A gift from the Indiana Men's Basketball team to you:
12-0
Good ole Santie Claus is going to have a hard time topping that.
I, for one, did not see this coming.
Game 3 @ Evansville, I was giving us a 50/50 shot of winning. What reason did we have to believe that IU could go on the road and win a game? It had only happened once or twice in the past 3 years. Evansville had already beat Butler -- a Butler team that has now recently beat Purdue (ha ha ha ha ha HAAAAAAAA-ha) and Stanford -- so I figured it was at least a decent Evansville team and they were opening a brand new arena to boot. Wait, before I go on, one more "ha" for that Purdue choke-job against Butler -- HA! I know, I know, that was a little obnoxious, almost like the IU fans that I thought might storm the floor when Butler tipped in the game-winner with 1 second to go against Purdue. But hey, it's a rivalry.
Anyway, back to that early season road game at Evansville. I think there were valid reasons to wonder if IU would win that game. Not only did they win, it was a blowout from the get-go. The Hoosiers easily pass their first test.
Next test -- the aforementioned Butler Bulldogs. No, this Butler team is not the caliber of their NCAA runner-up teams of the past two seasons, but you still knew they were going to play hard, play smart, and be a tough test for the Hoosiers. The first half was tight and appeared to be the exact style of game that Butler wanted. But then the Hoosiers blew them out of the gym in the second half. Mission accomplished for the second test.
Next would be a road game in the B1G/ACC Challenge at NC State. Down by 7 with 7 minutes to play, I considered this game over. This game was all too familiar to games of the past 3 years -- IU plays tough for about 30 minutes, but then fades late. But wait, in this case, the exact opposite happened. The Hoosiers found another gear and stomped on the Wolfpack. They quickly erased that 7-point deficit and then went on to win by double-digits (by the way, 11 of their 12 wins have been by double-digits and I think you are familiar with the only one that wasn't).
Ok, Hoosiers, now you have my attention. An 8-0 record with some nice wins that were done in impressive fashion. Zeller is every bit as good as advertised. Sheeladipo has made HUGE strides from their freshmen to sophomore seasons. Hulls is an assassin from downtown. Verdell is not forcing things. Watford is heating up after a slow start. Elston is playing good off the bench to round out a very solid top 7. The Pritch is finally playing a role that suits him -- a big man off the bench for some spot minutes.
Color me might impressed so far. But here comes #1 Kentucky. Honestly, 1 week out from this game, I gave IU a 0% chance of winning the game. But then, I saw students camping out on Tuesday for a Saturday game. Camp Crean would be shut down later that day due to cold weather and finals week, but many of the die-hards got photos with Crean and were handed vouchers to be first in line on Saturday morning. From that Tuesday leading up to the Saturday game, the buzz in Bloomington, online, and all throughout Hoosier Nation kept building and building and building until it was an insane atmosphere inside Assembly Hall even before tip-off. The buzz and atmosphere shot my confidence all the way up to a 1% chance of winning. Assemply Hall was absolutely electric the ENTIRE game and then deservedly went apeshit when Watford hit that ever-so-sweet buzzer-beater. Keith Smart's shot has to be #1 because it was for the NCAA title, but I now rank Watford's shot as #2 all-time in Indiana basketball history. I still love the Haston shot and it was a similar circumstance to knock off the #1 team in the country, but two things stand out to elevate the Watford buzzer-beater. One, it was Kentucky. Two, that single shot allowed us to finally rise up from the depths of the hell that we had been living in and back onto the national stage. It was the official turning of the corner and it was glorious.
The post with the highlight videos and pictures from the Kentucky game are still posted below if you still just can't get enough. I've only watched that shot a couple hundred times.
Then it was off to the Crossroads Classic in Indy. It wasn't IU's best game, but they avoided the let-down and beat a down Notre Dame team by double-digits.
IU has even been impressive in their beat-downs of the cupcake teams on their schedule. It wasn't long ago that we were losing to the likes of Lipscomb, but IU handled their two opponents this week with an impressive 99-point margin of victory, including a 57-point drubbing of Howard.
Clearly, nobody saw this good of a start coming and unfortunately that actually hurts IU in the rankings. I don't understand why the fact that the voters didn't have IU anywhere on their pre-season radar should mean that IU has to slowly climb the rankings. They should be ranked according to their body of work. It doesn't make sense to me. If voters thought Cody Zeller was going to be the best basketball player to ever play the game of basketball and therefore they voted IU as pre-season #1, then IU would be #1 right now. Or, if IU was preseason #15, they would probably be #4 right now. Or if they were pre-season #25, they would probably be #10 right now. Or if they were even getting pre-season votes at all, they would probably be about #12 right now. But because they weren't even on the radar, they have only made it to #17/#18 even though they are one of only 6 unbeaten teams in the country and they have beaten the #1 team in the country!
To be perfectly honest, my concern is that our conference schedule is brutal at the outset. Because we aren't getting the love in the rankings right now, I fear we may even drop out of the rankings if we have a rough start to conference play. And I happen to really, really, really like seeing that little number in front of 'Indiana' again. We've missed you, my friend.
But the question remains -- exactly how good is this team? I still think it's a tough call and the grind of an 18-game B1G conference schedule will help clear that up. So, why don't we go ahead and make some predictions on conference play.
It should be noted that the injuries have suddenly become a huge concern for this team. Both Sheehey and Elston missed last night's game and then Verdell also slipped and went down awkwardly. He left the game and did not return. Elston is expected to be back with a facemask for his broken nose. But Sheehey was on crutches and looks like he might miss some games. Word on the interwebs was a severely sprained ankle, but IU only described it as a "lower leg injury". I guess the good news is that Crean did not think it was a long-term injury, but no Sheehey against Michigan State, Ohio State, and Michigan could mean trouble. As for Verdell, he took an awkward spill that looked to be a groin or hip injury. I haven't read much today on his status, but Crean's post-game comments did not make it sound severe. But if Verdell does miss some time on top of Sheehey being out, that could really be problematic.
