First round of Big Ten Tournament begins Thursday
Basketball writer Connor O'Gara takes a look at the first four games of the Big Ten Tournament that take place Thursday.
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Basketball writer Connor O'Gara takes a look at the first four games of the Big Ten Tournament that take place Thursday.
IU’s five seniors will throw on the candy stripes and play at Assembly Hall for the final time Sunday. This is the story of how five kids stuck out more downs than ups to bring IU basketball back from the dead. Click here for part 1.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When Bob Knight was at the helm of IU basketball, he coined the phrase “getting to the mic.”It was meant to symbolize the honor of making it through four years of Knight.Choked-up seniors addressed the at-capacity crowd at Assembly Hall knowing that it was the last time they would put on the candy striped pants. All they went through on Branch McCracken Court culminated into one moment.IU’s five seniors never went through a Knight practice. They haven’t cut down nets after Big Ten or National Championships. But what these five seniors experienced in IU’s worst four-year stretch in program history has granted them the right to the mic.When Kory Barnett, Verdell Jones III, Daniel Moore, Tom Pritchard and Matt Roth step up to the mic after their final game at Assembly Hall against Purdue, they will speak of a journey that no player in program history can relate to.“I do think it’s a little bit about getting to the mic, especially for the five seniors for what we came into and how depleted the team was and how everybody just left,” Barnett said. “Anybody who saw any adversity left and the guys who are here stayed and we stayed through a lot. We stayed through a lot of tough practices, a lot of pain and a lot of sorrow. I think it makes it that much more special.” Walk-ons, JUCOs and a Baseball PlayerThirty-six points.The 2007-08 IU men’s basketball team averaged more than 36 points per half. FormerIU freshman guard Eric Gordon nearly eclipsed that mark in his first collegiate game when he dropped 33 on Chattanooga. Gordon and fellow All-American D.J. White combined for more than 36 points per game in 2007-08.But that didn’t matter anymore.All the 2008-09 freshman class had to rely on was 36 career points. Of those 36 points, 34 were from the three-year career of walk-on senior Kyle Taber. The two other points came from redshirt freshman walk-on Brett Finkelmeier.The dismantling job by former IU Coach Kelvin Sampson’s cell phone scandal left the once-prominent program in shambles.Gone was the thought of bringing in Indiana’s top prep talent in Jeff Teague and Tyler Zeller. Gone were the Armon Bassetts and Jordan Crawfords. Gone were the household names the IU faithful had grown accustomed to treating likecelebrities.The remains included Pritchard, a 6-foot-9-inch, 245-pound forward out of Westlake, Ohio. A three-star recruit, according to Rivals.com, Pritchard figured to start opposite Taber.“I really didn’t expect what was going to happen,” Pritchard said. “I really didn’t know. I knew I was going to get a lot of playing time, and that was something I was looking forward to and something I had. But I didn’t expect it to be like that.”Jones, another three-star recruit, committed to new IU Coach Tom Crean instead of schools such as Kentucky, Minnesota and Tennessee. Crean salvaged another Sampson recruit in Roth, who set the Illinois high school basketball record for most three-pointers made in a career.Crean then got another guard to stay on board, only this time it was because of him. Nick Williams, who had previously committed to Marquette, agreed to follow Crean to IU.Malik Story joined IU after an offer in summer 2008 to round out the freshmen scholarship players. Crean roped in Moore, who already had a preferred walk-on spot from Sampson, and Barnett to help fill the depleted roster.But that still wasn’t enough.The team with two All-Americans a season prior was now so desperate to field a squad that it sunk to a new level. Crean decided to build from within and made room for IU baseball player and current Baltimore Orioles farm product Kipp Schutz.IU had nine freshmen, eight walk-ons and 36 points. No amount of banners on the wall could prepare the IU freshmen for what was in store in 2008-09.The Aerial AttackThe Demon Deacon rode onto the court on a motorcycle as black and gold flooded Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.No longer could IU rely on the comfort of Assembly Hall or the neutrality of a cramped Maui gym. The 4-2 Hoosiers faced their first true road test, an early December game against No. 15 Wake Forest in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.IU’s starting point guard was Moore, the 5-foot-10-inch freshman walk-on. Wake Forest’s starting point guard was Jeff Teague, the future All-American and current starting point guard of the Atlanta Hawks.Unfortunately for IU, that was just the beginning of the NBA atmosphere.While IU filled its starting five with three more guards and Pritchard, Wake Forest boasted three more future NBA players.James Johnson is currently starting for the Toronto Raptors, Al-Farouq Aminu comes off the bench for the New Orleans Hornets and Ishmael Smith is a backup guard on the Orlando Magic.“They had like three or four pros on the court, and we had like three or four freshmen starting,” Pritchard said. “It was just nuts.”Wake Forest opened up a blitzkrieg of dunks. Steal, pass, dunk. That theme repeated like an assembly line for the Demon Deacons.