It wasn’t pretty, but Tom Crean and the Indiana Hoosiers won for the second time in four days, laboring past USC-Upstate 69-61 Monday night in Assembly Hall.

IU committed 18 turnovers and hit just 16 of 30 free throws, but Christian Watford’s 17 points and 10 rebounds pushed the Hoosiers (2-0) past the Spartans. It was the second straight double-double for the freshman from Birmingham, Alabama.

“The first thing I would say is welcome to the wacky world of freshmen and sophomore predominant basketball,” Indiana coach Tom Crean said. “That’s where we are at and we have a lot of learning to do.”

Three Hoosiers — Maurice Creek (14), Verdell Jones (13) and Derek Elston (10) — joined Watford in double figures. Jeremiah Rivers added two points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Indiana led 60-40 with 7:57 remaining, but USC Upstate (0-2) closed the game with a 21-9 run.

The Spartans, playing just their third season in Division I, were led by Mezie Uzochukwu’s 14 points.

Pick to click: Watford

Crean on Puerto Rico: “We are getting ready to play some high level guys when we get to Puerto Rico. It’s going to be a really good test for us to see where we stand. If we don’t match-up and play with that will and that fire and we are not as physical as them, we will get embarrassed.”

Pritchard struggles: Plagued by foul trouble, the 6-9 sophomore scored four points and didn’t record a rebound in just 10 minutes.

Dumes struggles, too: Indiana’s leading scorer last season logged 20 minutes, but hit just 1 of 6 shots and committed four turnovers. Dumes finished with two points and five rebounds.

Up next: Ole Miss in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday.

• Box score

Opponent: USC Upstate Spartans

Date: Monday, November 16 | 8:30 EST

Arena: Assembly Hall (17,357) – Bloomington, Indiana

Line: Indiana by 17

All-time series: First meeting

TV: Big Ten Network (Gus Johnson and John Laskowski)

Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Todd Leary and Joe Smith)

Probable Starters:

• USC Upstate (0-1): Carter Cook, Sharod Minus, De’Marion Gordon, Nick Schneiders, Mezie Uzochukwu
• Indiana (1-0): Jeremiah Rivers, Verdell Jones, Maurice Creek, Christian Watford, Tom Pritchard

Game Notes:

• USC Upstate
• Indiana

As always, game predictions and thoughts (including love for Gus Johnson) are welcome in the comments leading up to tip-off and during the game.

You know the drill by now, right? If not, go here. Get in your picks before 8:15 ET on Monday. Remember, please state your selection first thing in your comment. Good luck and check out our new ITH t-shirts.

Indiana coach Tom Crean met with the media on Sunday afternoon to discuss Monday’s game with USC Upstate. Here’s the video of the press conference, courtesy of the IU Athletics channel on YouTube: