Losing to Fort Wayne was the best thing to happen to IU.
The team looked lethargic, was humiliated and dropped 10 spots in the national rankings.
This squad needed a scare.
Before taking on North Carolina, NBA Hall of Famer and IU point guard legend Isiah Thomas referenced an early-season loss the 1981 championship team suffered to Clemson. Thomas rambled on about big man Ray Tolbert being blocked multiple times by the Tigers in the Rainbow Classic Semifinals in Hawaii.
The rest of the team chortled and fondly reminisced about the defeat, which should be the same way this year’s team reacts to their only loss of the season so far.
“All you can do is grow from this,” sophomore center Thomas Bryant said after the stunning defeat last week. “Get after it in practice. Look at the key things we have to get better.”
Get better they did.
The Hoosiers looked like a different team against North Carolina. Bryant and sophomore forward OG Anunoby dominated the paint and ensured every look at the rim would be difficult for the Tar Heels. Junior guard Josh Newkirk kept the ball spread and drove in such a way that the defense collapsed for open three-pointers. Even fellow junior guard James Blackmon Jr., coming off an injury, was a leader on the floor and took smart shots despite his lack of practice time during the past week.
Crean must have rightfully chewed out the squad on its recent lack of effort because the team came out with something to prove.
An early offensive box out, rebound and finish at the rim by freshman guard Curtis Jones was just a minute example of the team doing the little things to win.
The players’ knees must have hurt in the morning after diving for loose balls.
“Our guys are absolutely spent,” Crean said after the North Carolina victory. “And this is one of those games where they left every bit of it out there.”
IU teams have shown in the past the talent is there to go toe-to-toe with any other team in college basketball, but IU teams have also been prone to letdowns against weaker opponents.
Time is a flat circle.
Whether or not this team can break that trend is unclear.
The team’s youth deserves an optimistic outlook, but it is a cautious optimism because there’s so much room to improve. Yogi Ferrell, Isiah Thomas and leaders of the past aren’t donning IU jerseys anymore, yet this team has already defeated Kansas and North Carolina.
gigottfr@indiana.edu
@gott31
