IU enters Big Ten Tournament with confidence

IU sophomore forward Christian Watford wanted to make one thing clear: Not one player on the roster believes the season will end after Thursday night’s matchup against Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.

The “intensity in practice” this week has caused him to believe the Hoosiers are primed for a deep run.

“Nobody wants to be one and done, and nobody wants to go home right now,” Watford said. “It’s basically all or nothing for us. We’re going to go out there and give it our all.”

That mind-set is what IU coach Tom Crean has been looking for all season.

After his team’s most recent loss to Illinois — a 72-48 drubbing in Champaign, Ill. — Crean said it came down to the players’ will.

But he, like Watford, said Wednesday that everyone is focused heading into the opening round game against the Nittany Lions.

“They know they didn’t play with the intensity and toughness that they needed to, and our week has been very good because of that,” Crean said. “Leading up to tomorrow night, I couldn’t ask for more from them. They’ve been attentive, they’ve concentrated.
“The practices have been shorter because they have played with and inside of those. Their mind-set is very good going into this tournament.”

Against Penn State — who defeated IU 69-60 in Bloomington last December — everything will have to click for the Hoosiers to advance. 

The Nittany Lions (16-13, 9-9) have taken three of their past five conference games, including a 66-63 win on the road Sunday against Minnesota. Penn State is led by senior guard Talor Battle — recently named a member of the All-Big Ten First Team — who averages 20.4 points per game. 

“It’s as good of a challenge as there is in the league,” Crean said about guarding Battle. “He is in range once he crosses half court, there’s no doubt about that. It’s not about picking him up. You got to find him very, very early.”

But Battle is not the only member of the Nittany Lions the Hoosiers will have to
worry about.

Jeff Brooks, a 6-foot-8 forward, averages 13.5 points with a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game. He has a full complement of post moves but can also hit the midrange shot if left open.

In Penn State’s win against IU earlier this season, Brooks paced the team with 23 points and eight rebounds. 

Guard Tim Frazier has also been a key component down the stretch, teaming with Battle to form one of the top back courts in the Big Ten.

IU sophomore guard Jordan Hulls said there is not one player in particular his team is focusing on from Penn State. 

“Talor Battle, he’s a good player, so we always have to know where he is at,” Hulls said. “But again, they are a team full of guys who can make shots and make plays. We just have to focus on getting back in transition, stopping the ball and then turning that into our offense.”

IU junior guard Verdell Jones echoed Hulls’ feelings and said the team is confident it will be successful Thursday night.

“We just need to play our hardest, our best,” Jones said. “We’ve watched plenty of film and have had a lot of prep time for them. We’ll give it our best effort.”