Column: 5 things we learned from Indiana’s 88-52 victory against Florida Atlantic

There were several lessons to be learned in IU's 88-52 win against FAU on Friday as the Hoosiers gear up for Big Ten play in a week and a half.

1. Jeremy Hollowelll will not be playing in the near future.

For the second straight game, Jeremy Hollowell did not play for IU. For the first time this season, he did not suit up for the game – instead wearing street clothes on the sideline.
 
A lot of speculation has surrounded Hollowell’s absence, but here is what IU coach Tom Crean told the media about the freshman from Lawrence Central High School after Friday’s 88-52 victory over Florida Atlantic.

“Let me start with this,” Crean said.  “Jeremy is dealing with a personal and private matter that is in no way related to academic behavior or disciplinary issues. He has our full support as we look for a quick resolution and, out of respect for his family, we will not discuss it any further.”
 
No timetable was mentioned, so we will have to wait and see when he will return to the Hoosiers’ lineup.
 
2. Victor Oladipo is making a solid case for First Team All-Big Ten

Entering the game, junior forward Victor Oladipo led the Big Ten in field goal percentage (66.3 percent) and steals per game (2.7), while posting the 17th highest scoring average in the Big Ten (13.3 PPG).

Against Florida Atlantic, Oladipo only improved upon those numbers by posting 16 points (6-of-8), eight rebounds and one steal in 21 minutes of play.

Over the last five games, the Upper Marlboro, Md. Native has taken it to another level. Here’s what Oladipo is averaging in the last five games: 15.4 points (30-of-43), 3.4 assists, 6.2 rebounds, 3.2 steals, 1.2 blocks in an average of 27.2 minutes.

Plus, Oladipo is usually the first person that Crean talks about when he brings up the deflection stats that the coaches keep.

Zeller said Oladipo’s biggest improvement and most valuable contribution to IU can be seen on the defensive end.

“He’s improved a lot with little things that make a big difference,” Zeller said. “He’s one of the best defenders in the country now. He makes a big difference on our team and brings energy to the team. He’s very valuable for us.”

Besides Zeller, Oladipo has arguably been the Hoosiers’ MVP this season. In crucial moments when IU needs a basket, Oladipo’s energy and ability to create his own shot against physical opponents is the safety net the Hoosiers rely on.

According to Crean, Oladipo’s career trajectory is going just as IU’s coaching staff envisioned when they recruited him, despite not truly knowing how strong Oladipo’s work ethic was.

“There’s no question that he is playing out that vision that we would have had that recruited him,” Crean said. “Victor’s got an unrelenting work ethic. He’s a 365-day a year times two type of guy. He’s got an incredible drive to be successful.

“He’s a very, very hungry and humble person that when he stays focused and centered, what he does best, there’s no limit to where he go,” Crean said.

The All-Big Ten team might be where Oladipo’s going.
 
3. Hanner Mosquera-Perea may be raw, but he shows promise.

In a span of about a minute in the first half, the rawness and athleticism of Hanner Mosquera-Perea was illustrated.

With 12:47 remaining in the first half, the 6-foot-8 freshman forward threw down his first dunk as a Hoosier. On the Hoosiers’ next fast break opportunity, he bobbled a pass from Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell of his hands and out-of-bounds off his hands. On the next possession, Mosquera-Perea ran the floor and established inside position to get a tip-in, putting IU up 20-8.
 
While Mosquera-Perea has looked robotic at times in his first three games, you can see that he getting more comfortable on the floor.
 
In 14 minutes of play, Mosquera-Perea collected 10 rebounds, four points, one assist and two blocks, while also drawing a charge on defense.
 
“The last few games I have made some mistakes,” Mosquera-Perea said. “I have talked to the coaches and my teammates and they game me some advice. They have been pushing me to keep going. That has helped a lot. Today, I felt more comfortable going for the ball.”
 
Friday night was a prime display of why Mosquera-Perea’s rebounding ability was hyped up before the season and it left his teammates impressed.
 
