Hoosier season in quotes

As much as the scribes at the Indiana Daily Student can try to put the recently completed IU season into words, no one had a better view of it than the players and coaches themselves.

Here are a few of the season’s big moments as described by the team:

“It felt great just going out there and distributing the ball to those guys, just watching them score. It was a great feeling, and this win was just good for us.”

-    Freshman guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell after season-opening 97-54 win against Bryant Nov. 9

“This was going to be an epic battle, and we haven’t been in a lot of those in November, but we were ready for one and so was Georgetown. I think that everybody that played tonight absolutely left it out there. We certainly didn’t play great — there is not one area that I could look at and say we were dominant in that area — but we kept getting better. There is a lot of room for improvement, and I think I would be nervous if it was in November and there wasn’t.”

-    IU Coach Tom Crean after 82-72 overtime win against Georgetown No. 20 in Progressive Legends Classic at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

“Our players are resilient. I think when they walked in the door, even last spring, they signed up for a marathon not a sprint. We are continuing on with the same process to make sure we maximize each individual day. That is our goal. It has never been about trying to have perfection in December.”

-    Assistant Coach Kenny Johnson on Dec. 18, three days after IU’s first loss of the season, 88-86 against Butler in Close the Gap Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis.

“I think we are very prepared for the league to start. The coaches do a great job of working us every day. We’re getting better every single day. The Big Ten is a great conference with a lot of good teams. We’re going to have to perform every single night, so that is what we’re going to focus on.”

-    Senior guard Jordan Hulls on Dec. 30, the day before opening Big Ten play at Iowa.

“I feel good, but at the same time I know there’s a lot of stuff we need to work on. There are big games down the road. We have to watch this tape and see what happened in the second half, what we did wrong and correct it. There’s really good teams that are coming up and we need to be ready for them.”

-    Junior guard Victor Oladipo after Jan. 12 88-81 home win against Minnesota in which IU nearly gave up 23-point halftime lead.

“I think when we see the film it wasn’t as much them as it was us. They played really well and I’m not taking anything away from the way they played, but we missed shots, especially the open ones, and we didn’t guard the dribble the way we needed too. That’s how they got the win.”

-    Crean on Jan. 15 after 64-59 loss to Wisconsin at home, IU’s first loss at Assembly Hall.

“It is kind of neat because IU has had so many great teams over the years and to be the biggest win, it’s always nice to be part of history, and there’s always a little extra here at Purdue.”

-    Sophomore forward Cody Zeller Jan. 30 after 97-60 win at Purdue, the Boilermakers’ worst home loss in school history.

“Obviously when we started here it wasn’t like Gameday was on the horizon anytime soon. The program worked its way to have this to be a place where they wanted to go. I thought they had a great day here, but I think it’s a huge honor for us to have something like this, but I also think it’s well-earned not only by the program but by our fans. We didn’t want there to be anything that they didn’t see, but the bottom line was how we played from 9 to 11 tonight.”

-    Crean on Feb. 2 after 81-73 win against No. 1 Michigan. ESPN’s College Gameday broadcasted from Assembly Hall that morning.

“I just want to win. It is my last time going up there. We’ve got a good game plan, and we’ve got to stick with that. It’s definitely going to be a hyped-up game. It’s exciting to play in that environment.”

-    Hulls on Feb. 18, a day before IU’s 72-68 road win against Michigan State, its first win in East Lansing, Mich. since 1991.

“We earned that right. Obviously, we didn’t like to lose, but we did earn the right to cut down the nets. We’re happy with that, but we definitely would have liked to have won.”

-    Hulls after IU’s 67-58 home loss to Ohio State on Senior Night March 5. Despite the loss, the team cut down the nets after clinching a share of the conference title.

“I join IU fans around the world in congratulating Coach Tom Crean and the men’s basketball team on winning its first outright Big Ten championship in 20 years. Basketball has a special place in the hearts of Hoosiers everywhere, and the resurgence of the basketball program under Coach Crean and players such as our senior leaders Jordan Hulls, Christian Watford and Derek Elston is a source of great pride for the University.”

-    IU President Michael McRobbie on March 10 after IU clinched the outright conference title with a 72-71 road win at Michigan.

“They have been trying to slow it down on us all year. We always want to speed up the pace, and you know, with our pressure, if we are getting after them on the defensive end, getting deflections, then that’s how we want to play. We didn’t do enough of that and enough to speed up the pace tonight, which is why we got beat.”

-    Zeller on March 16 after IU’s 68-56 loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament semi-finals.

“It’s been full of ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I love my teammates, and I’m happy to be an Indiana Hoosier at the end of the day.”

-    Senior forward Christian Watford after IU’s season ending 61-50 Sweet 16 loss to Syracuse Thursday that ended his career.