Since that March 13 loss in the Big Ten Tournament, the program has undergone a transformation.
Ten players from the 2013-14 team are gone, replaced by nine newcomers. Three players have been suspended. Three have gotten involved in legal problems. One tore his ACL, and one is rehabilitating from a fractured skull.
Every offseason raises questions. The summer of 2014 brought on more than usual.
IU’s 2014-15 prospects hinge around four questions.
Can the players stay out of trouble?
When the Hoosiers take the court Friday night, they’ll do so without five of their own.
Two players, sophomore forward Devin Davis (fractured skull) and freshman center Jeremiah April (foot), are injured. Three players, sophomore wings Troy Williams and Stanford Robinson and freshman forward Emmitt Holt, are suspended for the season’s first two games.
IU Coach Tom Crean has been criticized for his players’ off-court troubles, which have spanned the entirety of 2014.
Losing Williams, Robinson and Holt against two cupcake non-conference opponents won’t hurt the Hoosiers, but another legal issue could mean the end for Crean.
Can IU take care of the ball?
The Hoosiers turned the ball over on 21.8 percent of their possessions last season, more than any other major-conference team.
Giving away the ball at such a high rate not only stifled IU’s offense but allowed opponents to score easy baskets in transition.
The most obvious breakdown came in a meltdown loss to Penn State. IU led by 11 points with a little more than three minutes to play and appeared on its way to an easy victory. Five turnovers later, the Hoosiers had blown the game.
Crean said in the preseason that IU will plan around a “two-way attack,” and a stable of talented guards will ensure the Hoosiers play fast. Whether they can take care of the ball will affect their success on both ends of the court.
What if something happens to Hanner?
Junior forward Hanner Mosquera-Perea is IU’s only eligible post player for the season’s first two games. Behind him are the suspended Holt and the injured Davis and April.
Last season, Mosquera-Perea averaged 6.1 fouls per 40 minutes, a rate that could hurt the Hoosiers. What’s Crean’s move if his starting big man picks up two quick fouls? When that happened in IU’s exhibition against Indianapolis, Crean left him in the game.
Mosquera-Perea doesn’t have to do much to be effective for this IU team. His scoring burden will be limited. His main responsibilities will be protecting the rim and rebounding. If he gets into foul trouble — or worse, injured — a frontline that’s already shallow will be left to two ?freshmen.
Will shooters transform the offense?
Last season, IU all but abandoned the 3-point shot. The Hoosiers attempted fewer long-range shots than every other Big Ten team and made little more than six 3-pointers per game, half of which came from Yogi Ferrell.
Crean set out to solve that problem in the offseason, adding Nick Zeisloft, James Blackmon, Jr., Rob Johnson, Max Hoetzel and Tim Priller to his roster. Each has been touted as a strong shooter.
On paper, the additions should fix at least a portion of IU’s problems from distance last season. Whether that will happen on the court remains to be seen.
A strong shooting performance in the season’s opening weeks could transform how defenses approach IU. If defenses take even one extra step toward the perimeter to guard Crean’s new shooters, the paint will open up, creating driving lanes and space around the basket.
