Plus / Minus Player Analysis

Ever wonder what Coach Crean means when he talks about the Plus / Minus differential after each game? We did too, so we recreated his analysis, and provide it to you here after EVERY game!.

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Showing posts with label Coach Crean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coach Crean. Show all posts

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Instant Postgame Reaction: IU @ PSU

The early afternoon start had both teams off to a slow start, but it didn’t take long for them to heat up. Zeller was scoring easily inside against man coverage, so Penn State moved to a zone and Indiana shot threw the zone from three point range as any team that leads the nation in three-point field goal percentage should. However, this was a game of runs. Indiana and PSU traded runs, but Indiana had the worst five-man lineup in the game with Prichard, Roth, Moore, Oladipo, and a struggling Watford. It worries me a little bit that Indiana is not looking to go inside as much as they did in the beginning of this year, but when you are shooting 75% from three-point range at half time it is hard to pass them up. At half time, the Hoosiers lead by five over the Nittany Lions.

Coming out of halftime, I think Coach Crean somehow read my postgame typing because Cody got the ball the first three possessions. IU continued hot shooting from deep and stretched their lead to ten points and they were looking like they were primed to blow the Lions out on the road. Then having the Moore, Roth, and Elston lineup in the game a little too long caught up with the Hoosiers and PSU goes on a 7-0 run. I know that Jones III, Hulls, and Zeller were on the bench because of fouls, but you need one of those guys on the court at all times! After a timeout, Hulls came in along with Remy and replaced Moore and Oladipo. Hulls was a great passer out of the lane to Roth for some great three pointers and stretched the lead to 11. Then the game of runs continued and PSU cut it to 6 with Elston taking ill-advised shots and fouling letting the Lions stay in the game.  After Zeller entered the game again, PSU double/triple teamed him leading to some wide-open three point shots by Roth and Hulls. Indiana made sure that PSU stood a chance by missing free throws down the stretch and held a 6 point lead with 1:22 to go in the game. Then Hulls and Roth hit six straight free throws to seal the victory for Indiana

This game was back and forth throughout most of it and Indiana hung in. The negative I took away from this game is our defense gave up 82 points to a mediocre team in Penn State. The positives were our consistent three-point shooting, Hulls getting his shot back, and a road win.

Final Score: IU 88 PSU 82

Hoo’s Next: Minnesota(12-4) @Indiana (15-1)  1/12 8:00 pm

By Brian Hall (@Hoosier_Hall)

Friday, January 6, 2012

MVP, So Far

What a game.  Before tip-off, I tweeted out that though IU was favored, I thought this Michigan game could be a trap game.  Well, as much of a trap game as the number 12 ranked team in the country can have facing the number 13 ranked team.  Michigan has shooters, and they proved it.  In the second half as time was winding down, it seemed that for every basket IU was making, Michigan was in transition that ended with Zack Novak draining a three pointer.  You've got to give Michigan their due; they came into Assembly Hall and almost squeaked out of there with a win, something that no other team has been able to do thus far this season. 

Along with its long range sniper Novak, Michigan has other athletes in its starting lineup.  Tim Hardaway Jr. can drive in to dunk, or shake a defender and make a jumper.  And it isn't difficult to out-rebound the Hoosiers, but Jordan Morgan finished with 12 points to go along with his nine boards.  A trap game for sure, but lucky for all of us cheering on the Crimson and Cream, Indiana stays undefeated at the Hall and moves to 14-1.

As the Hoosiers' season continues I keep asking myself, who is the MVP of this team?  And then I ask myself, does MVP stand for most valuable player, most valuable person, or most valuable people?  Regardless of the intended meaning, I now present my nominations and awards:

Most Valuable Player- This probably will go to Cody Zeller at the end of the season, but as of right now I have to give the nod to two other players.  Both Christian Watford and Victor Oladipo are playing lights out.  Watford has been a factor in every game.  He is second in minutes, second in points, second in rebounds and second in 3 point percentage amongst starters.  The "Watshot" at the end of the Kentucky game, his beard swag, and the fact that he is always a factor in every game gets him my nomination.  My other nomination goes to Victor Oladipo, who is never seen away from the ball unless he's resting or running along the baseline to rid himself of a defender.  On both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, Oladipo is straight hustle.  He can shoot the three, and he's on every highlight throwing the rock down on the basket as if he were seeking out revenge on the rim for dating his sister.  Indiana goes as Oladipo goes.  The intensity, hustle and ferocity that he brings all contribute to the energy IU will need if they plan on contending in the Big Ten.  As IU hops on the bus to go on the road and play teams like Ohio State, Wisconsin and Purdue, they will need the leadership of both Watford and Oladipo.  These two players will be the spark to this Crimson fire.

