiers to move forward through Big Ten play without their leading scorer, but this is just one game and anything can happen. I don’t know what it is, but something gives me the idea that the Hoosiers will shine in this New Year’s Eve battle. So, what the heck? – IU 71, Michigan 69
(12/28/09 1:18am)
(12/27/09 3:10pm)
In less than five days, the decade will come to an end - one that included the firing of Bob Knight, one shared Big Ten regular season title, a surprise trip to the NCAA Championship game under Mike Davis, a recruiting scandal under Kelvin Sampson, the return of Dan Dakich and a major rebuilding project by the newest coach, Tom Crean.
(12/24/09 2:32am)
I've been trying to make sense of IU's successes and failures at the free throw line this year. But I'm struggling.
(12/21/09 12:38am)
One day removed from IU's victory against North Carolina Central, it's time to take a look at some of the headlines from around the Big Ten:
(12/18/09 10:16pm)
Sift through a couple ads and then watch the latest episode of the The Tom Crean Show, aired on the Big Ten Network this afternoon. Click here for the first episode.
(12/15/09 5:04pm)
The Hoosiers are off until Saturday, due to finals week, but will host North Carolina Central on Saturday. NCC was the 1989 Division II national champions and is in a transition period from DII to DI basketball.
(12/14/09 3:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Following IU’s 90-73 loss to Kentucky, another reporter and I engaged in a brief conversation about what had just taken place.“They just came in and dominated,” the reporter said. We weren’t talking about the game – and no, Allen Iverson fans, not practice either – but rather a scene in the press room. Before the game, the members of the IU Media got situated at their desks and grabbed some food, while the out-of-town guests took a while to get comfortable. Following the game, however, members of the Kentucky media occupied virtually every seat within the first few rows of the room as if they owned the place. Quite frankly, that’s what Kentucky did to Tom Crean’s Hoosiers during Saturday’s game at Assembly Hall. The Wildcats came in a bit timid and got pushed around early, but by the end of the game they had nearly run IU out of its own building. Heading into halftime, the Hoosiers had shot 63 percent from the floor, dished out 11 assists, committed just four turnovers and were within a single point of the nation’s No. 4 team. But Kentucky extended the lead to 12 within the first five minutes of the second half, and IU never caught up. The Wildcats obliterated the Hoosiers on the glass 49-24, including 21 offensive rebounds with 30 second-chance points. That seemed to be the story of the game Saturday, one day after Crean called his team’s margin for error “very, very small.” In the second half especially, it was as if Kentucky was hitting “copy-paste” repeatedly on a computer. Offensive rebound, layup. Offensive rebound, layup. Offensive rebound, layup. Kentucky junior Patrick Patterson had eight offensive boards alone. IU’s leading rebounder, freshman forward Derek Elston, had only six total rebounds. No other Hoosier had more than three. The Wildcats also collected 28 defensive rebounds, including seven from star freshman guard John Wall. The three members of IU’s starting backcourt, meanwhile, grabbed a combined four. “When you’re playing against a team that has the size and strength of Kentucky – which is a rarity – you’ve got to do a much better job of keeping them off the glass, and your guards have got to come in and get the rebounds,” Crean said. “We did not do a very good job of that.” The Hoosiers slowed down Wall scoring-wise, limiting him to a season low of 11 points, but that only left the door open for other Wildcats to step in and take the reins. Kentucky freshman guard Eric Bledsoe went for 23 points, despite averaging fewer than 10 points per game. Patterson had 19, while 6-foot-11 freshman DeMarcus Cousins chipped in 14 of his own. After the game, IU freshman guard Jordan Hulls spoke about not executing offensively, while Crean talked about the team’s defensive shortcomings. But at the end of the day, IU stood little chance in this one. The team played its best half of basketball since the (gasp) Kelvin Sampson days, but even then the Hoosiers were unable to muster a first-half lead. “(IU) shot, in the first half, 63 percent (from the field) and 62 percent from the three and 100 percent from the foul line, and we’re up one,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “Well, guess what? We played well, too.”No, that wasn’t a shot at the Hoosiers. Instead, it was the Kentucky coach feeling good about his own team’s effort despite what IU accomplished in the first half. Kentucky won some ugly games early this season, but IU saw the best Kentucky has to offer. “I just want to tell the people of Indiana that we’re not better than that,” Calipari said. “That’s a February effort.” Even if for a half, the Hoosiers proved they can compete with a top-five team at their best. So while the team needs to put together great first- and second-half efforts to compete against top Big Ten teams, it won’t be facing another opponent as challenging as Kentucky. While the Hoosiers were disappointed with the outcome of the game, the team has to move on and worry about what’s ahead. IU’s next three opponents have a combined 6-22 record, a chance for three confidence-building victories. But right now, it’s time for the Hoosiers to hit the books.
(12/13/09 3:24pm)
Prior to the season, Tom Crean joked about not wanting to lead the nation in turnovers again. He's got one thing going for him, but ball control is starting to look like an overrated statistic.
(12/11/09 11:27pm)
The Indiana Hoosiers will welcome the No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats (9-0) into Assembly Hall on Saturday. The rivalry matchup will air at Noon on CBS with Don Criqui and Greg Anthony making the call.