Notes on a sixty to fifty-seven win for our very own Indiana Hoosiers.
It was not pretty but IU got it done. They win their second straight home game against a ranked opponent. Their second win versus a ranked opponent under Tom Crean. A win that, if Indiana plays well down the stretch, could give the Hoosiers a very, very good shot at an NIT birth. This was great win for the Hoosiers and should build more confidence considering it was without leading scorer, Christian Watford. Watford is out indefinitely with a broken hand that he had surgery on Tuesday. He is out indefinitely but based on the sling and the huge cast, I'd say he's out a while. Now for some stats.
IU didn't have any players with huge games statistically. Pritchard and Jones, who was coming off the bench since this was his first game since January 20th, led IU in scoring with each scoring twelve a piece. Pritchard also tacked on seven rebounds. Jordy Hulls had eight points and six assists including one very impressive one to Oladipo where he threw down a nice dunk and then got a technical for hanging on the rim. Minnesota's Ralph Sampson III had ten points and nine rebounds, Trevor Mbakwe had seven points and nine rebounds, Blake Hoffbarber had fifteen points and missed a three that would have sent the game to OT, and Austin Hollins had thirteen points and five rebounds.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Are You Kidding Me?
Indiana lost at Michigan State not long ago 84-83 in OT. I say are you kidding me because of the officiating. IU should have won that game in regulation, but the refs blew it. Jordan Hulls got the ball in a tie game with just over two seconds to go and gets knocked over with a hip. No call. The game gos to OT, and IU loses by one. Let's get to some stats.
Watford and Hulls continued their Diesel ways with Watford going for twenty-one and five and Hulls going for seventeen points, four assists, and four rebounds. Jeremiah Rivers had ten points including a three (what?!?!?!?!). Matt Roth went for twelve points on four of five from three and Oladipo scored eleven points.
Kalin Lucas scored twenty-six and had for assists. Draymond Green went for nine-teen and thirteen and was clutch in sending the game to OT with free throws and scoring the winning points in OT. Durrell Summers also added seven-teen.
I thought IU showed a lot going on the road and putting up this performance and it just gos to show that no team should ever take a game and think they will win automatically. IU played like a good team without Verdell Jones III for the second straight game. Was he the reason why the Hoosiers struggled before? Probably not. But you guys probably have other opinions on that topic and that is not to be judged until Verdell is back, one-hundred percent and healthy for a while.
Watford and Hulls continued their Diesel ways with Watford going for twenty-one and five and Hulls going for seventeen points, four assists, and four rebounds. Jeremiah Rivers had ten points including a three (what?!?!?!?!). Matt Roth went for twelve points on four of five from three and Oladipo scored eleven points.
Kalin Lucas scored twenty-six and had for assists. Draymond Green went for nine-teen and thirteen and was clutch in sending the game to OT with free throws and scoring the winning points in OT. Durrell Summers also added seven-teen.
I thought IU showed a lot going on the road and putting up this performance and it just gos to show that no team should ever take a game and think they will win automatically. IU played like a good team without Verdell Jones III for the second straight game. Was he the reason why the Hoosiers struggled before? Probably not. But you guys probably have other opinions on that topic and that is not to be judged until Verdell is back, one-hundred percent and healthy for a while.
Friday, January 28, 2011
GO HOOSIERS!!!
Sorry I am late on this (too late) but as I'm sure probably all of you know, last night IU beat the number twenty-one team in the nation 52-49 without Verdell Jones III. This is, by far, the best win of the Tom Crean era with only the Pitt win last year even coming in the same galaxy of this. This is the first win versus a ranked opponent in the Tom Crean era. Now let's get to some stats.
Jordan Hulls was, statistically, the MVP of the game with eight-teen points on six of nine shooting and four of five from deep. Christian Watford scored sixteen points and ripped down five rebound and had an amazing block to save the game coming up behind the seven-foot-one Mike Tisdale when he was open and about to dunk that probably would have gotten rid of IU for the game. The MVP of this game though was Jeremiah Rivers. The numbers in the box score aren't pretty but he absolutely locked down Demitri McCamey. He held him to six points on two of eleven shooting and two of seven from three for six points and McCamey had five turnovers.
