IU fans who stuck around long enough to see the end of IU’s double-digit loss to Iowa Tuesday showed their unrest by showering Branch McCracken Court with a chorus of boos.
Others took to social media, raising questions of the program’s direction and openly questioning the work IU Coach Tom Crean has done.
IU athletics director Fred Glass took to ESPN to publicly back Crean’s job status Wednesday. He told ESPN’s Andy Katz that the notion of Crean coaching for his job Saturday against Michigan State was “ridiculous.”
Regardless of the mood of fans, Crean and his team aren’t hearing it. He said his players have done a good job of keeping the external distractions out of their minds in preparing for the Spartans and the next day ahead.
“I don’t see any of that,” Crean said when asked about noise around the program. “That’s not anything that factors into anything that we’re doing.”
What the Hoosiers are doing are preparing to play a Michigan State team that handed them one of their worst losses of the season.
Despite any growing concern from fans, IU still appears in control of its own NCAA Tournament destiny. The latest accumulated projections by Bracket Matrix have the Hoosiers in the Tournament at a 10-seed.
Michigan State still has quite a bit to play for. The Spartans have won five of their last seven games and would clinch a top-four seed and a double-bye in next week’s Big Ten Tournament with a win against IU.
The Hoosiers cannot rise any higher than a No. 7 seed, nor can they fall lower than a No. 8 seed.
Crean applauded his players’ work ethics and focus all season and especially on the last week.
Junior guard Nick Zeisloft said there’s no slipping out of his team.
“We’ve just got to stick together and stay confident,” Zeisloft said. “There’s no lack of that right now. It’s one of the best times to be playing. We’re definitely ready to go.”
That’s ready to go despite outside noise or any public questioning of the team.
Junior guard Yogi Ferrell mentioned that his team has responded time and time again to adversity this season. He said he doesn’t see Saturday as a must-win game at all. He’s just looking for his team band together and fight again.
“We’re gonna rally back together,” Ferrell said. “We’re not going to listen to what anybody else says. This is just us against the world.”