As long as these injuries are short-term and the Hoosiers don't panic if they take a couple losses to open conference play, I think they'll be just fine long-term.
Before I get to the game-by-game predictions, I will state that I do think this is a really good team. They have an extremely skilled, talented, and smart big man in the middle. They have wing players that can slash, get to the rim, shoot mid-range, get to the foul line, and shoot the 3. They have a player in Christian Watford that hit the big shot and is capable of big games. They have a guy in Jordan Hulls that simply does not miss. Check that, Hulls streak of 58 consecutive free throws ended last night. It was the longest streak ever in the Big Ten and 10th longest of all-time. Nicely done. Here's to starting a new streak. Hulls is a big reason why IU is leading the nation in 3-point percentage, but IU has several guys that can shoot from the arc and that's the perfect complement to Zeller in the middle. Most importantly, this team is playing hard and they are playing as a team. The ball movement has been outstanding, which leads to high percentage shots, and they are knocking those shots down. That will get a lot tougher against Big Ten defenses, but you have to have guys that can put the biscuit in the basket.
So, here we go, my predictions for conference play:
Loss @ MSU. Perfection comes to an end at the Breslin Center.
Loss vs. OSU. Would be quite a statement to knock off another top-ranked team, but I ain't seeing it.
Win vs. Michigan. If they do lose the first two, this one would be critical.
Win @ Penn St.
Win vs. Minnesota
Loss @ OSU
Win @ Nebraska
Win vs. Penn St.
Loss @ Wisconsin
Win vs. Iowa
Loss @ Michigan
Loss @ Purdue
Win vs. Illinois
Win vs. NW
Win @ Iowa (then a non-conf win against NC Central to give IU a 13-0 non-conf record)
Loss @ Minnesota
Win vs. MSU
Win vs. Purdue
So, that would be 11-7 in conference for a 24-7 overall record heading into the Big Ten Tourney. Ho Ho Holy Shit! That would be fantastic! Solidly in the Big Dance.
Basically, the above predictions mean winning at home (except OSU) and beating the bottom-feeders on the road. I'm sure there will be a couple disappointing losses along the way, but I also think this team is capable of some more big wins as well, so I feel good about the 11-7 prediction. The great news is with this incredible 12-0 start, even 9-9 should be safely in the NCAA tournament.
Let's get it done!
Hoo- Hoo- Hoo- HOOSIERS!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Indiana 73 Kentucky 72
Multiple angles and fans reacting from New York to Bloomington to San Diego (set to "This is Indiana"):
Video with Don Fischer's call:
Fans go crazy at Nick's:
Fans celebrate on Kirkwood:
Another angle from a fan:
Easy caption for this one: #1 Kentucky Goes Down!
Tweet, tweet:
Video with Don Fischer's call:
Fans go crazy at Nick's:
Fans celebrate on Kirkwood:
Another angle from a fan:
Tweet, tweet:
@ChronicHoosierChronic Hoosier
Dear Kentucky, SUCK IT. -signed, Karma.
@IUMopLadyMarthaMartha the Mop Lady
Yes but I have no idea where I am, or where my clothes are. @hoosierhoops23: @IUMopLadyMartha u alive this morning
#iubb RT @SethDavisHoops: Christian Watford 3 at buzzer wins the game for Indiana. Might be best regular season game I have ever seen.
@Justin_AlbersJustin Albers
Glass: "IU basketball is back. There couldn't have been a bigger signature win." #iubb
RT @yahooforde: Story filed from Bloomington. Time to go outside Assembly Hall and see if the town is still standing.
@IUMopLadyMarthaMartha the Mop Lady
Anyone have my bra?
@DShulman_ESPNDan Shulman
Not sure Ive ever been at a scene quite like the gm at IU today. If I have, not many. Fantastic atmosphere, unforgettable finish. #hoosiers
2014 verbal commit RT @TreyMambaLyles Best game I've ever been to in my life #IUBB
@DwyaneWadeDwyane Wade
woooooooooow what a shot. And the walk off by Coach Crean was Swag. #Indiana basketball is back ppl..
RT @YahooForde: Been coming to games at Assembly Hall since 1990. Never seen a scene like this.
ARE U SERIOUS AMMMMMMMERICA!!!!! Great win Hoosiers.
In case you missed it.....
BTN will replay the game Monday night at 7pm ET/6pm CT as an Instant Classic.
BTN will replay the game Monday night at 7pm ET/6pm CT as an Instant Classic.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Look Who's 7-0!!!
Where to begin? How about the ending? More specifically, let's start with the final 7:38 in the game at NC State in the B1G/ACC Challenge.
With 7:38 to play on the road, the Hoosiers found themselves down by 7 at a score of 63-56. It was NC State's largest lead of the game and their arena was rocking. In fact, it felt even worse because IU had jumped out to an 11-point lead in the early-going, so NC State had outscored out Hoosiers by 18 in the middle part of the game. To this point, NC State had absolutely dominated IU on the boards. Also, I don't recall the specifics but I know the Wolfpack had hit their first 10 free throws while the Hoosiers had barely been to the line at all.
So, Indiana down 7 with 7 minutes to play on the road.....game over, right? That's what I thought. In fact, there was no doubt in my mind. This game was over. My goodness, IU had only won their 2nd road game in their last 31 tries just a couple weeks ago at Evansville. Now they're trailing by 7 at the under-8 timeout on the road (no magical FLAGS coming out to save the day) against an ACC opponent.
This game was over. But then this happened on their final 17 possessions of the game:
1. Watford 2-2 FTs
2. Zeller 2-2 FTs
3. VJIII turnover
Ok, big deal, we hit 4 straight free throws which is good, but then a Jones turnover halts any momentum. So, what's the big deal? Read on.
4. Zeller DUNK
5. Oladipo DUNK (not a typo, 2 straight dunks for your Indiana Hoosiers)
6. Zeller spin move in the post and double-pump layup
7. Zeller hangs in the air for a beautiful tip-in (this Zeller kid is good)
8. Watford 3-pointer
9. Watford 2-2 FTs
10. Oladipo 1-2 FTs
11. Hulls 2-2 FTs
Let's pause and take a look at the above info. At this point, IU had given up a few buckets as well, but turned that 7-point deficit into a 6-point lead with a 20-7 run. They scored on 10 of 11 possessions, including 2 dunks, a 3-pointer, and going 9-10 from the line. Zeller had 8 points and Watford had 7 points during that span. This is also the time where these two guys started holding their own on the glass as well.
But even with that turn-around and a 6-point lead, it certainly was not over yet. NC State made a free throw and then tipped in the missed 2nd FT to cut it to 3. IU's next possession would be their only other empty possession of the final 17 possessions.
12. Oladipo dunk blocked (great move, but even greater block by CJ Leslie)
On the other end, Watford went up for a block of his own but was whistled for goal-tending.....1-point game. Uh-oh. Have the Hoosiers run out of steam? A big question remained -- could the Hoosiers win a close game in the final two minutes on the road against an ACC team? Well, the most surprising part of that answer was not only could they pull off the win, but they finished so strong in the final two minutes that the final score wouldn't even indicate that it was indeed a close game down the stretch.
Clinging to a 76-75 lead, here's how the Hoosiers finished the final 1:37.
13. Hulls for THREE!!!!! (this shot was a thing of beauty, pure beauty)
14. Sheehey 1-2 FTs
15. Oladipo 2-2 FTs
16. Hulls 2-2 FTs (his 51st & 52nd in a row, by the way)
17. Oladipo EXCLAMATION POINT! (click here to watch the reverse dunk)
Ho-hum, just a 10-0 run to put this one away and give the Hoosiers their 7th straight double-digit win to open the season.
Let's summarize those final 17 possessions that started with a 7-point deficit and ended with an 11-point victory:
* Scored on 15 of 17
* 14-16 FTs
* 2-2 from the arc
* 3 dunks
* 30-12 over final 7:38
Mighty impressive.
Jordan Hulls was outstanding -- not just shooting the basketball, but he had command of the team and this game. 20 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals.
Watford didn't look great early on, but came up huge in the second half. He was the biggest reason that IU finally kept NC State off the glass down the stretch. His late 3 was big and he hit his free throws in the clutch. 16 points and 9 rebounds.
And, of course, there was Cody Zeller. This was easily the most formidable front line he has faced this year. While there were certainly times he looked like a freshman (which he is, by the way) including one difficult stretch early in the 2nd half, but this kid adjusts and always finds a way to contribute to #winning. As noted above, his best stretch came when the Hoosiers needed it most. 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal. As far as the Zellers go.....WE GOT THE BEST ONE!
Note to Mike Patrick: It's Oladipo, not Odalipo. Say it with me....O-LA-DI-PO. In fact, you can chant it. Go ahead, chant it, clap 3 times, repeat.
And a final note, it was great to see some Carolina Hoosiers make it out to this game. In fact, I know one reader of this blog was there.....facebook told me so. Good work, McDoogz! I haven't seen you in over 20 years, so I clearly thought now would be the time for a cheezy nickname. That's why I have a blog.
**********************************
If we needed more of a reason to be excited about this team, let's backtrack a bit further for a brief look at the Butler game.
This game wasn't exactly pretty, especially in the 1st half, but it was another indication that this team may have actually turned the corner. The final 7 minutes of the NC State game proved a lot to me, but I was already excited following the Butler game.
The Butler game was electric and I don't know that I have ever seen two teams play harder. Of course, that effort and excitement led to some extremely sloppy play. It seemed every possession included a loose ball and bodies flying all over the place. The scary part of that was that it looked just like the Butler tournament games of the past 2 seasons. I was concerned that this favored Butler and the Hoosiers could be in trouble in this one.
IU held a 3-point lead at half, but this looked like the exact way that Butler wanted to play. Butler was playing incredibly scrappy and seemed to be their exact formula for their style of winning basketball.
HOWEVER, the Hoosiers not only matched Butler's intensity, they exceeded it. And then something happened in the second half that made it clear the balance of power in the state of Indiana has shifted back to Bloomington. That something was that IU simply had more talent. Yes, finally, we have a talented roster again and I believe it was the difference against Butler. Both teams were playing hard and getting after it, but IU simply had the superior talent and it clearly showed in the second half.
And again, IU didn't just grind this one out against Butler, they stomped on their throat in the second half and pushed the lead over 20 points. It was impressive.
The clear-cut star of this game was Will Sheehey with 21 points off the bench. Sheehey also came up big on the defensive end of the floor by shutting down Chrishawn Hopkins in the second half after Hopkins lit it up in the first half (primarily against Oladipo).
Oh yeah, that Zeller kid did not have his best game. But even when he struggled at times, check out the stat line he still puts up -- 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 3 steals, and 8-10 from the line. And there was this:
One final note related to Butler -- you have to have respect for Brad Stevens and what he has done at Butler. HBO's Real Sports recently did a segment on Brad Stevens.....it's a must watch if you have HBO On Demand.
**********************************
Coming up:
IU hosts Stetson on Sunday and it sure is nice to now be able to chalk these types of games up as victories. That certainly has not been the case the past 3 years. The most interesting part of this game is that IU will be honoring the '87 Championship team. It sounds like most of the big names will be there -- Alford, Smart, Garrett, Thomas, and even Calloway who later transferred to Kansas. One notable that will likely be missing.....the man in the red sweater. Man, it seems like right now would actually be the perfect time for Knight to return. With the fan base at a fever pitch right now about this year's team, that place would go berserko if Knight came strolling out. Glad that the two biggest stars appear to be able to make it -- Alford and Smart -- especially given their coaching schedules.
