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Hoosiers get chance to rebound after loss at Iowa

by in Media | February 22nd, 2012

Indiana seemed to be out of sorts Sunday in Iowa City.

The Hoosiers wasted possessions with careless turnovers, missed free throws in bunches, and scored only 66 points against the same team they put 103 on just three weeks earlier.

But even through their struggles, Indiana coach Tom Crean believed his team would come back. He said the loss to the Hawkeyes had nothing to do with his players letting off the gas after getting to the 20-win plateau against Northwestern.

“We never saw any of that in practice, we never saw any of that in preparation,” Crean said Tuesday. “We got off to a decent start to the game. We just turned the ball over, and then we were back on our heels.

“Even when the game got cut to 10, I still felt like we were going to win. But we made some mistakes. We made a couple mistakes on [Matt] Gatens. We were supposed to switch, we have our hands down, we misplay the screens — that’s nine points right there. You can’t do that when momentum is up for grabs.”

Gatens scored a career-high 30 points against the Hoosiers, and hit four consecutive 3-pointers during one stretch in the second half to put the game away. Most of Gatens 3s were uncontested looks when Indiana players got caught behind screens. It simply didn’t look like the same defense the Hoosiers have played at times this season.

Which prompted the question: Are the players fatigued?

Crean’s answer: Not a chance.

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HD Video: Crean, Elston, Oladipo preview NC Central

by in Video | February 21st, 2012

Coach Tom Crean, junior forward Derek Elston and sophomore guard Victor Oladipo met with the media on Tuesday afternoon to preview Wednesday’s game at Assembly Hall with North Carolina Central. Watch both press conferences in the embedded media players below:

Quotes after the jump.

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Big Ten Power Rankings: Week 9

by in Commentary | February 20th, 2012

The Big Ten continues to be as balanced as any conference in the country as we get into the final weeks of the regular season. With Ohio State’s loss at Michigan on Saturday, only Michigan State has fewer than four losses in conference play.

There was much movement in our ninth edition of Big Ten power rankings, but there is still plenty to be decided with four games left to go in the conference season (except Penn State, which only has three games remaining).

12. Illinois (16-11, 5-9) (LAST WEEK: 10)…Bruce Weber has completely lost his team now. The Fighting Illini competed with Purdue, but an 80-57 loss at Nebraska on Saturday was about as bad as it gets.

11. Penn State (12-16, 4-11) (LAST WEEK: 11)…The Nittany Lions beat Iowa at home and played well at Wisconsin on Sunday. Tim Frazier and Co. figure to be a tough out in the conference tournament early next month.

10. Nebraska (12-13, 4-10) (LAST WEEK: 12)…It wasn’t that they beat a reeling Illinois club, it was that the Cornhuskers dominated the Illini to end a four-game skid. Nebraska only plays one more home game in its last four.

9. Minnesota (17-10, 5-9) (LAST WEEK: 9)…After two more losses, the Golden Gophers’ tournament hopes are slipping away. They are just 1-5 in the month of February.

8. Iowa (14-13, 6-8) (LAST WEEK: 8)…The Hawkeyes picked up an impressive win against Indiana on Sunday after back-to-back road losses at Northwestern and Penn State. If Matt Gatens continues to shoot like he did against the Hoosiers, Iowa might just make a run in the Big Ten tourney.

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Hoosiers know defense must be better against Iowa

by in Media | February 19th, 2012

After Indiana beat Iowa 103-89 at Assembly Hall on Jan. 29, coach Tom Crean didn’t want to talk about the fact the Hoosiers allowed Iowa to shoot nearly 80 percent from the field in the second half.

“I’ll worry about that later,” he said at the time.

Crean wanted to enjoy the Hoosiers’ much-needed conference win instead of over-analyzing Indiana’s inability to keep the Hawkeyes from scoring.

But as the No. 20 Hoosiers (20-6, 8-6) prepare to play Iowa for the second time at 6 p.m. today, Crean is taking a more critical look at the teams’ first meeting.

“We’ve got to be way better defensively. That’s the bottom line,” Crean said in a release. “We allowed them to shoot to high of a percentage. There were times they really earned shots, especially (Josh) Oglesby, who had people in his face. But there were times we let their team get way too comfortable in the game. … We can’t be in the situation where we go on the road and try to trade baskets with a high-powered team like Iowa.”

