Column: Will the Hoosiers’ non-conference schedule prepare them for Big Ten play?

As the common phrase goes, “Preparation is key.”

Those few words of wisdom ring especially true for this season’s IU basketball squad, which, by all accounts, is one of the youngest in the nation, save for that team down in Kentucky.

The Hoosiers’ early season slate has been marked by four lesser-known opponents — Chicago State, LIU Brooklyn, Samford and Stony Brook — prior to their trip to New York City as participants in the 2K Sports Classic.

While appearing on the surface as a reasonable baptism for IU Coach Tom Crean’s relatively inexperienced team, the non-conference portion of the schedule may be a curse hidden beneath a deceiving vale.

Sure, the common school of thought concerning the development of a young team is to make life easy for that bunch, allowing it to gel and develop the necessary confidence to compete at the highest level following the New Year.

Thus, it’s understandable why Crean and Co. didn’t make it a priority to include a “high profile” non-conference matchup outside of their obligations — the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, Crossroads Classic and the previously mentioned 2K Sports Classic.

I don’t blame the program’s brain trust for doing so. While any coach will forget more about basketball than I’ll ever know, not even I would have attempted to schedule a “test” game for these young Hoosiers.

But the question begging to be asked is whether the non-conference portion of the schedule will truly prepare IU for the gauntlet that is the Big Ten Conference.

At the time of publication, the Big Ten had five teams within the top 25 of the Sagarin ratings — No. 3 Michigan State, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 8 Michigan, No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 25 IU.

Considering the experience of those teams, it’s difficult to envision the Hoosiers going toe to toe with the cream of the crop of the conference.

The Spartans boast seniors Adreian Payne and Keith Appling, along with sophomore and Fishers, Ind., native Gary Harris; Ohio State possesses the services of nine upperclassmen and Wisconsin will, once again, be a smart, experienced squad with eight upperclassmen at its disposal.

Though the conference is obviously deeper than those three teams, it’s clear IU will struggle to return to the “elite” tier of the Big Ten, where it sat for the duration of last season’s conference play.

But when this season’s outfit begins conference play at Illinois on New Year’s Eve, will it be prepared for the rigors of a Big Ten road environment?

The answer remains to be seen, though anyone who closely follows the program should be hopeful about this group of Hoosiers.

What this season’s team currently lacks in basketball smarts, it more than makes up for in an almost immeasurable amount of athleticism. For now, the team’s length combined with that athleticism will often mask mental errors.

But when the Hoosiers’ understanding of the game matches their tremendous collective talent, positive results will follow.

This season won’t end with IU earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but when the fusion occurs, these Hoosiers will be dangerous.

­— ckillore@indiana.edu
Follow columnist Connor Killoren on Twitter @IDS_CGKilloren