Good, Bad and Ugly: Minnesota
THE GOOD: IT’S A WIN.
There are plenty of things this young Hoosiers team has yet to master, yet to grasp, yet to learn. And so far this season — and especially as of late in losses to Illinois and Michigan — one of their Achilles Heels has been finishing out the close game and winning. But If IU can replicate the effort and performance we’ve now seen in three Big Ten home games the rest of the way, and take the next step as they did today by rallying back in the OT frame, maybe this afternoon’s game is one we can point to say this is where they figured it out.
I know there will be harder challenges at home for the Hoosier up ahead, as Wisconsin, Michigan State and Purdue loom in the coming weeks. But given the way IU has competed in their first three home conference games, IU fans should feel confident that the Hoosiers have a shot to win, that they’ll be in every single home game. This isn’t to say they’re going to run the table at Assembly Hall. Far from it. And it’s not to say they’re suddenly going to take what they’re doing on their home court and suddenly replicate it on the road. That would be foolish. But it is to say that this group of players has discovered that aggressive play on both ends of the floor — a floor they now know well — with a raucous crowd behind them is a recipe for good things.
Let it be known, Big Ten: When you come into Assembly Hall this season, there are no free passes, no easy wins.
On to some particulars:
1) Rebounding, especially on the offensive end, was key for Indiana tonight. IU simply out-worked and out-hustled Minnesota in that department. In the first half, IU grabbed 21 boards (nine offensive) to the Golden Gophers’ nine, and it allowed the Hoosiers several second-chance opportunities. Couple that with the hot hand of Devan Dumes from downtown and IU shooting 70 percent from the charity stripe (14-of-20), and it’s a large reason the Hoosiers went into the the locker room with a lead at halftime. For the game, IU finished with 43 boards (a whooping 20 on the offensive end) to Minnesota’s 31. Big ups to Bobby Capobianco and Tom Pritchard for snagging a combined ten boards before they both fouled out — and to Bobby C. for nailing that three, as well as that jumper as time was expiring on the shot clock in the second half — and to Christian Watford who had 10 boards, none more important than the one he grabbed on Devoe Joseph’s miss with four seconds left in OT.
2) Without Maurice Creek the rest of the season, some have worried about IU finding a go-to scorer in crunch time the rest of the way. But that man may have emerged this afternoon in the form of Verdell Jones III. He’s been important this season at the right times before, but this was on another level. Simply put: The Hoosier do not win this game without VJ3. In the overtime frame, when Joseph was raining threes and IU was lacking assertion or a plan, Jones put the team on his shoulders and willed them to victory. Outside of Watford’s important two made free throws after he snagged that aforementioned board and a layup by Jeremiah Rivers, Jones had the remaining six points in OT and he hit the biggest shots at the biggest times.
With IU trailing by five with just over two minutes left in OT, Jones grabbed an offensive board on a Derek Elston miss, got fouled, and sank both free throws. On IU’s next possession, Jones hit a jumper in the lane to bring IU within a point. And with IU trailing by one and not much going on, Jones took it upon himself to step up, make a move and take that fall-away jumper and hit it. Huge game for him — 24-points, seven boards, 13-19 FTs) — and his ability to step up and execute in overtime was the reason IU won this game.
THE BAD: SCORING DROUGHTS.
Minnesota is a very good defensive team, and the Hoosiers deserve credit for doing a good job with the press. They also only had 14 turnovers, which is under their season average. And for a team that is scoring the second-lowest points per possession in the Big Ten, throwing up 70 in regulation on the Golden Gophers is commendable. But IU also was stuck on 59 points for almost five minutes in the second half, and it allowed Minnesota to crawl back from a 15-point deficit and cut it to seven. IU also had close to a six-minute scoring drought from the 6:38 mark to the :46 mark at the end of the second half, and with Joseph and Paul Carter hitting, the game become a nail-bitter with under a minute to go.
IU was able to respond in the middle of those two scoring droughts to pad their lead a bit again. But around 11 minutes of scoreless action — something we’ve seen from the Hoosiers before this season — usually isn’t going to cut it. This afternoon, though, the Hoosiers were able to escape with a victory.
THE UGLY: STORMING THE FLOOR.
I know this tradition jumped the shark a few years back, but come on: IU beat an unranked Minnesota at home. Did the IU students really have to do this?
January 17th, 2010 at 10:22 pm
Let the students storm the floor! Who cares? Does it hurt anyone? If that is “The Ugly” then I will take it every day of the week. Generally I'm not in favor of it unless it is an unranked team beating a top 5 team, but I'm not the authority on the matter and last I checked no one on here is either. If the fans are feeling the emtion and want to do it then who cares. Personally, EVERY game that we win right now is an emotional win for me, especially an overtime win like we had today coming back from 5 down with 2 min to go. Some people need to stop looking for things to complain about and just enjoy the wins we get.
January 18th, 2010 at 12:09 am
“coach crean is a better coach than John Wooden” ????
that is the dumbest thing i have heard (maybe ever), i dont even know how to respond.
January 18th, 2010 at 12:09 am
It was a great win and everyone contributed . Still it is unbelievable to me that Dumes played only 18 min , none in overtime , and we still won…………is this weird or what ? The disrepect shown to Dumes, even by the posts in this blog are incredible. He gets no credit ….by coach or fans.
I loved the fans rushing the court.Let's do it some more….
January 18th, 2010 at 1:55 am
These past three years the students had to go through two massive rebuilding years and the darkest year in IU history thanks to Kelvin “jerk face” Sampson. Let them do whatever they want. I'm happy for them.
