The Good and The Bad: Creighton

Let's take a look at what was right and what was wrong on Thursday during Indiana's 86-65 victory over Creigton at Assembly Hall.

The Good:

1. Thomas Bryant - Let the overzealous comparisons begin. Bryant's 17-point, 7-rebound, 4-block performance already has Hoosier nation collectively hyperventilatng with excitement. Message board scouts have placed his name in the same breath as Patrick Ewing and Dirk Nowitski. While the need to pump the brakes may be apparent, it's not unfair to state that Bryant is Indiana's biggest shot in the arm since Cody Zeller's arrival in Bloomington in 2011. The depth up front is a huge, huge question for Indiana this season so it will be interesting to see how the freshman holds up as Indiana's mainstay in the middle over the course of the whole season. For now though, his arrival is already paying dividends.

2. Hoosiers come out firing - All the talk was how Creighton would provide Indiana with its biggest test of the season and many expected a back and forth shootout. Indiana took the suspense out early. Rolling to a 28-11 lead in the first ten minutes and never letting allowing the Blue Jays within 15 the rest of the way.

3. James Blackmon Jr. - Is it possible a sophomore who was one of the team's leading returning scorers from a year ago could be a bit of a forgotten man? The preseason chatter around IU seemed mostly to focus on Bryant (the impact freshman who was considered a missing piece) Troy Williams (Tom Crean's latest freak athlete who morphed into a first round NBA pick) and Yogi Ferrell (the senior looking to write his way into the Indiana history books). Blackmon, a McDonald's All-American who just happened to be the team's second leading scorer a year ago, seemed to have fallen out of the collective conversation of the Hoosier faithful. Thursday served as a reminder that Blackmon is still elite on the offensive end. He had a team high 19 points and still delivered that silky smooth jumper that made him the object of Hoosier affection last year around this time - burying 4-of-6 attempts from 3-point range. Adding seven rebounds and four assists may prove that Blackmon's game is rounding into more than that of an elite scorer.

4. Nick Ziesloft - Another guy who's impact on the game seemed to be taken for granted coming into the season, Ziesloft also hit four 3s in the contest and has made nine in the past two games for IU. Ziesloft's role in IU's offense isn't complicated - catch the ball, shoot the ball, make baskets - but its a role he's filling to perfection in the early season.

The Bad

1. Robert Johnson - It's never easy filling out the negative column after a win like Thursday, but Johnson's performance was one of the few that could have caused a bit of hand wringing. A starter for almost all of last season, the sophomore seems to be struggling to his new role of coming off the bench in his second season. Thursday, Johnson was limited to just 11 minutes and plagued with foul trouble throughout. After scoring 12 off the bench in the opener against Eastern Illinois, Johnson has just nine in the past two outings and has eight turnovers in 50 minutes played this season.

2. The frontcourt depth - Bryant's night masked what was a less-than-stellar evening for the remainder of IU's frontcourt. Senior Max Bielfeldt was held to just two points on 1-of-5 shooting and the freshman duo of Juwan Morgan and O.G. Anunoby failed to score in the contest. Gaining minutes and confidence in the reserves behind Bryant will be a key for the team as conference play comes later in the schedule.