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(01/14/10 5:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Earlier in the season, IU coach Tom Crean was asked whether he had too many guards in the 2008-09 men’s basketball lineup.Once a luxury for his transition-heavy game plan, injuries to freshman Maurice Creek and sophomore Matt Roth have thinned out the backcourt and have shifted IU’s offensive focus.After losing its best scorer and outside shooter to injury, IU (7-8, 1-2) is placing more stake in making the smart play going into its 9 p.m. contest against Michigan. Where Crean once emphasized pushing the ball up the court and getting quick shots, he’s now making sure his team manages possessions and gets open looks.“There’s no question that as a coach I sense a lack of depth in the backcourt,” Crean said. “Certainly, when you take Maurice (Creek) and Matt (Roth) out with what they bring. But, at the same time, our ability to make decisions and having decision-makers come off the bench, we can’t have a problem there.”For the first time since Creek’s injury, Crean acknowledged IU missed his quick release and ability to create his own shot after a 79-54 loss to Ohio State. At that point, IU had already faced and defeated Michigan 71-65 in a Dec. 31 contest. What kept IU together in that game was its frugal ball handling.The Hoosiers totaled only nine turnovers in their last game against Michigan. Because of that performance, they have the opportunity to register the first Big Ten sweep of a team under Crean.“We’ve got to have more of a self-discipline now with some of these decisions we’re making with the basketball,” Crean said.Roth was lost to injury only two games into the season, and Creek had begun to blossom until he was sidelined by a season-ending knee injury in a Dec. 28 contest IU won 90-52.He averaged 16.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists, and he is still tied for total points with sophomore guard and second-leading scorer Verdell Jones despite missing three games.In Creek’s absence, IU guards have improved most numbers – but that hasn’t necessarily meant better play. The two conference games IU lost saw junior guard Jeremiah Rivers tally 10 turnovers, and Jones wasn’t far off with eight of his own.Because of the unpredictable nature of college basketball, Crean said his team has to bring players to the floor that will make unclouded decisions and minimize mistakes.“Shooting, you never know where that’s going to be,” Crean said. “You never know where foul trouble’s going to be, you never know if you’re going to make shots, if you’re going to make 3s, but you have to be able to make decisions.”Senior Devan Dumes and freshman Jordan Hulls have each taken on some of the load and improved their numbers in the past three games.Jones said Dumes’ confidence and persistence on the court is going to help an IU backcourt that is down two players who made significant contributions.“He’s feisty. He’s strong,” he said. “He does whatever it takes to win – getting defensive stops, his offense is starting to come back, and he’s going to mean a lot to this team in the future.”Hulls had a first-half performance reminiscent of Creek, in which he scored 11 of IU’s first 15 points against Illinois. But the guard said he was still feeling his way out in a physical league after IU’s 66-60 loss.“It’s way more physical in the Big Ten,” he said. “Even in the games before this, it was way more physical than high school ever was. And that’s why we get in the weight room. That’s why we lift.”Hulls will not be the only player in need of some strength and sensibility when handling the ball, Crean said.“There’s not a guy on our team that doesn’t need to get better at making decisions with the basketball,” he said.
(01/11/10 6:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU coach Tom Crean said there were two teams fighting after IU played Illinois to a 66-60 loss Saturday night.He meant this figuratively, of course, but the amount of fouls on the stat sheet suggest there was also a physical fight in the Big Ten contest.Five Hoosiers had four fouls in the game, and IU recorded 28 personal fouls. Illinois took 39 free throws, while IU attempted only 18. And the Illini charted 27 points from the line, nearly half of their 66 total points.After a first half which ended with a 41-28 Hoosiers lead, constant fouls broke IU’s offensive rhythm and stopped the clock to allow Illinois time for a comeback. IU scored eight second-half field goals on 28 percent shooting and couldn’t put away a team it led by as many as 15 in the first half.“Our guys have got to learn that even when the foul situation is the way it is and when the bonus situation is the way it is, we can’t go back on our heels,” Crean said. “That’s so hard for a young team to understand.”Illinois coach Bruce Weber’s club was also more proficient than the Hoosiers from the free-throw line. IU posted 55 percent shooting from the stripe, and freshman forward Christian Watford missed a free throw that could have tied the game at the 1:05 mark of the second half.IU averages about 20 fouls per game for the season but was recently challenged to be more aggressive after a flat effort against Ohio State led to a 79-54 loss.As is always the case with these Hoosiers, experience might have also played a part in the contest. IU’s opponents average more fouls at 21 per game, so it hasn’t played against a team shooting bonus foul shots as early as Illinois was.Established teams can get the better half of foul calls, but they can also be craftier. Many of IU’s fouls were either blatant push calls or clear reaches for the ball.“I’m not going to teach grabbing and holding and all that stuff,” Crean said. “We use tennis balls when we do a lot of our defensive drills. I’m not going to stop doing that because we don’t have a margin for error to commit those fouls.”Fouls helped the Illini narrow the gap between the two teams near the second half’s eight-minute mark. The Hoosiers had a 57-50 lead before the 7-foot-1 Illinois center Mike Tisdale scored 6 of his 27 points in a 7-0 run.Tisdale sunk four free throws in that stint, guard Bill Cole added one from the charity stripe, and Tisdale flushed a two-handed dunk to tie the game.The big man was 13-of-14 from the free-throw line and racked up fouls on the IU front court. Freshman forward Bobby Capobianco and sophomore forward Tom Pritchard each had four fouls by game’s end.Weber said his team came to Bloomington with the intent of capitalizing on its size in the post.“They got us to the free-throw line; got them in foul trouble,” Weber said. “It stopped the clock, allowed us to score without the clock moving and it was important but that was part of our strategy. ‘Hey, we have an advantage. Go in to Tisdale.’”Fouls weren’t limited to defenders in the painted area, thanks largely to Illinois guard Demetri McCamey. He went 11-of-16 from the stripe in scoring 19 points and tallying 9 assists. IU had no player take more than five free throws.“We played with our hands too much, and they killed us on the free-throw line,” Hulls said. “That’s really what won the game for them, I think. They got to the free-throw line way more times than we did, and that killed us.”
(01/11/10 4:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU coach Tom Crean said there were two teams fighting after IU played Illinois to a 66-60 loss Saturday night.He meant this figuratively, of course, but the amount of fouls on the stat sheet suggest there was also a physical fight in the Big Ten contest.Five Hoosiers had four fouls in the game, and IU recorded 28 personal fouls. Illinois took 39 free throws, while IU attempted only 18. And the Illini charted 27 points from the line, nearly half of their 66 total points.After a first half which ended with a 41-28 Hoosiers lead, constant fouls broke IU’s offensive rhythm and stopped the clock to allow Illinois time for a comeback. IU scored eight second-half field goals on 28 percent shooting and couldn’t put away a team it led by as many as 15 in the first half.“Our guys have got to learn that even when the foul situation is the way it is and when the bonus situation is the way it is, we can’t go back on our heels,” Crean said. “That’s so hard for a young team to understand.”Illinois coach Bruce Weber’s club was also more proficient than the Hoosiers from the free-throw line. IU posted 55 percent shooting from the stripe, and freshman forward Christian Watford missed a free throw that could have tied the game at the 1:05 mark of the second half.IU averages about 20 fouls per game for the season but was recently challenged to be more aggressive after a flat effort against Ohio State led to a 79-54 loss.As is always the case with these Hoosiers, experience might have also played a part in the contest. IU’s opponents average more fouls at 21 per game, so it hasn’t played against a team shooting bonus foul shots as early as Illinois was.Established teams can get the better half of foul calls, but they can also be craftier. Many of IU’s fouls were either blatant push calls or clear reaches for the ball.“I’m not going to teach grabbing and holding and all that stuff,” Crean said. “We use tennis balls when we do a lot of our defensive drills. I’m not going to stop doing that because we don’t have a margin for error to commit those fouls.”Fouls helped the Illini narrow the gap between the two teams near the second half’s eight-minute mark. The Hoosiers had a 57-50 lead before the 7-foot-1 Illinois center Mike Tisdale scored 6 of his 27 points in a 7-0 run.Tisdale sunk four free throws in that stint, guard Bill Cole added one from the charity stripe, and Tisdale flushed a two-handed dunk to tie the game.The big man was 13-of-14 from the free-throw line and racked up fouls on the IU front court. Freshman forward Bobby Capobianco and sophomore forward Tom Pritchard each had four fouls by game’s end.Weber said his team came to Bloomington with the intent of capitalizing on its size in the post.“They got us to the free-throw line; got them in foul trouble,” Weber said. “It stopped the clock, allowed us to score without the clock moving and it was important but that was part of our strategy. ‘Hey, we have an advantage. Go in to Tisdale.’”Fouls weren’t limited to defenders in the painted area, thanks largely to Illinois guard Demetri McCamey. He went 11-of-16 from the stripe in scoring 19 points and tallying 9 assists. IU had no player take more than five free throws.“We played with our hands too much, and they killed us on the free-throw line,” Hulls said. “That’s really what won the game for them, I think. They got to the free-throw line way more times than we did, and that killed us.”
(01/10/10 12:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU coach Tom Crean turned toward the crowd and raised his hands like a maestro as the fans cheered on the Hoosiers who had a one point reminisce of what was once a large lead.It was about to get smaller.Illinois freshman guard D.J. Richardson came off a screen near the middle of the key and hit a 2-pointer that gave his Illini team a 61-60 lead at the 1:16 mark. Several failed free throws and field goal attempts later, IU had lost 66-60 to Illinois on its home floor.It didn’t always seem like the slow-starting Illini would challenge for a win.IU maintained a 41-28 lead at the end of the first half but bottomed out in the second half. The Illini crowned a night where they shot 27-of-39 from the free-throw line, as IU only went 10-of-18.“I guess we kept it close and that gave us a chance, but it didn’t look very good,” Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. “Sadly, we’ve been in this spot many times before this season. We’ve been down 23, 21 and other amounts.”After finishing 14-of-25 in the first half, the Hoosiers would go on to chart a 28.6 percent shooting average in the second half, finishing at 22-of-53 shooting.“I thought that we did come out and we really competed inside of this game,” Crean said. “And they deserve credit because they made plays. They made more in the second half.”Freshman guard Jordan Hulls led the first-half charge with 12 points, but he wouldn’t score for the rest of the game and only managed to put up three shot attempts in the second half.Hulls’ points came largely from the 3-point line, where he started perfect but finished 3-of-6. His team, which had gone 5-of-6, also saw some trouble from outside the arc. The Hoosiers shot 35 percent from the 3-point line on 17 attempts.“We had some open possessions,” Hulls said. “And we fouled a whole lot. They got to the free-throw line; that killed out momentum.”Crean has said on multiple occasions that leadership is not developed in practice, but at the end of a close game.When the Hoosiers led near the final minutes against the Illini, there was no IU player to take the reins.After IU held a 60-59 lead at the 2:18 mark, IU didn’t tally a bucket. But the Hoosiers had a missed free throw from freshman forward Christian Watford, a forced reverse layup by junior guard Jeremiah Rivers and Hulls and sophomore guard Verdell Jones missed 3-pointers. Weber was even left guessing how his team pulled out a game that featured only one lead change and saw his team trail by as many as 15.“I don’t know if it was us doing a better job or they maybe lost their legs a little bit,” he said, “but we kept our poise and just kept chipping away.”Illinois guard Demetri McCamey played a large part in IU’s inability to force the Illini into mistakes, as they surged back into the game. The bulldozing guard lowered his shoulder and steamrolled for 19 points and 9 assists.Many of McCamey’s assists where thrown toward Illinois center Mike Tisdale, who finished the game with 27 points and 9 rebounds. The big man was also 13-of-14 from the free-throw line.The Hoosiers were led in scoring by Jones’ 13 points. Hulls (12), Watford (10) and senior guard Devan Dumes (10) were the only other IU players to score in double figures.Similar to many other occasions, Crean kept his eye on the program. Not keying in on the Illinois loss, he used what he called “perspective” when describing a game where his team ultimately faded in the second half.“I am encouraged,” he said. “I am not pleased, I am not happy. It’s not a moral victory, we fought. And every chance we get that, we have to build on that.”
(01/08/10 4:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After IU’s 79-54 loss against Ohio State, IU coach Tom Crean called it “a learning development.”Despite their flat play and passive offense, he disagreed with the thought that his team was in need of a wake-up call. Crean instead seemed ready to practice only moments after the game ended. “We don’t understand yet that the consistency of practice should lead to the consistency of game effort and energy,” he said. They passed through a blanket of snow to do so, but the Hoosiers have now been granted an opportunity to translate practice performances into game situations. Whether they have learned in the short turnaround will be on display at 8 p.m. Saturday against Illinois in Assembly Hall.The rival will fittingly come to Bloomington as IU’s tenacity and grit have been challenged by its coach. IU and Illinois had competed fiercely in years past, but the rivalry cooled after IU coach Kelvin Sampson left. Illinois handed IU a 76-45 road loss and beat the Hoosiers, 65-52, at home last season. Although they do not not present the problems Ohio State did athletically, the Illini suit up a balanced team with five players scoring in double digits.A preseason top-25 team, Illinois has faced troubles of its own and dropped out of the rankings early in the season. While Illinois has recovered and started the Big Ten season 2-0, IU will address a specific set of problems against the Illini.TurnoversAgainst Michigan, the Hoosiers had only 9 total turnovers. Wednesday night IU turned the ball over 24 times, and the Buckeyes produced 24 points from those mishaps. The Hoosiers had mistakes – like traveling and errant passes – Crean said IU wasn’t pressured into, adding that leadership comes into play there.IU is 1-1 in conference after its road opener, and Crean said not even a home atmosphere can save a team that makes the mistakes IU made Wednesday. Development of youthWith only two Big Ten games under its belt, IU is bound to incur some troubles. Crean’s players experienced only one conference win last season, and he said the lack of winning experience could hurt the Hoosiers at times.“We don’t have enough guys that have had success at this level and this pace to keep guys moving in the right direction,” Crean said. “And as much as I know it’s a process and it’s growing pangs and all that, I don’t like it.” Sophomore guard Daniel Moore said Wednesday’s game was one they saw themselves challenging for.“It was real disappointing,” he said. “We thought we could come out and compete and they got us from the start. It was a tough game, but we’ll bounce back Saturday – hopefully.”
