Managing the Big Ten

Out-of-conference play has officially come to a close with two relatively easy victories over Nichols State and Kennesaw State. The Hoosiers will enter Big Ten play at a solid 10-3, which is slightly misleading because they lack a signature win. The pre-conference schedule featured some quality opponents in Syracuse, UConn, and Notre Dame, but ultimately Indiana fell to all three.

Last year the Big Ten was widely regarded as the most dominant conference in nation and perhaps the last decade. It not only featured four powerhouse teams, but it was deeper than it had been in previous years. This year the Big Ten doesn’t appear to be quite as lethal, however it still packs a punch. Early in the season the teams have worked to divide the conference into three tiers.

Tier one:

Ohio State

Wisconsin

Michigan State

Iowa

Tier Two:

Michigan

Illinois

Indiana

Minnesota

Purdue

Tier Three:

Northwestern

Penn State

Nebraska

Indiana currently sits firmly in the middle of the second tier. The question is, how do they move up to the top of tier two and possibly tier one?

To begin the Hoosiers need to improve their half-court offense. This team is best suited to play in transition, but that won’t always be an option (see Wisconsin) come Big Ten play. For this team to reach its potential it will need to be able to adapt to a slower paced, grind-it-out game. To address that problem they will have to find two more dependent scorers. Currently Kevin ‘Yogi’ Ferrell leads the team at 16 points per game. At times he appears to be the only offensive threat on the team. It will be important to involve Noah Vonleh early in the game and get him to the free throw line as often as possible. Establishing Noah as a post threat will open up the wings and driving lanes, which should create a more fluid offense.

Secondly, there needs to be some stability in the line-ups played. Early in the season it is vital to spread the playing time around to allow players to develop, but at a certain point the goal is to win games. Fewer lineup changes allow for a better understanding between players and would hopefully reduce the amount of turnovers.

Currently the Hoosiers rebound the ball better than nearly every team in the nation. At just under 46 rebounds per game this Indiana team stands at 4^th in the country. In order for this team to find success they will need to continue to rebound the ball effectively creating second chance opportunities. Offensive rebounds will allow for high percentage put backs, where defensive rebounds will enable the transition offense they desire to play.

With all of that being said, this Hoosier team will most likely finish around 6^th in the Big Ten and be roughly a nine seed in the NCAA tournament. They have the potential to work their way to a higher seed. However at times they also look capable of missing the tournament completely. One thing is for sure; if they can continue to improve throughout the year, then we should be in for a fun ride.