Pat Forde On Tom Crean and Co.

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How Tom Crean and Indiana went from no-hope losers to Big Ten contenders
Yahoo Sports By Pat Forde 7 hours ago
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Wait, what happened?

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What happened to the horrible Hoosiers? The program in disrepair? The coach who had lost control? The fan base that was forming into a lynch mob?

Where did that Indiana go?

Maybe, despite an autumn of knee-jerk outrage, that Indiana never existed.

.
The Indiana team that scorched the Assembly Hall nets Thursday night and torched No. 13 Maryland 89-70 – that didn't much resemble the disaster that was allegedly unfolding in early November. The team that dropped a dazzling 15 3-pointers on the Terrapins – that couldn't be the same group some gave up on before it had played a single game this season. The guys who dropped the most points on Maryland in its last 48 games – those couldn't be the problem children who reportedly lacked leadership and cohesion after a string of off-court problems. The coach who has devised a shockingly effective small-ball lineup in the absence of injured frontcourt players Hanner Mosquera-Perea and Devin Davis – that couldn't be the guy some IU backers wanted tossed out with the Halloween pumpkins in early November. The fans who were pining away for Brad Stevens or anybody not named Tom Crean – those weren't the howling Hoosiers fans who helped make Maryland melt down amid an atmosphere Terrapins coach Mark Turgeon called "the best we've played in all year."

Now that we've plowed through the preseason panic and actually played 19 games, this is Indiana: 15-4 and ranked in the AP Top 25.

Now that we've completed one-third of the Big Ten season, this is Indiana: 5-1 and tied for first.

Now that we're 36 days from March, this is your front-runner for Big Ten Coach of the Year: Tom Crean.

"We're improving," Crean said. "They've been improving all year. They've gotten closer. They've really worked hard to control what they can control."

What the Hoosiers couldn't control was the legion of doom that mobilized after a Halloween night accident in which Emmitt Holt hit Davis with his car, resulting in a major head injury to Davis. (Holt was not found to be at fault in the accident.) That was the last in a series of missteps by IU players dating back through the summer and last spring. When combined with the generally bleak outlook for the season (the Hoosiers were picked to finish 10th in a Big Ten Network poll of media members) and the bleak result of last season (17-15 and no postseason, not even the NIT), the negative vibes were palpable.

But the Hoosiers blocked them out.

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"We just stayed together through everything," said Troy Williams, who turned in his fourth-straight stellar performance with 16 points and seven rebounds. "We just know that at the end of the day it's still us [who are] the only ones in the gym … it's still us that's still together as a team. So we didn't let none of the outside get to us. We just stayed together and you see the results are coming out well for us."

Still, even the most optimistic player had to have doubts when starting big man Mosquera-Perea went down with a knee injury a couple of weeks ago. This was a small team with threadbare interior depth to begin with, and losing the 6-foot-9 junior looked like a potential disaster.


.Yogi Ferrell (L) was 80 percent from the field on Thursday and finished with 24 points. (Getty)
Instead, Crean got creatively small. He moved 6-foot-6 Colin Hartman to center and put him in the starting lineup. The sophomore from Indianapolis didn't start a game as a freshman and rarely played – and then he blew out a knee last March in a workout after Indiana's season was over.
He made his first collegiate start Jan. 13 against Penn State, tying his career high with eight points. Thursday against Maryland, he shocked the Terrapins with 15 and hit all three of his 3-point shots.

Suddenly, a guy who nobody was sure would be able to play at all this year has become the key to a five-out lineup of shooters and drivers that is burning up the Big Ten.

"The more we play Colin away from the post, the better it is," Crean said. "Because he can drive the ball for us. … We offered him a scholarship because of his ability to play the game."

Indiana is a fairly insane 36 of 70 from 3-point range since Hartman moved into the starting lineup – and it's coming from all angles. Robert Johnson hit four against Penn State. James Blackmon Jr. hit four against Illinois. Yogi Ferrell hit a whopping seven against Maryland.

Despite that diversity, collective shooting like that cannot be counted on to continue in perpetuity. There will be nights when the bombs don't drop, and then a small team with myriad defensive weaknesses will face a serious challenge. This is still the same squad that was crushed by Michigan State, gave up 94 to crooked-shooting Louisville and 88 to Eastern Washington.