January 18th, 2010 at 1:59 am
What a fun game!
I think the students did need to do this. Imagine what this did to the players confidence and enjoyment of a hard fought win, I think this was a very nice reward for a good game.
January 18th, 2010 at 2:00 am
By the way, to the coach that scolded Bobby Capobianco when Jones hit the jump shot with a minute and change to go. What the Hell? I mean, I know it can be a technical, but come on!
Anyway, Minnesota is a good team, with a great coach as far as I am concerned. They have chemistry, and many things we don't have. I was proud of VJ3 more than anyone. Can imagine the offensive storm with him and Creek on the floor at the same time.
January 18th, 2010 at 2:06 am
First let me do a couple of important things….
+Thank you Jets….we won't be leaving early this time!
+My favorite number is #18…Mike Hart should play more also…
The Good….
+ VJ3-He has what the kids call 'swag'. This kid deserves at least one trip to the big dance before he leaves…..
+ Coach Crean not allowing these guys get down in over time and fold up shop
+ TP, Bobby C, Elston….for a solid combined 5 man game.
+ The fans….they stuck with it, they stayed, and I give them a pass for 'coming' onto the court, it was not a 'storm'. I think they just felt part of the win….
+ THis game could have ended up like Illinois, but this team is maturing and I give all of them credit.
+ Coach Crean is a better coach than John Wooden ….I say that because I think at times Crean gets criticized for things that are out of his hands…..
The Bad/Ugly
+ Making f/t's late
+ Finishing games…in regulation
January 18th, 2010 at 2:10 am
Normally I would not defend a storming of the court but the students have not had much to cheer about the past 2 years. I will begrudgingly tolerate a storming of the court after this win.
The rebounding was good. If Watford, VJ3 and Dumes can gel together and we get some solid rebounding from Elston/Bobby “The Situation” Capobianco then we should be able to try and defend Assembly Hall and maybe steal a win or two on the road
January 18th, 2010 at 2:14 am
Hey y'all; I'm a Coach Knight raised purist and I say, without reservation…let them rush the court. We have a team and a fan base that has inherited the personality of this coach; passionate and unrealistically cheerful in the face of, well, anything.
This team has a 3.06 GPA and has at least three players (VJ, Wat, Creek) with deep tournament potential. The joy in my family room on my kids faces when Minn missed and we won…and the fans rushed in; priceless!
January 18th, 2010 at 2:14 am
I've been laid up a few days with the flu so this was nice to be able to sit and actually watch something on TV worth watching! Thanks Hoosiers for salvaging an otherwise crappy weekend!
The Good: Some big men actually trying to rebound the basketball! Watford 10, Pritchard 6, Capo 4 and Elston 5 – Better work on the boards and particularly the offensive glass. VJ3 is always improving and seemed to answer the call of many of us to step up at the end of a close game, huh??? Defense was again good enough to keep us in the game. Watford was the man tonight. Some of those rebounds were outstanding!
The Bad: The inevitably long scoring drought! A poor finish to regulation once again! If you're going to storm the court then don't have half the students sitting in the rafters so it takes forever and a day for them to make it there!
The Ugly: The foul called on Capo on the floor! It looked to me like it was just incidental contact and the double technical on DD. Unless he swore it looked to me like all he did was try to alert the referee to Westbrook's talking.
January 18th, 2010 at 2:18 am
The Good:
VIII still continues to impress. I've said all along, expecially since Creek's Injury, that he's the glue to this team. Devan Dumes really gave us a spark and was very intense on the defensive end. Bobby Capo really was all over the place, playing at a level I haven't seen this year.
The Bad:
Gotta hit free throws down the stretch.
The Ugly:
The bigs and their fouling. Learn to play hard without fouling. Out of Bounds plays are terribly drawn up, and even worse executed.
Too bad there weren't any Big recruits there, to my knowledge.
This team is growing up fast!
January 18th, 2010 at 2:19 am
A very good win for a group that really needed their hard work validated. I'm happy for them.
Jones and Watford were the biggest factors, but when you look at the stat line you see a lot of players with solid numbers. A very good team win.
I feel about storming the court like I feel about tattoos, underwear hanging out, Sarah Palin, Wall Street, teenage mumbling and celebrating first downs. I have no control and none of it means anything to me anymore.
BTW, its official. Capo is to be known as “The Situation” going forward.
January 18th, 2010 at 2:22 am
I understand what you're saying about how the scolding was excessive after he hit the jump-shot, but what if the ref had seen him. They give the bench a tech, ALL momentum is gone. All the momentum that the shot created for IU, gone. All of the good things that happened at the end of the game, gone. Because he couldn't control himself. I understand what you're saying, but think how pissed you'd be and how EVERYONE would be ripping Bobby if they lost because of it.
January 18th, 2010 at 2:22 am
Late game frows stunk, but, all in all, winning in OT against a fairly good team is nice any time it happens. This was great, even though I get no Big 10 Network up here in Appalachia and could only follow it here on ITH. With Mo down, the key to victory is for VJ to understand how good he is all the time and for Dumes to understand that he's only good now and then and to understand the difference.
Rushing the floor–pretty ordinary. IU basketball is about being first class, and fans should barely ever, if ever rush the floor, IMO.
Much more importantly, can anyone tell me why I got banned from the game blog?
