The Inside the Hall Mailbag is a collection of questions tweeted to us via Twitter (@insidethehall) and sent to us via our Facebook page. Submit your questions and we’ll answer as many as we can. Now, onward …
Mark Joseph via Facebook writes: Seeing as the B1G is year in/year out a defensive league, do you think Tom Crean’s game plan is to push the pace to get teams out of their comfort zone? How effective do you think this will be and seeing as it is nearly impossible to keep the offensive numbers this high, what do you think is plan B?
Ryan Corazza: This is a good question.
Indiana has been deadly in transition this season and it’s clearly part of Tom Crean’s style — which we’re seeing more of now that he has the personel to pull it off. According to KenPom, Indiana’s adjusted tempo (69.2 possessions per game) so far this season is its quickest pace during his tenure. As such, I don’t see them altering the gameplan once Big Ten season hits.
That said, there’s bound to be some drop-off, as Indiana will face more consistently strong defenses in the Big Ten that will look to stop the Hoosiers in transition. KenPom currently ranks Wisconsin as the No. 1 defense in the nation by adjusted defensive efficiency, followed by Ohio State (No.5), Michigan State (No. 8), Purdue (No. 14) and Illinois (No. 32). (So for as good as Indiana’s D (No. 41) has been, five Big Ten teams are currently better.)
The good news for the Hoosiers? They’re a pretty balanced offensive squad. If they’re forced more into half-court sets in grind-it-out conference play, it conceivably won’t be their demise. We could see a more inside-outside attack with Cody Zeller down low — still a work in progress as far as getting him touches — around Indiana’s bevy of perimeter shooters and slashers. The key for the Hoosiers will be to keep getting to the line at a high rate to offset any poor shooing nights against these good defenses.
@caseybaska writes: Noticed Elston didn’t play a minute in the UK game. Strategic? Injury-related?
Justin Albers: Crean said after the game that Elston hurt his back and “had a tough week” leading up to the game. Elston was cleared to play, but Crean elected to play with a short bench against Kentucky. Only Will Sheehey, Tom Pritchard and Daniel Moore came off the bench for the Hoosiers. Crean said Elston will play Saturday against Notre Dame.
From Chad Harding: how much did willis impress you?
Alex Bozich: It wasn’t my first time watching him, but Derek Willis played well on Tuesday night. The competition wasn’t very challenging which places somewhat of a damper on the 26 points and 15 rebounds he put up. Still, it’s hard not to be intrigued by a 6-foot-9 prospect with his size and versatility.
A couple of things that stood out: Willis wasn’t aggressive enough offensively in the first half. His coach, Troy Barr, told reporters after the game that he challenged his star player to become more assertive in the second half. Specifically, Barr said he told Willis to shoot or he’d take him out of the game. He responded with 18 points after halftime. Willis also spent a lot of time guarding the opposing team’s primary ball handler and was able to cause some turnovers with his length.
The Inside the Hall Mailbag is a collection of questions tweeted to us via Twitter (
The Inside the Hall Twitter mailbag is a collection of questions tweeted to us via our Twitter account, 
The Inside the Hall Mailbag: January 20
The Inside the Hall Mailbag is a collection of questions tweeted to us via Twitter (@insidethehall) and sent to us via our Facebook page. Submit your questions and we’ll answer as many as we can. Now, onward … (Photo credit: Jamie Owens of J. Scott Sports)
Tim Skibbe via Facebook writes: Do you think all these close games in the Big Ten season are because of the parity in the league, or is it more because Indiana is playing up to the good competition and down to the level of the teams with lesser talent?
Alex Bozich: I think it’s a little of both. As we saw last night with Illinois going to Penn State and losing, it’s tough to win a road game in the Big Ten. Michigan, who currently sits atop the league standings, is 5-0 at home and 0-2 on the road. The Wolverines have yet to win a true road game this season. In the losses to Minnesota and Nebraska, which are by far the most scrutinized, both teams played with more poise down the stretch than Indiana. Minnesota controlled things throughout the second half and held off a furious rally by IU and in Lincoln, the Hoosiers had control and let things slip away. There’s no such thing as a good loss, but this group should be able to go back and look at both of those situations and extract valuable lessons.
Hoopstrainer via Twitter writes: With the addition of Luke Fischer to the 2013 class, is there another potential 2013 guy or is IU done with that class?
Alex Bozich: I’d be shocked if the 2013 class is complete. Even if the recruit that ultimately ends up in Bloomington isn’t on the radar at this point, there’s still plenty of time this spring and summer to get involved. Of the kids currently being mentioned, Bo Zeigler out of Detroit or BeeJay Anya out of DeMatha seem to be top targets. Zeigler has spoken highly to us about Indiana and Anya, who has a long list of schools to choose from, has done the same.
rick_park via Twitter writes: Is there a root cause to the three-game losing streak or did we lose each game for different reasons?
Alex Bozich: Some of you probably feel like I’ve beaten this point into the ground, but I always go back to the points per possession the Hoosiers are allowing in Big Ten play. 1.11. Last in the conference. Indiana’s offense hasn’t been as elite in Big Ten play as it was in non-conference play, but Indiana must get back on track defensively. The perimeter defense especially is troublesome because it’s allowing opponents to get into the lane with little resistance. That’s leading to easy points in the paint and when the Hoosiers are able to react and collapse on penetration, the opposition is kicking the ball back out for open looks.
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