Then, you know what's next. That's right, Kentucky. They look to have a decent squad this year and may be carrying the #1 ranking into Assembly Hall. Terry Hutchens provides this:
* Indiana has played 17 games against the No. 1 team in the nation. Indiana is 5-12 in those games.
* The last time IU played a No. 1 team was Connecticut in the 2005-06 season. IU lost that game, 88-80 at home.
* The last time IU beat a No. 1 team was the 2001-02 Sweet Sixteen when the Hoosiers knocked off Duke in Rupp Arena, 74-73. The year before that, IU beat Michigan State on Kirk Haston‘s 3-pointer at the buzzer, 59-58.
* IU has played Kentucky six times when the Wildcats were No. 1 in the nation and Indiana is 1-5 in those games.
***************************************
Rankings and Ratings
* Two weeks ago, IU received 2 votes in the Coaches Poll. Last week, IU received 3 votes in the Coaches Poll. Nothing yet in the AP Poll, but I would guess the Hoosiers will be getting a few more votes in both polls next week (assuming a win over Stetson on Sunday).
* SI's Luke Winn has IU at #24 in his most recent Power Rankings.
* IU is 17th in Pomeroy's Ratings.
* IU is 15th in Sagarin's Ratings.
* In the cbssports RPI, the Hoosiers are 45th.
* RealTime RPI has IU 43rd.
* Strength of Schedule - Seeing anything from 193rd to 305th. Regardless, time to cheer for the teams we've beaten to help this number a bit. I suppose playing #1 Kentucky will cause the SOS # to move a lot.
* Indiana is listed as "First Four Out" in Joe Lunardi's Bracketology.
* IU is 8th in the nation in FG%.
* IU is 9th in the nation in 3PT%.
* IU is 10th in the nation in Scoring.
* IU is 22nd in the nation in Steals per game.
* Cody Zeller is 10th in the nation in FG%.
* Jordan Hulls is 23rd in the nation in 3PT%.
* Jordan Hulls does not have enough FTs to qualify for the nation's leaders, but he is 11-11 this season and has made 52 in a row!
*******************************************
Tweet, tweet:
Here are some recent #iubb tweets, most coming after the big win over NC State:
@grosensteinGreg Rosenstein:
With 7:38 to play on the road, the Hoosiers found themselves down by 7 at a score of 63-56. It was NC State's largest lead of the game and their arena was rocking. In fact, it felt even worse because IU had jumped out to an 11-point lead in the early-going, so NC State had outscored out Hoosiers by 18 in the middle part of the game. To this point, NC State had absolutely dominated IU on the boards. Also, I don't recall the specifics but I know the Wolfpack had hit their first 10 free throws while the Hoosiers had barely been to the line at all.
So, Indiana down 7 with 7 minutes to play on the road.....game over, right? That's what I thought. In fact, there was no doubt in my mind. This game was over. My goodness, IU had only won their 2nd road game in their last 31 tries just a couple weeks ago at Evansville. Now they're trailing by 7 at the under-8 timeout on the road (no magical FLAGS coming out to save the day) against an ACC opponent.
This game was over. But then this happened on their final 17 possessions of the game:
1. Watford 2-2 FTs
2. Zeller 2-2 FTs
3. VJIII turnover
Ok, big deal, we hit 4 straight free throws which is good, but then a Jones turnover halts any momentum. So, what's the big deal? Read on.
4. Zeller DUNK
5. Oladipo DUNK (not a typo, 2 straight dunks for your Indiana Hoosiers)
6. Zeller spin move in the post and double-pump layup
7. Zeller hangs in the air for a beautiful tip-in (this Zeller kid is good)
8. Watford 3-pointer
9. Watford 2-2 FTs
10. Oladipo 1-2 FTs
11. Hulls 2-2 FTs
Let's pause and take a look at the above info. At this point, IU had given up a few buckets as well, but turned that 7-point deficit into a 6-point lead with a 20-7 run. They scored on 10 of 11 possessions, including 2 dunks, a 3-pointer, and going 9-10 from the line. Zeller had 8 points and Watford had 7 points during that span. This is also the time where these two guys started holding their own on the glass as well.
But even with that turn-around and a 6-point lead, it certainly was not over yet. NC State made a free throw and then tipped in the missed 2nd FT to cut it to 3. IU's next possession would be their only other empty possession of the final 17 possessions.
12. Oladipo dunk blocked (great move, but even greater block by CJ Leslie)
On the other end, Watford went up for a block of his own but was whistled for goal-tending.....1-point game. Uh-oh. Have the Hoosiers run out of steam? A big question remained -- could the Hoosiers win a close game in the final two minutes on the road against an ACC team? Well, the most surprising part of that answer was not only could they pull off the win, but they finished so strong in the final two minutes that the final score wouldn't even indicate that it was indeed a close game down the stretch.
Clinging to a 76-75 lead, here's how the Hoosiers finished the final 1:37.
13. Hulls for THREE!!!!! (this shot was a thing of beauty, pure beauty)
14. Sheehey 1-2 FTs
15. Oladipo 2-2 FTs
16. Hulls 2-2 FTs (his 51st & 52nd in a row, by the way)
17. Oladipo EXCLAMATION POINT! (click here to watch the reverse dunk)
Ho-hum, just a 10-0 run to put this one away and give the Hoosiers their 7th straight double-digit win to open the season.
Let's summarize those final 17 possessions that started with a 7-point deficit and ended with an 11-point victory:
* Scored on 15 of 17
* 14-16 FTs
* 2-2 from the arc
* 3 dunks
* 30-12 over final 7:38
Mighty impressive.
Jordan Hulls was outstanding -- not just shooting the basketball, but he had command of the team and this game. 20 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals.
Watford didn't look great early on, but came up huge in the second half. He was the biggest reason that IU finally kept NC State off the glass down the stretch. His late 3 was big and he hit his free throws in the clutch. 16 points and 9 rebounds.
And, of course, there was Cody Zeller. This was easily the most formidable front line he has faced this year. While there were certainly times he looked like a freshman (which he is, by the way) including one difficult stretch early in the 2nd half, but this kid adjusts and always finds a way to contribute to #winning. As noted above, his best stretch came when the Hoosiers needed it most. 19 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal. As far as the Zellers go.....WE GOT THE BEST ONE!
Note to Mike Patrick: It's Oladipo, not Odalipo. Say it with me....O-LA-DI-PO. In fact, you can chant it. Go ahead, chant it, clap 3 times, repeat.
And a final note, it was great to see some Carolina Hoosiers make it out to this game. In fact, I know one reader of this blog was there.....facebook told me so. Good work, McDoogz! I haven't seen you in over 20 years, so I clearly thought now would be the time for a cheezy nickname. That's why I have a blog.
**********************************
If we needed more of a reason to be excited about this team, let's backtrack a bit further for a brief look at the Butler game.
This game wasn't exactly pretty, especially in the 1st half, but it was another indication that this team may have actually turned the corner. The final 7 minutes of the NC State game proved a lot to me, but I was already excited following the Butler game.
The Butler game was electric and I don't know that I have ever seen two teams play harder. Of course, that effort and excitement led to some extremely sloppy play. It seemed every possession included a loose ball and bodies flying all over the place. The scary part of that was that it looked just like the Butler tournament games of the past 2 seasons. I was concerned that this favored Butler and the Hoosiers could be in trouble in this one.
IU held a 3-point lead at half, but this looked like the exact way that Butler wanted to play. Butler was playing incredibly scrappy and seemed to be their exact formula for their style of winning basketball.
HOWEVER, the Hoosiers not only matched Butler's intensity, they exceeded it. And then something happened in the second half that made it clear the balance of power in the state of Indiana has shifted back to Bloomington. That something was that IU simply had more talent. Yes, finally, we have a talented roster again and I believe it was the difference against Butler. Both teams were playing hard and getting after it, but IU simply had the superior talent and it clearly showed in the second half.
And again, IU didn't just grind this one out against Butler, they stomped on their throat in the second half and pushed the lead over 20 points. It was impressive.
The clear-cut star of this game was Will Sheehey with 21 points off the bench. Sheehey also came up big on the defensive end of the floor by shutting down Chrishawn Hopkins in the second half after Hopkins lit it up in the first half (primarily against Oladipo).
Oh yeah, that Zeller kid did not have his best game. But even when he struggled at times, check out the stat line he still puts up -- 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 3 steals, and 8-10 from the line. And there was this:
One final note related to Butler -- you have to have respect for Brad Stevens and what he has done at Butler. HBO's Real Sports recently did a segment on Brad Stevens.....it's a must watch if you have HBO On Demand.
**********************************
Coming up:
IU hosts Stetson on Sunday and it sure is nice to now be able to chalk these types of games up as victories. That certainly has not been the case the past 3 years. The most interesting part of this game is that IU will be honoring the '87 Championship team. It sounds like most of the big names will be there -- Alford, Smart, Garrett, Thomas, and even Calloway who later transferred to Kansas. One notable that will likely be missing.....the man in the red sweater. Man, it seems like right now would actually be the perfect time for Knight to return. With the fan base at a fever pitch right now about this year's team, that place would go berserko if Knight came strolling out. Glad that the two biggest stars appear to be able to make it -- Alford and Smart -- especially given their coaching schedules.
Then, you know what's next. That's right, Kentucky. They look to have a decent squad this year and may be carrying the #1 ranking into Assembly Hall. Terry Hutchens provides this:
* Indiana has played 17 games against the No. 1 team in the nation. Indiana is 5-12 in those games.
* The last time IU played a No. 1 team was Connecticut in the 2005-06 season. IU lost that game, 88-80 at home.
* The last time IU beat a No. 1 team was the 2001-02 Sweet Sixteen when the Hoosiers knocked off Duke in Rupp Arena, 74-73. The year before that, IU beat Michigan State on Kirk Haston‘s 3-pointer at the buzzer, 59-58.
* IU has played Kentucky six times when the Wildcats were No. 1 in the nation and Indiana is 1-5 in those games.
***************************************
Rankings and Ratings
* Two weeks ago, IU received 2 votes in the Coaches Poll. Last week, IU received 3 votes in the Coaches Poll. Nothing yet in the AP Poll, but I would guess the Hoosiers will be getting a few more votes in both polls next week (assuming a win over Stetson on Sunday).
* SI's Luke Winn has IU at #24 in his most recent Power Rankings.
* IU is 17th in Pomeroy's Ratings.
* IU is 15th in Sagarin's Ratings.
* In the cbssports RPI, the Hoosiers are 45th.
* RealTime RPI has IU 43rd.
* Strength of Schedule - Seeing anything from 193rd to 305th. Regardless, time to cheer for the teams we've beaten to help this number a bit. I suppose playing #1 Kentucky will cause the SOS # to move a lot.
* Indiana is listed as "First Four Out" in Joe Lunardi's Bracketology.
* IU is 8th in the nation in FG%.
* IU is 9th in the nation in 3PT%.
* IU is 10th in the nation in Scoring.
* IU is 22nd in the nation in Steals per game.
* Cody Zeller is 10th in the nation in FG%.
* Jordan Hulls is 23rd in the nation in 3PT%.
* Jordan Hulls does not have enough FTs to qualify for the nation's leaders, but he is 11-11 this season and has made 52 in a row!