January 18th, 2010 at 2:24 am
Agreed. Capo is now “The Situation”
January 18th, 2010 at 2:25 am
Oh, by the way . . . thanks Devan Dumes for stepping up and being the third player to score in double figures. In my plck to click post I picked DD and said it was because someone else has to score besides Watford and VJ3 for IU to win and he made this baseball guy sound like he actually knows a little something about basketball!
January 18th, 2010 at 2:42 am
I hope we're not being too picayune (vbg).
January 18th, 2010 at 2:51 am
I needed that game to bring me back from the ledge. After the Michigan debacle I was convinced I was going to bang my head against a wall until we were good again.
That game was fun for ONE MAJOR reason: We actually won, and didn't blow it. But we sure as hell tried to….I don't know what to think, but my first reaction was to GO CRAZY WILD OBNOXIOUS and do some idiotic celebration from the living room to the kitchen. I chugged some weird liquor and danced with my dog….and it was SWEET.
We didn't play terrible the entire game. We actually played good basketball for a majority of the game. Granted, I still can't believe we just slow-played the game at the end of regulation, and tried NOT to lose instead of playing TO WIN, but what do you expect? Crean stood on the sideline and played cheerleader, just praying we'd make some lucky shot and hold on. What is new?
Give all credit to guys like Verdell Jones for stepping up and showing the toughness that this team has been lacking. With our backs against the wall, Jones stepped up. Jones missed a few FTs, but he hit some HUGE shots and brought us back from certain defeat in OT with his buckets.
VJIII deserves a statue for that effort. I actually have something to smile about for a while, thanks to that effort. Heck, I can't even think of anyone that was just flat out terrible tonight. Verdell was great, Pritch and Capo did their things before fouling out, Hulls hit some buckets, Dumes was our 1st half spark, Rivers wasn't a complete TO machine….man….thank you guys.
Thank you Hoosiers for stepping up and showing that heart CAN win ball games.
January 18th, 2010 at 2:53 am
I'm not a jets fan, but i have them in a pool. I'll be rooting with you.
I couldn't see the game today, but it was a great feeling when I got home and saw that the Hoosiers had won. I'm not too picky on how teams win. The 'W' is something they have had a hard time getting lately, so I'm happy with those. I can't believe people can still criticize after getting a win. Not only that, we are hearing the same things we heard early in the season. Is noone impressed that they didn't play perfect and still one. Champions find a way to win when they don't play their best games.
Nice win Hoosiers. Lets move on to the Nittany Lions and get your first B10 road win in 2 years!
January 18th, 2010 at 2:56 am
What a great win, this is going to be one wild season. Great rebounding and 3 point shooting.
January 18th, 2010 at 3:06 am
I agree Smitty. Sorry to be negative but I think Crean cost us a win during regulation. We had 4-5 possessions where we were throwing up crap after milking the shot clock to 5 seconds. Before CTC put the breaks on the offense, we were attacking and had a great flow, crisp passing, wow. I haven't seen them look that good in 2 years.
Truly a team win. But Crean continues to make me damn nervous. The 1-3-1 in overtime? Great move. It put us down by 5 in a heartbeat.
Welcome to the show Bobby Capo. You played inspried today.
January 18th, 2010 at 3:18 am
It's a good sign to see posters debating whether or not students should storm the floor after a win.
January 18th, 2010 at 3:21 am
I was right on a Pick to Click. Holy Crap! I'm 2 for 17 now!
January 18th, 2010 at 3:22 am
Let the students storm the floor! Who cares? Does it hurt anyone? If that is “The Ugly” then I will take it every day of the week. Generally I'm not in favor of it unless it is an unranked team beating a top 5 team, but I'm not the authority on the matter and last I checked no one on here is either. If the fans are feeling the emtion and want to do it then who cares. Personally, EVERY game that we win right now is an emotional win for me, especially an overtime win like we had today coming back from 5 down with 2 min to go. Some people need to stop looking for things to complain about and just enjoy the wins we get.
January 18th, 2010 at 3:23 am
I agree with these sentiments- it's all part of the rebuilding. Next year- even later this season IU should expect to win these and not be too jubilant- but that's later, for now party like it's 1999- Big Ten wins have been few & far between. Way to go boys now build on it- is a B10 win streak too much to ask?
January 18th, 2010 at 3:28 am
I was about in tears of sadness and instead I wasn't afraid to have tears of joy. It was a sweet win. Do what you want! Everyone's tired of watching us blow leads…this felt good…so I agree, go for it. We can't get made fun of any more than we have been already.
January 18th, 2010 at 3:39 am
It is not unlike a lot of teams who air out the ball the last few minutes to ensure a win. It can kill
your momentum but most coaches even in high school do it. It works when you have play makers and kids who can hit their foul shots. So don't get on coach to badly. This was a great win and WOW did the players, coaches and fans need this one. Reflect here a minute we beat Pitt who is leading the big east at 15-2(5-0 Conf.),we beat Minnesota who has beaten Butler and Ohio State and we beat Michigan who today beat Connecticut. We have potential and some team chemistry and they will learn who needs to have or get the ball at crunch time and who needs the ball when foul shots are important at the end of the game. Nice win my HOOSIERS!!!
January 18th, 2010 at 3:57 am
I know most people know this or would agree but………Assembly Hall is an amazing place
January 18th, 2010 at 5:09 am
I understand that, but you don't scold the kid. You just tell him to step back, and that is not what the coach did.
To be honest. I could never blame a kid for getting excited. That's a hell of a trip to go through and stay stolid the entire time.