(01/08/10 4:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After IU’s 79-54 loss against Ohio State, IU coach Tom Crean called it “a learning development.”Despite their flat play and passive offense, he disagreed with the thought that his team was in need of a wake-up call. Crean instead seemed ready to practice only moments after the game ended. “We don’t understand yet that the consistency of practice should lead to the consistency of game effort and energy,” he said.They passed through a blanket of snow to do so, but the Hoosiers have now been granted an opportunity to translate practice performances into game situations. Whether they have learned in the short turnaround will be on display at 8 p.m. Saturday against Illinois in Assembly Hall.The rival will fittingly come to Bloomington as IU’s tenacity and grit have been challenged by its coach.IU and Illinois had competed fiercely in years past, but the rivalry cooled after IU coach Kelvin Sampson left.Illinois handed IU a 76-45 road loss and beat the Hoosiers, 65-52, at home last season.Although they do not not present the problems Ohio State did athletically, the Illini suit up a balanced team with five players scoring in double digits.A preseason top-25 team, Illinois has faced troubles of its own and dropped out of the rankings early in the season. While Illinois has recovered and started the Big Ten season 2-0, IU will address a specific set of problems against the Illini.TurnoversAgainst Michigan, the Hoosiers had only 9 total turnovers. Wednesday night IU turned the ball over 24 times, and the Buckeyes produced 24 points from those mishaps.The Hoosiers had mistakes – like traveling and errant passes – Crean said IU wasn’t pressured into, adding that leadership comes into play there.IU is 1-1 in conference after its road opener, and Crean said not even a home atmosphere can save a team that makes the mistakes IU made Wednesday.Development of youthWith only two Big Ten games under its belt, IU is bound to incur some troubles.Crean’s players experienced only one conference win last season, and he said the lack of winning experience could hurt the Hoosiers at times.“We don’t have enough guys that have had success at this level and this pace to keep guys moving in the right direction,” Crean said. “And as much as I know it’s a process and it’s growing pangs and all that, I don’t like it.”Sophomore guard Daniel Moore said Wednesday’s game was one they saw themselves challenging for.“It was real disappointing,” he said. “We thought we could come out and compete and they got us from the start. It was a tough game, but we’ll bounce back Saturday – hopefully.”
(01/07/10 6:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>COLUMBUS, OHIO - Before heading to the bench, freshman guard Jordan Hulls grabbed the basketball and slammed it to the ground in frustration.It was that kind of night for IU. Even the mild-mannered Hulls displayed signs of disappointment on the court in his team’s 79-54 loss to Ohio State.The Hoosiers had shown little emotion beforehand, and Ohio State kept IU from scoring more than 8 points in the first 15 minutes. The Buckeyes not only had the upper hand on the scoreboard for the entire bout, but their mentality stifled IU in its first true road game.IU coach Tom Crean made up for the emotion missing from his team’s performance in his postgame press conference. Veering away from questions about Ohio State and its star guard Evan Turner, Crean was intent to take on what he said was his team’s lack of communication, togetherness and leadership.“We were not tough enough, first off,” Crean said. “We were not aggressive enough on either end of the court, and we played like a team in its first road game and that’s disappointing.”The team that had shown such promise against Michigan on Dec. 31 struggled against the Buckeyes. A poor shooting percentage, a high turnover total and a penchant for going around instead of at Ohio State defenders doomed IU.The injury of Ohio State guard Evan Turner had Ohio State sliding, but the team changed its fortunes against a Hoosier club that had been on the upswing before heading for the Interstate.After a string of contests at home and neutral sights, IU hadn't played a game this season in the hostile environment it encountered with the football-loving Buckeye fans.“I think, tonight, our intensity, we just kind of took it to another level,” Ohio State guard Jon Diebler said.“I think the key thing is we attacked instead of reacting,” Turner added.The Hoosiers faced a team that forced them to play tentative basketball. Instead of slashing, they careened around the perimeter. Their indecisiveness led to 18-of-53 shooting, which was accompanied by only four 3-pointers on 18 tries.Ohio State was 24-of-52 from the field and had 16 turnovers, not far off from IU’s 24. But the Buckeyes scored 12 points from IU’s missteps.Where the Buckeye’s had an obvious advantage was in the ultimate measure of aggressiveness - free-throw attempts. IU was 14-of-17 from the line, but Ohio State was 23-of-32.Crean said there was no way to ingrain the toughness necessary to win into his players.“You can’t bestow it on anybody,” he said. “I wish you could. We need to develop more of a nasty disposition.”Only two players scored in double digits for IU, and four players had more than 4 turnovers.IU was led by sophomore guard Verdell Jones, who scored 22 points on the night and shot 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. He was followed by freshman forward Christian Watford’s 11 points.Last season, IU’s first road game ended as an 83-58 loss to Wake Forest. This Ohio State loss brought back the fact that this team is somewhat green and lacking a sense of direction, but Crean said his patience for that is waning.“We did not have the fighting spirit that we practice with, that we had against Michigan, that we’re trying to develop,” he said. He said a team must be able to “grind it out and be very good physically and mentally on the defensive end and on the glass.”Crean also said his team has yet to find out who is supposed to deliver the leadership resulting in the team-wide atmosphere he described.“I think we just have to continue to develop it,” he said. “This is where we’re at. It’s a process that’s never going to go as fast as I would like it to go.”
(01/07/10 2:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There were plenty of questions surrounding the health of Ohio State guard Evan Turner, but they were all for naught. He wasn’t needed.Turner began the game with a one-handed dunk, but the score was one of the only 3 points he scored in nine minutes of play in a first half that ended 38-20.More intriguing were the road struggles of IU. They had 14 first half turnovers and shot 6-of-20 from the field.Ohio State was 11-of-23 for the half and shot 50 percent from 3 while the Hoosiers struggled to 2-of-8 from outside the arc.IU had shown promise against Michigan, but no Hoosier stood out against the Buckeyes. The leading scorer was freshman forward Christian Watford who had 8 points. He was followed by sophomore guard Verdell Jones with 6 points.
