Column: Lessons at an exhibition: First game fulfills purpose for IU

When Jordan Hulls took the floor for the opening tip, he was as tall as three Franklin College starters. And Hulls is 6 feet tall.

Six IU players — even without Guy-Marc Michel — were at least the height of the Grizzlies’ tallest player.

At times, Christian Watford was working in the post against guys 6 inches smaller than him. Franklin coach Kerry Prather said it best about his team matching up with Watford.

“We can look up and down that bench and around the corner and out the door, and that’s just something we’re not going to find,” he said.

So, what can one really learn from such a mismatch?

Consider IU scored 41 points off turnovers to Franklin’s eight. IU had 54 points in the paint. Franklin — just 18. The Hoosiers out-rebounded Franklin
42-20.

But it was a game. I remember my very bad middle school basketball team once scheduled a game against a fifth-grade team just so we could get a win.

We were all a head taller than our opponent, but that game gave us some confidence that we could, in fact, play the game of basketball.

So goes IU’s exhibition schedule. They’re playing to work off rust, get healthy and get game experience.

What’s to like:

1. Sophomore guard Maurice Creek is getting healthier. Creek hobbled around at Hoosier Hysteria, looked better (but still a bit feeble) at the team’s open scrimmage and played actively on Wednesday.

He took a charge in the second half and had an impressive little stretch where he scored a basket and then stole the ensuing inbounds pass.

He did struggle with his shot, finishing 6-for-14 from the field and 2-for-7 from the 3-point line, but Creek playing in any manner is a positive for the Hoosiers. And quietly, he scored 16 points.

“I just need to stay in the gym every day and get back to game shots,” Creek said about his shot. “It may take a little time, but it won’t take a lot of time.”

2. Yeah, he wasn’t exactly shooting over Mike Tisdale or JaJuan Johnson, but Watford’s outside shooting was crisp. By the first media timeout, he had 12 points, including two 3-pointers.

His final stat line was impressive: 25 points on 9-for-11 shooting, including 2-for-3 from the 3-point line. And he did that all in 24 minutes of action.

“That’s one thing I wanted to focus on — to be more efficient in that way,” Watford said. “I got it going early, got some easy layups, got to the free throw line. It just got going for me.”

IU coach Tom Crean was most complimentary of Watford’s defensive performance.
“(His offense) started with his defense,” Crean said. “That’s what great players do. They have to be consistent in everything they do. It’s got to be all ends of the floor.”

3. The student section has potential. Sure, it was preseason and it wasn’t that full. But you can see that the first-come, first-serve area will be electric come Big Ten basketball.  

Questions that remain:

1. Guy-Marc Michel’s status. The 7-foot center is being reviewed by the NCAA concerning his eligibility. It’s IU and the NCAA being proactive on the matter.

With issues surrounding other European players, such as Kentucky’s Enes Kanter, it’s necessary to review his status. Even if Guy misses a few games, the team doesn’t really need his size until Kentucky in December.

He’ll miss some game experience, but as of now, he’s still practicing with the team, so if all works out for Michel, the setback won’t be that great.

2. A few injuries. Junior guard Verdell Jones was held out of the game, and Derek Elston and Tom Pritchard played while still working through some nagging issues. As of now, none look too serious, even if Jones misses a handful of games with the sprained ankle.

A game’s a game. On to the next one.