Get in your picks before 10:15 am ET on Sunday. Remember, please state your selection first thing in your comment. Good luck.
Scoring update: kmwinter stands alone at the top with three correct picks in four games. Here’s a link to the updated standings.
Thanks to Dustin Dopirak of The Herald-Times and Hoosier Scoop, who you can watch break down last night’s game here, for passing along this audio from Tom Crean’s postgame comments last night. It certainly warrants a listen.
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This is going to be more of an open thread due to this game not being televised, and me being in and out on the radio feed.
Here are some talking points:
+ It didn’t seem like Indiana had much going offensively in the first half — except for all those shots the IU radio team said Jordan Hulls put three-quarters of the way down that came back out — but Maurice Creek absolutely lit it up with 17 points, largely on the back of the four threes he hit. It was a big reason the Hoosiers had a lead at half, 34-29. But it should have been a bigger lead than that, as Boston only shot 20 percent — 20 percent! — in the first half.
Yet Creek didn’t register a point in the second half, and with a chance to tie the game with under 30 seconds to go, he missed what would have been a game-typing three pointer.
+ IU did a much better job taking of the ball tonight, as they only registered 12 turnovers. But it was negated by an awful showing on the boards. Boston snatched 19 offensive rebounds, and scored 19 second-chance points to IU’s three. The Terriers were the ones with the turnover problems tonight: they had 21, which led to 14 points off turnovers for IU.
+ IU did a better job with free throws this evening, too. But it still wasn’t that great. They were 14-of-22 for 63.6 percent. Make a few more, and a four-point loss suddenly becomes a one-point win.
+ This would have been a good victory for this young squad, especially as far as confidence is concerned. But alas, they just were never able to mount a lead of any substance in the second half and let the Terriers hang around until they grabbed a small lead in the final minutes, and that was that. And IU has George Mason next, which is no cakewalk either.
Boston University entered Friday’s game against Indiana coming off of losses to Iona, George Washington and Kansas State.
And for most of consolation bracket contest in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Tip-Off Classic, it appeared Boston and first-year coach Patrick Chambers would drop their fourth straight.
But after trailing the entire second half, a pair of free throws from Jake O’Brien gave Boston a 67-65 lead with 2:19 remaining and the Terriers (1-3) held on to beat Indiana, 71-67.
John Holland scored 21 points off the bench to lead Boston and O’Brien added 14 points and 13 rebounds.
The Terriers out-rebounded IU 52-32, had 19 second chance points and scored 15 more points from the foul line.
The Hoosiers (2-2) had a chance to tie the game in the final thirty seconds, but Maurice Creek and Verdell Jones both missed three-point attempts in the final 21 seconds and Corey Lowe hit a free throw to ice it for Boston.
“We tried to go to the best play possible,” Creek said. “Coach brought it up and it just didn’t work out.”
Creek paced the Hoosiers with 17 points, all in the first half. Jones added 14 points and six assists and Jeremiah Rivers chipped in 13 points, six rebounds and four assists.
“I thought we played a very aggressive 35 minutes,” Jones said. “But once again we didn’t play a full 40 minutes like we needed to and the result is a loss.”
Pick to Click: Verdell Jones
Up next: George Mason at 10:30 am ET on Sunday. The game will be televised by ESPNU.
Rebuilding effort: Crean shared the following via Twitter shortly after the game: “Nights like tonight make us all remember we are in a full scale rebuilding mode. The level of effort it requires is incredible but worth it.”
Opponent: Boston University Terriers
Date: Friday, November 20 | 6:00 EST
Arena: Coliseo de Puerto Rico – San Juan, Puerto Rico
Line: Indiana by 4
All-time series: Indiana leads 1-0
TV: None
Radio: IU Radio Network (Jeremy Gray and Todd Leary)
Probable Starters:
With no television coverage tonight, it’s as good a night as any to roll out the live chat. Join us tonight starting at around 5:45 and we can all talk about what we’re hearing on the radio. Good times.
Get in your picks before 5:45 ET tonight. Remember, please state your selection first thing in your comment. Good luck.
No TV: Tonight’s game will not be televised. ESPNU, which the schedule originally indicated would air the game, will broadcast college football: Akron vs. Bowling Green. Might be time to sound check your radio.
Scoring update: You can view the standings on this spreadsheet. Christian Watford won the first two games and Jeremiah Rivers was the winner against Ole Miss.