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Tweet, tweet:
Here are some recent #iubb tweets, most coming after the big win over NC State:
@grosensteinGreg Rosenstein:
Zeller joking about his parents leaving early: "Maybe they shouldn't have come at all. We might have won by 20." #iubb
@dj_white3DJ White
Yessssir Hoosiers. We are back. Big Win
@insidethehallAlex Bozich
@ids_sportsIDS Sports
RT @sean_morrison IU made a statement in the state against Butler. They made a statement nationally tonight. #IUBB
@ReggieMillerTNTReggie Miller
Tom Cream has the Hoosiers back, very nice......young kids play HARD!!!
@pdiprimioPete DiPrimio
In case you've forgotten, and Purdue students haven't, they end every timeout with the chant -- "IU sucks!" Then they cheer. Rivarly lives
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Full Games of Yogi Ferrell and Hanner Perea:
I haven't had time to check these out myself, but saw these links and thought I would pass them along. If anyone has time to watch them, I'd love to hear a report.
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Online IU Post-Game Shows:
Just can't get enough IU coverage on a game? Check out these two post-game shows -- available to listen (or watch in one case) live or recorded.
* Assembly Call IU Postgame Show: http://assemblycall.com/
* Spreecast IU Postgame Show from Crimson Cast: http://www.spreecast.com/events/crimsoncast8
I've checked both of these out after the last two games and both are good and usually have some guests like Alex Bozich from Inside the Hall to talk about the game.
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GO HOOSIERS!
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Hanner Perea
Ryun just commented on what we have coming next year, so I thought it would be a good time to post this video that Brad forwarded to me.
WARNING: If you don't like dunks, do NOT watch this video!
WARNING: If you don't like dunks, do NOT watch this video!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Thoughts After 3 Games
The first thought that comes to mind....I heart Cody Zeller. This kid appears to be as good as advertised and makes this team better in so many ways. The best news of all....he's only going to get better. He notched a double-double in his debut, marking the 3rd time in 4 years that an IU player has had a double-double in their college debut (Pritchard, Watford). I don't think I'd be going out on a limb to say that Cody will have many more than Pritchard and Watford combined when it is all said and done. My vision for Cody is to stay all 4 years, stay healthy, re-write the record books, 2 Big Ten titles, and a 6th banner. Sure, that's asking a lot, but the key point is that it isn't out of the realm of possibility. He's that good.
Again, his best attribute is how he helps this team in so many ways and makes everyone around him better -- he scores, he rebounds, he gets steals, he gets blocked shots, he makes a decent percent of his free throws, he runs the floor, he doesn't get frazzled, he gets hit in the nuts and still blocks the shot and then calmly tells his coach and the ref resulting in an ejection and 4 free throws that sparked a huge IU run, he gets a steal and dribbles coast-to-coast for a dunk, he catches the ball when thrown to him, he draws double-teams, he passes to the open shooter, and the most refreshing quality of all.....he knows how to put the biscuit in the basket.
Let's take a look at his numbers so far:
* Game 1: 16 pts (5-6 FG; 6-8 FT), 10 rebs, 2 assts, 2 blks, 3 steals
* Game 2: 7 pts (2-3 FG; 3-5 FT), 5 rebs, 0 assts, 1 blk, 6 steals
* Game 3: 14 pts (6-7 FG; 2-3 FT), 9 rebs, 1 asst, 2 blks, 1 steal
That's right, 6 steals in Game 2. The last Hoosier to have 6 steals in a game was Earl Calloway. And take a look at that FG shooting, that's 13-16 on the year for 81.3%. 12.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.7 bpg, 3.3 spg. Pretty damn good.
Now, looking at Zeller with a little more critical eye, I think his biggest fault right now is that he has been beat badly on a couple 1-on-1 post moves by the opponent. Once we play some teams with legitimate big men, I think they will try to go right at him to either try to get him into foul trouble or because they simply like the match-up. Cody is making up for some of those deficiencies with some blocked shots, a lot of steals, and a ton of deflections. He will get better defensively, but I do think some teams will really try to go right at him.
Ok, I'm done with my Cody lovefest (for now), how about the team as a whole? I have to tell ya, after last night's game, I am pretty damn excited. I was predicting a win for IU last night, but considering it was a road game (last road win was 22 months ago) against an Evansville team that had already beaten Butler, I was predicting a close game throughout and a 4-point victory. But this game was never close, IU beat the shit out of them from the outset and held a 24-point lead at halftime! If you did not watch the game live online, you can still watch the replay on espn3.com. I strongly recommend that you at least watch the first half, it's one of the better halves of basketball of the Tom Crean era. The Hoosiers built the lead to 30+ in the second half and the scrubs got plenty of PT in the 94-73 win.
From a team perspective, a few things are jumping out at me:
+ Different guys stepping up and leading the team to victory. Last year, if Watford had 7 points, VJIII had 7 points, and Hulls had 4 points, that would have been a guaranteed loss, no matter who we were playing. Well, that's what happened in the opener against Stony Brook, but thankfully our Super Sophs and Fantastic Freshman came through. Oladipo was sensational with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. Sheehey poured in 13 points and added 5 rebounds in just 10 minutes of play (did not play in second half due to the flu). And we've already talked about Zeller's double-double. We also got nice contributions from Elston (11 pts), Roth (8 pts), and Etherington (8 pts).
In Game 2, a 78-53 win over Chattanooga, Oladipo was terrific once again with 21 points and 5 rebounds. Verdell had a nice night with 16 points and 4 steals, but the turnover bug got him again with 5 turnovers. The good news is that Verdell has been pretty steady with the ball outside of this game. However, Game 2 belonged to Jordan Hulls. He caught fire from the arc with 6-9 from long distance for 18 points.
