IU 66 TCU 56

A very impressive win, especially if they could take back the final 2 minutes where IU gave up a 15-2 run with 6 turnovers to end the game. But the 20 minutes prior (the last 1-2 minutes of the 1st half and the first 18 minutes of the 2nd half) was the best basketball this team has played all year.

After being down 23-22 with a minute or two to go in the first half, IU then outscored TCU 42-18 over the next 20 minutes. Impressive.

That deep 3 by Story at the halftime buzzer was outstanding. Stephen Bardo even said he shot that one from Kokomo. After a back and forth 1st half, that shot by Story gave IU a 4-point lead at halftime

Then, IU just came out in the 2nd half and dominated. Pritchard was playing great inside and Dumes got it going outside and the entire team was playing great defense and rebounding. And even though the team still finished with 19 turnovers, that was still good for a couple reasons -- (1) it's below 20 and well below their season average that had them 3rd worst in the nation heading into this game. (2) 6 of those turnovers came in the final 2:01. So, they only had 13 turnovers in the first 38 minutes while they built a 20+ point lead.

I actually thought it was interesting that Crean still had the starters in there with 2 minutes to play and a 22-point lead. But then I was thinking that he probably wanted to use this game as a confidence-booster that they beat TCU by 20+ and held them to under 50 points. Good thought, but it backfired. Nonetheless, it was still a very good performance for this young team.

Overall Team Performance: A-

When this game started, I was impressed by TCU's defensive intensity and I thought we were going to be in for a tough battle. I would not have been surprised at all if this was a game we would lose. Even after the first half, it looked like it would be a close game throughout, but they really came out and played great in the 2nd half. They hit their FTs (16-20), hit enough 3s (6-18), won the battle of the boards (31-25), and won the turnover battle (19-21). So, other than the final 2 minutes, it was a good night.

Tom Pritchard: A-

Started the game horribly with 2 early turnovers and 2 early shots that didn't catch rim, but really played well the rest of the game. Notched another double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. He was all over the offensive glass with 9 of those 11 rebounds coming on the offensive end. Interestingly, all 6 of his rebounds against Gonzaga were offensive, so 15 of his last 17 rebounds have come on the offensive end. Obviously, you would like to see more than 2 defensive rebounds in a 2-game span, but 15 on the offensive end is outstanding. And those offensive rebounds were huge in this game. He was either getting the put-back himself or in one case, he kicked it out to Dumes for a 3.

Kyle Taber: B+

Solid. Did his thing. IU did feed him in the post once and he put in a really nice jump hook. I'm not saying he should be "featured" in the offense, but he might need to look to score a little more. So far this year, he has shown some skills.

Daniel Moore: B+

Another 30 minutes for the walk-on freshman. I really like the way that he always seems to be in motion. You don't ever see him standing still. Again, when he is being asked to handle the ball as much as he is and having the ball in his hands at the end of the shot-clock, I can live with 4 turnovers. Especially when they are offset with 7 assists like he had tonight.

Even though he is not a threat to score, he is definitely the guy on this team that puts pressure on the defense and forces defenses to react. He had the assists on Story's buzzer shot, Pritchard's dunk, and Williams' dunk.

Nick Williams: A-

This is exactly what we need out of Nick Williams -- 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and a great dunk. He was active and did a little bit of everything. The dunk came in the 2nd half in a half-court set. Moore drove baseline while Williams found an open area in the lane. Moore fed him and he went up off of 2-feet and threw it down with 1-hand and some authority. It was great. If I am not mistaken, he is only the 3rd Hoosier to have a dunk this year -- several by Pritchard, 1 by Story on an all alone fast-break, and now this impressive dunk from Williams.

Devan Dumes: A-

This is also what we need out of Dumes. I just think if Dumes can score, this team gets elevated to another level. He poured in 20 tonight and really helped fuel that big 2nd half with some shots both inside and outside the arc. He also had 3 steals that led to some fast-break points.

Matt Roth: B-

Didn't quite have the shooting touch tonight. Not terrible as he was 1-3 from the arc and 2-6 from the field, but had some pretty good looks that I'd like to think he would usually knock down. His defense has a long way to go. He'll never be the quickest guy, but he still needs to get better on the defensive end.

Malik Story: B+

Not the best shooting night with 2-9 from the field, but I really like what he brings to the table. When he comes in the game, I feel like something good could happen on the offensive end of the floor. I like that he can shoot, he can drive, and he can pass.

Tijan Jobe: F

Tom Crean gave Jobe a 10-second test in tonight's game and Jobe failed it miserably. He came in the game and that Croatian guy drove right around him like he was standing still. Wait, it was not like he was standing still, he actually was standing still. You could hear the buzzer for a substition before the ball even went through the net.

Next up: Kentucky on Saturday at 3pm CT on CBS. Man, I sure do hate me some Kentucky. Those assfaces are 6-3 with losses to VMI (ouch!), North Carolina, and Miami (FL). Their biggest win was at West Virginia (54-43). See poll question.