(12/14/09 3:59am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Between dunks, alley-oops and second-chance layups from the big bodies of No. 4 Kentucky, there was Maurice Creek.The freshman guard scored 17 first-half points and dove for loose balls while trying to keep the Hoosiers in contention during IU’s (4-5) 90-73 loss to Kentucky (10-0).Creek ended the game with 31 points and became the first IU freshman to score more than 30 points against the Wildcats. No other player had done so since freshmen became eligible to play varsity in the 1972-73 season.The last IU player to score 30 points against Kentucky was former IU guard Bracey Wright, who was a junior at the time. Before Wright, IU Hall of Famer Steve Downing’s 47-point effort on Dec. 11, 1971, was the most recent instance where an IU player crossed the 30-point mark against the Wildcats.IU coach Tom Crean called the first player to score 30 since Eric Gordon tallied 31 against Illinois State on Nov. 23, 2007, “a high-level player” after the game.Kentucky coach John Calipari has coached against some of the best college talent in the U.S. His prior experience didn’t stop him from talking up Creek’s performance Saturday.“How about this Creek kid?” he said. “I’m telling you, we’ve played a lot of good teams. He’s as good as any player we’ve played. And that’s how you start to build a program. You get guys like him and Christian.”Freshman forward Christian Watford was the second-leading scorer for the Hoosiers. He had seven points, only two of which were scored in the second half.The Hoosiers only mustered 32 points on 33 percent shooting in the last half of the game, while Kentucky scored 48 points and shot 50 percent from the field.The difference, once again, was Creek.Calipari challenged his players to stop the guard. Kentucky point guard Eric Bledsoe had been charged with the task of keeping Creek from touching the ball.“Creek was so good all we said was don’t even worry about playing anybody – ‘Don’t help, you play him,’” Calipari said. “And the first play of the half Eric left him and gave him a three. I said, ‘Did I talk at halftime or were you not listening?’”Bledsoe heard Calipari clearly, and he made sure to slow IU’s surge toward an upset. He also put in 23 points of his own.Creek’s 3-pointer at the 19:17 mark tied the game at 44. The shot would be his last bucket before he hit two free throws at 7:41 with IU trailing 76-61 after he downed the shots.Other players struggled to produce without Creek providing the shooting he had in the first half.IU settled for long shots and had defensive lapses which led to a 49-24 Kentucky advantage in rebounding. The Wildcats posted 21 of those boards on the offensive glass, and scored 30 second-chance points.Calipari’s rationale behind the disparity was simple.“We were bigger than them,” he said. “It’s what we are, and they got in a little foul trouble. We’re a big team.”Crean subscribed to the same school of thought, pointing out the difference in size for a team that started 6-foot-11 DeMarcus Cousins and 6-foot-9 Patrick Patterson.“I mean, look at us. You think we look like them in the size and strength area?” Crean asked. “C’mon, you’re at the same game I’m at.”Creek was subbed out when IU was down 54-48 and returned to a 60-48 Kentucky lead that would only continue to climb.The freshman would not wilt.Creek had 14 points and two steals in the second half. He shot 9-of-14 on field goals and went 5-of-8 from 3-point range.He didn’t hesitate when pursuing the ball, either. Creek dove into the courtside seating and gained possession for IU as the ball went out of bounds for a Kentucky player.The night for Creek began with a long 3-pointer that placed the first points of the game on the scoreboard. It finished with a standing ovation from the crowd, which chanted his name on several occasions.IU had unexpectedly challenged one of the country’s best teams for more than 20 minutes.That first half ended with IU down 42-41 and shooting 63 percent. It began with Creek.“I just put up shots and started hitting, and everybody fell into play,” Creek said. “That was where the spark came in.”
(12/12/09 10:12pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The beginning of IU’s 90-73 loss to Kentucky on Saturday at Assembly Hall seemed too good to be true – and it was.Riding the play of freshman guard Maurice Creek, who became the first IU freshman to net more than 30 points against Kentucky, IU took an early lead that extended to as much as eight before reality set in. After Kentucky gained a 21-19 lead on the back of guard Eric Bledsoe, the Wildcats began to pull away.The Hoosiers fought to stay in the game, but a 49-24 rebounding edge and an 18-0 run ended IU’s chances to pull an upset. They fell below .500 after the game and are now 4-5 on the season.IU coach Tom Crean said a season has made a difference for his team and what they expected from the rivalry contest.“A year ago, we play Kentucky and it was a stunned locker room,” he said. “This year, we play Kentucky and it’s a hurt locker room. There’s progress in that.”The Hoosiers stayed close for much of the game, but Kentucky coach John Calipari’s team eventually landed a blowout win against IU. The first-year coach of the 10-0 Wildcats said he was impressed with how IU began the game.“You know what I was so happy about?” Calipari said. “How Indiana University came out and tried to run us off the court and hit every shot.”The Hoosiers’ adrenaline-filled first half ended with only a 42-41 lead for Kentucky. Creek scored 20 of those, including a long 3-pointer for the game’s first points.As the standout freshman slowed down, so did IU.Calipari said he made sure his players focused on Creek and didn’t allow him to score. After the early 3-pointer, more than nine minutes would pass before he would chart a bucket.In that span, IU fell apart.The Hoosiers shot 63 percent in the first half when Creek was scoring, but managed only 33 percent when he struggled. Kentucky shot 56 percent in the first half and maintained their average, tallying 50 percent shooting in the second half.The difference in percentages came largely on second-chance points for Kentucky, and Crean said that was the only area in which IU didn’t improve.“Where we didn’t make progress is we weren’t nearly good enough on the backboards,” he said.He refused to speak on the play of Kentucky guard John Wall but did make a single assessment.“There’s one analysis I’m wiling to make on Wall,” he said. “He is a great rebounder. That’s something we need Jeremiah Rivers and our guards to do.”Kentucky led IU 16-8 in rebounding in the first half but gained separation with a 33-16 margin in the second half.Kentucky also recovered a large portion of the loose balls and had the arrow go its way on many plays where the ball landed out of bounds near the Wildcat basket.IU did slow down its turnovers, only relenting nine during the game.Despite the discrepancy in many of the stats tolled to measure effort, Creek said IU continued to fight after they went down big in the second half.“We don’t look at the score,” he said. “We look at it as still giving an effort. Coaches look at that all the time; who’s going to give up and who’s going to bow down. And none of us did that today.”Creek finished the game with 31 points. The next leading scorer was freshman forward Christian Watford with 7 points, only 2 of which were scored in the second half.The span where IU was out-rebounded also led to an 18-0 run by Kentucky that sealed the game for the Wildcats.In that portion of the contest, Bledsoe scored a large percentage of his 23 points and Patrick Patterson, who scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, was also proficient.Crean said the Hoosiers let the defensive side of the ball take them out of the game in the second half.“We just were not as aggressive defensively and then we settled for some shots,” he said. “But I think it was just the defense more than anything else. We’ve got to score off out defense.”There were defensive lapses and passive offensive possessions in the second half, though IU had stunned Kentucky for a moment.Neither the Wildcats nor a surprised and cheerful Assembly Hall crowd seemed to know what they were in for in the opening minutes.Calipari said IU’s opening run was good for his team.“Them coming out of the gate and trying to punch us in the mouth was the best thing that could have happened to us,” he said. “How did we respond to that?”