January 18th, 2010 at 5:09 am
It was a great win and everyone contributed . Still it is unbelievable to me that Dumes played only 18 min , none in overtime , and we still won…………is this weird or what ? The disrepect shown to Dumes, even by the posts in this blog are incredible. He gets no credit ….by coach or fans.
I loved the fans rushing the court.Let's do it some more….
January 18th, 2010 at 5:46 am
now when he makes a big play he must raise his jersey and show off his abs..
January 18th, 2010 at 5:52 am
Blue Blood programs should not storm the court, under any circumstance. Having two bad years does not change IU's status as one of the top programs in the land, and we are simply better than storming the court after a home win against an unranked opponent. Watching that was the one thing that could make me upset after such an exhilarating win. I completely agree with Mr. Corazza.
Other than that, it was a great, great day thanks to the impressive performance. That was some of the best basketball I have seen IU play this year, without doubt.
January 18th, 2010 at 7:04 am
Good point and I agree with what you're saying. I'm sure the coach was just as caught up in the game as Bobby was.
January 18th, 2010 at 7:10 am
I respectfully disagree on not storming the court. It was a spillover of emotion from a roller coaster of a game. You are 100% right in believing it shouldn't happen, and it won't once we return to the prominence that Indiana basketball should be. For now, let the students enjoy the victory and let's go back to the elite.
Hoosiers.
January 18th, 2010 at 11:37 am
I guess if you aspire to a third tier basketball program, that works. I have found memories and I say act like you have been there before. Hell its only been 8 years since Indiana was 40 minutes away from a national title.
I say embarrassing.
January 18th, 2010 at 11:38 am
Amen
January 18th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
I really liked the lineup the last 8 minutes. 2 other “bads” were Bobby C. tripping a player when we had a 4 on 2 fast break and then Dumas getting called for tech. That was just plain stupid and he needs to walk away and show some maturity. While Jeremiah does some things right, he should never shoot anything except wide open layups……he just scares me to death at times.
January 18th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
The fact that he only played 18 minutes probably has something to do with the fact that he started taking bad shots after he hit a few. He quickly went from “Good Dumes” to “Bad Dumes.”
January 18th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Brian…. I think you missed my point………..when IU loses Crean at times gets thrown under the bus and you hear how great Cal is and why didn't we hire him or someone else……so when IU wins I want to compare him to the greatest coach of all time…….just to show how crazy it gets when we lose. That was my point…..
January 18th, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Here is some storming the court trivia….
When was the last time IU fans stormed the court or had a reason to ….
Kids you get a free pass from Kelin Blab on yesterday….have your fun…
January 18th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
I think first impressions die hard, with a lot of people remembering how Dumes played (and sometimes behaved) last season. I can't say I was a huge fan of his last season, but he's won me over this year with his defense and a more judicious shot selection.
Do you think the minutes situation is something where Crean feels he'll get 18 minutes from Dumes at a high quality, whereas 30 minutes from him might include him trying to do too much?
January 18th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Was it close to 10 years ago, when Kirk Haston hit that three to beat then #1 Michigan State? I was at that game as a student, and would have rushed the court, had my ticket allotment not put me in the upper balcony for that game.
I can't say I fault the students for rushing the court, it's not even the most ridiculous time IU students have rushed any field – that would be rushing Memorial Stadium's field during the Cam Cameron administration, after their first Big Ten win in 2 1/2 years.
January 18th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
I was embarassed when they first stormed the floor. However, after thought, IU has been so so bad the last 2 years, let them celebrate! Do you realize Crean could win his next 18 b10 games in a row before reaching .500!
January 18th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
You don't see Duke fans storming the court after they beat Boston College…
You don't see Kentucky fans storming the court after a win over Georgia.
You don't see UCLA fans storming the court after a win over Oregon St.
Act like you've been there before. This isn't Samford or Campbell or Longwood.
Save the court storming for after wins over top five programs or over your biggest rival. That makes the celebration so much sweeter.
January 18th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
Don't get nuts on me now. He took 2 shots under 8 sec left on the shot clock . Who did you want to take a contested 3 pt shot at that time …….Rivers ? Moore ?
January 18th, 2010 at 3:15 pm
One of the biggest if not the biggest thing I see coming from this game is that we see what happens when we get a decent game from our bigs.
Don't know if this is a sign of things to come but I feel like we may have taken a step towards finding that player who is willing to take it upon themself to take the ball and go and get us a bucket when we just have to have one, great game VJ3.
Would have liked to had a view of the whole court when DD got T'd up I believe it was a double techinal was it not but all I was able to see was DD look at the ref and point to the MN player like did you see what he just did and said. I wonder if it was not a case of the two of them having something going on for some time and maybe even being warned by the ref earlier to cut it out before the T's were handed out. If that is the case DD has been around long enough to know not to take things that far but in his defense if all that happened was what was shown right before the they cut from the game he certainly got very little leeway from the ref. The ref didn't call the T's until the teams looked to be gathering in front of their benches so maybe it was something one or both of the players were more or less hollering at each other and if that is what happened I would say that may have been a big part of why Crean took him out. Not trying to dog DD because he was for sure a part of this win.
As far as the fans storming the court I'm with the vast majority of the people on here in that I see no problem with it at all. I think it was good medicine for everyone involved and that it was simply a way to let alot of built up frustration out in a big way. Having said that we should not make it a habit of doing this and I think it will be something that continues to get back to how it used to be as our bball team continues to get back to how it used to be. This kind of thing is also part of the rebuilding process and at this time is just some harmless fun and I say let them have it without finding fault in it.
