IU takes tournament title, continues undefeated start

Butler’s defensive prowess took it to the national championship game for the last two seasons.

On Sunday night, the Hoosiers beat the Bulldogs at their own game.

The IU (6-0) defense propelled a 75-59 victory against Butler (3-3) to claim the Hoosier Invitational title at Assembly Hall.

IU Coach Tom Crean said the defensive performance left him impressed.

“I’m truly blown away by our defensive effort,” Crean said.

Per Crean’s count, the Hoosiers ended the night with a total of 74 deflections, which Crean said was the highest he had ever seen.

Sophomore forward Will Sheehey, who took home MVP honors after a career-high 21 points, said preparation earned the Hoosiers’ win.

“We just had to match their intensity,” Sheehey said. “We knew that they were a hard-playing, scrappy team, and that’s what we had to come and do and match that today, and I think we did.”

IU was forced to rely on its defense after shooting 32 percent (8-of-25) in the first half. But the Hoosiers were able to cling to a three-point lead because they kept Butler at 36.7 percent (11-of-30) shooting in the period.

One Bulldog the Hoosiers weren’t able to cage in the first half was sophomore guard Chrishawn Hopkins, who torched IU for 13 points.

“We were giving him too much room on the perimeter, where he could get a jab stab and take two dribbles and take a pull-up jump shot,” Sheehey said. “A lot of times our big guys switched, and that means a lot that our big guys can (go) onto a two-guard like that.”

The halftime adjustment paid dividends for the Hoosiers, as they were able to limit Hopkins to six points in the second half.

One of the post players responsible for that turnaround was senior forward Tom Pritchard, who provided an instant defensive spark.

Crean said the vocal leadership he saw from the senior was critical for IU.

“Tom Pritchard was just a gazelle,” Crean said. “It was hard to hear anything, but I could hear him all the way down by where we were.”

The second-half lockdown propelled the Hoosiers to an 11-2 run starting at 12:15 to go in the second half.

One of those keys was shutting down Andrew Smith. The Bulldog center was kept scoreless in the second half and finished the game with three points on 1-of-7 shooting.

By game’s end, only Hopkins and forward Khyle Marshall finished in double figures.
Hulls said IU’s ability to lock down the Butler offense grew stronger as the
game developed.

“They have a lot of sets, but I think we just turned it up,” Hulls said. “We knew rebounding and defense was going to get us a win, and that’s what happened.”

For IU, it was a win against an in-state rival. The win marked the second straight season in which the Hoosiers have started 6-0.

But for Crean, the 16-point win against the reigning NCAA Tournament runner-up represented a certain maturation that he said he saw in his team Sunday night.

“As I told the team, ‘I think you got better in the game, but I know you got tougher in the game,’” Crean said. “That’s a big, big deal.”