Analysis: Fifteen Big Ten wins ... an incredible feat

[IndyHutch 1,718]

It has been 23 years since the last Indiana University basketball team finished the Big Ten season with at least 15 wins. Here is my take on the significance of that accomplishment.

Fifteen wins in the Big Ten.

 

Think about that for a moment. Let it sink in.

 

Now think about the names on this list: Guys like A.J Guyton, Jason Collier, Luke Recker, Kirk Haston and Michael Lewis. Throw in Jared Jeffries, Tom Coverdale, Dane Fife, Jarrad Odle and Kyle Hornsby. There’s also Bracey Wright, Marshall Strickland, Marco Killingsworth, Rod Wilmont and D.J. White.

 

Here’s a few more: Eric Gordon, Verdell Jones III, Maurice Creek, Christian Watford, Jordan Hulls, Victor Oladipo, Cody Zeller, Will Sheehey and Noah Vonleh.

 

What do all of those names have in common? None of them ever won 15 Big Ten games in a single season in their IU career.

 

That’s what makes 15 wins such an impressive accomplishment. No. 12 Indiana’s 15-3 Big Ten outright title accomplishment, capped off by Sunday’s 80-62 victory over No. 14 Maryland on Senior Day at Assembly Hall, puts this team at an elite level in Indiana lore.

 

The last time an Indiana basketball team won 15 Big Ten games was the 1992-93 season when the Hoosiers with Calbert Cheaney, Greg Graham, Damon Bailey and Alan Henderson went 17-1 in conference play.

 

That was the team where Henderson tore his ACL after IU had gotten off to a 13-0 Big Ten start. He tore it in practice the week before the Purdue game going up to catch a long outlet pass. That team was 31-4, which makes it also the last team in IU history to win more than 30 games. The 2013 Hoosiers came close with 29 wins.

 

So it has been 23 seasons since an Indiana basketball team has won 15 or more games in conference.

 

In Indiana history, it has only happened eight times. Along with ’93, IU has won 15 or more Big Ten games in a season in 1953, 1975, 1976, 1987, 1989 and 1991. Three of those seasons Indiana won the national championship. I’m not saying that this team will do that, but just trying to paint a picture here of rarified air.

 

This team is in elite company.

 

The most refreshing thing about this year’s Indiana team, however, is you get the feel as if Indiana is playing its best basketball of the season at exactly the right time.

 

All the naysayers were waiting for Indiana to fold. Great start to the season against a questionable Big Ten schedule, but let’s see how Indiana fares in the second half of the year? After going 8-1 in the first nine games, IU went 7-2 in the second nine. Along the way it beat ranked foes like Iowa (twice), Purdue and Maryland.

 

So we turn our attention toward the Big Ten Tournament which begins Friday with Indiana as the No. 1 seed playing the winner of Thursday night’s Michigan-Northwestern game.

 

The Big Ten Tournament has never been a happy place for Indiana basketball. Perhaps that changes this season.

 

Regardless of what happens this weekend, however, I must say that I think most IU fans will be in an optimistic place heading into Selection Sunday. I think Indiana will either get a 3 seed or possibly a 2 if it really makes some noise at Bankers Life Fieldhouse this weekend.

 

As I’ve said before, it’s all a far cry from where we were Dec. 2 following the Duke loss and sitting at 5-3 for the year.

 

No one could have possibly believed on that day that someday we would be sitting here trumpeting the fact that Indiana had won 15 Big Ten games.

 

Fifteen B1G wins.

 

Just stop and let that sink in for a moment.

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[MartintheMopMan 7,765]

And screw the haters who think we only won because our schedule was easy. Ask them how easy our games @Iowa and v. Maryland were to win the title by 2 games.

 

And while we're at it, screw Purdue fans who try and move the goalposts because "Well, we should really combine BTT titles and regular season titles because that's what sports almanacs will do in the future".

 

It's a great time to be a Hoosier... though it would have been much easier for me to watch our upcoming game if we were maybe the 4 seed instead. Thanks for nothing guys.

[Alford Bailey 12,373]

I agree after the Duke loss things looked rough. Crean did a fantastic job with the turn around. But, before the season looking at our schedule and roster I very much thought this was a possibility. I'm really pleased we lived up to at least my expectations.

[RBB89 3,497]

And screw the haters who think we only won because our schedule was easy. Ask them how easy our games @Iowa and v. Maryland were to win the title by 2 games.

And while we're at it, screw Purdue fans who try and move the goalposts because "Well, we should really combine BTT titles and regular season titles because that's what sports almanacs will do in the future".

It's a great time to be a Hoosier... though it would have been much easier for me to watch our upcoming game if we were maybe the 4 seed instead. Thanks for nothing guys.

Even if you did the combined thing, PU would be behind Ohio State.

[Str8Hoosiers 2,965]

Rarified Air... Elite... Historic..... Those are the words I love to read about IU Basketball, I literally got Chills reading this write up.... Thanks Hutch.

[Scooter D 928]

Dating myself a little here...but I was on campus for the 92-93 season.  It was a great time to be in Bloomington.  

 

All is right with the world when the Hoosiers are playing well.  