The defense this game was terrific. I mean, holding Illinois to forty-nine points is unheard of. In fact, that is there lowest point total since February 18th, 2009 against Penn State. Mike Davis was their only scorer in double figures on the night with fourteen points.
The three best things all night, though, was that one: Gus Johnson was calling the game on the Big Ten Network two: Tom Crean's reaction after the game and three: it was against Illinois.
UPDATE: PTI just tlaked about IU on their show and Tony Kornheiser says there is a sixty-five percent chance that Indiana has turned the corner... Mike Wilbon said twenty percent but said that they will turn the corner.
Jordan Hulls was, statistically, the MVP of the game with eight-teen points on six of nine shooting and four of five from deep. Christian Watford scored sixteen points and ripped down five rebound and had an amazing block to save the game coming up behind the seven-foot-one Mike Tisdale when he was open and about to dunk that probably would have gotten rid of IU for the game. The MVP of this game though was Jeremiah Rivers. The numbers in the box score aren't pretty but he absolutely locked down Demitri McCamey. He held him to six points on two of eleven shooting and two of seven from three for six points and McCamey had five turnovers.
The defense this game was terrific. I mean, holding Illinois to forty-nine points is unheard of. In fact, that is there lowest point total since February 18th, 2009 against Penn State. Mike Davis was their only scorer in double figures on the night with fourteen points.
The three best things all night, though, was that one: Gus Johnson was calling the game on the Big Ten Network two: Tom Crean's reaction after the game and three: it was against Illinois.
UPDATE: PTI just tlaked about IU on their show and Tony Kornheiser says there is a sixty-five percent chance that Indiana has turned the corner... Mike Wilbon said twenty percent but said that they will turn the corner.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Recruiting class preview: 2011
To try to make the time of this year try to go by quicker, I want to do a preview of all of the recruiting classes for the enjoyment of you and I. Today I will do the 2011 class.
The 2011 class consists of Cody Zeller and Austin Etherington as most of you should know. There is a possibility that the Hoosiers add another player (most likely Walter Pitchford) but there is probably under a fifty percent chance of that happening. Here's the scouting report.
Cody Zeller: He is highly regarded as a top twenty, five star, and blue chip player. He is a 6'11" power forward that gos to Washington High School in Washington, Indiana. I'm sure. 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% of you have heard of him. He runs well for his size and has a nice jumper that extends out to the three-point line. He has an excellent mid-range shot and is a true post player. He will step into IU and become their tallest player (thanks a lot NCAA). He should be a pretty good upgrade over Indiana's post defenders. He is a MASSIVE upgrade offensively in the post and will push Christian Watford back to his natural position of the small forward. He should come in to Bloomington in the fall of 2011 and instantly make an impact and probably start. He is looked at as Indiana's program changer right now and he is (basically) all that is ever talked about when Indiana plays on ESPN. He pretty much is the reason Yogi Ferrell comitted. He is the brother of UNC standout, Tyler Zeller and former Notre Dame player Luke Zeller.
Austin Etherington: He is regarded as a three or four star prospect. He is a sharp-shooting small forward out of Hamilton Heights High School. As I said before he is a sharp-shooter, especially from three, who's battled a couple injuries and has sort of fallen off the map of recruiting boards. The injuries aren't anything to be worried about if you are concerned with that statement. He really may be the most underrated player in his class. His coach described him as a John Diebler type of player who could really contribute for four years at IU. He is brothers with 2013 target Alex Etherington.
The 2011 class consists of Cody Zeller and Austin Etherington as most of you should know. There is a possibility that the Hoosiers add another player (most likely Walter Pitchford) but there is probably under a fifty percent chance of that happening. Here's the scouting report.
