IU opens schedule with Stony Brook on Friday

The IU men’s basketball team has won 13 straight season openers.

The Hoosiers have won by a 23-point average in each of the three season openers in the Tom Crean era.

IU is riding a 26-game winning streak in home openers.

Despite this success, Crean said Stony Brook is not a team that will ease the Hoosiers into the regular season.

“We’re going to be tested as much as our time here in openers and as much as any that I’ve been a part of as a head coach,” Crean said.

The Hoosiers will look to pass that test when they take on Stony Brook  at 7 p.m. Friday in Assembly Hall to kick off the 2011-12 campaign.

While the Seawolves hail from the America East Conference, Crean said they remind him of a Big Ten foe.

“They have Wisconsin tendencies,” Crean said. “They have a pace that they want to play at. They have a style that they want to play. There’s a place where they really score well, and that’s when they win.”

Like Wisconsin, Stony Brook gets production from beyond the arc. Stony Brook guard Bryan Dougher is not only the Seawolves’ leading returning scorer — he also set the school record for three-pointers.

Sophomore forward Will Sheehey said IU will have to make quick improvements in its perimeter defense in order to contain a guy like Dougher.

“Coming in versus Stony Brook, we definitely want to get out on the shooters more,” Sheehey said. “We want to give them less space on the perimeter than we did against Indianapolis. We gave up too many open threes against Indianapolis.”

Though they finished 15-17 (8-8 in conference), the Seawolves were picked to finish second in the America East Preseason Poll.

Crean said it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Stony Brook dancing in March.

“We wanted to schedule in a sense of playing teams that are going to be high-level, especially in their league, especially in their RPI, teams that have a chance of making the NCAA Tournament when their season comes to a close in the regular season,” Crean said. “I think we’ve accomplished that with Stony Brook. With all that being said, they’re even better than that.”

In addition to squaring off with a team with NCAA Tournament aspirations Friday night, the Hoosiers won’t have much time to lick their wounds.

IU will be back in action Sunday against Chattanooga at 5 p.m. in Assembly Hall.
The quick turnaround is something sophomore guard Victor Oladipo said didn’t really cross his mind.

“The (biggest concern) is just being fatigued or maybe a little tired,” Oladipo said. “But I don’t even think that’s going to be an issue, to tell you the truth. I haven’t really thought about concerns. I’m just ready to play.”

Friday night will be the first time this season that IU will have a mark in the record column by game’s end, but the 13-year head coach said his players can’t afford to get caught in the excitement of the first regular season game.

“It’ll be fun to have our opener here. It’ll be fun to have a great crowd, but there will be nothing fun about that game when it comes to playing and coaching in it,” Crean said. “It will be an absolute battle.”