Column: Hoosiers will rely on freshmen this season

A bizarre feeling distinguished IU’s 83-68 win against Southern Indiana in Assembly Hall on Saturday.

The absence of the usual suspects of IU’s so-called resurrection on Branch McCracken Court — Jordan Hulls, Victor Oladipo, Cody Zeller and Christian Watford — was an atypical scene.

Each member of that legendary quartet has moved on to the professional ranks, resulting in IU Coach Tom Crean leading what should be considered a youth movement of concerning proportions.

Though the typical response to losing a plethora of scoring and rebounding would be to drastically mitigate expectations, such a response doesn’t fit this specific season and this specific group.

Crean’s positivity during his first postgame press conference of the season reflected that attitude.

“I thought the first game under the lights, the first game in front of the fans — I thought our guys played with tremendous energy,” Crean said. “I thought we got better as the game went on.

“I think these guys understood that at some point in time, if you just stick with it, stick with your energy, you keep pushing the ball, keep attacking, good things are going to happen.”

There is one pressing caveat associated with positive vibes.

Every ounce of talent within Crean’s roster must be efficiently maximized, specifically that of two freshmen who earned starting nods against Southern Indiana: forwards Troy Williams and Noah Vonleh.

Williams recorded his first career double-double, pouring in 10 points and snatching 10 rebounds, an effort that didn’t go unnoticed by sophomore point guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell.

“I felt like he played with energy,” Ferrell said. “I felt like he is very explosive. The thing that I really like that he does is attack the offensive rim. We got 21 offensive rebounds tonight, a lot on his end.

“I felt like we are definitely going to need that because we are going to need to get second chance points for our team.”

Williams wasn’t the only one cleaning the glass with ferocity, though.

Vonleh, who started in the frontcourt, proved his value on the boards, corralling 12 total rebounds, including six on the offensive end.

IU needs the 6-foot-10-inch, 240-pound forward to be more than a physical post presence, which will require Vonleh to expand upon his game that earned him a five-star ranking from rivals.com.

“Noah, we’re moving him around all the time,” Crean said. “We’re not letting him have any comfort level on getting one position because that’s not what he is. He’s a guy who can do numerous things.

“When he gets more of an understanding and does less thinking, he’ll be fantastic.”

With Vonleh, as with this group of Hoosiers in a general sense, there appears to be an oozing of potential.

For that potential to manifest itself in positive results, IU must tighten up in specific areas, most notably at the charity stripe, where IU shot 58.1 percent on Saturday.

But with time, improvements will be made, and this season’s team will forge its own identity.

“To me, that’s what the growth of this team will come down to,” Crean said. “I think the growth is there. I think the desire is there.”

­— ckillore@indiana.edu