Then, in the Evansville game, it was Watford that stepped up. After struggling with his shot in the first two games, Watford really sparked the Hoosiers in this game. He had 15 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 3PT, 3-3 FT) and 8 rebounds. Verdell was also outstanding in this one with 17 points that was sparked by a perfect 4-4 from the arc. Verdell added 7 assists against 3 turnovers, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Also, Hulls was really good again with 14 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 3PT, 2-2 FT). In this game, I thought Oladipo and Sheehey were pressing and forcing the issue a bit (both 3-8 FG). I think both those guys are at their best when they play with high energy, but still let the game come to them and take advantage of those opportunities.
I love that we don't have to rely on any one or two guys to have a great game or we're screwed. Between Verdell, Watford, Hulls, Oladipo, Sheehey, and Zeller, I think we have 6 guys that can have big nights and lead this team to victory.
Hot Shooting - Through 3 games, IU is shooting 57% from the field, 47% from the arc, and 74% from the line.
Defense - I thought the defense was terrible in the opener against Stony Brook, but greatly improved the last two games. It's tough to tell against lesser competition, but these guys have been getting after it on defense, getting steals, and a ton of deflections.
NCAA Tourney? Yes, it's very very early, but I'm feeling like my 16-17 predicted wins may have been selling this team short. I still think the tournament is a stretch, but I think this team has potential to be on the bubble. The biggest questions that remain are whether they can win close games and whether they can win on the road in the Big Ten.
Other Notes:
* Tom Pritchard has just 23 minutes, 2 points, and 2 rebounds this season.
* Elston is off to a nice start with 10-14 from the field and 2-3 from th arc.
* Jordan Hulls only has 2 rebounds in 3 games (81 minutes), Daniel Moore has 7 rebounds in 3 games (30 minutes).
* Assist-to-turnover: Jones 16:9, Hulls 11:6, Moore 5:1
* Cody Zeller leads the team in rebounds, blocks, and steals
* Oladipo leads the team in scoring (15 ppg). I didn't even have him on the poll question.
* FG Shooting: Zeller (81%), Elston (71%), Hulls (68%), Oladipo (62%)
* Our "pure shooters" are 13-20 from the arc -- Hulls 8-13, Roth 3-5, Etherington 2-2
* Jordan Hulls has made 43 consecutive free throws. Problem is that he's only shot 2 this year. You make 'em at that rate and you have to find ways to get to the line more often.
Next Up: Savannah State on Saturday night at 8pm ET (7pm CT) on BTN.
Prediction: IU 81 SSU 60
Go Hoosiers!
Again, his best attribute is how he helps this team in so many ways and makes everyone around him better -- he scores, he rebounds, he gets steals, he gets blocked shots, he makes a decent percent of his free throws, he runs the floor, he doesn't get frazzled, he gets hit in the nuts and still blocks the shot and then calmly tells his coach and the ref resulting in an ejection and 4 free throws that sparked a huge IU run, he gets a steal and dribbles coast-to-coast for a dunk, he catches the ball when thrown to him, he draws double-teams, he passes to the open shooter, and the most refreshing quality of all.....he knows how to put the biscuit in the basket.
Let's take a look at his numbers so far:
* Game 1: 16 pts (5-6 FG; 6-8 FT), 10 rebs, 2 assts, 2 blks, 3 steals
* Game 2: 7 pts (2-3 FG; 3-5 FT), 5 rebs, 0 assts, 1 blk, 6 steals
* Game 3: 14 pts (6-7 FG; 2-3 FT), 9 rebs, 1 asst, 2 blks, 1 steal
That's right, 6 steals in Game 2. The last Hoosier to have 6 steals in a game was Earl Calloway. And take a look at that FG shooting, that's 13-16 on the year for 81.3%. 12.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.7 bpg, 3.3 spg. Pretty damn good.
Now, looking at Zeller with a little more critical eye, I think his biggest fault right now is that he has been beat badly on a couple 1-on-1 post moves by the opponent. Once we play some teams with legitimate big men, I think they will try to go right at him to either try to get him into foul trouble or because they simply like the match-up. Cody is making up for some of those deficiencies with some blocked shots, a lot of steals, and a ton of deflections. He will get better defensively, but I do think some teams will really try to go right at him.
Ok, I'm done with my Cody lovefest (for now), how about the team as a whole? I have to tell ya, after last night's game, I am pretty damn excited. I was predicting a win for IU last night, but considering it was a road game (last road win was 22 months ago) against an Evansville team that had already beaten Butler, I was predicting a close game throughout and a 4-point victory. But this game was never close, IU beat the shit out of them from the outset and held a 24-point lead at halftime! If you did not watch the game live online, you can still watch the replay on espn3.com. I strongly recommend that you at least watch the first half, it's one of the better halves of basketball of the Tom Crean era. The Hoosiers built the lead to 30+ in the second half and the scrubs got plenty of PT in the 94-73 win.
From a team perspective, a few things are jumping out at me:
+ Different guys stepping up and leading the team to victory. Last year, if Watford had 7 points, VJIII had 7 points, and Hulls had 4 points, that would have been a guaranteed loss, no matter who we were playing. Well, that's what happened in the opener against Stony Brook, but thankfully our Super Sophs and Fantastic Freshman came through. Oladipo was sensational with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. Sheehey poured in 13 points and added 5 rebounds in just 10 minutes of play (did not play in second half due to the flu). And we've already talked about Zeller's double-double. We also got nice contributions from Elston (11 pts), Roth (8 pts), and Etherington (8 pts).
In Game 2, a 78-53 win over Chattanooga, Oladipo was terrific once again with 21 points and 5 rebounds. Verdell had a nice night with 16 points and 4 steals, but the turnover bug got him again with 5 turnovers. The good news is that Verdell has been pretty steady with the ball outside of this game. However, Game 2 belonged to Jordan Hulls. He caught fire from the arc with 6-9 from long distance for 18 points.
