Check out 23 photos by Jamie Owens from Indiana’s 73-72 win over No. 1 Kentucky at Assembly Hall in the embedded photo gallery after the jump.
The Minute After: Kentucky
by Ryan Corazza in The Minute After | December 10th, 2011
Thoughts on a 73-72 win over the Wildcats:
They did it.
These Hoosiers took down mighty No. 1 Kentucky inside Assembly Hall this evening in a game that meant so much to so many.
A ton of hype and coverage and buzz coming into this one. Energy flowing through Assembly Hall like it hadn’t in so long. In too long. And it showed in the first half. A combined 24 turnovers between UK and IU. It was frantic and exciting and just plain fun.
And there the Hoosiers were in the second half, up comfortably — well, as comfortably as a lead of 8-to-10 points can be against a team as athletic and talented as the Wildcats — and finding their stroke from beyond the arc after a first half where it was pretty much non-existent. Six straight threes. Anthony Davis picking up his third and fourth fouls. Terrence Jones looking discontented and
The upset was brewing.
But Marquis Teague started exploiting Jordan Hulls off the dribble. He had 15 in the second half. Darius Miller hit some big shots. Indiana never got the ball into Cody Zeller when it was clear they needed to. The offense sputtered and they missed shots. This Kentucky team has a knack for putting up big runs. Suddenly, that lead that felt secure disappeared.
Teague went around Hulls again to put the Wildcats up 71-70 with 49 seconds to go. After a missed Christian Watford jumper, Zeller fouled Davis. He missed the front end of a one-and-one. Life. An IU timeout. A Victor Oladipo turnover and subsequent foul of Doron Lamb, who was also instrumental in Kentucky’s offense (19 points). 5.6 seconds to go. Lamb on the line. He misses the first. Indiana timeout. He makes the second. 72-70 Kentucky. No timeouts left for the Hoosiers.
Crean concerned with Kentucky’s defense
by Justin Albers in Opponents | December 9th, 2011
If you’ve seen highlights of Kentucky basketball games on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” this year, chances are you saw a number of breakaway dunks.
With athletes like sophomore Terrence Jones and freshman Anthony Davis, the Wildcats play above the rim more often than most teams.
But it’s what leads to those highlight-reel breakaway dunks that has Indiana coach Tom Crean concerned in anticipation of Saturday afternoon’s game in Assembly Hall against the nation’s No. 1 team.
“I think the thing that separates them right now is their defense,” Crean said. “I’ve always thought [Kentucky coach] John [Calipari] doesn’t get nearly enough credit as a coach for his defense. He’s always got a game plan. He does a great job with getting talent to play really, really hard. This is the best defensive team, in my opinion, that he has had.”
The Wildcats (8-0) have given up more than 70 points only once this season – last Saturday against No. 5 North Carolina.
Crean said Kentucky benefits from its remarkable athleticism defensively, which allows it to make up for mistakes other teams can’t. The defense starts with Davis, a 6-10 freshman who is averaging 4.5 blocked shots per game.
“If there’s a mistake made defensively, he can make up for it like nobody else I’ve seen,” Crean said. “I can’t think of anybody that can make up for mistakes that his teammates might make like he can.”
Indiana freshman Cody Zeller hasn’t been part of the IU-Kentucky rivalry yet, but he’s very familiar with his likely matchup in Davis. Zeller played against him on multiple occasions in the summer of 2010.
“He’s definitely a great player,” Zeller said. “I think each game I’m trying to improve. This is just another step in that.”
To keep it from turning into a Kentucky dunk fest, Crean said the Hoosiers may consider slowing the game down and grinding it out. The most important thing, he said, is taking care of the ball.
What to Expect: Kentucky
by Alex Bozich in Opponents | December 8th, 2011
After a tuneup on Sunday against Stetson, the Hoosiers are back in Assembly Hall on Saturday evening for a meeting with No. 1 Kentucky. The game will be shown on ESPN and broadcast on the IU radio network (Sirius 92/XM 190):
The stage is set. 17,000 screaming fans. Dan Shulman and Dick Vitale on the call. And the nation’s most talented team on Branch McCracken Court opposite the Hoosiers.
This is what college basketball is all about.
Indiana has passed all eight of its early season tests with relative ease. They’ve dismantled less talented opponents. They took a punch from Butler in Assembly Hall and responded with a punch of their own to run away late. And they’ve won on the road twice.
But this is different.
This is IU’s first test against an elite team. It’s an opportunity to learn just where the Hoosiers stand in a game that will have the eyes of the nation. Some national experts are already predicting an IU win. Is the basketball Hoosier fans have so desperately craved over the past three plus seasons finally back in Assembly Hall? We’ll know the answer on Saturday.
POMEROY PREVIEW
A closer look at Indiana’s win over Kentucky
The dust has started to settle on Indiana’s 73-72 win over No. 1 Kentucky at Assembly Hall on Saturday, but one thing we’ve yet to dig deeply into are the statistical factors that led to the signature victory of the Tom Crean era (All stats via KenPom.com and StatSheet.com):
THE FREE THROW LINE
Kentucky actually outpaced Indiana in free throw rate (defined as FTA/FGA), but it was what happened inside of those attempts that helped push the Hoosiers to the winner’s circle. Both teams went to the line 17 times. Indiana made 14. Kentucky made 10.
Call it a bad shooting night or call it difficult circumstances created by the fan atmosphere, but two of Kentucky’s most experienced players — Doron Lamb (7-of-11) and Terrence Jones (0-of-2) — left valuable opportunities for naught at the line.
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