Column: This IU team is still under construction

There’s been a lot of chatter about IU’s future in the past weeks. But the now is here.
And to put it simply, it needs some work.

Playing unlike its first exhibition game and against a team very unlike its first exhibition opponent, IU struggled mightily for 37 minutes and needed overtime to secure a 78-65 win against a Division II Ferris State squad.

Let’s set the excuses aside first: junior guard Verdell Jones didn’t play, and Ferris State is a good Division II team with talented players (see Division II preseason player of year Justin Keenan).

And let’s give compliments where they are due. When IU needed someone to step up in regulation, did anyone expect it to be freshman guard Victor Oladipo?

He played like a wily vet in the final minute, converting a four-point play and blocking a shot on the defensive end with two seconds remaining. In overtime, the rest of the team just fed off that energy, and Ferris State simply ran out of juice.

That being said, there was a first 37 minutes of the game Monday which left much to
be desired.

If IU expected a repeat of its 89-37 trouncing of Franklin College, it wasn’t going to happen. And for most of the game, they played like that’s exactly what they were looking for.

Where do I begin? The Hoosiers settled for outside shots and it showed — they shot 5-for-25 from the 3-point line in regulation. The team struggled to get inside Ferris State’s defense, committed silly turnovers (20 of them), played weak transition offense and defense and let their opponent bang them around on both sides of the court.

For a while, IU played with little motivation in front of a relaxed crowd that — especially in the student section — looked rather empty. It took a significant deficit to get the crowd and players into the game.

There was little communication. At one point, sophomore guard Jordan Hulls had the ball poked out from behind him as two IU players saw the play develop. A “Hey, guy behind you” yell would have sufficed.

The post players struggled with foul trouble — Bobby Capobianco and Tom Pritchard each had three at the end of the first half.

When IU had open looks — from 3-point land or underneath — they too often found ways to miss. Pritchard put a layup on the bottom side of the rim in the first half. Hulls and sophomore guard Maurice Creek clanked open looks for threes.

For most of the second half, the team looked far more frustrated than motivated. But in desperation, something clicked. Oladipo stepped up and the team followed.

Maybe this is good for the Hoosiers.

Exhibition games mean nothing in the final standings. Cody Zeller won’t make his college decision based on this game. IU will play Friday’s season opener against Florida Gulf Coast with a tabula rasa 0-0 record.

And it’s not like IU is the only one to struggle in an exhibition game. Bellarmine knocked off Xavier last week. Last year, Syracuse (the future-No. 1-seed-in-the-NCAA-Tournament Syracuse) lost a preseason game 82-79 to Division II Le Moyne.

I wouldn’t want to be on the court for Tuesday’s practice. On Friday, Florida Gulf Coast ought to be facing a much-more-motivated bunch.

It’s clear that at the same time the future for IU is taking off in recruiting, the launching pad — the 2010-11 season — is still very much under construction.

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E-mail: nmhart@indiana.edu