(Photo credit: Jamie Owens)

The Inside the Hall Twitter mailbag is a weekly collection of questions tweeted to us via our Twitter account, @insidethehall. Tweet us your questions each week and we’ll answer as many as we can. Now, onward …

@michugana writes: When taking into account both offense and defense, is Victor Oladipo already this team’s best player?

Alex Bozich: I’ve been very impressed with how well Oladipo has been able to adjust to the college game, but no, I don’t believe he’s Indiana’s best player. He’s shot the ball very well (nearly 54 percent), but he’s still too one-dimensional on offense and struggles to make free throws (58 percent, but he has hit nearly 70 percent in Big Ten play). Defensively, he’s been a huge positive with his length and athleticism and I think down the line he’ll be one of the better defenders in all of the Big Ten. The nice thing about Oladipo’s situation is that Indiana doesn’t need to rely on him as heavily as they did last year’s crop of newcomers. Long term, that should help his development as he won’t be counted on to do too much too soon.

@hoopstrainer writes: Do you think this team this year will be better without MO compared to last years team without MO?

Alex Bozich: No question it will be. And the reason, one that Tom Crean talked about on Wednesday when he spoke to the media prior to departing for Madison, is pretty simple. This roster is more equipped to deal with the loss of Creek. It’s a deeper club, especially at the off-guard and wing positions, and although IU is still one of the Big Ten’s youngest teams, the Hoosiers are no longer relying so heavily on freshmen. Last season, Creek was far and away the best offensive weapon Indiana had when he suffered his fractured left kneecap. In fact, he was having one of the best seasons on offense in the country. This season, he was a solid contributor on offense, but had yet to return to being a go-to-guy in that regard. His defense had also not yet returned to pre-injury form. So while it may not be reflected in the team’s final Big Ten record, Indiana is much better equipped to deal with the loss of Creek.

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(Photo credit: Jamie Owens/J. Scott Photography)

The Inside the Hall Twitter mailbag is a weekly collection of questions tweeted to us via our Twitter account, @insidethehall. Tweet us your questions each week and we’ll answer as many as we can. Now, onward …

@adamnussb writes: what is timetable on gary harris decision and where do you see him committing to?

Alex Bozich: This is a question we receive often, whether it be via Twitter, e-mail or during a live chat, so let’s discuss, shall we? There is no timetable for Gary Harris to make a decision. He told our own Joe Eberhardt as much in a video interview earlier this week. Harris, of course, is the the last piece that could solidify the 2012 class as the best in the country so the buzz is understandable.

Once the Cody Zeller and Yogi Ferrell decisions passed, the attention naturally shifted to Harris. This is just my opinion, but I believe Harris will choose either Indiana or Michigan State. His list of schools is still lengthy, but those are the two schools that I believe to be standing above the rest.

@RFSchaffner writes: assuming the worst at Minn and NW, is Michigan a “must win”?

Alex Bozich: As you can see, the mailbag got a bit delayed this week, but I’ll tackle this nonetheless. I would consider Michigan a must win if Indiana hopes to surpass its win total year-over-year in the Big Ten. (I would also consider it a must win if IU hopes to make the NIT or the CBI.) The Hoosiers won four in the conference a season ago and beat Michigan at home last year. So this is a game you circle on the calendar as a good possibility for IU. But as we saw with Penn State, nothing is for certain, especially with how tough the Big Ten is this season and IU’s inability thus far to put together a full 40 minutes of stellar play.

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(Photo credit: Jamie Owens/J.Scott Photography)

The Inside the Hall Twitter mailbag is a weekly collection of questions tweeted to us via our Twitter account, @insidethehall. Tweet us your questions each week and we’ll answer as many as we can. Now, onward …

@grllin writes: Given the team’s results over the last week or so, is it time to change the realistic expectations for the year?

Alex Bozich: Most of the expectations for this season had a baseline of 14 or 15 wins with a ceiling of 17. And that was with Guy-Marc Michel figured into the equation. In order to reach that ceiling, Indiana probably needed to win ten games in its non-conference schedule and then hold serve at home against the bottom half of the Big Ten.

