Column: Hoosier Valentine

It’s not easy to tell somebody how you feel about them. Love, lust or aggravation — sometimes the right gift can communicate everything you want to say. On the brink of IU’s most successful regular season record in four years, I thought it fitting to give a few Hoosiers Valentine’s presents.

2-karat diamond rings for Cody Zeller and Tom Crean

Victory for IU this season has led to the most surprising turnaround of any team in the six power conferences.

Earlier this season, Dec. 22 against UMBC, the Hoosiers matched their 12-game win total from this past season after — you guessed it — 12 games. Year by year, top recruits earn the title of “diaper dandy,” but rarely do they make the entire team better and more cohesive as a result.

Obviously, Zeller is a huge part of this transformation, but let’s not forget what brought him here: the recruiting efforts of Crean and assistant coaches.

Box of chocolates for Christian Watford and Victor Oladipo

Ultimately, you just don’t know what you’re going to get. Sometimes, Watford can go off for 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting with no fouls or turnovers like he did Thursday against Illinois, while at times he can slump to the tune of 0-for-7 from the field with four points, as was the case at Purdue.

Oladipo has surged in the past two games, shooting a combined 10-for-22 from the field and 20-of-24 from the foul line after averaging 6.5 points in the preceding nine contests. Moving forward, consistent performance from these two Hoosiers will be crucial to IU’s success in the home stretch.

Flowers for the home crowd

Under the lights of Assembly Hall, IU is 14-1 this season, tied with Ohio State for the third-best home record in the Big Ten. Calling this a home court advantage would be an understatement.

Harrowing noise from 17,000 Hoosiers has given the No. 1 team in the country and its Player of the Year candidate their only loss. Lots of credit is due to the IU players and coaches, but the home victories definitely involved an integral 13th man.

Perfume for the Hoosiers at a slowed pace

As a certain introduction song once said, “I want to run.” Under no circumstance should Crean’s team not want to push the pace, as IU is averaging 1.16 points per possession, the seventh-best in the country.

Reality of this set in during the loss in Wisconsin, when the Hoosiers were limited to just 53 possessions and scored 50 points compared to the 74 possessions and 103 points IU put up three days later against Iowa.

Even if the Hoosiers have an off shooting night, it has been proven this team thrives when the game is sped up and it gets more chances to score. No matter the opponent, IU wins when it is able to dictate the pace.

­— azaleon@indiana.edu