“That was the quickest 10 rebounds I have ever seen, man,” Cody Zeller said. “That’s what he does. He’s good at that. That’s what he brings to the table. He’s going to help us a lot.”
 
IU’s Victor Oladipo said he thought Mosquera-Perea did a great job in the categories the Hoosiers need from the freshman.
 
“He went out there, played defense and rebounded at a high level,” Oladipo said. “That’s what we’re going to need him to do in order to win.”
 
Oladipo said the team also expects Mosquera-Perea’s big play ability to show over the rest of the season.
 
“We have a lot of confidence in him,” Oladipo said. “When he catches the ball, we expect a highlight reel dunk. We are looking forward to seeing more highlight dunks down the road.”
 
Coach Crean said Mosquera-Perea is still feeling his way through things as he gets back into the swing of things, but he said Mosquera-Perea’s ability to improve will make him a completely different player three or four weeks from now.
 
“He’s still feeling his way through things but what he was able to do in that period of time was pretty impressive,” Crean said. “He’s tough and he’s physical and he brings a different demeanor to our team. I don’t want to call him and x-factor, because we have a lot of x-factors on this team. But his toughness, his competiveness, and his length which speaks for itself, will continue to get better and better.”
 
4. The Hoosier have rededicated themselves to free throw shooting.

Entering the game, IU was second in the nation in both free throws made (20.2) and free throws attempted (27.4).

Despite these high numbers, missed free throws have been a topic of concern and one of the team’s Achilles heel throughout the season. It’s not that the Hoosiers have been a bad free throw shooting team, but there have been times where they have lost their concentration at the charity stripe.

If you look at the Hoosiers’ only loss of the season, the team shot 27-of-38 (71.1 percent) from the line against Butler. IU got a lot of attempts and drained a lot of them, but had they made a few more in regulation, IU would probably still be undefeated.

Friday night, IU went 26-of-27 from the free throw line for an absurd 96.3 percent.

“Concentration can sometimes waver this time of year but I didn’t see any of that tonight,” Crean said. “We had a span of a couple of turnovers, but to go 26-for-27 from the foul line I think is really, really impressive.

The improvement has been most noticeable in Cody Zeller’s free throw shot. Zeller entered the game shooting 67.1 percent from the free throw line.

Against Florida Atlantic, Zeller went 12-of-13 (92.3 percent) from the line and is 14-of-15 in his last two games.

So what’s the difference in Zeller’s stroke recently?

“Just shooting it higher,” Zeller said.

Free throws can be the easiest or the hardest shot in basketball because it’s about concentration and repetition.

Getting to the line has been one of the biggest advantages IU has had over their opponents this season. If they can continue to get to the line and make their shots at this rate, the Hoosiers will be able to put a lot of teams away from the charity stripe.
 
5. IU can score in a hurry.

If this wasn’t obvious before the victory over Florida Atlantic, the Hoosiers made it pretty clear Friday night that they can light up the scoreboard at a rapid pace.
 
In the first half, IU scored 55 points, which is the most the team has scored in any first half this season. The 55 points is even more impressive when you consider the fact that the Hoosiers didn’t even score a point in the final 2 minutes and 11 seconds of the half.
 
During the half, two players (Cody Zeller with 15 and Victor Oladipo with 12) scored in double figures, while Jordan Hulls added eight and Christian Watford and Will Sheehey both added seven points.
 
After posting the fourth best shooting percentage in school history in Wednesday’s game against Mount St. Mary’s, the Hoosiers continued their hot shooting by hitting 21-of-34 shots (61.8 percent) in the first half. IU was also perfect from the free throw line in the first half, hitting 8-of-8 from the charity stripe.
 
IU forward Victor Oladipo attributed the Hoosiers’ recent hot-streak to the team’s increased intensity on the defensive end.
 
“I think our defense is a big reason why we play so well on offense,” Oladipo said. “I feel like we have a lot of weapons, we have Cody inside and we have a lot of shooters. We have different players that can do a lot of different things. When we play good defense and get out on the break and get points off turnovers, that’s when we shoot well.”