When the Hoosiers failed to win a game in Vegas and then stumbled against Penn State on Monday, there’s no question the expectations have changed. That 17-win plateau is probably out of the question, but I think this team still reaches 13 or 14 wins if it can stop the pattern of falling behind early. The fact, however, remains that IU is still a flawed team defensively that desperately lacks post scoring. In a loaded Big Ten, that’s no recipe for success.

@iu77bu81 writes: do u think watford should have played less due to his back spasms? Seemed to help creek

Alex Bozich: Hindsight is always 20/20, but this was a game Indiana needed to win and even with Watford at less than 100 percent, the decision to play him 25 minutes was probably the right one. He’s Indiana best player at this point. And he’s the closest thing the Hoosiers have to a reliable scorer. He wasn’t close to being himself against Penn State and some blown defensive assignments early were costly.

But on the flip side, if you bench him, who grabs those minutes? Tom Pritchard? Maybe, but he’s not a threat to score and his confidence is nearly gone. Bobby Capobianco? Much like Pritchard, he’s not going to score either and hasn’t earned more than spot playing time. Will Sheehey probably would have gotten more run, but Tom Crean said afterwards that he was a little banged up. Ultimately, Crean went with the lineup he felt gave him the best chance to win the game, but it just didn’t happen.

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The Inside the Hall Twitter mailbag is a weekly collection of questions tweeted to us via our Twitter account, @insidethehall.

Tweet us your questions each week and we’ll answer as many as we can. Now, onward …

@ni3t writes: What do you think more caused the loss Saturday? The uneven officiating down the stretch or just a lapse in concentration?

Ryan Corazza: While the free throws were lopsided, remember that Indiana has shown a propensity for fouling the opposition at a high rate all season. Through Monday, the Hoosiers sport a defensive free-throw rate of 50.4 percent, which ranks them 313th in the nation.

So I’d have to go with a lapse in concentration. Indiana slumped through a nine-minute scoring drought — which I believe was its longest drought of the season — due to poor shot selection. When everything began to speed up, the Hoosiers failed to slow things down, run the offense and work to get the good looks they were getting for most of the game prior to the drought.

Yes, Indiana hurt itself by putting Kentucky on the line so many times. But if it’s not scoring itself, there’s no way it can win.

@JayHorrey writes: What are realistic expectations for this team in their two games in Vegas?

Alex Bozich: IU should be slightly favored against a Northern Iowa team that is in rebuilding mode after knocking off Kansas in the second round of last year’s NCAA Tournament. UNI has dropped three road games — Syracuse by 22, Wisconsin-Milwaukee by 2 and Iowa by 12. If the Hoosiers are to push toward the .500 plateau, this is a game they need to win.

Colorado or New Mexico will be the second opponent and both are beatable. Colorado lost early to an awful San Francisco team and New Mexico’s only loss was by 25 at California, a likely sub .500 team. Anything less than one win will be considered a disappointment.

@jcarr22 writes: What happened to Pritch, and is there a reason to keep hope alive?

Zach Osterman: Let’s address each question separately. If you’re asking what happened to Tom Pritchard’s offensive game, there are a few answers. First, his early production was a byproduct of a lot of attention offensively, and a lack of other options. As defenses learned to key in on him during his freshman season, he slowed, and eventually tired. It stands to reason that, given that he was always a project to begin with, he would split minutes once there were similarly able bodies behind him, which explains the drop in playing time. The offensive struggles last year appeared attached to at least some lack of confidence, as well as the fact that frankly, he wasn’t good enough then.

Is there reason to keep hope alive? That’s a hard question to answer, because it depends on what you mean by “hope”? Is Tom Pritchard a double-double player? Probably not. Is he Indiana’s best post defender, right now and probably next year as well? Absolutely. His footwork far exceeds that of Bobby Capobianco and Derek Elston, and many of his fouls this year — or at least a much larger portion of them than in past seasons — have actually been smart fouls, fouls committed to cover for teammates who lost a defensive mark, and the like. He’s also actually developed a pretty damn nice shot-blocking habit (like, almost three times as many blocked shots per game compared to last year, despite playing less minutes overall). So yea, there’s plenty of hope for Tom Pritchard. And some results to back it up.

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The Inside the Hall Twitter mailbag is a weekly collection of questions tweeted to us via our Twitter account, @insidethehall.

Tweet us your questions each week and we’ll answer as many as we can. Now, onward …

@mattresch writes: With Michel out and the scholarship open, is there a new target in the 2011 class Crean is likely to go after?

Alex Bozich: There’s not a new target that immediately comes to mind, but remember this: Tom Crean never stops recruiting. That is a fact. The Michel scholarship being freed up is a little complicated because if IU takes another 2011 recruit, it will affect the 2012 class and beyond. But if Crean identifies a player that fits in with the program, he’s going to do what he can to bring that player to Bloomington. I think the Michel recruitment proved that, even though it didn’t work out as IU hoped it would. Since the Hoosiers won’t technically be able to sign another 2011 recruit until the spring signing period, this is likely something that’s going to take time to develop.

@nickmryan07 writes: With UK coming up, what can IU do to avoid the slow start? The best way to rattle a young team is a quick start!

Ryan Corazza: Find its rhythm on offense immediately. Against Boston College and a few of its lesser talented foes, Indiana’s offense has been ugly early. Of course, defense is not to be overlooked. But grabbing some early confidence on the offense end to start should help them in a tough road environment. Establishing Christian Watford from the onset wouldn’t hurt either.

@MRHess writes: why is verdell’s nickname not Indiana Jones?

Zach Osterman: Because the Big Ten denied his petition to use a bullwhip on defense and out-of-bounds plays. Next question.

@pacerjon writes: what are the chances Michael Chandler ends up at IU?

Alex Bozich: Another day, another Michael Chandler question. I’m not a percentages guy, but the chances don’t seem to be very good. Chandler, for those unfamiliar with him, has rescinded verbal commitments to both Louisville and Xavier and is now back on the board. Since he’s from Indianapolis and has stated that Indiana is recruiting him, the buzz has continued on the possibility that he could join the 2011 class. He was once a five-star recruit, but has fallen considerably in the national rankings. At 6-foot-10 and a shade over 225 pounds, Chandler would provide a legitimate post presence to compliment Cody Zeller, but his academics have been talked about as a potential hurdle to overcome. He’s certainly a talented prospect, but at the end of the day, does the risk outweigh the reward? That’s a question the IU coaching staff will have to answer.

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The Inside the Hall Twitter mailbag is a weekly collection of questions tweeted to us via our Twitter account, @insidethehall.

Tweet us your questions each week and we’ll answer as many as we can. Now, onward …

@zipsofakron writes: So are the Hoosiers formidable this year or this a smoke and mirrors-type thing?

Ryan Corazza: For now, formidable is probably too strong a word for these Hoosiers. But the facts remain: Through six games, they’re better on both sides of the ball, more mature, flashing confidence and having some fun, too. I’ll have a post up detailing the specifics of their improvements soon. Now, as I wrote Friday night, tougher tests are around the corner against Boston College and Kentucky. If IU pulls out victories on the road in both these contests, expectations will rise for this team. A record above .500 and sneaking into the top half of the Big Ten would be a reasonable talking point. Lose one or both and we’re about where we’re currently at: A team on the rise that still needs more time and experience to blossom into a formidable collective.

@0caleb0 writes: I read that a renovation of assembly hall does not make sense $ wise, any longterm plans on the table for a new gym??

Zach Osterman: In 2007, the board of trustees officially decided not to make anymore capital improvements to Assembly Hall, meaning that additions or renovations like the hanging scoreboard will no longer be an option. The department can — and has had to — invest money in necessary repairs, like the leaking roof, but that’s the extent of it. That said, I talked to Fred Glass about this recently: There are no current plans to build a new arena. It’s something the board acknowledged would be necessary in that same 2007 meeting, but put absolutely no timetable on the issue, and especially given the capital improvements just completed (North Endzone, Cook Hall) and ones Glass still plans to pursue (badly needed new baseball and softball fields), I wouldn’t expect a new arena any time soon.

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