Most Valuable Person- Equally important as most valuable player, the most valuable person is the one who brings the intangibles to the success that the Hoosiers are experiencing.  I split this award between two obvious people. Both Cody Zeller and Tom Crean will be the foundation to Indiana's continued success.  Cody Zeller is an Indiana born player, and when he signed on to play for the Hoosiers, he opened the door for other five star recruits to come to Indiana and to feel that it's the right place for their talents.  On and off the court, Cody is showing that Indiana is the place to come and play basketball.  I read a lot about this team reminding fans of the teams from the early to mid 90s because of their passion and energy.  The energy in Assembly Hall wouldn't be there without Indiana's savior-boy Cody Zeller, who Hoosier fans protect and who every big program in the game covets.  And then there is the man who brought Cody to the Hall, along with other talent that is showing out this year.  Tom Crean has brought Indiana back.  He is making lineup changes and substitutions that are proving him to be the coach Indiana needed.  When key players are getting into foul trouble, Crean inserts players off of the bench and it is clear that everyone on this team knows their role and knows how to play situational basketball.  Crean is fired up and calm all at the same time, and the team is feeding off of this unique ability.  And his work off the court isn't stopping with the recruitment of Cody.  The class coming in next year is taking a life of its own, being dubbed as "The Movement," and the list of recruits coming in 2013 is getting better as Indiana continues to win.  As if the five banners hanging in the Hall aren't enough, new talent is coming in to pursue banner number six because "It's Indiana" and five ISN'T enough! Tom Crean knows this, and his efforts earn him my split Most Valuable Person award.

Most Valuable People- Benchmob.  If you have to ask, you'll never know.  What does Indiana do when Cody finds himself on the bench in foul trouble?  Oh, nothing special; just put Sheehey or Roth in to spread the court and drain big basket after big basket.  Need some rebounds?  No problem.  We'll just insert good 'ol Tom Pritchard in there to be a big body.  (Indiana fans will ERUPT for Tom on his Senior Day.)  And who's that inked up mask on the court?  That's Derek Elston who is getting better by the dribble.  Elston pulled down four boards, scored five points and rejected one of Michigan's shots to help Indiana get to where they are today: 14-1.  Benchmob.  Get to know it, because without it, Indiana isn't back. 

There is another group of people that deserve a note for Most Valuable, and that's the fans.  Passion.  There is no other word to describe this base of people.  It says a lot about us when we are "winners" in a landslide for worst fans in the Big Ten.  Undefeated at the Hall because the team is playing Hoosiers basketball and because the fans are giving them the extra motivation to keep playing Hoosiers basketball.  Of course we as fans don't need an award or a trophy... We're only after banners.

It's been a great ride through the first fifteen games of the season.  Now it's time for the students to come back, it's time to take our talents on the road, and it's time to show the nation that Hoosiers basketball isn't only back, but we're here to stay!  Go Hoosiers!

-Kenneth Languell
@AskTheWho

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Coach Crean Talks Michigan

See what Coach Crean had to say when he met with the media today to discuss the upcoming Michigan game.

Coach Crean:

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Coach Crean and Player Reflect on OSU Win

See what Coach Crean and the Players had to say about IU's victory over #2 Ohio State!

Coach Crean:


Hulls, Jones, Oladipo:

Friday, December 30, 2011

Coach Crean Discusses Ohio State (Video)

See what Coach Crean has to say about upcoming opponent #2 Ohio State.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

A Hoosier's Dictionary

Words/Phrases That Surely Will be Added to the English Dictionary:
(a work in progress)

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Coach Crean discusses UMBC

See what Coach Crean had to say about IU's upcoming opponent UMBC. The 11-0 Hoosiers should have no trouble knocking off UMBC to move to 12-0 heading into Big Ten play.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Christmas Comes in Crean

Monday, December 19, 2011

Gm 11: +/- Player Analysis - Howard Edition

Welcome back to another addition of the +/- Player Analysis for your 2011-2012 Indiana Hoosiers! There isn't really much to say about this game as it was a complete domination from start to finish. Howard didn't stand a chance from the start. Check out Coach Crean and the player's thoughts of the blowout.