“We called it the aerial attack because they dunked on us like 15 times,” Barnett said.It might have seemed like 15, but by night’s end, Wake Forest was only credited with 10 dunks — only.In one instance, Smith was out on a four-on-one fast break after one of IU’s 26 turnovers. Smith threw an alley-oop pass. Teague and J.D. Williams both went up for a dunk and collectively slammed it home. Williams eventually got credit for the dunk that sent the Wake Forest faithful into a frenzy.Wake Forest had two guys that dunked on one play. Pritchard represented IU’s only dunk of the night, which he missed, which happened on many occasions that season.But getting dunked on was the least of IU’s problems in the ensuing historic slide.The SourWith the students away on winter break, the Northeastern Huskies strolled into Bloomington for a non-conference bout.Now the Hoosiers had a chance for some home cooking at Assembly Hall, where they were 4-0 and pitted against a middle-of-the-pack team from the Colonial Athletic Association.Somebody should’ve told that to the Huskies.IU turned the ball over 21 times and received a spanking at the hands of a Northeastern team that didn’t go on to sniff postseason play.“I can’t describe the feeling of walking off this court after losing to Northeastern,” Barnett said. “You just felt like you let down so many people.”But rock bottom still hadn’t been reached.Another mid-major team smelled blood. This time it was Lipscomb out of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Lipscomb hadn’t won a non-conference road game in nearly a year.It played its first full Division 1 schedule in 2001, the same year IU began its run to the national championship.For most of the first half, that theme proved true. IU was rolling, up 35-14 with 7:01 to play in the first half. The Hoosiers appeared to be back on their feet after the embarrassment of the Northeastern loss six days prior.With the 2008-09 IU squad, no lead was safe.The Bisons outscored IU 60-34 in the final 27 minutes and handed the Hoosiers their second-straight home loss to a mid-major.IU wasn’t exactly building momentum heading into the Big Ten schedule. No one could’ve predicted the enormity of IU’s struggles in conference play.All the Wrong RecordsOne win in 93 days.That was how IU ended 2008-09. It was a 1-21 tailspin to end the season. The lone win came at home against Iowa on Feb. 4, thanks to a 27-point explosion fromDevan Dumes.When it was all said and done, IU finished with its worst record in school history. The 1-17 Big Ten record was IU’s worst since the conference schedule expanded to 18 games. IU finished winless against the RPI top 100.According to Barnett, rock bottom was the grind of that freshman season.“The lowest low wasn’t after a game, to be honest with you,” he said. “Our lowest lows were in practice. There were times where we would just be running until we could barely stand up. There was a point to where we all just looked at each other and were like, ‘What are we doing?’”That picture got even fuzzier when Williams and Story transferred following thatseason.Add the graduation of Taber, and suddenly a 6-25 squad was without the majority of its starting lineup.But soon that freshmen class would add some necessary pieces to the rebuilding puzzle.Help was on its way.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Christian Watford was nowhere near the 26-point outburst he had the first time IU faced Michigan State on Dec. 28.The junior forward had just seven points and hadn’t made a field goal attempt in more than nine minutes with Michigan State, having cut the lead to six. But when he pulled up to the same spot where he hit a game-winning 3-pointer to beat No. 1 Kentucky on Dec. 10, 2011,, Watford pulled the trigger once again.This time, Watford’s shot needed some Assembly Hall love.“Exactly how I drew it up,” Watford said of his banked-in 3-pointer. “No, I can’t call that. I don’t know what I was doing, but it just so happened to bank for me.”Watford’s shot — along with a career-high 14 rebounds — helped cement No. 18/20 IU’s (23-7, 10-7) 70-55 victory against No. 5 Michigan State (24-6, 13-4) on Tuesday at Assembly Hall.“He played well,” freshman forward Cody Zeller said of Watford. “He can defend one through five like he did tonight. He rebounded really well tonight. He can kind of do it all.”Watford came in matched on Spartan guard Keith Appling, who torched IU for a career-high 25 points when IU lost 80-65 in East Lansing, Mich. IU Coach Tom Crean said the decision to start Watford against Appling stemmed from the types of defensive matchups he has succeeded with lately.“We were very confident with him on Keith Appling,” Crean said. “He guarded Andre Hollins the other day. He’s guarded Lewis Jackson. We’re very, very comfortable with Christian guarding the point guard because when he’s down and when his hands are active, that’s a tough guy to get around.”Watford did that, and Appling went into halftime without a point. But while Appling struggled to find an offensive rhythm with Watford draped on him, Michigan State forward Draymond Green was a different story. The Big Ten Player of the Year candidate had 16 first-half points.When Green came out of the break and scored two baskets in the first two minutes and 23 seconds of the second half, Watford called upon himself to slow him down.“I asked for it during the game,” Watford said. “I think I was doing a pretty job on Appling using my length, but once I went on Draymond, I tried to make it tough for him.”Again, Watford stepped up to the task. After having shot 8-of-11 from the floor, Green shot 2-of-6 the rest of the way with Watford on him.“The job Christian Watford did defensively is where I would start talking about him,” Crean said. “Obviously, he had a double-double, but the eight deflections, the job he did on Keith Appling, then the job of going into Draymond Green, I thought that was big.”Watford’s defensive effort on the glass earned him high praise from his teammates.“Christian had 14 rebounds today,” Jones said. “I don’t know when that’s ever happened. I’m proud of him. He was busting his butt.”Watford’s rebounding effort came against an MSU squad that entered Tuesday ranked third in the country, averaging a 9.6 rebounding margin per game. He hadn’t had a double-double since that first meeting against Michigan State. He had only averaged 4.7 points in his past three games. But Tuesday night, Watford said he tried to take care of everything for IU.