(12/11/09 5:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The beginning of IU’s 90-73 loss to Kentucky on Saturday at Assembly Hall seemed too good to be true – and it was.Riding the play of freshman guard Maurice Creek, IU took an early lead that extended to as much as eight before reality set in. After Kentucky gained a 21-19 lead on the back of guard Eric Bledsoe, the Wildcats began to pull away.The Hoosiers fought to stay in the game, but a 49-24 rebounding disadvantage and an 18-0 Kentucky run ended their chances to pull an upset. They fell below .500 after the game and are now 4-5 on the season.IU coach Tom Crean said a season has made a difference for his team and what they expected from the rivalry contest.“A year ago, we play Kentucky and it was a stunned locker room,” he said. “This year, we play Kentucky and it’s a hurt locker room. There’s progress in that.”The Hoosiers stayed close for much of the game, but Kentucky coach John Calipari’s team eventually landed a blowout win against IU. The first-year coach of the 10-0 Wildcats said he was impressed with how IU began the game.“You know what I was so happy about?” Calipari said. “How Indiana University came out and tried to run us off the court and hit every shot.”The Hoosiers’ adrenaline-filled first half ended with only a 42-41 lead for Kentucky. Creek scored 20 of those, including a long 3-pointer for the game’s first points.As the standout freshman slowed down, so did IU.Calipari said he made sure his players focused on Creek and didn’t allow him to score. After the early 3-pointer, more than nine minutes would pass before he would chart a bucket.In that span, IU fell apart.The Hoosiers shot 63 percent in the first half when Creek was scoring, but managed only 33 percent when he struggled. Kentucky shot 56 percent in the first half and maintained their average, tallying 50 percent shooting in the second half.The difference in percentages came largely on second-chance points for Kentucky, and Crean said that was the only area in which IU didn’t improve.“Where we didn’t make progress is we weren’t nearly good enough on the backboards,” he said.He refused to speak on the play of Kentucky guard John Wall but did make a single assessment.“There’s one analysis I’m wiling to make on Wall,” he said. “He is a great rebounder. That’s something we need Jeremiah Rivers and our guards to do.”Kentucky led IU 16-8 in rebounding in the first half but gained separation with a 33-16 margin in the second half.Kentucky also recovered a large portion of the loose balls and had the arrow go its way on many plays where the ball landed out of bounds near the Wildcat basket.IU did slow down its turnovers, only relenting nine during the game.Despite the discrepancy in many of the stats tolled to measure effort, Creek said IU continued to fight after they went down big in the second half.“We don’t look at the score,” he said. “We look at it as still giving an effort. Coaches look at that all the time; who’s going to give up and who’s going to bow down. And none of us did that today.”Creek finished the game with 31 points. The next leading scorer was freshman forward Christian Watford with 7 points, only 2 of which were scored in the second half.The span where IU was out-rebounded also led to an 18-0 run by Kentucky that sealed the game for the Wildcats.In that portion of the contest, Bledsoe scored a large percentage of his 23 points and Patrick Patterson, who scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, was also proficient.Crean said the Hoosiers let the defensive side of the ball take them out of the game in the second half.“We just were not as aggressive defensively and then we settled for some shots,” he said. “But I think it was just the defense more than anything else. We’ve got to score off out defense.”There were defensive lapses and passive offensive possessions in the second half, though IU had stunned Kentucky for a moment.Neither the Wildcats nor a surprised and cheerful Assembly Hall crowd seemed to know what they were in for in the opening minutes.Calipari said IU’s opening run was good for his team.“Them coming out of the gate and trying to punch us in the mouth was the best thing that could have happened to us,” he said. “How did we respond to that?”
(12/11/09 5:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There was a shift in the way IU played Tuesday night. The Hoosiers gained a lead and, this time, they maintained it. Even when Pittsburgh brought the game within six points in its late stages, IU showed a confidence in its 74-64 win that it lacked in previous contests. It came just in time. IU faces No. 4 Kentucky at noon Saturday in Assembly Hall – the first ranked team and the toughest competition it will have seen in the still young season. The Hoosiers proved Tuesday they can play with a veteran team, but the real step forward came in their approach to the game, IU coach Tom Crean said. “If I didn’t talk about offense inside of those last nine minutes, we wouldn’t have skipped a beat,” Crean said after the game. “I mean, it was a defensive-minded team tonight. And last Tuesday, we were an offense-minded team. And I think that’s where the maturity has come.”Pittsburgh shot only 31 percent against IU, with most of its possessions ending in an outside shot. The Panthers were 8-of-24 from the 3-point line, as the Hoosiers limited their options with a 2-3 zone defense.Keeping Kentucky freshman guard John Wall and junior forward Patrick Patterson at bay will present another challenge. Wall is averaging 19 points and seven assists, while Patterson is putting up 16 points and grabbing nine rebounds per game. Crean told his team that Kentucky is even better than its stat sheet suggests. He was asked what to expect from Kentucky and responded, “I told my team they were No. 2. So they’re No. 4? Can we switch that, Andy?” he asked, referring to ESPN’s Andy Katz. “By Friday night, they might be No. 1 with the way we’ll build them up.”IU could not have faced Kentucky at a better moment. Fresh off its largest win of the season, IU has never been more comfortable in its own skin. IU sophomore guard Verdell Jones said Tuesday that players simply took the roles that best suited them. That could be seen in freshman forward Bobby Capobianco. He scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds against Pittsburgh, relying on his wide frame to close off offensive lanes and box out his opposition.Capobianco said Tuesday’s contest provided IU with an extra air of awareness.“It’s huge,” he said. “It’s given us the confidence that we can beat a high-profile team; we can play in an environment kind of like that and Kentucky will be similar environment as playing in the Garden was. I definitely think it’s helped and we’ve matured a lot from it.”Devan Dumes, a player who has also struggled this season, said IU “grew up.” He only hit one shot in IU’s last game, but his 3-pointer in the second half was one of the game’s biggest.The difference in his play was illustrated by a fast-break scenario in which he found Jones for a layup. It showed improvement in his ball-handling skills, a part of his game Crean has emphasized.Dumes said IU talked more in the huddles, and Crean called the conversation “player-led.”“I felt like the communication was big,” he said. “We were on the big stage so a lot of people stepped up and played well. We all played together, we didn’t depend on one person – everybody chipped in.” Crean said IU will have to play similarly cautious with the ball against Kentucky’s quick-strike attack. The undefeated Wildcats have several weapons, and Crean was impressed with their play thus far. “They’re the real deal,” he said. “There’s as much talent on that floor as our team will see from anybody else.”
(12/11/09 5:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After IU’s 74-64 win against Pittsburgh in Madison Square Garden, IU coach Tom Crean grabbed his brother-in-law, Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh.“Best halftime speech ever,” he said. “I’ve never seen them fire out of the locker room like that.”Harbaugh was just one of many on hand to see Crean’s 200th win. The past two seasons, though, haven’t done much to help Crean’s overall win column. He said last season put some doubt in his mind as to whether he would reach the milestone.“I left Marquette and you know we had a lot of wins, and all of a sudden we get into last year,” he said. “I wasn’t sure 200 was ever going to come. It’s a great feeling.” Crean’s win came on the biggest stage of his coaching career at IU. The Hoosiers faced a team that had received votes in the top 25 only a week ago. And it came just before a Saturday bout with No. 4 Kentucky.Crean’s coaching philosophy came in when he talked about the preparation for that game. He said the time put in would help his team relish the win and move forward.“They needed to see why they practiced twice on Thanksgiving, why they do individual instructions, why the demands are the way that they are,” Crean said. “I think they’ll be able to build. This will help springboard us to other things.”When asked about the milestone, Crean deflected the attention from himself. Instead, he took a moment to think about all of the players he coached before and reflect on all of the coaches he had served under.“It makes me think about those guys I got a chance to coach,” he said. “Like Brian Barone: he was there for the first win, he’s there for 200. Tim Buckley was there for the first win. I’ve had the chance to be involved with so many, so many good people that are now my friends, and so many good coaches that are now my peers.”Although dwelling on the past, Crean focused in on the present as well. He affirmed his confidence in the coaching staff that helped guide IU to its win on Tuesday.“It’s a great feeling to be in this profession and know that I’ve been involved with a lot of really good people,” he said. “And the group I have now is second to none.”The questions kept coming, but Crean didn’t dwell on his own No. 200 or glare at the gloss of reaching another tier in the coaching profession. He said he was more interested in applying it toward the future of his team.“It’s going to be really fun to have some teachable moments after a win,” he said.
