Column: Oladipo is surprise top scorer

Raise your hand if you had Victor Oladipo being the Hoosiers’ best all around player through the first two games of the season.

Anyone?

Congratulations to the few of you stretching your hand high above your head, because I sure am not.

The sophomore guard tied a career high with 16 points against Stony Brook on Friday and then bested that mark, adding 21 points Sunday.

On defense, Oladipo has become the Hoosiers’ best lock-down defender.

Oladipo limited Stony Brook’s leading scorer from last season, Bryan Dougher, to just four points on a 1-for-8 shooting night.

Chattanooga guard Keegan Bell , who averaged 9.7 points last year, did not record a single point against Oladipo.

“The greatest thing about the last two (games) is his defensive presence has created his offense,” IU Coach Tom Crean said. “He tied a career-high last game and set a career-high today. When you are getting 37 points a game and you are guarding the opposing team’s first or second-best player every minute you are on the floor, it is impressive.”

How easily preseason hype bogs down the canals of reality.

I’ll admit it, before the year started, there was a list of Hoosiers in my mind that were poised for a big year.

Freshman forward Cody Zeller? Of course. He’s the new big man on campus and the Hoosiers’ main man in the middle.

Junior forward Christian Watford? Absolutely, as he was heralded as a potential all-Big Ten selection and one of IU’s most talented players. Yet so far this season, Watford is shooting an underwhelming 3-of-14 from the field with nine points and seven rebounds.

Oladipo’s fellow sophomore, forward Will Sheehey ? You bet. In the preseason, I though this athletic swingman had among the most potential on the team.

But Oladipo? Granted, I thought the 6-foot-5 spark plug was good for electrifying dunks off breakaway steals, but I never looked at him as the player that would spearhead
an Indiana victory.

Oladipo was that player Sunday against Chattanooga as he made his second  consecutive start, shooting an efficient 6-of-9 from the field with consistency at the free throw line, going 8-of-11.

I know two games is a very small sample size, and it takes more to truly make an assessment about a player’s performance in a season. That will come later when IU is tested by stronger opponents.

But Oladipo’s team-leading stats so far this year are undeniable.

He leads the Hoosiers with 18.5 points per game. He leads all guards in shooting
percentage, making 72.2 percent of his shots after going 13-of-18 so far this season.

He has the second-most rebounds on the team with 11, trailing only Zeller, who happens to be nearly 7 feet tall.

This all coming from a player I didn’t think would be an everyday starter.

Now Oladipo must take his recent performances and become consistent.

No matter if IU is playing lowly Stetson in December or Purdue in a raucous Mackey
Arena come February, Oldaipo has to take this high level of play and bring it to every
game this season. I understand everybody has an off -shooting game.

Just ask junior guard Jordan Hulls, who registered 18 points Sunday from six threes, but managed just four in the season opener.

Oladipo doesn’t have to be the Hoosiers’ leading scorer in every game, like he was
against Chattanooga.

But he has to bring the fundamental defensive skill, relentless hustle and desire that makes him multi-dimensional.

Make no mistake, despite the increased production from last season, this is still
the same Oladipo.

After an alley-oop two-handed slam from Hulls at the 17:42 mark in the second
half, IU went on a 17-6 run.

Following his slams tonight, Oladipo put his hand over his face in a new celebration.

“It’s just something to get me motivated,” he said. “I had to have something because during the year, Coach Crean always told me I got to find something to get me going,
and it’s just something one of my best friends told me to try to do. And that’s something I’m going to try and keep with me.”

With any luck, Oladipo will have an imprint of his hand on his face by the end of the season.