But this is not the barbed-wire defensive Big Ten of recent years. Advanced stats guru Ken Pomeroy rates only one Big Ten team (Nebraska) among the national top 35 in defensive efficiency, down from five in the top 35 each of the previous two seasons.

If teams in this league are more susceptible defensively, Indiana is well-equipped to exploit those weaknesses. Outside of Wisconsin, no one in the conference appears significantly better than the Hoosiers. And an NCAA tournament bid that few forecast has become a realistic goal.

"There's a ton of room for improvement," Crean said. "It's one really good win against a really good team."

Crean is right – walloping Maryland is not a sign that Indiana has arrived. But it is a sign that a season believed to be on the brink has a chance to be a season to remember.




Nice read here from Forde. People starting to REKANIZE.

[IU Hoosier41 14,465]

Always enjoy reading Forde. I'm just trying to figure out what my expectations are for this team now... I still feel like a Sweet 16 would be my gauge for success this year. Anything beyond that is icing on the cake for this team.

[Naturalhoosier 15,464]

Always enjoy reading Forde. I'm just trying to figure out what my expectations are for this team now... I still feel like a Sweet 16 would be my gauge for success this year. Anything beyond that is icing on the cake for this team.

I keep fearing that the other shoe will drop. What happens on a cold night? Everyone was hitting lastnight. Everyone. Most games we'll have a few hits a few misses...the law of averages will balance the ship. But on those cold nights...(a la MSU), they are bitter cold. Hopefully we'll not see anymore...as always...Expecting the worst but hoping for the best!

[Scooter D 928]

I keep fearing that the other shoe will drop. What happens on a cold night? Everyone was hitting lastnight. Everyone. Most games we'll have a few hits a few misses...the law of averages will balance the ship. But on those cold nights...(a la MSU), they are bitter cold. Hopefully we'll not see anymore...as always...Expecting the worst but hoping for the best!

Agreed...not to put a damper on the events of last night, but there is still a lot of season left.  12 games left in the Big 10...a lot can happen...either way.

[BlueDevil 9,174]

This run and gun deal will wear a lot of teams out so I think that will keep us in a lot games if we are not hitting on all cylinders. Crean actually looks like he is having fun this season.

[Hutch89 2,946]

Agreed...not to put a damper on the events of last night, but there is still a lot of season left.  12 games left in the Big 10...a lot can happen...either way.

 

What's funny is that if we only win 2 of the next 12 games, then we'll match our record from last year.   Some dark dark times those were...

[Scooter D 928]

What's funny is that if we only win 2 of the next 12 games, then we'll match our record from last year.   Some dark dark times those were...

Wow...didn't even realize that...talk about perspective.  

[Hoosier DaDa 3,334]

I'm just happy to see that with our small lineup of shooters other teams have to adjust to us.  I thought with the lack of size we all were going to be whining about how we can't match up.  I just hope it continues GO HOOSIERS!

[Alford Bailey 12,645]

Everybody is jumping on the bandwagon. Myron Metcalf is picking us to win at OSU by 5 now.

[WayneFleekHoosier 49,506]

Everybody is jumping on the bandwagon. Myron Metcalf is picking us to win at OSU by 5 now.

more faith than I. I love it! IF we win that one, things will get serious.

[Alford Bailey 12,645]

more faith than I. I love it! IF we win that one, things will get serious.

I'm feeling better about it. OSU is not impressing me and I think we match up fairly well with them. I look for PUke to hammer us inside(hammer us in general) and think we may have a better chance in Columbus.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 87,168]

I'm feeling better about it. OSU is not impressing me and I think we match up fairly well with them. I look for PUke to hammer us inside(hammer us in general) and think we may have a better chance in Columbus.

Taking 1 game at a time is crucial because we have such a small margin for error.  Have heard that PUke's leading scorer may not be able to play and if he does, his overall level of play may be less than usual because of an injury to his finger but it's still going to be a tough game because of their 2 7' Neanderthals.   OSU is certainly not the same caliber of team Matta has had for so many years and they are not unbeatable in Columbus.

[rebelhoosier848891 9,588]

Great article.

 

We are improving but we will have some losses coming our way soon----we are in the toughest part of our schedule.

 

Out of the next 4 road games---if we could go 2/4----we are setting ourselves up for an outstanding season.

 

Those road games are at O$U--at PU--at Wiscy--and at Maryland.

 

I like our chances best with the first two---let's win them and see if we can surprise from there!