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SI.com: Cody Zeller, Indiana among the biggest surprises in college basketball season

Zeller is the centerpiece of the turnaround. He’s the most complete big man in the freshman Class of 2011, and the most efficient player in the Hoosiers’ rotation, averaging 14.2 points per game on 64.3 percent shooting, for an offensive rating of 128.7. IU’s offense has opened up around him, as the team is shooting 44.7 percent on threes, up from 34.6 percent last season. Part of it is Zeller drawing in defenses, but Crean also says that his two main marksmen — juniors Christian Watford (50.0 percent, including the game-winner against UK) and Jordan Hulls (54.4 percent, including a wrong-handed make against Howard) — dedicated themselves to becoming better shooters in the offseason, and the team has a better understanding of how to intelligently move the ball. Miraculously, they’ve improved from the 11th most efficient offense in the Big Ten last season, to No. 1 in ’11-12.

North Carolina’s staff regarded Zeller’s older brother Tyler as the Tar Heels’ most sound defender last season, and it seems that defensive acumen runs in the family. Crean said that Cody Zeller leads IU in deflections, which is the coach’s preferred method of measuring defensive effort. Zeller is also the only player taller than 6-9 whose steal percentage (3.9) appears on kenpom.com’s top 100 list. “I’ve been really surprised at how active Cody is,” Crean said. “He has quick feet, quick hands, and a quick mind.”

Bassett likely out on Tuesday; D.J. talks to SI

by in Media | January 7th, 2008

Armon Bassett- According to Chris Korman of the Herald Times, Armon Bassett will likely miss Tuesday’s game at Michigan. Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson had the following to say on this morning’s Big Ten conference call:

“We have to get Armon Bassett back. For us to be as good as we can be, we need him to be playing. Not having him is a blow for us. I don’t think we’ll have him for the Michigan game, either. He’s just getting a lot of treatment. A lot of rehab. It’s something that’s going to bother him the rest of the year. It may be a thing where he needs to have surgery and be out or we may be able to get him through the year with it.”

Bassett played just three minutes on Wednesday at Iowa in Indiana’s 79-76 win. Look for Jordan Crawford to get the nod at the point Tuesday evening in Ann Arbor.

- Our friend Luke Winn of SI.com threw down a Q & A with D.J. White and here is one of the more interesting responses on Eric Gordon’s sleeping and eating habits:

LW: Gordon looks like such a veteran scorer when he’s on the floor. Does he at least have some freshman habits off of it, that make him seem like a kid? Or is there anything the older guys harass him about?

DJW: Well … We both take naps in the same room [at Assembly Hall] before games. And he snores in there a lot. It’s loud and it gets very annoying; I joke with him about it, but there’s nothing you can do to make it stop. You nudge him and he might lighten up for a few seconds, but after that he’s back to snoring.

He also can eat a lot. The way his body is like — with no fat — you wouldn’t know it, but he’ll eat like three hamburgers at a time. He has a huge appetite. He can easily out-eat me.

You can read the entire interview by clicking here.

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