January 18th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
I thought after the win the questioning of Crean's coaching abilities would disappear from the comments but I was wrong. There are still a few out there. I am curious if those people would like to claim that Roy Williams is a bad coach after some of UNC's embarrasing losses this season? The guy is coming off a national championship, is a future HOF member and is consistently bringing in top recruits. Let us not forget that Crean took over a team last year that included no returning players. To be where we are today is a great accomplishment in my book. If after a couple years we are a .500 team then I am fine with complaints about the coaching. For now, give the guy a break.
January 18th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
JerrCT:
Don't agree with you 100% on DD all of the time but do on this one. Felt like he probably should hav e played a little more than he did. Also agree with you on the 2 shots he took with the shot clock running down if a three is going to be the shot taken it probably should have been him that took it. Can't remember was after he got T'd up when he came out and if so it probably had alot to do with that or maybe with 8 seconds still left on the shot clock Crean thinks he should have tried to drive the ball and dish off for a more open shot instead of settling for another 3 attempt even so I thought he should have gotten more minutes than he did today anyway. We seem to see the Moore thing the same way thought the way his minutes were given is about the way it should be in all games.
January 18th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
The Good: Rebounding won this game. We absolutely dominated the boards and for this team against that team, that is incredible. The guards were fantastic on the boards. Watford was huge (how about that hammer dunk?). VJ III was a leader for this team. He took big shots and made big plays (the drive and dish to Elston was absolutely sweet). We saw a little of Dumes' good side. He hit some great shots after struggling for a couple of games. I've been saying they can not learn how to win a game like this until they do it, so this was a better learning experience than blowing a lead and losing. Great crowd, I have no issues with court – walking/running/storming. GREAT WIN!!!
The Bad: FT shooting was not quite ugly, but it was bad. There were some huge hits, and some huge misses. Over all, a bad performance (not quite sure what the final tally was, but I bet it was in the 60's%). (I remember playing in high school and hitting all my FTs in practice, then tanking in the game until my JR year, so I get it to some degree.) At least 3 of TP's fouls were of the same variety, he would scoot under the shooter while he was in the air. I figured after the 2nd one of the same kind, there should have been an adjustment. I did not understand why Dumes was not out there at winning time for defense on one of their guards. They are not overly big at guard, and I thought Dumes could have matched up well on the defensive end, especially since it looked like that is what we were counting on to win (defense). However, we saw a little bit of the bad Dumes too, and I think Coach Crean was trying temper that a bit. (Again, I will go with I do not believe Coach Crean wants to lose and if he thought Dumes would give us the best chance, he would have had him out there.)
The Ugly: A bit of the deer in the headlight look on the players' faces during the run from Minnesota. Give those kids a lot of credit. They could have packed it in down 15 late in the 2nd half, but they did not. Minnesota has a good team.
Nice win Hoosiers! New frontiers everytime we win.
January 18th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
ok oh, sorry i was a little slow on that one.
i am so glad we didnt hire coach cal. i thought our team still looked poorly coached at times last night. but i was obviously happy to get a win and still have hope for crean. it really upsets me how people translate any thoughtful criticism of crean into IU bashing or being unfair to the players or team.
January 18th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
Maybe you noticed the announcers even criticized Crean for playing not to lose. The players, VIII in particular won this game. You really think he led us to victory yesterday?
I'm not taking away from a great win folks. Because that was a great, great win. But I had 6 Hoosier fans in my living room cringing every time we had 8 seconds on the shot clock and were 10 feet behind the 3-point line. We played not to lose.
January 18th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
You can thank me for this victory. I was going to pick VJIII as my Pick to Click, but I decided to go with my new theory instead; IU players do poorly when I pick them, so I'll pick nobody and they'll all do well. You are welcome. Now I'm going to start rooting for Purdue.
January 18th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
The ugly: Big Ten Network announcers…The foul called on Bobby C. on the floor just trying to get up and get down the floor…And what about DD shooting only a 1-1 with 10 team fouls on Minnesota… Or was that found to be a mistake?
January 18th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
THE UGLY: STORMING THE FLOOR
That is just downright embarrassing.
January 18th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
And coverdale, not cloverdale.
January 18th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Or Steve Alfred?
January 18th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Good
- VJ played with confidence and even though he was exhausted played great in overtime
-Dumes good overall game. I loved him being chippy and standing up to their team. Its nice to see someone not back down regardless.
- Pritchard before he picked up fouls played by far his best game. I'm convinced if he is playing well disregard how many fouls he has and just let him play. We have capable players behind him if he fouls out early
-Capo and Elston played well. Nice to see Capo shoot
-Team played strong and with more toughness than they have all year
Bad
-I've no clue what the offense was doing the last 5 minutes. Letting the clock go down to 10 and then praying something happens isn't offense
-Inbound passes…yikes…the play seems to be Rivers get open
-Pritchard played great D until his guy went up for a shot, instead of going straight up he leans in and picks up a bad foul
-With 15 minutes left in 2nd half IU was plus 7 for the half and up 11 and playing great. 3 new subs come in and IU finishes half -11.
Ugly
A team can storm the court under 4 scenarios
1) Game winning buzzer beater against your main rival (I'm not even sure this qualifies)
2) Regular season victory to win the Big 10 Regular Season Championship
3) Big 10 tournament title or NCAA title
4) A non BCS team pulls off a huge upset…College of Charleston v. UNC
Any other time it should never be done…period
January 18th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
There is a very simple answer to your question of why not storm the court: Minnesota does not have five championship banners hanging from their rafters. Whether or not they are a better team this year is irrelevant; teams with as much history and tradition as IU should not rush the floor after just an “emotional” win against Minnesota. If we win in OT versus Iowa will you guys storm the court? Come on.
