Point, counterpoint: Hoosiers fail to match up
Almost every time the Hoosiers address and temporarily fix a problem that’s plagued them recently, a new weakness is exploited.
Almost every time the Hoosiers address and temporarily fix a problem that’s plagued them recently, a new weakness is exploited.
Kelvin Sampson • Five “major” recruiting violations • Feb. 13, 2008 If the night is truly darkest before the dawn, things for the cream and crimson then were approaching pitch black.
“I think Indiana will suck. Don’t put that on the Internet.” Those words came from Illinois coach Bruce Weber at a fan function late last June. The utterance chucked tinder onto the barn fire that has been the IU-Illinois rivalry in recent years.
Rhetorical question: Does any man ever truly deserve to take a shot to the “lower midsection”?
A few stray elbows could end up costing the Hoosiers an arm and a leg against the Gophers.
Coming into the conference season, freshman forward Tom Pritchard was a driving force. His scoring – highest among Big Ten freshmen – combined with an impressive if small array of post moves almost assured him the pole position for conference freshman of the year.
These two share more than just a first name and a profession. Simply put, Tom Crean and Tom Izzo are the closest of friends.
Tom Crean kissed his wife before taking a microphone and reiterating one message to the 14,247 fans assembled inside the storied building: “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. This is your win,” he said. “This is your win. There’s no way we could have done it without the greatest fans in America.”
All season long, IU has turned the ball over at an alarming rate. Not last night.
Mired in an 11-game losing streak – tying for the longest in school history – fresh off an 0-for-January and still winless in the Big Ten, the Hoosier faithful, once whispering, now see those whispers evolving into an honest question.
It’s been 56 calendar days since the IU men’s basketball team last tasted victory. Defeat, in that span, has come in all forms: large, small, close – and heartbreaking.
Track and Field pole vaulter Jeff Coover received a Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week honor, and the IU men's basketball team had two games previously "to be determined" on their schedule set.
The Hoosiers will play Purdue at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21 in West Lafayette. Then on Tuesday March 3, the Michigan State Spartans will come to Bloomington for a 7 p.m. game at Assembly Hall.
As agitated as IU coach Tom Crean and the Hoosier fan base appeared toward the referees, the numbers don’t lie: The Hoosiers’ inability to stop Ohio State’s offense is what doomed them.
Matt Roth doesn’t look the type to bring 17,202 people to their feet. He’s certainly not one you would expect to drop Ohio State coach Thad Matta’s jaw. “I honestly wanted him to keep shooting,” Matta said after Saturday’s game, “because I was like, ‘This is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen.’”
As agitated as IU coach Tom Crean and the Hoosier fan base appeared toward the referees, the numbers don’t lie: The Hoosiers’ inability to stop Ohio State’s offense is what doomed them.
The general wisdom surrounding Tom Crean at Marquette suggested he was a coach guards would love. His up-tempo, drive-and-kick system created lots of open looks for shooters and assists for passers, creating legends such as Dwyane Wade, Travis Diener and the impressive backcourt trio he left in Milwaukee to take the reins at IU.
Fifty days ago, the United States didn’t have a black president, the Arizona Cardinals were still dwindling in mediocrity and an outfielder on IU’s baseball team was spotlighting as Tom Crean’s sixth man.A lot has changed since the Hoosiers (5-14, 0-7) last won a game.After Wednesday’s heartbreaker to Northwestern, Crean and his players have lost 10 in a row. The team’s most recent victory came Dec. 10 against TCU. Back then, the Hoosiers were above .500, and few saw a losing streak of this magnitude in IU’s headlights.But since then reality has slowly set in. Facing unprecedented challenges, the Hoosiers have performed much like you would expect a team facing unprecedented challenges would, losing in blowouts and squeakers, Big Ten battles and non-conference gimmes.
Even with the season more than halfway through, the young Hoosiers are still experiencing firsts. Saturday will mark the first time IU will see a team for the second time this season when it faces the Ohio State Buckeyes.