(12/09/09 12:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>NEW YORK – Sophomore guard Verdell Jones drove with a determined look on his face before turning on his pivot foot to drain a midrange jump shot.The basket gave IU a 45-37 lead against Pittsburgh, its biggest of the game at that point, as “Hoo-Hoo-Hoo-Hoosiers” chants rang from the Madison Square Garden crowd. The passion the Hoosiers had become known for was on display, and they rode it to a 74-64 win.“It really feels good to finally get that win,” Jones said. “We’ve come close in other big games. And to finally get the big ‘W,’ it means a lot.”Sophomore forward Tom Pritchard had foul trouble once again, but he sparked IU in the game’s opening moments.He seemed a shell of himself early in the season, but Tuesday saw a different player begin IU’s game against the Panthers, as Pritchard opened with an early basket and a subsequent dunk.Pittsburgh would answer with a quick 3-pointer from guard Brad Wanamaker, which began a sequence where IU and Pittsburgh traded baskets in a game that began faster than expected.The pace didn’t have much bearing on the Hoosiers’ output, however. They played the game with even scoring and continued to pour points on Pittsburgh. Early in the second half, the Hoosiers would put the Panthers in a 17-point hole they could never climb out of.With scatterings of IU fans in the stands, the arena grew louder with every basket from Jones or freshman forward Christian Watford. Freshman guard Maurice Creek also played well in the latter stages Tuesday night.Their performances helped IU maintain its lead in a contest that might mean more to its season than any other, with Kentucky and the Big Ten season right around the corner.Watford said there was no doubt in his team’s mind they could pull off an upset against a team that received top 25 votes just a week ago.“We all knew we could do it, just from the beginning,” he said. “And it finally showed up tonight.”The Hoosiers had even play throughout, with five IU players scoring seven points or more. They also only committed 10 turnovers while forcing Pittsburgh into 15.No matter how much trouble his team had offensively, Pittsburgh guard Ashton Gibbs tried his hardest to keep them in the game. He had 14 points in the first half and ended the game with 25 on the night. Wanamaker finished second on the team in scoring with 18 points.Jones had 22 points, Watford ended with 16 and Creek came on late to score eight. IU was 24-of-53 shooting as a team and went 73.5 percent from the free-throw line with 25 makes. Pittsburgh only made 12 free throws.IU led 33-29 after the first half and began to get out in the open floor during the second half. Junior guard Jeremiah Rivers put his first basket of the game in on a lob-pass from Jones and the layups would continue for IU.Late in the game, the foul-and-press mentality came from Pittsburgh. The Panthers used it to provide a minor scare, bringing the game to within six with 53 seconds remaining.A quick timeout seemed to calm the Hoosiers, though, as Jones made one of two ensuing free throws to all but seal the victory.The game fittingly ended in Jones’ hands, and he dribbled out the clock before putting in one final layup, and exiting in front of a small crowd of IU fans.The team received a steady clap, and Jones said IU no longer has the unstable direction it once had.“I think leadership coming into this game was shaky,” he said. “I think me and Christian stepped up and took that leadership role on. I think people just did what they did best. They didn’t try to step out of their comfort zone and do things they’re no used to.” On a night where he gained his 200th career victory, IU coach Tom Crean said Tuesday’s finish came at the best possible time. “More than anything else, they needed something to go right for them,” he said. “They needed a signature win for themselves.”
(12/08/09 11:22pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>One of the youngest teams in the country will play Pittsburgh today in one of the oldest and most renowned arenas in America. A trip to Madison Square Garden will present IU with its first game resembling a road contest, but the Hoosiers also said they plan on enjoying the opportunity to play where Knicks center Willis Reed stalked down from the rafters despite injury and where Michael Jordan scored 55 points in his 1995 comeback tour. IU coach Tom Crean said the history of Madison Square Garden played into his team’s choice to accept a bid to the Jimmy V Classic. “To be able to go to New York City, to be able to play in that storied arena, to be able to play in that atmosphere – I think will be great for them,” Crean said.Just a year ago, many of IU’s players were in front of high school crowds of only a few thousand.Freshman guard Jordan Hulls played at nearby Bloomington High School South’s Purple Gym, though he has stepped on the floor in historical venues with his high school and AAU teams. Hulls played at Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University, where players like Oscar Robertson and Bobby Plump won Indiana high school state championships.Still, he said he can’t imagine what it’ll be like to play in the massive New York arena.“We had pretty good crowds at South, but I don’t think it’ll be anything compared to Madison Square Garden,” Hulls said. “It’s one of the best venues that’s around and I’m just very excited and grateful for the opportunity that we’re having, the great tournament we’re playing in for a great cause.”The tournament brings four teams to play at Madison Square Gardern and donates the proceeds to cancer research. The late North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano and ESPN began the Jimmy V Foundation in 1993 and the Jimmy V Classic began in 1995, two years after Valvano died of cancer. Freshman forward Christian Watford said he has played on every rim in every kind of gym. Friends of his who have played in Madison Square Garden told him the rims were hard to shoot on. He shot back, “Kobe and Lebron don’t have any trouble.” The Hoosiers have had some hiccups of their own in the building. IU is 11-8 in the arena, though it hasn’t been to Madison Square Garden since it played in the 2001 Preseason NIT. The Hoosiers also haven’t been featured in the Jimmy V Classic since 1999. They have had mixed results against Pittsburgh, a team that Crean said is one of “two programs outside of New York who can turn the Garden into a home game.” The other being Duke. IU has seen Pittsburgh on seven occasions and come out with three wins. Their last bout with the Panthers ended in a 74-52 NCAA tournament loss in 2003. As has been the case with many events this season, junior guard Jeremiah Rivers has already experienced Madison Square Garden. His Georgetown team played for two Big East tournament championships in the venue. Georgetown came out with a win in the 2006-07 season but lost a year later. Rivers talked about how hostile the environment can be in New York. He said people don’t necessarily have to be a fan of the team you’re facing for them to hassle you. “Different kind of fans out there than there is out here,” Rivers said. “They’re not always the nicest when they don’t like you.”No break will be given on the court, either. “They were definitely the most physical – it was a battle, it was a war every time we went up against them,” Rivers said of Pittsburgh. “I just remember how tough it was every possession and how important every possession was.”Rivers said this game will be important to get IU experience, since the only contests they have had away from Assembly Hall this year so far came at a neutral site in Puerto Rico. But after all of the heckling and tough play, Rivers said he hopes his teammates take in the opportunity to play at Madison Square Garden. “It’s one of the greatest venues in the world that you’re playing in,” Rivers said. “It’s special, and I just want the team to relish it and enjoy it.”
(12/08/09 5:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>One of the youngest teams in the country will play Pittsburgh today in one of the oldest and most renowned arenas in America. A trip to Madison Square Garden will present IU with its first game resembling a road contest, but the Hoosiers also said they plan on enjoying the opportunity to play where Knicks center Willis Reed stalked down from the rafters despite injury and where Michael Jordan scored 55 points in his 1995 comeback tour. IU coach Tom Crean said the history of Madison Square Garden played into his team’s choice to accept a bid to the Jimmy V Classic. “To be able to go to New York City, to be able to play in that storied arena, to be able to play in that atmosphere – I think will be great for them,” Crean said.Just a year ago, many of IU’s players were in front of high school crowds of only a few thousand.Freshman guard Jordan Hulls played at nearby Bloomington High School South’s Purple Gym, though he has stepped on the floor in historical venues with his high school and AAU teams. Hulls played at Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University, where players like Oscar Robertson and Bobby Plump won Indiana high school state championships.Still, he said he can’t imagine what it’ll be like to play in the massive New York arena.“We had pretty good crowds at South, but I don’t think it’ll be anything compared to Madison Square Garden,” Hulls said. “It’s one of the best venues that’s around and I’m just very excited and grateful for the opportunity that we’re having, the great tournament we’re playing in for a great cause.”The tournament brings four teams to play at Madison Square Gardern and donates the proceeds to cancer research. The late North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano and ESPN began the Jimmy V Foundation in 1993 and the Jimmy V Classic began in 1995, two years after Valvano died of cancer. Freshman forward Christian Watford said he has played on every rim in every kind of gym. Friends of his who have played in Madison Square Garden told him the rims were hard to shoot on. He shot back, “Kobe and Lebron don’t have any trouble.” The Hoosiers have had some hiccups of their own in the building. IU is 11-8 in the arena, though it hasn’t been to Madison Square Garden since it played in the 2001 Preseason NIT. The Hoosiers also haven’t been featured in the Jimmy V Classic since 1999. They have had mixed results against Pittsburgh, a team that Crean said is one of “two programs outside of New York who can turn the Garden into a home game.” The other being Duke. IU has seen Pittsburgh on seven occasions and come out with three wins. Their last bout with the Panthers ended in a 74-52 NCAA tournament loss in 2003. As has been the case with many events this season, junior guard Jeremiah Rivers has already experienced Madison Square Garden. His Georgetown team played for two Big East tournament championships in the venue. Georgetown came out with a win in the 2006-07 season but lost a year later. Rivers talked about how hostile the environment can be in New York. He said people don’t necessarily have to be a fan of the team you’re facing for them to hassle you. “Different kind of fans out there than there is out here,” Rivers said. “They’re not always the nicest when they don’t like you.”No break will be given on the court, either. “They were definitely the most physical – it was a battle, it was a war every time we went up against them,” Rivers said of Pittsburgh. “I just remember how tough it was every possession and how important every possession was.”Rivers said this game will be important to get IU experience, since the only contests they have had away from Assembly Hall this year so far came at a neutral site in Puerto Rico. But after all of the heckling and tough play, Rivers said he hopes his teammates take in the opportunity to play at Madison Square Garden. “It’s one of the greatest venues in the world that you’re playing in,” Rivers said. “It’s special, and I just want the team to relish it and enjoy it.”
(12/02/09 5:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A lot can change in a year, but IU’s 80-68 loss against Maryland proved that not much is different in Assembly Hall.The Hoosiers were tied with the Terrapins at 54-54 in the second half, before Maryland reeled off a 24-9 run that lasted up until the final minute. The loss had the feel of many IU contests from a season ago. More than anything, it proved that there is still growing to be done in Bloomington.“When you don’t have veterans that hand it down year-to-year in the program, then it becomes a problem,” he said. “And that’s what we have to deal with. I’ve said it before, a player-led team is far better than a coach-led team."Almost is a word that was associated with IU on many occasions last season. A near-win against Maryland can now be added to the list.While that word couldn’t be uttered in IU’s last crack at the Big Ten/Atlantic Coast Conference Challenge, Crean said he thought IU could have come away with this year’s contest.“The people that do the scheduling again put us against a very good team in this challenge,” he said. “Last year we didn’t have a shot. This year I’m disappointed.”The part of the game Crean seemed the most disappointed with was the defense. His players agreed.“We were more focused on the offensive end,” junior guard Verdell Jones said. “We thought we could outscore them tonight.”After the game, Crean talked about effort and the three senior leaders lined up on the other side of the court. Two of them, guard Greivis Vasquez and forward Landon Milbourne accounted for 42 of Maryland’s 80 points.One of the oldest and most experienced players on IU’s team, junior guard Jeremiah Rivers, said IU has yet to realize the importance of every play.“We just gotta be more understanding of how vital each possession is coming down the court,” he said. “They’re so experienced, they have great coaching, great players, All-Americans on that squad.”Although it isn’t evident in the score, IU played Maryland tough and nearly gave it a third consecutive loss. But 32.9 percent shooting on field goals and 16 turnovers wouldn’t allow an early-season upset.IU stepped up its tempo in the first half and forced 12 turnovers from a team that averaged only 10.7 misplays going into the contest. Vasquez was billed as one of the nation’s best guards. He had spurts where he wowed, but other moments where he simply seemed out of it.He was cold from the field and seemed to lose the calm with which he is known to play. At one point, he nearly bounced the ball out of bounds off of his own foot.But, like veterans do, he found a way to contribute. He was 13-of-14 from the free-throw line and ended the game with 23 points and eight assists.Vasquez was also 4-of-14 from the field, which tells the story better than the amount of points he scored.Neither team shot particularly well or handled the ball any better than the other. In the end, it came down to defense and decision-making, an area IU has admittedly had trouble. Several plays ended the way a drive by freshman guard Maurice Creek did, when he streaked up the left side of the court and flew toward the basket.Instead of leaving with a basket or a foul, he clanked the ball off the backboard and Maryland recovered an errant rebound.It doesn’t get any easier for IU, and Crean said this game was one IU could have used with Pittsburgh and Kentucky just around the corner.“This game didn’t look like the way we practiced the last couple games,” he said. “And that’s disappointing. I’m down about the loss. I’m not down on them.”
(12/01/09 5:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When junior guard Jeremiah Rivers drives or begins a half-court set, his vision is rarely impaired.At 6-foot-5, he has faced opponents who usually stand about five inches shorter.When the Hoosiers faced Grace College in a Nov. 4 exhibition game, a player was asked why it was different to play IU. He answered: “The point guard was 6-foot-5.”IU will now face a guard well above 6-foot. Maryland point guard Greivis Vasquez will come to Bloomington today. When he takes the court, he will stand at 6 feet, 6 inches.Despite his overall size, IU coach Tom Crean said the scariest thing about Vasquez is his heart.“He’s fearless on both ends of the floor,” he said. “He‘ll gamble and take risk on the defensive end, and if you’re not careful, he’ll make you foul. And when I say he’s fearless, he doesn’t care if he’s going against a guard or a big.”Vasquez is currently averaging 11.2 points, 5.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds. While his numbers are not overwhelming, his emotions are.After big wins, Vasquez can usually be seen pulling his jersey, making it visible to the crowd. A scowl is usually worn on his face as inaudible screams come from his protruding mouth.His intensity and skill was one of the major reasons Maryland began the season ranked among the top-25 teams in the nation.Vasquez will present a different task from past guards to face IU.Rivers dished 10 assists against Northwestern State on Saturday, as he was able to look cleanly over the head of 5-foot-9 Michael McConathy.Similar to the status of his team in comparison to Northwestern State, not only is Vasquez a taller player, but he is also more established. The senior guard is a two-time all-ACC performer, who nearly tested the draft waters in summer 2009. But Rivers, a transfer from Georgetown, said he has faced Vasquez and shooting guard Eric Hayes, who also is 6-foot-4.“I’m really used to playing against Greivis and Eric Hayes and (forward Landon) Melbourne,” he said. “And they’re just a real tough team and they’re principled, highly coached.”The fiery Vasquez has seemed to be a leader on the Maryland club since he stepped on campus. As a highly-acclaimed freshman, he came in and took starting positions from veterans in the 2006-07 season.Since that year, he has been the general of the Terrapins and freshman guard Maurice Creek said IU will be focused on stopping him today.“He’s a great player,” he said. “He’s the older player, so he’s the leader of the team; he’s the crowned king of that team. We’re focusing on them more because he’s the one that gets their team right, who get’s their team motivated.”Crean said the rangy guard will be dangerous from anywhere on the floor, even though they have worked to prepare for Vasquez and fared decently against bigger guards in Puerto Rico.“Vasquez is a threat to score as soon as he crosses half court,” Crean said. “There’s never a time when you can relax on Vasquez – not any time, whether it’s in the side, whether it’s in the corner, the top, you have to constantly be aware of where he is.”Crean laid out the skills that allow Vasquez to make his way through defenders to make plays for himself and teammates.“He gets where he wants to go,” Crean said. “He’s extremely well-schooled and well-drilled in how to get to the middle, pushing the dribble out, creating space.”Vasquez flirted with the NBA last season, but came back to play for a coach in Gary Williams who Crean called “a future Hall of Famer.” Crean said the opponents of Maryland will have to pay for that decision.“To the dismay of the rest of us, it’s probably good that he’s back with Gary Williams for a year still learning more,” Crean said. “It just creates more heartaches and heartbreaks for everybody that’s gotta face him.”
