Here’s the video from Tom Crean’s press conference following Indiana’s 81-78 overtime win over Minnesota at Assembly Hall on Sunday:
Video from Tubby Smith’s press conference after the jump …
Minnesota Postgame Video: Capobianco, Jones and Rivers
by Alex Bozich in Video | January 17th, 2010
Good, Bad and Ugly: Minnesota
by Ryan Corazza in Good Bad Ugly | January 17th, 2010
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.
Minnesota Postgame Audio: Crean and Tubby Smith
by Alex Bozich in Media | January 17th, 2010
Indiana head coach Tom Crean and Minnesota head coach Tubby Smith met with the media following the Hoosiers’ 81-78 overtime win at Assembly Hall on Sunday. Here’s the audio from both coaches:
Tom Crean:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Tubby Smith:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
A plea for perspective (Digger Phelps agrees)
No? Well, I have. And the time has come for me to just get it out there. If you like it, take it. If you don’t just send it right back:
Indiana fans, stop being so hard on this team.
I know, I sound like a huge homer, and I can clearly see why it would come across that way. But the fact is that too many of the good folks in Hoosier Nation set the bar impossibly high for this basketball season, whether consciously or otherwise. (Seriously, someone had to say it, so I figured it might as well be me, because well, people hate gingers anyway.)
Look, I know last season was hard on you, I get that. Watching a once-proud program stagger and stumble its way to six wins in 31 tries isn’t an easy sight to swallow when it’s happening in front of five national championship banners. And yes, this team is markedly more talented, and deeper in almost every feasible way.
But it’s not just about talent, which this team has in good — but not great — supply. It’s about experience, and poise, and focus, and composure. None of those traits will magically blanket this team after one or two wins, no matter the quality of the opponent. They take time and patience to build, like a homemade car or a rare stamp collection.
Look, Digger Phelps agrees with me.
“The way that thing was left in shambles, you’ve just got to be patient,” Phelps said by phone last week. (Like how I snuck that up on you? Gingers aren’t well-liked, but we’re crafty.)
Continue reading this post »