Cody Zeller: He is highly regarded as a top twenty, five star, and blue chip player. He is a 6'11" power forward that gos to Washington High School in Washington, Indiana. I'm sure. 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% of you have heard of him. He runs well for his size and has a nice jumper that extends out to the three-point line. He has an excellent mid-range shot and is a true post player. He will step into IU and become their tallest player (thanks a lot NCAA). He should be a pretty good upgrade over Indiana's post defenders. He is a MASSIVE upgrade offensively in the post and will push Christian Watford back to his natural position of the small forward. He should come in to Bloomington in the fall of 2011 and instantly make an impact and probably start. He is looked at as Indiana's program changer right now and he is (basically) all that is ever talked about when Indiana plays on ESPN. He pretty much is the reason Yogi Ferrell comitted. He is the brother of UNC standout, Tyler Zeller and former Notre Dame player Luke Zeller.
Austin Etherington: He is regarded as a three or four star prospect. He is a sharp-shooting small forward out of Hamilton Heights High School. As I said before he is a sharp-shooter, especially from three, who's battled a couple injuries and has sort of fallen off the map of recruiting boards. The injuries aren't anything to be worried about if you are concerned with that statement. He really may be the most underrated player in his class. His coach described him as a John Diebler type of player who could really contribute for four years at IU. He is brothers with 2013 target Alex Etherington.
Pathetic
Indiana got crushed by IOWA 91-77 and it wasn't that close. The defense sucked, The offense (until it didn't count) sucked, Hulls couldn't get anything going, Jones didn't play due to knee issues, just as predicted IU got torched by Basabe, Watford dropped thirty. That's all you need to know except that this is an absolutely pathetic loss.
UPDATE: Crean said Jordan Hulls had been sick all week and was throwing up at halftime according to a tweet by Greg Rosenstein. I also forgot to add that Watford also had eight rebounds and Matt Roth had fourteen points. Jones' injury is inflammation in his knee. That is, likely, the end of the update.
UPDATE: Crean said Jordan Hulls had been sick all week and was throwing up at halftime according to a tweet by Greg Rosenstein. I also forgot to add that Watford also had eight rebounds and Matt Roth had fourteen points. Jones' injury is inflammation in his knee. That is, likely, the end of the update.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Hoosiers have a great chance to win first road game of the year
Yes, Indiana has not won a road game this year. Most of you probably knew that though. As a matter of fact, Indiana has only won one, yes, one road game under Tom Crean despite finishing oh-so-close a bunch of times. That was at Penn State on January 21st last year. Indiana has a great chance to win their second under Crean tomorrow at Iowa. Here's a scouting report on Iowa.
Iowa, the youngest team in the Big Ten, (Indiana's the ninth youngest in in front of Michigan along with of course, Iowa) is led by junior point guard Bryce Cartwright. They are on a six game losing streak, so they are in a tough stretch currently. They are ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten in nearly every offensive category. They are a decent defensive team lead defensively in the post by freshman Melsahn Basabe with his 1.4 blocks per game. They have been competitive in many of their games including taking Ohio State to the very end and losing a mere by five points. Iowa beat Northern Iowa (who we lost to) handily so that could be something that could be worrying to us as they only allowed thirty-nine points.
I don't know what to expect from Indiana after that close loss to at Wisconsin, although I do think the Hoosiers have a pretty good shot to nail this one down as the eleventh win of the season which would surpass last year win total of ten.
One player I would be afraid could hurt IU is the aforementioned Melsahn Basabe as stated before get 1.4 blocks per game and IU is a block happy team. Tom Pritchard, along with all of the other IU big men, may have their hands full with Basabe and his 54.6 percent. One of the main Iowa weaknesses plays right into one of the Hoosiers' main weaknesses. IU sends way, way, way to many people to the line, and Iowa only shoots 65.2 percent from the line which should help. Who do you think will win, because I don't know.
Iowa, the youngest team in the Big Ten, (Indiana's the ninth youngest in in front of Michigan along with of course, Iowa) is led by junior point guard Bryce Cartwright. They are on a six game losing streak, so they are in a tough stretch currently. They are ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten in nearly every offensive category. They are a decent defensive team lead defensively in the post by freshman Melsahn Basabe with his 1.4 blocks per game. They have been competitive in many of their games including taking Ohio State to the very end and losing a mere by five points. Iowa beat Northern Iowa (who we lost to) handily so that could be something that could be worrying to us as they only allowed thirty-nine points.