January 18th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
I guess you could be right on target. I know of no factual reason to limit him to 16-18min/gm except that coach is in fact afraid of his lapses which largely have ocurred last year. To me he is a different player than last year. He got 13 of his 18 min in the first half
My case for him:
1) he is very very competitive and energetic on the floor , barks at teammates when they lag
2) pesky on defense , he gets numerous stops, worries and deflections
3) playign w RIVERS at the same time we are tough to drive on
4) has offense
Jones said in his interview about how ” me and Devan ” would not let the team lose.
January 18th, 2010 at 4:37 pm
I guess if you aspire to a third tier basketball program, that works. I have found memories and I say act like you have been there before. Hell its only been 8 years since Indiana was 40 minutes away from a national title.
I say embarrassing.
January 18th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Amen
January 18th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Sorry, “buddy”, but storming the court over a team that isn't ranked in the top twenty five AND that you just gave up a 15 point lead to and barely eeked out a win in overtime makes you look like a mid-major.
Why not storm the court? Aside from the potential to injure the players, fans, coaches, refs… there's the “oh, wow, that's just plain pathetic” factor.
January 18th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Exactly. Storming the court after beating Minnesota? Has it really come to this? Has the IU brand tarnished that much in the past couple of years?
Storming the court after beating Minnesota is weak. It's like everyone's sending a message to the players, recruits, and the nation: this is what we want! We want to be a middling team in our conference! So, spare me the dramatics. Yeah, Indiana's team has been abhorrent over the past two years and Sampson left the place a wreck. We know. Act like you want to be an upper echelon team, rather than a mid-major hoping to earn a spot in the tournament in the spring.
January 18th, 2010 at 5:00 pm
If it weren't for Coach Crean those players would have been on the floor scratching their balls instead of winning the game.
January 18th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
Oh, oh, I know!
It was Jan. 31, 2007 against Wisconsin during Sampson's first year season as head coach. The Badgers were ranked No. 2 in the country at the time and had a big winning streak going, and IU pulled it out against them at Assembly Hall.
The visual evidence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XzvqFkO0Kk
January 18th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Current student at IU right here, i was sitting fifth row not on the south court but in section L. I completely agree we shouldn't have rushed the court. Great win and gutsy performance but it has to mean a little more. I refused to “come” onto the court, the students kind of went half speed into it. I can see where they are coming from though. Big win at home, first one we have seen as students all year and like everyone has said, its been a rough year and a half.
January 18th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
What I can't get down with is the defense that the students don't know what it's like to have a winning team hence they stormed. IU was in the top ten the season before last. I know last year seemed like it took a few years off of everyone's life, but it hasn't been that long, folks.
January 18th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
Pretty sure it was after beating #2 Wisc three seasons ago.
January 18th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
I think fans w some basketball knowledge are wanting explanantions for what they see on the floor. The interviewers of Crean donot cover their questions so they ask them here at ITH hoping other fans might have an answer.
Are these questions …..or criticisms of the coach …you be the judge ?:
1) why do we never set off the ball screens for anyone especially Watford ?
2) why are our in-bounds plays so shaky
3) why do we shoot free throws so poorly , it looks like we are coached by Jim Boeheim
4) how do you determine or allocate playing time among players
5) when Hulls is at the point why is Rivers out at the 3 pt line instead of posting down low
6) when Pritchard screens and Rivers drives shouldn't the other players be in motion too
7) why do we go so deep into the shot clock at times
………just wondering
January 18th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Hey I like Crean too Berry, but if you think he won that game for IU, well, you are entitled to your opinion. Slowing the offense down to allow them back into the game, benching Dumes yet again, going 1-3-1 on D in OT? It just seems to me he too is on a learning curve here. And yes I have confidence he can learn from it.
January 18th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
what does being in the top 10 mean?!? did you not watch basketball that year. sure we were ranked number 6 or whatever, but we also finished the year losing back to back to minnesota and arkansas. if you ask me, that team was more worthless than the 6-25 team of last year.
January 18th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
It's Indiana! We don't storm the court when beating an unranked conference foe. I am still a little embarrassed about it, however I completely understand the emotions and give it a pass. It's been a tough few years, so let them have fun. However, I am excited for the day when we all agree this isn't acceptable…as that means we're back to prominence.
January 18th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
Word is Will Sheehey said Peter Jeurkin wants to come to Indiana (7 foot (and not from Africa) 220 lbs class of 2012)….don't know if its true or not
http://memphis.scout.com/a.z?s=350&p=8&c=1&nid=...
January 18th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
Matt_J. I'm going to have to disagree. Everyone needed this. These past three years have been the worst in IU history. History. Now think about the time when you were a student and having to go see something you did not sign up for. These guys are kids and honestly did anyone of you guys think while a great game finished ” hey lets preserve our legacy and not charge the floor”? These kids needed to vent out and who could blame them. In fact I'll even say that I think these students have more evidence of being true fans because they took the junk that was given to them through bad administrations and coaching, and still supported their team.
Also the players needed this. If this doesn't motivate them further,nothing will.
January 18th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
“I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed.”
That's how I feel about our performance (coach/team) in the last 5 minutes of regulation, and the storming of the court. Can't say I blame the team for taking the air out of the ball or the kids for rushing the court. A win is a win! Our performance away at Penn State will really show us what we have this year.
January 18th, 2010 at 6:55 pm
Before anybody says anything to me about this little piece of satire, let me say that when I was on campus earning my two degrees we won 2 NCAAs and an NIT. I know where we come from because I lived it. I am not a Guardian.
Rules for other people to live by, as promulgated by the Guardians of Something:
1. Don't storm the court unless We say its ok.
2. Don't clap your hands to encourage the team unless We say its ok.
3. Don't play “that guy” unless We say its ok.
4. Don't chant “that” unless We say its ok.
5. Only Indiana HS kids are good players.
6. Only an Indiana guy is permitted to coach IU.
7. We will cheer the team when it wins and rip the coach to pieces when it loses.
8, The students have no stake in this and and are irrelevant and quite frankly need a spanking for taking up Our valuable oxygen.
9. After playing exactly 1/8 of their entire career, and never having played MSU, PU or UW, We now deem that these freshman are no longer young and inexperienced.
10. We say that any random group of people that wear the Indiana Jersey is automatically a 20 game winner unless the coach We hate f's it up.
11. We are the Guardians of Something and we know best. Period.
January 18th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
Actually he is from Africa…Sudan I believe. Does anyone know about his abilities? Comparable to Bawa and Jobe?
January 18th, 2010 at 7:05 pm
no! these are not legitimate questions. how dare you? any questioning of the coaching or playing of the way our team plays is for people who: 1 irrationally hate tom crean, 2 have no idea what reasonable expectations are for a young college basketball team, 3 are unhealthily obsessed with bob knight and cannot think of anything other than his beautiful motion offense, 4 hate christmas and fun, or 5 people who secretly hate IU but care enough to post on fan blogs.
so which one are you?
January 18th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
I stand corrected…now I'm scared.
January 18th, 2010 at 9:04 pm
If u think that the students shouldnt have stormed the court u must not have been at the game. I was there and the energy was amazing in the hall. It felt as though the students and the rest of hoosier nation were starving for this win and i just think it was a great win for the team. Also think what this does for the players of the team. Seeing this energy from the fans will only fuel them to work harder and continue to get better….so for all of u haters, go on somewhere
Great effort by the team and great coaching by coach Crean as he outlasted one of the ncaa greatest, tubby
January 18th, 2010 at 9:10 pm
and by the way “GFDave” its not about u or ur class of students. Yeah we were great and yea we did win national championships, but id say only one player on iu's squad could name the greats on those teams…jordan hulls…so y dont u quit feeling so important and realize that this is the players and coach creans team along with the student body that actually attends school/class with the players on the court…idiot
January 18th, 2010 at 9:26 pm
Ben where did you hear that Jurkin Sheehey info from? or is it an unamed source. That is two 7footers in 2012 IU is recruiting….I know Jurkin is more skilled than Bawa, but smaller, needs to add some pounds.
January 18th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
john….lifetime minimum wage earners is kinda harsh but I did laugh….IU fans come in all flavors and apparently all of us could be a d-1 coach…good stuff…
January 18th, 2010 at 9:52 pm
Awesome post!
January 18th, 2010 at 9:55 pm
You didn't sense a little sarcasm in GFDave's post?
January 18th, 2010 at 9:57 pm
In GFDAVE's defense, the guardian rules is a satire. You both have the same argument. Easy, steady there big fella.
January 18th, 2010 at 10:13 pm
but cooper, hulls aka bloomington jesus was on the floor when they were plus 7. Surely you meant to add there that instead of three subs crean just should have taken hulls out because he is to short cant play transition d and hurts us when he is in. at least those are the things you say every time he is on the court. Surely hulls is such a liability he couldnt have had that much of an impact that he was apart of a plus 7 segment. Him and moore should just go play d2 or NAIA cuz cooper is master of basketball. at least thats what ive gathered from his blogging.
January 19th, 2010 at 12:38 am
It really is a great nickname thank you for spreading it. He actually played his best game and shouldn't have come out, neither should the other two guys, which was my point. Nor, am I the only one to say Hulls shouldn't be playing so much but I appreciate you following everything I've written so closely.
Never said Hulls couldn't play at IU just he shouldn't start or play a ton of minutes unless he is playing well and hitting shots. His transition D is bad but he has time to learn. He was overhyped coming to IU because he is from Bloomington but he is definitely improving as the year goes on.
January 19th, 2010 at 12:43 am
I actually think this was a better win than Pitt. Its clear Pitt played a bad game and were missing their best player and just got back another guy. Plus it was early in the year when teams haven't completely jelled.
In this game, IU played tougher than they have in two years, and pulled out a game in overtime most of the faithful thought was over.
January 19th, 2010 at 1:32 am
I have one other “bad”- It seems like guys have been barking at each other a lot, particularly VJIII. Now I know he played another inspired game, but he had had his struggles handling the ball as a true freshmen and has matured immensely. I'd like to see him as the calming influence on the freshmen, especially the Capo and Elston as they are just a little work away from becoming very good players. It's not the time to point fingers and don't want to see chemistry issues. Call each other out in front of the team and in practice, not during the game.
Maybe it's nothing though?
January 19th, 2010 at 2:12 am
DO IT! I hate Purdue.
January 19th, 2010 at 2:22 am
I'm with you. That played right in front of me when I was at the game. It really was a break-down from VJ3 but we really should just sweep it under the rug. He was yelling at him for not gathering the rebound but it was probably his fault for not sealing the back-side of the rebounder. VJ3 seems like a really nice kid, so it seemed a bit out of character but it was in the heat of the game and he probably just lost his cool. We'll just pretend it didn't happen
January 19th, 2010 at 3:33 am
it was a mistake.. there was 9 team fouls then the double tech was called which made it 10.. it was the right call..
January 19th, 2010 at 4:08 am
I totally agree with the Cal sentiment. That guy is the quintessence of slimy and corrupt. The only guy I would have wanted over Crean would have been Pearl. That guy is a hell of a coach, and can recruit to a place where football is supreme.
January 19th, 2010 at 4:13 am
Hindsight is 20/20. Should IU have won that game comfortable, people would have praised it as a good strategy and/or completely ignored what happened. However, give Minnesota credit for having the heart to come back, they deserve much more praise than IU deserves fault.
January 19th, 2010 at 6:53 am
These are excellent points. But why limit your condemnation to storming the court?
Personally, I don't even clap after a made basket unless IU is beating UCLA or Kentucky (only teams with more banners than us) by at least 20.
Even though I was only 4 at the time, I have vague recollections of being disgusted at the ostentatious celebrations when IU won the title in '87. They only won by a single point, and if memory serves, they even lost some games that year. Not much to celebrate about if you ask me!
January 19th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
I understand your point, but at the same time this team is desperate for a leader, and he seems to be stepping up. I agree there's better ways to go about it, but let's also remember that he's learning too. VJIII is a sophomore trying to step up and be a leader in what is still a very difficult situation.
He'll get better at it. I'd worry a bit if these guys didn't seem to like each other so much.
January 19th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
I never said he wouldn't be. All I've said is he has some shortcomings that over time he will need to improve. I've never said he won't be a good player, I think he will improve and by his junior year will be the starting PG. Right now I think Rivers is the best PG when it comes to getting the ball up the court. I'm fine with Hulls starting at the 2 guard if he is hitting his shots and backing up at PG when Rivers needs a rest. If Hulls isn't hitting shots Dumes should take minutes because he is a better defender. Hulls is a good set shooter and his shooting is improving. His D has gotten better too. I think anyone could agree he shouldn't have been guarding Novak who is Mich best 3pt shooter and 6inches taller than Hulls. Thats not a knock on Hulls its just a fact he isn't tall enough to bother a 6'7 shooter.
January 19th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
To BGleas, BrianEvans, Milared, Cooper ………et al that have basketball knowledge and post on this site. I am wondering…………………………………….what is the purpose of the zone when:
a) we put Pritchard or Watford up top say w Jones…………and then
b) we put Hulls, Moore, w Rivers or Dumes down low defending the basket. ???????????
Several times in the game Hulls ended up defending Sampson or Iverson down low and we saw how much trouble he had w Zach Novack in 2 games.
SInce this alignment was by design , ie on purpose, I am wondering what the thinking is. It scared the crap out of me during the game…..anybody know the answer ?
January 19th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Hey Jerry,
I've noticed this too with Hulls getting caught defending big men. It seems to me it's coming more in the man defense. For whatever reason he seems to be getting caught in a lot of switches that leave him on a post player and Elston or Watford guarding his man. On thing I've noticed from Hulls is that he's very good at recognizing this, communicating with his teammates and finding the right time to switch back.
As far as the zone, there was stretch (I believe in the first half) where we were in what looked like a 1-3-1 zone. Elston was in the middle at the high post and I believe VJIII was the runner on the baseline. Sometimes you'll put a big up top to disrupt entry passes against the zone, but I'm not a big fan of pulling one of your bigs that far from the defensive boards.
Not sure if there was a specific reason to play a 1-3-1 against Minny, or if CTC was trying to give a different look.
January 19th, 2010 at 7:20 pm
You know what, if you want to look like a pathetic MAC team, I'm sure that they'll be more than willing to accept Indiana's membership application. Why stop there. I'm the OVC wouldn't turn Indiana away, either.
Then you can all storm the court after beating Ball State or Eastern Michigan.
January 19th, 2010 at 8:54 pm
I told everybody that it was satire upfront. I told everybody I didn't consider myself a Guardian. My whole point is that it isn't about all these things. You missed all of that. I won't ask you the question that is dangling there begging to be asked.
January 19th, 2010 at 8:58 pm
It is a product of the 1-3-1 which almost always has a smaller, quicker player running the baseline. I agree that Pritch would seem more naturally suited to play the middle of the “3″ with maybe Rivers at the top.
January 20th, 2010 at 5:00 am
Looky here Jerry and Brian Evans, the likes of us that are minimum wage earning carny's have no bizness whatsoever questioning anything Coach Crean does in his entire career at Indiana. Now scuse me while I go tend to my chickens!
This storming the court thing got outta control on this blog. I pointed it out and really didn't like it when it went down. But I get it no biggie. Michigan did the same thing against UCONN.
It is undeniable the folks on here criticizing Crean are fans of his and diehard IU followers. I am VERY glad he's here. Last year it didn't seem to matter what he did. We were so bad it was hard to judge him. Now we are much better and are learning about him on the fly. We beat Michigan, Pitt and Minnesota. There is no denying things are better. Sometimes I just don't understand and share it on here.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:33 pm
You don't storm the court after beating an unranked 12-5 team on your home court. You just don't. No matter how bad the last few years have been; no matter WHAT. You just don't do it. It's tacky, it says 'we've never been here before and might not be again' and the world is still laughing about it. Not the kind of respect IU is trying to regain.