Bye week provides IU with more time to practice

With a bye week separating its 73-56 loss against No. 5 Michigan State and its game at Penn State (9-7, 0-3) on Saturday, IU (10-5, 0-2) has had a lot of time to prepare for its upcoming matchup.

“We are coming off a very good week of practice and preparation,” IU Coach Tom Crean said. “With the bye coming during the break, it has allowed us to work smart and spend more time on getting better both individually and as a team.”

It is the third consecutive season that the Hoosiers will have faced the Nittany Lions on the road in early January.

The newcomer-laden Hoosiers have a significantly worse resume than Crean’s past two teams had through the first two months of the season.

On Jan. 8, 2012, No. 12 IU defeated Penn State 88-82 to improve to 15-1 (3-1). Those Hoosiers already had wins against No. 1 Kentucky, Notre Dame, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 16 Michigan under their belt at that point in the season.

On Jan. 7, 2013, the No. 5 Hoosiers defeated the Nittany Lions 74-51 in State College, Penn. for their 14th win in 15 games. Last year, IU had non-conference wins against Georgia, Georgetown and No. 14 North Carolina.

This is a new season and a new narrative for the Hoosiers. So far, the storyline of their season hasn’t been a favorable one. IU enters the matchup tied for eighth in the Big Ten and the team is 2.5 games out of first place. The only thing keeping IU out of last place is that three teams have lost three conference games.

While previous IU teams had already established an identity by this point in the season, the 2013-14 Hoosiers are still forming one.

“Our goal this week was to continue to build the identity of running, of moving without the ball, getting the ball reversed, getting back on defense, challenging shots better, making sure we’re rebounding at a high rate, finishing better, all those things,” Crean said. “We have to really stay in the moment as much as possible for our team to gain confidence and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Despite IU’s two-game losing streak, Crean believes his team is improving.

“I loved our attitude and toughness,” he said. “There is no question we are getting better.”

The Hoosiers will test their toughness against Penn State guards Tim Frazier and D.J. Newbill, the sixth and seventh highest scorers in the Big Ten, respectively. The duo is averaging 34 points per game this season.

Frazier has returned to playing at an All-Big Ten level after suffering a season-ending Achilles injury in Penn State’s fourth game last season. He is a constant threat to produce a stat line that approaches a triple-double by averaging 17.1 points, 6.9 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game.

Crean has experienced firsthand the damage that Frazier can do on offense. In 2011-12, Frazier’s last healthy season and one in which he accounted for 58 percent of the Nittany Lions’ offense, the Houston, Tex. native scored 68 points in three games against the Hoosiers.

“Frazier is a tough matchup because of how much he thrives on pressure and playing through the pressure and what he creates,” Crean said.

The graduate student guard can affect a basketball game in more ways than just scoring. Frazier is credited with an assist on 39.8 percent of his teammates’ field goals when he is on the floor, which is the 11th best assist rate in the country, according to kenpom.com. When on the court, he records a steal on three percent of Penn State’s defensive possessions and he draws 5.7 fouls per 40 minutes.

However, Crean said the Nittany Lions have more weapons in their arsenal besides just Frazier and Newbill.

“They have five players in double figures so they share the basketball,” he said. “They have added another scoring threat from the guard position in John Johnson. Ross Travis and Brandon Taylor are two players that have really elevated their games this season.”

Crean said every possession matters in the Big Ten, regardless of time and score, and that games can go a different direction in a hurry.

“I expect we will see a physical, tough and demanding team, and we are going to have our work cut out for us,” he said.

Advanced statistics courtesy of kenpom.com

Follow men’s basketball reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittry.