Indiana Back In Business

It has been a long, painful down period for Indiana University hoops, but the Hoosiers are back. The school put its faith in Tom Crean when it wooed him away from Marquette and while it always looked as if Crean was the perfect match for the storied program, he has endured three years of losing.

Given their 8-0 start, with all victories by double-figure margins, the Hoosiers seem poised to return to the glory of yesteryear.

Hoosier fans have been remarkably patient with the Crean administration given their previously notorious impatience of the past. There hasn’t been a whole bunch of yuks in Bloomington since Crean arrived. The program has endured three frustrating losing seasons following Kelvin Sampson’s telephone misbehavior.

But now things are shaping up. Last year was the oh-so-close season for the Hoosiers until they ran out of gas during the last month or so and dropped their final 11 games in a row. However, those players, mostly guards, some forwards, are a year older and better and they are playing that way.

Throw in the recruit-of-the-year and the Hoosiers will make some noise in the Big Ten this season. Cody Zeller, the third in a line of tall, mobile centers from the same clan of Washington, Indiana siblings, has been as good as advertised. The 6-foot-10 freshman who was Indiana’s Mr. Basketball last year, is following in the large footsteps of older brothers Tyler at North Carolina and Luke, formerly at Notre Dame.

This Zeller is a walking advertisement for freshmen eligibility. What he brings to the buffet is a mix of skills that were absent from the Hoosiers’ lineup the last few years. He is a passing center, so the ball goes through the post for everything. If he sees his shot Zeller turns and takes a soft jumper or makes a spinning lay-up. If he is covered he feeds the ball to an outside shooter, often for an uncontested three because the defense has collapsed on him. Whether he shoots or not, Zeller must be covered.

Zeller’s play is characterized by its maturity. He has a high basketball IQ and knows when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em, when to keep the ball or give it up. He also provides the type of rebounding force that IU was short on recently. Like all great centers (although it is too soon to so carelessly use that word) he makes his teammates better.

Eight games into the season, Zeller is leading the Hoosiers in scoring with 15.5 ppg. He is also averaging 7.5 rebounds. And that’s in 27 minutes of playing time on average.

Much improved Victor Oladipo, a leaper who rebounds bigger than his 6-5 height, is scoring 12.3 ppg. and grabbing five boards per. Forward Will Sheehey, who doesn’t even start, is averaging 11.8 ppg., while point guard Jordan Hulls is scoring 11.3 ppg. and has 28 assists. Another forward, Christian Watford, is also in double figures with 10.4 ppg. Interestingly, senior guard Verdel Jones III, previously considered a scorer, is still making 9.3 ppg. but has more assists—30—than Hulls.

As all teams in tough conferences do, IU has played some cupcake teams (Hello, Savannah State). But the Hoosiers have also beaten some very solid teams in the early going. Granted, Butler is not as strong as it was the last two years when the Bulldogs reached the NCAA championship game, but a 75-59 win was notable. The Hoosiers dismantled Evansville, 94-73, on the road after Evansville defeated Butler. And IU bested North Carolina State, 86-75, on the road.

After eight games, Indiana is shooting 52.3 percent from the floor and 44 percent from beyond the arc. That kind of accuracy will win you some games.

Meeting No. 1 ranked Kentucky at Assembly Hall Saturday will be a serious test. But even if the Hoosiers lose, they are definitely headed in the right direction. The more important games are still to come when Big Ten play begins.

Ohio State seems like the class of the league this winter. Wisconsin is always a factor. And Michigan may have its best team since Fab Five days. Yet the way Indiana is playing, wins against those teams don’t seem impossible.

It’s probably too soon to gush. But these Hoosiers have a very different feel than they did over the first three years under Crean. They are deeper, better, and more confident. All of those are attributes that pay off with victories.