Oglesby scored 24 points off the bench for the Hawkeyes the last time around, mostly from 3-point range. He made 6-of-8 shots from beyond the arc and helped Iowa score 52 points in the second half.

The Hoosiers were able to withstand Iowa’s charge, however, because they dominated on the offensive end. That will likely be more difficult in Iowa City. Indiana has scored 70 or more points only twice in conference road games this season.

“When you are on the road, I think it’s important to get some shots to fall down early,” Indiana guard Jordan Hulls said in a release. “Playing on the road is no easy task for sure. We need to be prepared for a dogfight.”

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Zeller more than just a post player

by in Media | February 16th, 2012

Indiana freshman Cody Zeller has played against some of the best big men in the nation, and fared well.

He’s seen Kentucky’s Anthony Davis, Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger and Illinois’ Meyers Leonard already this season.

When the No. 18 Hoosiers played Northwestern on Wednesday night, Zeller faced no such challenge. The Wildcats started the game without a true post player on the floor and attempted to guard Zeller with the 6-9 John Shurna.

Zeller had a clear mismatch, and he figured to get his. But Northwestern figured it would also have a mismatch on the other end with the Hoosier center forced to guard a perimeter player.

The Wildcats gained no such advantage. Zeller started the game on guard Reggie Hearn, and he proved to be anything but a defensive liability in Indiana’s 71-66 win.

“Cody is gonna show people that he’s a lot more than just a big guy and a guy that plays around the bucket,” said Indiana coach Tom  Crean. “He’s an athlete. He’s a basketball player that happens to be very tall. He was on the perimeter tonight more than he’s been on the perimeter in any two or three games combined.”

Offensively, Zeller was his normal self, finishing with 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting and seven rebounds. The key for the Hoosiers (20-6, 8-6) was that he didn’t give up just as many points on the other end.

“How tall is he?,” Northwestern coach Bill Carmody asked facetiously, suggesting Zeller didn’t play like the 6-11 he is. “He’s very nifty in the post. We had him perfectly scouted, but he just goes by you or gives you a shoulder and he spins. He’s got a shot for most situations within 15 feet. Nothing fazes him that much. He’s got a lot of poise for a young guy.”

Carmody was asked, besides Zeller, how Indiana is different than the team that Northwestern beat a year ago.

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Hoosiers will try to reintegrate Jones against Northwestern

by in Media | February 15th, 2012

When Verdell Jones went down with an injury at Michigan on Feb.1, Tom Crean and the Hoosiers had to find a way to replace him.

Victor Oladipo, Jordan Hulls and Remy Abell all had the ball in their hands more often during the two games Jones was out. Oladipo and Abell shined in the Purdue game, and Hulls effectively ran the offense from the point-guard position against Illinois.

Now that Jones is returning, Indiana faces a different challenge. The Hoosiers must integrate their senior guard back into the team without missing a beat.

“It’s been good,” Crean said of mixing Jones back into the lineup. “It helps again to something we’ve tried to become, which is deeper. He’s gonna play. He’s done an excellent job and continued to get better.”

The obvious question with Jones returning is how will it affect Oladipo’s role?

Oladipo handled the ball more against the Boilermakers than he has at any point during his Indiana career. Crean said the Hoosiers were going to have other primary ball handlers against Purdue even if Jones had played. But nobody expected that kind of production from Oladipo.

The sophomore guard scored a career-high 23 points to go along with eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks and only two turnovers. Oladipo followed that up with 18 points, five rebounds and three assists last Thursday against Illinois.

With Jones out, Oladipo has shined. When Jones returns for the No. 18 Hoosiers against Northwestern at 6:30 tonight, Oladipo will likely be the player most affected.

Crean was asked how Oladipo’s role would change with Jones healthy.

“Do you think there’s any reason to change it?,” Crean asked.

“Well, no,” the reporter returned.

“Me neither,” Crean said. “Vic’s doing fine. It comes down to how locked in he is defensively, what his energy is like on that [end]. Is he rebounding the ball well? Is his decision-making good? As those things continue to stride, it’s amazing how well he scores when that’s happening, it’s amazing how well he gets to the rim.”

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