“I just wanted to get after it on the defensive end and let that lead into my offense,” Watford said. “I just wanted to try to do it all tonight.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s basketball team defeated another top-five team.The Hoosiers (23-7, 10-7) beat No. 5 Michigan State (24-6, 13-4) 70-55 on Tuesday night at Assembly Hall, marking the first time IU has defeated three top five teams since the undefeated 1975-76 season.Despite Draymond Green’s game-high 29 points, the Hoosiers pulled out the victory. No player on Michigan State besides Green finish in double figures.IU on the other hand, finished with five players in double figures. IU freshman forward Cody Zeller led the way with 18 points.Sophomore guard Victor Oladipo finished with 13, junior guard Jordan Hulls finished with 10 and junior forward Christian Watford finished with 10. To go along with his 10 points, Watford finished with a career-high 14 rebounds.The IU victory snaps Michigan State’s eight-game winning streak and marks the first time in the Crean era that the Hoosiers have defeated the Spartans.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s basketball team entered Sunday’s game with two streaks behind them. One of those was winning Big Ten road games, in which IU was 2-6. The other was winning at Williams Arena, where the Hoosiers were 0-3 since IU Coach Tom Crean took over in 2008.On Sunday, they got the better of both of those streaks in convincing fashion.No. 23/24 IU (22-7, 9-7) avenged its only home loss of the season and defeated Minnesota (17-12, 5-11) 69-50 Sunday at Williams Arena.“It’s big for us,” junior forward Christian Watford said. “It solidifies that we can get a road win. That’s something that people have been talking about that we really needed. We came out here and got that tonight.”The 50 points allowed was not only IU’s best defensive effort in Big Ten play, but it was also the fewest points allowed in a conference road game in the Crean era.“We helped each other out tremendously tonight,” Watford said. “That’s the main thing.”IU also limited Minnesota to 31 percent (18-of-58) shooting from the floor and forced 16 Gopher turnovers. Minnesota guard Austin Hollins, who had 18 points in the Gophers win in Bloomington, had 14 points Sunday. But this time, Hollins was the only Gopher to finish in double figures.Despite IU’s defensive prowess, the Gophers were able to knock down a couple early 3-pointers to get out to a 6-0 lead. IU junior guard Jordan Hulls said IU didn’t panic with the early deficit.“We didn’t want it to happen to start off the game that way, but it’s a long game. We knew that coming in,” Hulls said. “We just needed to clamp down and get stops in a row, and that’s what we were able to do.”On the other side of the ball, IU displayed a balanced offensive attack. Juniors Jordan Hulls and Christian Watford, along with sophomore guard Victor Oladipo, led IU in scoring with 12 points apiece. The 12-point effort from Hulls came after averaging two points during his past three games.“I was just being a lot more aggressive today,” Hulls said. “That just came from the confidence my teammates gave in me to shoot the ball when I was open, to create and just be more aggressive. That’s all it really was.”Senior guard Verdell Jones III, who was the fourth Hoosier in double figures with 11 points, had his highest offensive output since IU’s 103-89 win against Iowa on Jan. 29.“We did a great job of sharing the basketball, and it led to a lot of us getting into double figures today,” Watford said. IU also found offense at the charity stripe, where IU was 84 percent (21-of-25). It’s an area Crean said IU needs to have to win in the Big Ten.“We have to get to the foul line,” Crean said. “There’s no way around that.”The 19-point win came despite only seven points from IU’s leading scorer, freshman forward Cody Zeller, who was plagued by foul trouble throughout the second half. But IU didn’t need Zeller’s offense in the second half. After a 37-26 halftime lead, IU did not let the lead get into single digits the rest of the way. Hulls said avenging the first loss fueled IU’s first win at “The Barn” in four years.”We definitely had that in the back of our minds, that we didn’t want to strike out both times,” Hulls said. “It was a big one for us today.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“The Barn” has not been kind to the IU men’s basketball team during the Tom Crean era.Since Crean took the helm in 2008, the Hoosiers are 0-3 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. No. 23/24 IU (21-7, 8-7) will look to end that skid when it takes on the Minnesota Golden Gophers (17-11, 5-10) at 1 p.m. Sunday.The Hoosiers have lost by an average of 12 points in their three defeats in Minneapolis. At Minnesota, IU has also shot just 37 percent during those games.The struggles for IU have come despite the Gophers being just 6-10 against Big Ten foes at home during the last two seasons. But for whatever reason, IU has yet to get over that hump.While IU is looking to snap its three-game Minnesota losing streak, the Golden Gophers have already snapped the Hoosiers’ unblemished home record in the first meeting. Minnesota came into Assembly Hall and stunned the then-No.7 Hoosiers with a 77-74 win. The loss was IU’s first and only loss on Branch McCracken Court this season. Not only did it snap IU’s three-game Big Ten winning streak, it also gave Minnesota its first conference win of the season.The Golden Gophers were led by a career-high 18 points from sophomore guard Austin Hollins. IU suffered the loss despite a 23-point output from freshman forward Cody Zeller.Momentum could favor IU, considering Minnesota has dropped four games in a row, three of which were played at Williams Arena. Between IU’s losing streak at Minnesota and the Golden Gophers’ February slide, something has to give Sunday.