(11/20/09 4:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU’s 89-71 loss against Ole Miss on Thursday seemed similar to its past contest, except the Hoosiers were on the other end.In its first two games, IU faced inferior talent and allowed it to stick around. However, a veteran Ole Miss team prevailed against the Hoosiers in the first of three possible games in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-off.“We made too many mistakes to win the game,” IU coach Tom Crean said. “They were more physical and we didn’t do a great job of playing through that.”It didn’t have to be that way, though. At the six-minute mark of the second half, IU had chopped the lead down to only eight points at 69-61. Senior guard Jeremiah Rivers led a fast break with the Hoosiers trying to bring the deficit to six. The most hurtful of IU’s 21 turnovers in the game came during that play.Instead of bringing the game down to six and challenging for the lead, Ole Miss extended its advantage with consecutive scores. What was a close contest became an 81-65 game by the time two minutes hit the scoreboard and the 12-4 run had ended.Outside of its own miscues, the biggest challenge for IU was overcoming the Rebels’ size. Although Rivers had 6 inches on 5-foot-10 point guard Chris Warren, many of the Ole Miss players stood near or above 6 feet, 5 inches. IU reverted to a two-three zone to keep Rebel players out of the lane. It didn’t work. Ole Miss had 11 more rebounds than IU and tallied 17 of them on the offensive glass. Ole Miss forward Murphy Holloway cashed in on second attempts more than any player. He had a game-high 26 points and also grabbed nine rebounds, six of which came from his team’s misses. Sophomore guard Verdell Jones said IU will work to ensure it is prepared when it faces another team like Ole Miss.“We just have to come back and improve and get tougher,” he said. “We want to grow as a team and games like this can help us understand how tough it is to compete at this level.”IU’s offense was also affected by Ole Miss’ big men, as the Rebels tallied 12 blocks in the game. IU’s most-efficient inside player, freshman forward Christian Watford, finished with only five points and four rebounds. Watford had been averaging a double-double of 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds before facing Ole Miss. The Hoosiers were led in scoring by freshman guard Maurice Creek who had 18 points. Jones had 17 points and Rivers chipped in 14. No other IU player had more than sophomore forward Tom Pritchard’s eight points. The Hoosiers had problems in areas that had been strong points in the past. They were 12-of-25 from the free-throw line, shot only 20 percent from the 3-point line and went only 41 percent overall.IU did have 14 steals and forced 19 turnovers, but the Rebels also gained 10 steals that played a part in IU’s 21 turnovers.Ole Miss continued a streak of scoring 40 points in every half they have played.Rivers said IU gritted its way through the game despite its inexperience.“I’ve been fortunate to play against some great competition at Georgetown,” he said. “But I am proud of the way we kept fighting. The nice thing is we come out tomorrow.”
(11/17/09 5:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>USC Upstate center Nick Schneiders drove toward the basket during warm-ups and extended his arm. It had to reach nearly three feet above the rim.It wasn’t because Schneiders was extremely athletic – with a slender body and somewhat slow feet, that wasn’t the case.His height might have had something to do with it. The 7-foot-3 center extended that hand many more times during IU’s 69-61 win against USC Upstate. He blocked, changed or challenged nearly every IU shot that came near him. But foul trouble put him on the bench – and IU excelled when he sat.“People aren’t used to playing at seven feet, usually,” Schneiders said. “If I jump or get my arms up people will adjust their shots.His length could be used to tell the story of IU’s contest against USC Upstate.The contest began with junior guard Jeremiah Rivers trying to dish to sophomore guard Verdell Jones for a quick layup to begin the game. Schneiders jumped, reached out and put the shot on the backboard with authority.When he wasn’t blocking shots, he was altering them. Freshman forward Christian Watford had successfully gone to the basket against opponents, but the 6-foot-9 swing man had to revise his drives to get past Schneiders long arms.“There was a lack of physicality tonight,” IU coach Tom Crean said. “We weren’t physical enough.”Senior center Tijan Jobe, a towering figure in any other circumstance, stood 3 inches shorter as he guarded Schneiders in the first half. He placed Jobe on his back and placed the ball well out of anyone’s reach, before he shot a sky hook in the middle of the lane for two of his six points Monday.He was in and out of the game with foul trouble, but had an affect whenever he touched the floor. Schneiders had five rebounds and four blocks, but also clogged the lane against an IU team that likes to drive.“It changed that we were able to get better looks at the rim,” Crean said of when Schneiders was out. “And we were able to get in the alley more.”Crean screamed “drive it, swing it” to his team from the bench as they had only 26 points with two-and-a-half minutes left in the first half. Schneiders stood right in the middle of the defense, waiting.As IU became less passive in the second half, Schneiders began to have trouble and IU started to pull away.Schneiders picked up a fourth foul less than three minutes into the second half. He sat on the bench once again, and IU drove to the basket and scored easily without the big man’s presence weighing on their minds.Watford put down a dunk, sophomore forward Tim Pritchard put in a layup and IU began its drive and kick game to set freshman guard Maurice Creek up for a 3-pointer.When Schneiders came back in, it was too late. The game had already changed too much, and his size affect was minimal as IU had a 19-point lead.By the end, it was clear. IU had begun to dominate USC Upstate and there was no one but Schneiders standing under the rim to prove it.Watford had adjusted his shot early in the game, but with six minutes left he looked to dunk over the big man. He missed the shot, but collected an easy put-back for two.“I think I was trying to alter my shot too much instead of just going out and being aggressive and going straight through him,” Watford said. “I realize I just couldn’t change my game.”And near the end of the game, Schneiders was reduced to a crowd-chanting joke. They asked, “How long are you?”Soon after, he proved not long enough to block the shot of Creek. He scored a basket on the big man and got a free throw as well.They cheered when he got his fifth foul and sat down. He clapped, too.