Column: Purdue lives up to expectations
Maybe it was just drinking the Kool-aid, but it wasn’t hard to believe an upset was brewing Wednesday in Assembly Hall.
Maybe it was just drinking the Kool-aid, but it wasn’t hard to believe an upset was brewing Wednesday in Assembly Hall.
Following the Hoosiers’ loss at Purdue earlier this month, IU coach Tom Crean pined for the day when he wouldn’t have to face senior Boilermakers JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore.
It was a theme seen many times throughout the season: trail early on, fight back and come up short in the end. And similar to games in the past, it happened again for IU on Wednesday.
JaJuan Johnson scored 20 points and grabbed 9 rebounds and Purdue shot 50 percent from the field to top IU 72-61 Wednesday at Assembly Hall.Purdue led by 10 points at halftime, and IU narrowed the deficit to three points twice, but never took the lead. Christian Watford led the Hoosiers with 18 points, but he did it on 4-for-13 shooting.
There was a time Jeremiah Rivers didn’t know Purdue was in Indiana. Before the senior guard transferred to IU from Georgetown, Rivers said he was admittedly a novice when it came to college hoops history. As far as he was concerned, West Lafayette was located in North Carolina.
If sophomores Tony Adragna and Zach Litzelswope have any say, then organized chants will soon be filling Assembly Hall.
After Saturday’s 70-64 loss to Northwestern, IU coach Tom Crean, who appeared as disappointed as he’s ever been this season after a loss, wanted his team back to practice as soon as possible.
Playing their first game in exactly one week, the Hoosiers saw the Wildcats jump out to a 10-point halftime lead backed by seven 3-pointers. And despite another late comeback attempt, IU dropped its fourth-straight game in a 70-64 decision against Northwestern.
IU junior guard Verdell Jones said Saturday’s outcome was a result of two things: energy and focus.
That wonderful little word “it,” at least in the IU basketball dictionary, could be lots of different things. Ultimately, it means winning basketball games.
The Hoosiers, playing their first game in exactly one week, opened cold on both ends of the floor and couldn't climb out of a 10-point halftime deficit in a 70-64 loss to Northwestern on Saturday in Assembly Hall.
When the Hoosiers aren’t playing well defensively, they usually aren’t winning. It’s a fact of life IU coach Tom Crean has preached since game one and a harsh reality that reared its ugly head again last Saturday at Michigan.
The IU basketball team is 12-3 at Assembly Hall and 0-11 away from it this season. What happens when the team leaves Bloomington that makes it so tough for the Hoosiers to win?
Although IU almost overcame a double-deficit at Michigan on Saturday, the first 35 minutes cannot be overlooked.
The Hoosiers, despite being down by double-digits with just more than five minutes remaining, fell in a nail-biter to Michigan, 73-69, Saturday at the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Michigan's Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 26 points and the Wolverines survived a late 23-4 run by the Hoosiers to win 73-69 at the Crisler Arena.
Forced to play the past three games without sophomore forward Christian Watford due to a left hand injury, IU has needed players to step into his role.
WEST LAFAYETTE — When asked about the in-state rivalry following Tuesday’s game, Purdue guard Lewis Jackson described it as “war.”
The Purdue seniors alone more than doubled IU’s free throw attempts in the Hoosiers’ 67-53 loss at Mackey Arena on Tuesday. IU was outshot at the free throw line 24-3 in the second half and 28-7 overall, with Moore and Johnson combining for 18.
The Watford-less Hoosiers struggled to contain the play of Purdue's JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore in IU's 67-53 loss at Purdue.