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Tom Crean said Will Sheehey had been dealing with a groin injury. In addition, Sheehey was recovering from an ankle sprain that sidelined him for five games. If he was still hurting, he didn’t show it Wednesday.The sophomore forward filled the stat sheet with 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in No. 23/24 IU’s (21-7, 8-7) 75-56 win against North Carolina Central University at Assembly Hall.Despite flushing home a two-handed slam, Sheehey said it was obvious he wasn’t fully healthy.“I’m not 100 percent yet, and you can tell,” Sheehey said. “I tried jumping off one foot, and it was pretty ugly.”Sheehey started for just the third time all season and for the first time since the Feb. 1 loss at Michigan. In that game, Sheehey failed to register a point, rebound or assist. But he did manage to pick up three fouls and turned the ball over twice.Wednesday night was kinder to Sheehey.Though Sheehey entered the game earlier than his usual role of sixth man, he wasted little time getting started. The sophomore knocked down a pull-up midrange jumper two minutes into the game.Sheehey said while making the first one is always nice, it didn’t affect his mindset.“It definitely does help if you see a couple go in,” he said. “But good shooters like (senior guard Matt) Roth, you can tell, if he misses three and he’s open for the fourth, it’s still going up.”But it wasn’t Sheehey’s shooting that concerned Crean. “I don’t look at the stat sheet and look to see that he scored,” Crean said. “Is he impacting the game in a lot of different ways?”That’s exactly what Sheehey did and early. The forward went into the half with eight points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Crean said Sheehey’s defensive intensity matched his performance in IU’s 78-66 loss at Iowa on Sunday.“Will Sheehey was tremendous again defensively,” Crean said. “He gave us a big lift in the second half at Iowa. He carried that right with us tonight.”Sheehey spent most of his time in the second half pitted against Kansas State-transfer Dominique Sutton. Crean said Sheehey was causing havoc no matter who he guarded Wednesday night.“Will’s another one,” Crean said. “You don’t want to deal with him. You don’t want to bring the ball up against him, you don’t want to post up, you don’t want to be in a trap when he’s in it. Will’s got an edge.”The performance came a night in which junior forward Christian Watford failed to score a point for the first time in his IU career. Sheehey took on an increased scoring load with the struggles of Watford.It was the first time Sheehey registered double-digit points since a 103-89 win against Iowa on Jan. 29. Sheehey’s six made buckets were his most since Nov. 21, 2011, against Gardner Webb.But Crean said his focus is still on what Sheehey’s defensive skills, especially on an all-around performance like he had tonight.“When he’s taking good shots, when it’s in the flow, when he’s driving the ball, good things are going to happen there,” Crean said. “But I’m way more interested in his overall game, which starts on the defensive end with the rebounding and the deflections.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In a rare February non-conference game, the IU men’s basketball team didn’t have any letdowns.No. 23/24 IU (21-7, 8-7) cruised to a 75-56 win against North Carolina Central on Wednesday night at Assembly Hall.The Hoosiers were led by freshman forward Cody Zeller, who poured in 17 points in 6-of-9 shooting. Not far behind Zeller was sophomore guard Victor Oladipo and forward Will Sheehey, who chipped in 16 and 12, respectively.Sheehey started in place of junior forward Derek Elston, marking his first start since IU lost 68-56 at Michigan on Feb. 1. Sheehey made the most of the opportunity and filled the statsheet with seven rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block.The sophomore led an IU attack on the boards. The Hoosiers out-rebounded North Carolina Central 35-15, including 15-3 on the offensive glass.Junior forward Christian Watford failed to make a basket for the second game in a row, the first time he has gone on such a stretch in his career.Leading the way for the Eagles was Kansas State-transfer Dominique Sutton with 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s basketball team scored 103 points against Iowa three weeks ago, which was the most it had scored in a Big Ten game since 1995.On Sunday, it was a different story.The No. 18/20 Hoosiers (20-7, 8-7) couldn’t muster the same offensive effort and lost 78-66 to Iowa (14-13, 6-8) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.“It’s pretty disappointing,” IU junior guard Jordan Hulls said. “We did not play the way we needed to play and give credit to Iowa. They came in and played a lot harder than we did. They out-rebounded us and outdid us in pretty much everything.”Hulls, along with a couple of IU’s usual scoring suspects, struggled to get into a rhythm offensively. Hulls, senior guard Verdell Jones III and junior forward Christian Watford combined for three points.“We just didn’t get enough good basketball from enough guys,” Crean said. “When you go on the road, it’s different than at home. You can withstand a couple guys not playing as well at home. But on the road, no, you’re not going to do that.”The loss continued IU’s conference woes away from Assembly Hall, dropping the Hoosiers’ Big Ten road record to 2-6.“It’s tough, but there are going to be nights like that, especially on the road,” IU sophomore guard Victor Oladipo said. “We’ve got to figure out a way to get stops. Life isn’t perfect and neither is basketball. Some days, you’re not going to be able to hit all the shots you want to, and today we weren’t hitting a lot of shots.”Despite getting off to an early 8-4 lead, IU squandered the advantage by turning the ball over five times in the first four minutes. Watford said IU didn’t do a good enough job handling the Hawkeyes’ defensive pressure.