Speed will be key for IU’s offense this year

If speed kills, consider this year’s IU men’s basketball team the cheetahs of the NCAA jungle, ready to pounce on their slow, less-prepared prey.

When you consider that last year the Hoosiers were tied for 18th in the nation with 77.3 points per game, it almost has to be assumed the Hoosiers will be a lot more efficient scoring the ball with another year in the offense under their belts.

That’s especially true when adding athletic, fast freshmen like Yogi Ferrell, Jeremy Hollowell and Hanner Mosquera-Perea, all of whom have the ability to run the floor and put up points in a hurry.

While I believe Ferrell’s speed and athleticism will be a huge upgrade on the fast break, it will be his decision making and ball distribution abilities that will make him one of the most exciting freshmen in the nation to watch.

Playing alongside what I see as one of the deepest teams in the entire NCAA isn’t going to hurt Ferrell’s maturation, either.

The pure depth of athleticism and scoring ability on paper has to be scary for the Wisconsins of the Big Ten that predicate their style of play around the slow, drag-it-out grinding defensive mentalities the Big Ten has made famous during the years.

When you look at all the horses IU Coach Tom Crean has in his stable, Jordan Hulls, Victor Oladipo, Will Sheehey, Christian Watford and Remy Abell, to name a few, this team has more speed than Penske Racing.

I haven’t even mentioned Cody Zeller yet, who Crean said might be the most improved player for the Hoosiers entering this season, citing Zeller’s increased physical strength and quickness.

During the mid-September “A Night with Tom Crean” lecture, Crean said Zeller is almost at the point in which the 7-footer can run the length of the floor in three dribbles, which is absurd.

Obviously, swingmen like Oladipo, Sheehey and even Watford will be outlet men running the floor alongside Hulls or Ferrell, but when you add Zeller’s ability on the fast break to his already wide range of skills, the Hoosiers’ offense is going to be very hard to stop, to say the least.

At this point, you’re saying, “OK, so IU is going to play very fast, but how is this going to translate into success?”

The way I see it, IU has the potential to be the team that wears out its opponents by running them into the ground past the point of physical exhaustion.

On the biggest stages, the team’s strength and conditioning will be one of its biggest advantages against any team, and that is a huge testament to the work of Crean’s staff, especially strength and conditioning coach Je’Ney Jackson.

If there is any truth behind the statement that championships are won during the offseason, when nobody is looking, the 2012-13 Hoosiers have put in the work that will set them up for an extended postseason run.

As the last month of the offseason dwindles away, the mouth of every player on the team must be watering.

Because soon, it will be time for the hunters to catch their prey.

­— mdnorman@indiana.edu