Hoosiers set to open Big Ten without Creek

The young IU basketball team knows Big Ten basketball is going to be a challenge.
Three days ago, it just got a lot more difficult.

IU (6-6) opens conference play against Michigan at noon on New Year's Eve at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers will be doing it without their leading scorer, freshman guard Maurice Creek, who fractured his knee against Bryant on Monday and will miss the rest of the season.

Not only did Creek contribute points, but IU coach Tom Crean also said he provided invaluable confidence and attitude to the rest of the team.

Despite the injury, Crean said the last two days of pracitce have been "very good". However, he admitted he won't really know how his team will respond until they face Michigan.

"Now we have to go play a game," Crean said. "I don't think you realize you're playing without somebody until then."

Crean and his players said the team should not look at filling in Creek's role exactly as he did. Instead, the perspective was on how the team can continue to improve despite the adversity.

In fact, junior guard Jeremiah Rivers insisted that nothing has to be that different for the team.

"We're going to miss Maurice, but players will have the opportunity to step up and really contribute to the team," Rivers said. "I don't think it's anything we have to change."

Crean said matching Creek's contributions would be impossible.

"Our focus is not going on to practice going 'OK, Maurice did these things, now you've got to do that, you have to do this,'" Crean said. "It's really staying with the whole developmental process of this program."

And that developmental process, despite the setback, continues with the game against Michigan.

The Wolverines (6-5) started the season ranked No. 15 in the AP poll. After five losses (four against teams from BCS conferences), the team has looked anything but one of the best in the country.

Michigan ranks last in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (42.2 percent) and 3-point percentage (84-of-290, 29.0 percent). That's an issue for a John Beilein-led team that thrives on the 3-point shot and perimeter offense. Only one Big Ten school (Iowa) has attempted more 3-pointers this season than Michigan.

Crean said the percentages are misleading - and he's had experience against Beilein when both coaches competed against each other in the Big East. While coaching West Virginia, Beilein's squad connected on 20 3-pointers agaisnt Crean's Marquette team.

"They can get hot at any point in time," Crean said. "If John Belein is coaching, his team can make threes at any given time."

The Wolverines also feature two of the top eight scorers in the Big Ten - the conference's leading scorer Manny Harris (20.1 points per game) and DeShawn Sims (16.1 points per game). Earlier this year, Harris posted a triple-double in a game against Northern Michigan.

Once again, Crean emphasized what he sees as Michigan's overall strength and said his players can't get caught up in just stopping Harris or Sims.

"It's not any one individual battle, it's not about stopping any one person," Crean said. "They are too good to just try to stop one or two people."

The key to limit Michigan, according to IU freshman guard Jordan Hulls, is to counter with stingy defense.

"It's definitely a different lineup than we've ever faced this year," Hulls said. "We just need to get them spaced out and a lot of pressure on the ball."

Update on Creek

Maurice Creek had a "very succesful" knee surgery on Tuesday in Indianapolis, according to Crean. Creek will begin rehabilitation when the doctors feel he is ready.

Until then, Crean said, Creek just needs time to recover. Creek will not attend the Michigan game tomorrow.