“We weren’t strong with the ball,” Watford said. “That’s basically all it boils down to.”After the Hoosiers lost their early lead, they were never able to answer. IU failed to narrow the double-digit deficit to single digits in the second half. Crean said the lack of offensive rhythm forced him to rotate guys sooner than he would have liked.“We made a good run in the second half and cut it to 10. We were playing in shifts and quick segments to try and get back into the game,” Crean said. “I’d like to have a couple substitutions back, basically.”But IU fell victim to the hot shooting of Iowa senior guard Matt Gatens, who led all scorers with a career-high 30 points and hit five 3-pointers in the final 7:17 of the game.“When we cut it to 10, we felt like we were still right there in the game, and we felt like we could continue to pressure them,” Crean said. “Then when (Gatens) hit those shots, we couldn’t overcome it.”At night’s end, four IU players finished with double-digit points. But Crean said nobody was able to establish an offensive rhythm to form any sort of run.“We didn’t have great flow because there were a couple guys that it just wasn’t their day,” Crean said. “To be on the court for an extended period of time, they just weren’t playing well.”The loss snapped IU’s three-game winning streak and marked the fourth time the Hoosiers fell in Iowa City.In order to get ready for a non-conference showdown with North Carolina Central on Wednesday night, Crean said IU needs to come out more aggressive than it did Sunday.“It started with our lack of ability on the glass and our lack of attacking the pressure the way that we needed to,” Crean said. “That’s where we’ve got to improve as we get ready for the next game.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s basketball team scored 103 points when it faced Iowa on Jan. 29.The 103-point outburst was the most points scored by IU in a Big Ten game since 1995. No Big Ten team has scored that many points in conference play since Michigan State scored 103 on March 2, 2008.But all IU Coach Tom Crean wanted to talk about was that his team allowed a season-worst 89 points in the first meeting with Iowa this season. Crean said it will be the main area of concern when they square off at 6 p.m. Sunday in Iowa City, Iowa.“We know when we get to Iowa, we’ve got to be way better defensively,” Crean said. “That’s the bottom line.”Lost in the shuffle of No. 18/20 IU’s (20-6, 8-6) 14-point win was Iowa’s (13-13, 5-8) 79-percent shooting (19-of-24) in the second half. Iowa freshman guard Josh Ogelsby, who is averaging six points per game, went off for a career-high 24 points.It was a trend Crean said IU cannot afford to repeat Sunday.“We allowed them to shoot too high a percentage,” he said. “There were times when they really earned shots, especially Ogelsby when he had people in his face. “There were also times we let their team get way too comfortable in the game, whether it be in the post or on the perimeter.”Since that first meeting, IU has improved defensively. The Hoosiers have allowed an average of 66.5 points in the 3-1 stretch since the Iowa game.To continue that trend, Crean said IU needs to come out with that same defensive intensity.“We’ve got to make sure we understand that our defensive mindset, our defensive energy and, most importantly, starting that defensive transition have got to be really, really high in that game,” Crean said.IU has scored at least 71 points in all of its Big Ten wins this season. Crean said that just because IU will likely push the tempo doesn’t mean it wants to let Iowa do the same.“I’m sure it’ll be a fast-paced game, but we can’t be in a situation where we go on the road and try to trade baskets with a high-powered team like Iowa,” Crean said.IU has 20 wins for the first time with Crean. The team is riding its second three-game conference win streak this year, but is also 0-3 at Hawkeye Carver Arena in the Crean era. For IU to get over that hump, Crean said it all comes back to the defense.“We want to build on this, especially on the road to a team you allowed to shoot 80 percent even though you got the win,” Crean said. “We’ve got to have a great defensive mindset on Sunday in Iowa.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Verdell Jones III had a message for his haters Wednesday night.The senior captain scored six of IU’s (20-6, 8-6) last eight points after missing two games with a shoulder injury to help cement the Hoosiers’ 71-66 win against Northwestern (15-10, 5-8) on Wednesday at Assembly Hall.Jones, who has been booed by the IU student section, said all those comments did was provide the fuel to his fire.“I’ve been doubted and hated on ever since I was a little kid,” Jones said. “It motivated me to go beyond what people expect. People say I’m too skinny to play big D-1 basketball. I’m proving them wrong. People say I can’t go a game without a turnover. Well, that’s two games now I’ve proved them wrong. Everything I hear with boos and all that, it motivates me to a level you don’t even understand.”Jones, who played for the first time since IU’s 68-56 loss Feb. 1 at Michigan filled the stat sheet with six points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.IU Coach Tom Crean said while Jones’ offensive performance was important, his success was triggered by his defense.“As impressive as his scoring was, the eight deflections for us were even more impressive,” Crean said. “He did really good things defensively in a really tightly contested game.”However, Jones did not get off to the start he wanted. The senior guard was scoreless after a first half in which he admitted he felt invisible.“In the first half, I was just another guy out there,” Jones said. “I didn’t give the team anything.”With the injury on his shooting shoulder, Jones said he passed up some looks he’d normally take.