By Brian Hall
Thoughts from an Alumnus-OSU
Well this game started out with more of the slow start by the Hoosier offense and the “let’s see if you can make the three pointer before I guard you” defense. I was yelling for our players to get out and cover OSU’s three point shooters from the first thirty seconds of the game. Let’s be honest, nobody thought IU stood a chance against the second ranked team in the nation, but we did expect the team to be hyped up and ready to play from the opening whistle. Ohio State shot the three the way IU shot the three against Kent State in the 2002 tournament. (Hornsby, Coverdale, and Fife hit their first 8 three point shots and a game total of 15-19! I smile just thinking about that game.)
After IU found itself down 15 at halftime, they seemed to settle down. Well, everyone settled down except our big men decided to try the “let’s foul Sullinger every time he touches the ball” technique. I did not understand why Elston, Pritchard, and Capobianco were fouling Sullinger early in the second half. Not only were they fouling him, but they were not fouling him hard enough so it disrupted his shot. Also, I did not like Tom Crean’s comment that the best defense against Sullinger was sitting on the end of the bench (Guy). Well, we don’t have him on the roster and it is up to the coach to figure out what we need to do to move on without him. Let’s pick up our heads and tackle the problem before we turn every opposing big man into the next Wilt Chamberlain!
Now for some of the positives I found while watching the game. The first was the play of Christian Watford, especially in the second half. I noticed that he was looking to score more and was not intimidated to go into the teeth of the defense. Also, Jordan Hulls and Victor Oladipo had their offense in the groove in the second half. Also, Oladipo was doing his best AJ Moye verses Carlos Boozer impersonation (2002 IU vs. Duke). The ref called a foul, but replay showed there was no foul, not even close.
Up Next: January 4th @ Minnesota
Thoughts from an Alumnus-Penn State
I am not going to waste too much time reflecting on the Penn State game because I am sure everybody has the same feelings about how the game went. Indiana was horrible. I was embarrassed that we were beat by PSU at home. There was not any part of the game that I was proud to say that I am an alumnus from Indiana University. That is all that I am going to say about that game!
Now I am going to discuss what most of the twitter board and the local radio shows were talking about after the game: Coach Tom Crean. Is his honeymoon over? Should the fans be questioning the head coach’s style? Why doesn’t he show more emotion on the sideline? Etc….. I understand that many people are frustrated with the effort that the team is showing on the court and they have been blaming the players for the past two years and they are now looking past the players to the head coach. I, on the other hand, am not there yet. Indiana’s pre-Big 10 schedule was one of the easiest in the nation and our hopes were up thinking that we were better than we actually are. I know that we are starting off many games slowly and if we wouldn’t have had such a big deficit to overcome we might have won the past three games. I am as frustrated as anybody with how we have played over the past two weeks, but I also remember how low we were two years ago. Coach Crean is building the program and we have come a long way in a short amount of time. I, and the majority of the alumni, realize where the program is going and we are on board. However, the “Big Heads” were cute when we had a roster full of walk-ons, but I think it is time to put them away. The heads just make us look like a JV team.
