Column: Six-game funk brings back bad memories

This wasn’t supposed to be another year of less than mediocre.

In fact, the very definition of mediocrity seemed to be the expectation for IU basketball this year — a .500 season, a postseason tournament of some kind and improvement from the previous two hellish seasons.

Nothing special. Just improvement.

The problem is, the Hoosiers have not done anything to meet those modest expectations. At least not yet.

Sunday’s 93-81 loss to Northwestern — a kind score in a game where IU never really competed — added to the growing concern around coach Tom Crean’s program.
The Hoosiers are in the midst of a six-game losing streak dating back to Dec. 22.

Against major-conference opponents, the Hoosiers are winless (0-7) and only still remain above .500 because of a slew of wins against much weaker competition early in the season.

It’s been a 20-day stretch that frankly reminds me of last year. And the year before that. Those two seasons, IU was too-often outmatched on the court and struggled to maintain mental toughness when rough stretches hit.

Crean admitted the team was not playing to its potential Sunday against Northwestern. He labeled the first-half performance “extremely immature.”
It was a first half in which IU trailed by as many as 14 and key players, such as sophomore Christian Watford, struggled immensely (0-for-6 and two rebounds in the half).

The defense has been a concern during the losing streak — both perimeter and interior — and never has it been thrashed as much as it was Sunday.
The 93 points allowed was the highest of the season, and it was the fifth time IU lost when allowing more than 75 points.

It all begs the question: Is this team really much different from last year’s? That seemed to be an obvious answer going into the season: It HAS to be better.

But that answer is a bit more muddied now.

In four losses of the current losing streak, the team’s seemingly best player, Watford, has struggled. He was 3-for-14 against Colorado, had three points against Penn State and had four points against Minnesota.

Sophomore guard Maurice Creek doesn’t look 100 percent. The frontcourt has been limited in its effectiveness.

Look, it very well could change. There’s still time for that — 14 Big Ten games, to be exact. This team could right the ship, compete and win games.
But the reality is every opportunity so far to do just that has come up empty this season.

It’s not time to write off the rest of the season. But in the same measure, it’s hard to defend a team that has only won games against cupcake
opponents.

Until the Hoosiers find answers, until Watford plays consistently night-in and night-out, until the team wants to compete in the first half, until it improves defensively, this team is playing nothing better than last season.

And that level is less than mediocre.


E-mail: nmhart@indiana.edu