“I felt like in the first half, I was just too passive,” Jones said. “I think I was a little nervous. But in the second half, I definitely wanted to be more assertive.”That assertiveness kicked in during the final minutes. With the Hoosiers knotted at 63-63, the senior caught fire.With the shot clock winding down, Jones hit his trademark mid-range jumper to give IU the lead. Jones showed off his assertiveness a minute later with a driving layup to give IU the two-possession lead.With IU clinging to a four-point lead in the final 31 seconds, Jones provided the dagger. The deep two-point shot closed a second-half performance that Jones said helped get his legs back under him.“In the first half, I was a little fatigued,” Jones said. “But to get in a little groove at the end of the game really gives me some confidence moving forward.”In a night during which IU junior guard Jordan Hulls didn’t score a point, Jones provided the offense down the stretch. Though Jones applied the offensive pressure, he finished without a turnover, which he said is another silencer to his critics.“Hearing in the papers every day about how bad of turnovers I had, it definitely motivated me to keep going,” Jones said.The highly debated senior guard provided IU with what it needed to squeak out the five-point win. IU sophomore guard Victor Oladipo said Jones’ performance was a special one to witness.“He’s been through a lot,” Oladipo said. “He’s probably the one person in this program that’s been through the most. He’s had his share of ups and downs. It’s sad when he gets hurt and he’s down and you know he wants to play. To see him come in and blossom like he did was a blessing.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s basketball team squeaked out a 71-66 victory against Northwestern on Wednesday night at Assembly Hall.The Hoosiers were led by freshman forward Cody Zeller, who had 23 points and seven rebounds.Northwestern senior forward John Shurna scored from everywhere on the floor and led all scorers with 29 points.IU went the entire first half without a 3-pointer and finished the game with just two on 15 percent shooting from beyond the arc. While IU still shot 49 percent from the floor, Northwestern outshot the Hoosiers with 49 percent (27-of-55) to keep it close.In his first game in two weeks, IU senior guard Verdell Jones filled the stat sheet. Coming in off the bench, Jones had six points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals.The performance came on a night in which junior guard Jordan Hulls failed to score for the second time in his IU career.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When the IU men’s basketball team takes on Northwestern at 6:30 p.m. today at Assembly Hall, it will be squaring off with the Big Ten’s top-scoring duo. Northwestern forwards John Shurna and Drew Crawford are averaging 19.9 and 16.8 points per game, respectively. Here’s a look at how much of Northwestern’s offense revolves around the duo.Percentage of total points: 51 percentPercentage of total points in conference play: 53 percentPercentage of team’s shot attempts: 51 percentPercentage of team’s free-throw attempts: 43 percentPercentage of team’s three-point attempts: 46 percentPercentage of games with one in double figures: 100 percentPercentage of games with both in double figures: 88 percentPercentage of games with one as leading scorer: 88 percentPercentage of total assists: 29 percentPercentage of total rebounds: 34 percent
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There was no need for a postgame celebration in the south Assembly Hall lobby this time.The Hoosiers, who came in as the favorite against the Illini this year, did more than hold up their end of the bargain.IU kept its foot on the gas and cruised to an 84-71 victory against Illinois on Thursday night at Assembly Hall.“We knew we were playing against a really good team, in my mind an NCAA Tournament team and a team that was going to be desperate to come in here and get a win,” IU Coach Crean said. “Our guys responded to that.”On a night during which IU had no problems putting points on the board, the Hoosiers were led by a 22-point performance from freshman forward Cody Zeller.Also pacing IU was sophomore guard Victor Oladipo, who poured in 18 of his own after a career-high 23 points in a 78-61 win at Purdue on Feb. 4. Junior forward Christian Watford also finished with 18 points, but his performance came off his first career game without a field goal.“It was big for me,” Watford said. “My teammates did a great job of keeping me confident throughout the slump I went through, and they did a great job of finding me tonight.”The Hoosiers set the tone early and shot out to a 13-6 lead early. But Illinois responded with a run of its own, fueled by sophomore center Meyers Leonard.A back-and-forth first half saw IU with a 38-36 lead, yet Leonard was still dictating the offensive tempo with 15 first-half points.“Our team defense wasn’t good enough in the first half against Meyers Leonard,” Crean said.The Illini’s leading scorer, junior guard Brandon Paul, went into halftime with two points, shooting 20 percent (1-of-5). Paul was stymied by the defensive pressure of Oladipo and picked up two fouls, limiting his minutes in the first half.“Vic was just all over him, trying not to let him sniff the ball,” junior guard Jordan Hulls said. “He did a really good job, and that’s what we need to do. His defensive intensity is huge for us. That creates a lot of offense for us as well.”The second half repeated the back-and-forth tempo of the first half, with the Hoosiers and Illini trading baskets in the early going.But a 3-pointer from Hulls before the under-16 timeout gave IU a lead, and it would not look back.While IU finished with four scorers with at least 15 points for the first time this season, Crean chocked up the Hoosiers’ ability to pull away to defense.