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.
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