I don't know what to expect from Indiana after that close loss to at Wisconsin, although I do think the Hoosiers have a pretty good shot to nail this one down as the eleventh win of the season which would surpass last year win total of ten.
One player I would be afraid could hurt IU is the aforementioned Melsahn Basabe as stated before get 1.4 blocks per game and IU is a block happy team. Tom Pritchard, along with all of the other IU big men, may have their hands full with Basabe and his 54.6 percent. One of the main Iowa weaknesses plays right into one of the Hoosiers' main weaknesses. IU sends way, way, way to many people to the line, and Iowa only shoots 65.2 percent from the line which should help. Who do you think will win, because I don't know.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Hoosiers fall to Wisconsin
Sorry I am late on this but I will have a recap on every game that IU plays. I will point out the positives and negatives of each and every game. Well, here's the recap.
Indiana lost to #17 Wisconsin last night at the Kohl Center. Usual, considering Wisconsin is 146-11 there under head coach Bo Ryan. The best part is that Indiana was in it the whole game and only lost by nine points. Most Indiana fans, like myself, will take that any day. You know why? Because every good team starts off by being competitive, and that's what Indiana's learning to do.
Another positive sign of this game is Jordan Hulls was aggressive. This is the the moment we've been waiting for people! He scored sixteen points. This is what we should be expecting from him. He shot a season high twelve shots. He made seven of them. You have to shoot at least ten a game if you consistently put up numbers like that like he does.
Congratulations to Verdell for passing the one thousand point mark last night in his IU career. Just thought I'd point that out. He played pretty well last night too. He had fifth-teen points n six of twelve shooting I believe with six rebounds. He also had two assists and as many turnovers.
The refereeing was just awful and gave Wiconsin tons of momentum. IU could have have won this game with good calls (I did say could, not would). Elston played well offensively but terribly defensively. Watford had a so-so type of night. Rivers really attacked the basket and as usual played good defense. IU could not stop Jordan Taylor to save the life last night as he had a career high twenty-eight points. Pritchard did a good job on John Lueur. He may have scored twenty points but it took him loads of shots to get there. The worst part of the game was getting dunked on by a red-head with a fro and a name I can't pronounce (nothing against him). I will never hear the end of that from my brother, I guarantee that.
After all is said and done, I really appreciated IU's performance and effort tonight and think this is a step in the right direction.
Indiana lost to #17 Wisconsin last night at the Kohl Center. Usual, considering Wisconsin is 146-11 there under head coach Bo Ryan. The best part is that Indiana was in it the whole game and only lost by nine points. Most Indiana fans, like myself, will take that any day. You know why? Because every good team starts off by being competitive, and that's what Indiana's learning to do.
Another positive sign of this game is Jordan Hulls was aggressive. This is the the moment we've been waiting for people! He scored sixteen points. This is what we should be expecting from him. He shot a season high twelve shots. He made seven of them. You have to shoot at least ten a game if you consistently put up numbers like that like he does.
Congratulations to Verdell for passing the one thousand point mark last night in his IU career. Just thought I'd point that out. He played pretty well last night too. He had fifth-teen points n six of twelve shooting I believe with six rebounds. He also had two assists and as many turnovers.
The refereeing was just awful and gave Wiconsin tons of momentum. IU could have have won this game with good calls (I did say could, not would). Elston played well offensively but terribly defensively. Watford had a so-so type of night. Rivers really attacked the basket and as usual played good defense. IU could not stop Jordan Taylor to save the life last night as he had a career high twenty-eight points. Pritchard did a good job on John Lueur. He may have scored twenty points but it took him loads of shots to get there. The worst part of the game was getting dunked on by a red-head with a fro and a name I can't pronounce (nothing against him). I will never hear the end of that from my brother, I guarantee that.
After all is said and done, I really appreciated IU's performance and effort tonight and think this is a step in the right direction.
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