[MartintheMopMan 7,765]

Dating myself a little here...but I was on campus for the 92-93 season.  It was a great time to be in Bloomington.  

 

All is right with the world when the Hoosiers are playing well.  

Ah yes, 92-93. I dated myself a lot back then.

[Magnanimous 4,571]

I mean, yea it's a noteworthy feat and all, but with the conference expansion and unbalanced schedules this team only got to play @MSU and against Rutgers and Penn State once. Lets see how they would stack up playing more bottom-feeders and the #2 team at home and then we'll talk...

[USMCHoosier 157]

What baffles me is that IU won the B1G title by 2 full games, had 1 less win than, has a comparable RPI with MSU holding less than .01 advantage yet MSU is ranked #2 with IU #10. MSU is slotted to have a #1 seed with IU currently slotted at a "possible" #3 seed. Yes, IU lost handily to MSU but it was at East Lansing. No telling how that game would have played out at IU.

[hoosierdogg 3,191]

And screw the haters who think we only won because our schedule was easy. Ask them how easy our games @Iowa and v. Maryland were to win the title by 2 games.

 

And while we're at it, screw Purdue fans who try and move the goalposts because "Well, we should really combine BTT titles and regular season titles because that's what sports almanacs will do in the future".

 

It's a great time to be a Hoosier... though it would have been much easier for me to watch our upcoming game if we were maybe the 4 seed instead. Thanks for nothing guys.

12 of PU's 22 Big Ten basketball championships were before 1939, first year of the NCAA basketball tournament.  IU had just 3 prior to 1953.  Since the opening of Assembly Hall in 1971 in Bloomington, as far back as most anyone can remember (I said most), IU has 14 Big Ten basketball championships, including 10 outright, versus PU's 8 with 4 outright.  Oh, and since the turn of the century, its 3 to 1.  Pretty sad PUke has to tout championships from before WWI and the Great Depression.  Little brother indeed.

[Uspshoosier 45,571]

What baffles me is that IU won the B1G title by 2 full games, had 1 less win than, has a comparable RPI with MSU holding less than .01 advantage yet MSU is ranked #2 with IU #10. MSU is slotted to have a #1 seed with IU currently slotted at a "possible" #3 seed. Yes, IU lost handily to MSU but it was at East Lansing. No telling how that game would have played out at IU.

it is the 3 losses to +114 rpi teams that is the difference in our resumes. They have 1 bad loss to Nebraska at home. Here's both resumes
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi/_/teamId/127
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi/_/sort/RPI/teamId/84

[Magnanimous 4,571]

it is the 3 losses to +114 rpi teams that is the difference in our resumes. They have 1 bad loss to Nebraska at home. Here's both resumes
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi/_/teamId/127
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi/_/sort/RPI/teamId/84

They also beat Kansas, which always means something in the regular season and absolutely nothing the NCAAT (sans the 1940 and 1953 championship games). You want to talk about a more consistently over-seeded program...

[biteoftheapple 4,115]

I agree that Kansas, along with Arizona are both overrated often. But, Kansas has long been considered a blue blood program. A quick glance at the accomplishments shows this perceived fact.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_Jayhawks_men%27s_basketball

[Uspshoosier 45,571]

They also beat Kansas, which always means something in the regular season and absolutely nothing the NCAAT (sans the 1940 and 1953 championship games). You want to talk about a more consistently over-seeded program...

are they over seeded or do they just underperform the seed they earned in the tournament? It also goes to show you how important winning 1 championship for a coach can be. That 1 championship allows self to lose to bucknell, northern Iowa and whicita st without out him getting hammered by Kansas fans

[USMCHoosier 157]

For some reason the "QUOTE" feature isn't working on my PC. So, for USPSHoosier.

 

I know that is the issue. However, 1 of those was an in-conference road loss to a team that also beat Iowa. And, the Maui Invitational was back in December. It was basically a different team. I can't understand how those games carry any weight considering we have 1 bad conference loss, on the road at PSU. I think Izzo is praised as some sort of basketball god and that gives them the benefit of a bonus seed in the NCAA.

[Uspshoosier 45,571]

For some reason the "QUOTE" feature isn't working on my PC. So, for USPSHoosier.

I know that is the issue. However, 1 of those was an in-conference road loss to a team that also beat Iowa. And, the Maui Invitational was back in December. It was basically a different team. I can't understand how those games carry any weight considering we have 1 bad conference loss, on the road at PSU. I think Izzo is praised as some sort of basketball god and that gives them the benefit of a bonus seed in the NCAA.

i agree with you on this is a different team since December however the committee chair has been quoted as saying a win or loss in November is the same as a loss or win in March. People are human and it would be hard not to see a different more defensive minded team than what we saw in January. The example I give about the committee sticking to this would be our team last year. Our wins early last year against Pittsburgh butler and smu was the reason why we were a 10 seed last year even though we lost 4 of 5 games down the stretch and every bracketologist has us in the first 4 games in Dayton or completely out of the tournament. Whatever seed we get I'm just glad we finished the regular season strong. Anything can happen in the tournament so all you can ask for is a team that has a chance and we definitely have a chance for a deep run