“Our defense got a lot better as the game went on,” Crean said. “That’s the whole key.”Though IU scored the most points against the Illini it ever has in the Crean era, the game slowed down with the fouls being called. IU went to the line a season-high 42 times, 26 of which were in the second half.“That’s big for us,” Hulls said. “We definitely need to get to the free-throw line.”Illinois came in having played in eight straight games of five points or less, but the Hoosiers ended that streak by making free throws down the stretch.This year’s 13-point win was different than last year’s 3-point squeaker. Hulls said keeping their foot on the gas in a game like this was critical moving forward.“We’ve done it before, but this was a big game at home,” Hulls said. “We knew we needed this win, and we were able to dig down deep and get it. It was pretty important for us.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the first time in more than a month, the IU basketball team is back on a winning streak.Led by four players with at least 15 points, the No. 23 Indiana Hoosiers (19-6, 7-6) beat Illinois (16-8, 5-6) 84-71 at Assembly Hall.Freshman Cody Zeller had 22 points while going up against NBA prospect and 7-foot-1 Illinois center Meyers Leonard.Sophomore guard Victor Oladipo (18), Junior forward Christian Watford (18), and junior guard Jordan Hulls (15) were the other Hoosiers in double figures.IU broke open a 38-36 halftime lead with a 60 percent shooting performance in the second half.The Hoosiers will have the weekend off before welcoming Northwestern to Assembly Hall on Tuesday.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Tom Crean rushed into the South Assembly Hall lobby and had a postgame pep rally. The 52-49 win against No. 21 Illinois on Jan. 27, 2011, was IU’s first victory against a ranked team in the Crean era.It’s safe to say Crean won’t be having any pep rallies this year — win or lose.This time, the No. 23 Hoosiers (18-6, 6-6) come into tonight’s showdown against Illinois (16-7, 5-5) at Assembly Hall as the favorites.With IU riding the momentum of a 78-61 win at Purdue on Saturday, Crean said he expects Illinois to come in with the same mindset his squad displayed.“We played desperate the other night, and we have every reason to believe that Illinois will play the same way,” Crean said.The Fighting Illini come in as losers of four of their last five games — most recently a 74-70 loss at home to Northwestern. At this time a month ago, the Illini were atop the Big Ten at 4-1 after beating then-No. 5 Ohio State 79-74 in Champaign, Ill.Illinois guard Brandon Paul put up a career-high 43 points in the upset win. IU junior guard Jordan Hulls said the Hoosiers cannot afford to let Paul heat up like he did against Ohio State.“Once he gets his confidence up, he can hit really tough shots,” Hulls said. “You don’t want a guy to get going that’s as good as he is.”IU sophomore guard Victor Oladipo said he thinks he’ll be the one faced with the task of shutting down Paul.Oladipo, who is coming off a career-high 23 points against Purdue, said Paul operates similarly to past counterparts Nebraska’s Bo Spencer and Penn State’s Tim Frazier.“He needs the ball in his hands to be successful,” Oladipo said about Paul. “He’s going to have the ball in hands just like they all did. It’s just another challenge for me.”When Paul doesn’t have the ball in his hands, he’ll likely be looking to get it to center Meyers Leonard. The seven-footer went from averaging 2.1 points and 1.2 rebounds per game as a freshman to 13.3 points and eight rebounds as a sophomore.“He’s huge. He’s a big guy,” Hulls said. “He can hit a little jump hook. He can step out and hit some mid-range.”Oladipo said Leonard reminds him of one of his teammates.“Cody Zeller,” Oladipo said. “He’s a different type of breed. There’s not a lot of seven-footers that are agile and can run and jump like Cody and Meyers.”When Zeller was still in high school, Leonard didn’t register a point, and Paul came off the bench when these teams played in Bloomington last year. Crean said while both Leonard and Paul have spiked roles this season, IU will be in trouble if it focuses strictly on the duo.“There’s a tremendous amount of focus that has to go into a player like (Paul),” Crean said. “But when you look at Illinois, if you determine that you’re going to focus on one or two guys, you’re probably going to lose the game because they have numerous other people that can make plays.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Purdue forward Robbie Hummel said the Boilermakers scouting report would allow Remy Abell to shoot the 3-pointer.The IU freshman guard who averaged 3.2 points per game had never played in Mackey Arena. He had only hit five 3-pointers in his entire IU career. He hadn’t even attempted a 3-pointer in the game.But with IU clinging to a six-point lead with 1:32 to go, IU junior forward Christian Watford found a wide-open Abell in the corner. Abell provided the dagger.Abell’s 3-pointer closed the door on IU’s 78-61 win Saturday night, marking the Hoosiers’ first victory at Mackey Arena since 2006. “Oh, that’s pretty huge,” IU sophomore guard Victor Oladipo said. “That’s a big shot for Remy. Remy’s really good. He’s growing. A lot of people might not see that, but we see it in practice every day. He’s just growing every day, and he’s becoming a great player.”In addition to knocking down the 3-pointer to seal the deal, Abell posted a career-high 13 points. The performance came in the absence of senior guard Verdell Jones III, who was out with a shoulder injury.“It feels great,” Abell said. “With Verdell being out, I knew I just had to come in and step up.”Jones went down at the end of the first half in IU’s 68-56 loss at Michigan on Wednesday. In that game as well, Abell played significant minutes down the stretch. IU Coach Tom Crean said Saturday’s performance was a carryover from the Michigan game.“Remy Abell built on what he did the other night against Michigan,” Crean said. “He was very, very valuable for us in that game in the comeback. What he’s learning to do is not only play the game to the talent level he has but to continue to understand the way the game has to be played. I thought he did some really good things.”Though Abell did not start the game in Jones’ place, it didn’t matter in the second half. Abell came in off the bench and scored by attacking the basket on a night in which IU only made three 3-pointers.When Crean substituted players in and out throughout the second half, Abell was hardly one of them. He played a 7:28 stretch in the second half, the longest of his career.He kept looking to the bench, but Crean showed confidence in the freshman guard, which Abell said went a long way.“That felt great,” Abell said. “Sometimes, I might get taken out a little early. But tonight I had to step up. I had to take a deep breath, keep moving forward and keep grinding.”Shooting 83 percent (5-of-6) from the field, Abell jolted an IU offensive attack that put up 45 points in the second half. But Crean said Abell’s night was about more than just scoring.“There are a lot of things that go into being a point-guard type player, and it’s even that much more when you’re a freshman,” Crean said. “Again, you have to understand how you play, but you have to understand what everybody else needs, and you’ve got to play on both ends. He did that.”On a night in which Jones was on the shelf, Watford shot 0-for-7 from the floor and IU junior guard Jordan Hulls didn’t make a 3-pointer, it was a freshman not named Zeller who made buckets down the stretch.“There’s no question he’s going to be a big part of the rest of our season because his improvement level has continued to rise,” Crean said. “His confidence level is now being rewarded for that because of the way he’s improved.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Tom Crean was not happy with the way his team started off Wednesday night’s game.“Our starting lineup was a joke,” Crean said. “That’s why we didn’t play that lineup much longer after the initial start of the game.”Despite that start, IU still had a chance to finish.But after nearly erasing a 20-point first-half deficit, the IU men’s basketball team came up short in its comeback attempt and fell 68-56 against No. 23 Michigan at the Crisler Arena.“We dug ourselves a hole there in the beginning of the game,” IU freshman forward Cody Zeller said. “We really can’t do that if we want to win, especially on the road. We did a nice job coming back, but it wasn’t enough. We can’t start like that.”The Hoosiers (17-6, 5-6) trailed 10-0 at the first media timeout, with eight of those points coming from Michigan (17-6, 7-3) guard Trey Burke.Crean said his team didn’t come out ready to play on the road.“At the start of the game, we allowed a very good team to play like a great team because our players came out playing like they had seen a ghost,” Crean said. The deficit ballooned to as much as 20 points just less than 13 minutes into the game. But IU was able to shake the cobwebs off of its early start.During the next 14 minutes and 19 seconds, the Hoosiers responded with a run of their own. With junior guard Jordan Hulls fueling the offensive attack, IU outscored Michigan 28-10 to narrow the deficit to two.Crean said IU’s defensive prowess triggered the comeback.“The bottom line was, we knew we were going to be in a position to come back if we could just settle in,” Crean said. “It wasn’t the offense as much as it was the defense.”But IU could not get over the hump.All three times that IU trimmed it to a one-possession game, the Wolverines answered. Hulls said IU just ran out of gas.“It’s frustrating,” Hulls said. “It’s a lot of work coming back from 20-down. You just can’t do that.”IU is no stranger to falling short after a comeback attempt at the Crisler Arena. This past season, IU trailed by 22 with just more than five minutes to go and pulled within three of the Wolverines but couldn’t complete the comeback attempt.Like this past season, IU has continued to struggle on the road. The Hoosiers are now 1-5 on the road in conference play.Zeller said IU is searching for the remedy to cure the road woes.“I guess everyone’s wondering that,” Zeller said. “It’s finding that mentality, not worrying about the crowd. It’s something we’ve got to get corrected.”Crean said the road problems stem from starts like they had against Michigan.“We need more leadership at the start of the game when we go on the road,” Crean said.Whatever IU’s problem on the road is, they won’t have much time to figure it out. The Hoosiers will look to snap their four-game Big Ten road losing streak at Purdue on Saturday night.IU could also be doing so without senior guard Verdell Jones III, who went down with a bruised shoulder at the end of the first half and is day-to-day.Crean said IU cannot afford to rely on another comeback attempt.“When you’re playing against a team like Michigan that’s as good as they are, you can’t spot them that kind of lead,” Crean said. “You have to play extremely well to come all the way back. Even though we were close, it wasn’t enough.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It hasn’t been pretty for the IU men’s basketball team early.The Hoosiers trail the Wolverines 33-22 at halftime at the Crisler Center.IU has struggled to shoot the ball in the early going and is 41 percent (9-of-22) from the floor. Michigan on the other hand, shot 52 percent (13-of-25) including 43 percent from three-point range (6-of-14).The Wolverines were led by freshman point guard Trey Burke, who had eight of his 10 points before the first media timeout.IU has also been led by its point guard, junior Jordan Hulls, who leads the Hoosiers with eight points.After posting a career-high 26 points in a 103-89 win against Iowa at Assembly Hall, Zeller had just four points in the first half.In the final seconds of the half, senior guard Verdell Jones III went to the bench holding his shoulder. His status has yet to be determined.