Then, in the Evansville game, it was Watford that stepped up. After struggling with his shot in the first two games, Watford really sparked the Hoosiers in this game. He had 15 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 3PT, 3-3 FT) and 8 rebounds. Verdell was also outstanding in this one with 17 points that was sparked by a perfect 4-4 from the arc. Verdell added 7 assists against 3 turnovers, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Also, Hulls was really good again with 14 points (5-7 FG, 2-3 3PT, 2-2 FT). In this game, I thought Oladipo and Sheehey were pressing and forcing the issue a bit (both 3-8 FG). I think both those guys are at their best when they play with high energy, but still let the game come to them and take advantage of those opportunities.
I love that we don't have to rely on any one or two guys to have a great game or we're screwed. Between Verdell, Watford, Hulls, Oladipo, Sheehey, and Zeller, I think we have 6 guys that can have big nights and lead this team to victory.
Hot Shooting - Through 3 games, IU is shooting 57% from the field, 47% from the arc, and 74% from the line.
Defense - I thought the defense was terrible in the opener against Stony Brook, but greatly improved the last two games. It's tough to tell against lesser competition, but these guys have been getting after it on defense, getting steals, and a ton of deflections.
NCAA Tourney? Yes, it's very very early, but I'm feeling like my 16-17 predicted wins may have been selling this team short. I still think the tournament is a stretch, but I think this team has potential to be on the bubble. The biggest questions that remain are whether they can win close games and whether they can win on the road in the Big Ten.
Other Notes:
* Tom Pritchard has just 23 minutes, 2 points, and 2 rebounds this season.
* Elston is off to a nice start with 10-14 from the field and 2-3 from th arc.
* Jordan Hulls only has 2 rebounds in 3 games (81 minutes), Daniel Moore has 7 rebounds in 3 games (30 minutes).
* Assist-to-turnover: Jones 16:9, Hulls 11:6, Moore 5:1
* Cody Zeller leads the team in rebounds, blocks, and steals
* Oladipo leads the team in scoring (15 ppg). I didn't even have him on the poll question.
* FG Shooting: Zeller (81%), Elston (71%), Hulls (68%), Oladipo (62%)
* Our "pure shooters" are 13-20 from the arc -- Hulls 8-13, Roth 3-5, Etherington 2-2
* Jordan Hulls has made 43 consecutive free throws. Problem is that he's only shot 2 this year. You make 'em at that rate and you have to find ways to get to the line more often.
Next Up: Savannah State on Saturday night at 8pm ET (7pm CT) on BTN.
Prediction: IU 81 SSU 60
Go Hoosiers!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
Indiana Basketball: 5 Things to Watch This Season
The season is here! IU's one and only exhibition game is Saturday evening (BTN.com, re-aired on BTN on Tuesday at 2pm) and the season opener is just one week away (next Friday vs. Stony Brook). Here's 5 things to watch for this season:
1. Go Whitey!
* Cody Zeller - There's no doubt about it, Cody is the clear-cut #1 thing to watch for. If the Hoosiers make a significant leap this year, it will be because Cody Zeller is as good as advertised.
* Will Sheehey - Lots of offseason buzz that Will Sheehey is ready to have a breakout season. I think he has the length, athleticism, and attitude to do just that. Of course, I might still be riding high on him because I can't help but think of that incredible dunk last season.
* Jordan Hulls - Hulls made huge progress last year, can he build off that and take another step forward in his junior campaign? I say yes. Outstanding work ethic and I could see him playing very well with Zeller -- both feeding Zeller for opportunities and also getting more open looks from having a true big man threat.
* Derek Elston - No doubt about it, Elston had a rough sophomore campaign. Heck, I almost forgot he was on the team. Rumor has it that he is healthy and showing that bounce in his game that we all liked in his freshman season.
* Tom Pritchard - So what if his best 2 games were almost 100 games ago! Let's go out with a solid senior season, Tommy Boy! Grab some boards, get some garbage buckets, foul hard when you foul, and a few more of these would be great.
* Matt Roth - Probably still too one-dimensional to see a lot of playing time, but it never hurts to have a deadly 3-point shooter on the bench.
* Austin Etherington - With all the focus on Zeller, could Etherington surprise some people? I'm guessing he's not quite ready for the big-time, but sounds like he has the tools and well-rounded game to make an impact in his Hoosier career.
* Daniel Moore - On a team that still does not have spectacular ball-handlers and often lacks energy, Moore may still find some minutes.
2. Sheeladipo
We already mentioned Sheehey, but his fellow classmate Oladipo is also rumored to have made progress in his game. The Oladipo/Sheehey recruiting class was unheralded, but I love the athleticism and energy that these guys bring to both ends of the floor.
3. Surprise Me!
At this point, you feel pretty confident in what you have with Verdell Jones III, Christian Watford, and Tom Pritchard. Every off-season, you hear about improvements here, added strength there, defensive focus, blah, blah, blah.
We know Verdell will have some nifty moves, get some points, and probably struggle with turnovers and on the defensive end of the floor.
We know Watford will put up solid points and rebound statistics, but he will frustrate us with his slow-motion and getting his shot blocked.
We know Pritchard will have some moments and will be one of our better defenders, but he will foul too much and miss more than half of his free throws.
What we really need this year is for one of these guys to surprise us on the upside! We need some upper-classmen leadership, clutch plays, improvements in key areas, and a big year from one of these guys.
4. STOP FOULING!!!!
IU fouled at a ridiculous rate last year and it cost them several games. Out of 345 D-1 schools, IU was 333rd in opponent FT Rate. That ain't gonna cut it. Move your feet!
5. Win a close game!
And I'm not talking about playing like shit and pulling out an OT win against the likes of Stony Brook. I'm talking about one of those knock-down drag-em-out Big Ten battles against a decent team. This team still needs "the man". Until they find one and keep fouling down the stretch, they're going to continue to struggle in close games.
With Cody Zeller getting ready to make his debut and a top 5 recruiting class on the way, things are finally looking up in Bloomington. But the question is, how big of a step can they make this year?
Fingers crossed.
Let's go HOOSIERS!!!!
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