Column: Areas in need of improvement highlighted in 1st loss

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Despite an unblemished record in November, it was nearly impossible to pinpoint how much IU had improved from the previous two seasons.

It was a weak schedule. 6-0 doesn’t mean much.

Six wins is as many as the team had two years ago. 6-0 means a lot.

Slow starts were worrisome. 6-0 doesn’t mean much.

The team played well defensively. 6-0 means ... OK, you get the point.

After the team’s first road game and first loss, an 88-76 defeat at Boston College on Wednesday, the team and IU fans got a more accurate preview of the 2010-11 Hoosiers.

And that preview showed that although this team is better in many aspects, there are areas in which the Hoosiers must improve if they want to be competitive in the Big Ten.

Namely, providing an inside presence and playing solid defense on the perimeter.

On the rebounding end, IU forwards Tom Pritchard, Christian Watford, Bobby Capobianco and Derek Elston combined for eight rebounds. Eight — that’s about as many one of those guys should get every night.

While Watford scored 23 points, the three others added nine.

Meanwhile, Boston College’s big men Joe Trapani (nine points, five rebounds) and Corey Raji (nine points, six rebounds) put in the exact type of games the IU guys should look to emulate.

Guy-Marc Michel’s ineligibility ruling left IU without a true center for the rest of the season. Three-guard lineups and creative uses of the frontcourt can work, but Pritchard as the starter must show some more tenacity near the goal to make up for Michel’s loss.

As far as dribble defense and perimeter containment, IU struggled in its first contest against a truly good guard in Reggie Jackson of Boston College. The junior dropped 27 points on 9-for-14 shooting and wasn’t challenged nearly enough.

And he won’t be the last good guard to come IU’s way this season.

Crean addressed both aspects — being better inside and improving perimeter defense — as reasons for the Boston College loss.

“They got 90 percent of the 50-50 balls in the first half where we just didn’t grab the ball in the block outs,” Crean said.

But even in highlighting areas to improve, IU showed signs Wednesday that it will actually be able to do just that this season.

Crean said the players didn’t buy into the “it was just one of those nights” attitudes that a previous version of the Hoosiers might have used as an excuse.

They faced a double-digit deficit in the second half and battled back into the game. In college basketball — a sport that is so much a game of runs — that shouldn’t be much of a surprise. For a Hoosier team that has only won one road game in Crean’s tenure, it was progress.

Even then, Crean said he wasn’t satisfied.

“When we get up, we have to learn to put the foot on the throat,” Crean said. “We aren’t ready to do that against great competition yet.”

It was a road test. While IU didn’t pass, neither can you say that they really failed.
6-1 only means there’s work to be done.


E-mail: nmhart@indiana.edu