Key Players:
  • Indiana's entire team. Did anyone play bad?
  • Special shout out to Remy Abell who played his best game of the year.
With that being said, let's jump into the +/- Player Analysis

+/- Player Analysis vs Stetson
*Just in case you forgot, here is a quick breakdown as to what the +/- Player Analysis is looking at. Example: Here is a quick example of how the +/- stat is determined. Zeller, Watford, VJIII, Hulls and Sheehey start the game for IU. Therefore the score is 0-0. Coach Crean makes his first substitution at 15:00 with the score IU up 15-10. Oladipo comes into the game for Sheehey. For this stint in time, Sheehey would earn a +5 (while Sheehey was in, IU increased their lead by 5 points). The Lineup of Zeller, Watford, VJIII, Hulls and Sheehey also earned a +5. This will continue throughout the game.

Game Overall

Key Takeaways:
  • As you can see, anyone who played significant minutes is extremely high in the green.
  • 10 players were +1.0 pts/min.
  • Oladipo (Check His Dunk Session) and Zeller were +50 and +48 respectively which is the highest I've ever seen in this statistic.
  • Remy Abell - Abell had a great game tonight. This is represented in his +/- for the game. Remy will continue to see more minutes as the competition increases.
  • I cannot stress this enough, anything in the GREEN, means the player had a positive impact on the game and helped IU get to their blowout win.
Lineups of the Night:

Key Takeaways:
  • Here you can see the game flow throughout the night. The chart reads from the beginning of the game to the end from top to bottom.
  • Overall, Coach Crean used 26 different combinations of players in the game. Of his 26 combinations, 16 were positive, 5 were neutral (0) and the remaining 5 were negative.
  • Of all the stints in this game (28), there were 18 positive, 5 neutral and 5 negative.
  • Only 1 unit played multiple times tonight. (Hulls, Jones, Oladipo, Watford, Zeller)
Best Lineup of the Night: The best lineup of the night (+16) belongs to Hulls, Jones, Oladipo, Watford and Zeller. This group played together 3 times tonight going +7, +3, +6. This group was the only group to play multiple times tonight so it makes sense that they received the highest plus/minus.

Worst Lineup of the Night:
Overall, there were 5 lineups that went negative. On a night like tonight, there really isn't any reason to point out which lineups went negative. If you must know, look above at the chart for Red to see which lineups went negative.

Season to Date:
As many people like to point out, looking at the +/- for one specific game is not entirely telling. Tracking this over the course of the year, will give a much clearer picture as to what each player brings to the team. Below is the updated season to date +/- for each player.

  • Cody Zeller took over the top spot with his +48 tonight.
  • All players improved with the exception of Moore who went negative on the night.
Lineup Combinations Here are some quick stats related to the Lineups Tom Crean has used throughout the season:
  • Coach has used 152 different lineups this year.
  • Of those 152, only 42 are negative year to date. (Did not change this game)
  • Best lineup is +61 (went +16 vs Howard; Crean's favorite unit (31 times) of Hulls, Oladipo, VJ3, Watford, Zeller)
  • 2nd Best Lineup is +25 (New Lineup of Hulls, VJIII, Oladipo, Elston and Zeller who went +7 vs Howard)
  • Worst lineup is -6. (Consists of Hulls, Watford, VJIII, Sheehey and Pritchard)
  • 42 (Increase of 5 this game) lineups have been used multiple times this year.
Lineup Creator! Here is your chance to play Coach Crean!What you can do is go to this link, "+/- Lineup Generator" and it will open an Excel file for you. Using the filters already on the page, you can filter the lineups for the year to see how all the different combinations of players play together.For instance, if you wanted to see how the team does when Oladipo and Sheehey are in the game together, filter both their columns. This will return all lineups for the year that Oladipo and Sheehey have been on the floor together!

Overall
IU looked incredibly focused tonight for a game that could have easily been an oversight. IU came out and established their game plan and executed at the highest degree. Howard was the worst team IU played so far this year, and it showed on the court. Holding an opponent to 15 points in a half is remarkable. IF IU can continue this type of play, it will be a good year to be an Indiana fan.

+/- Player Analysis for Every Game!

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Coach Crean and Players Talk Howard Blowout

See what Coach Crean and the players had to say about the Howard blowout victory.




See what Verdell Jones, Christian Watford and Will Sheehey had to say about the win.

Crossroads Classic: A Photo Story

A Crossroads Classic photo story by Brent Boles ( @Slumpbusting)

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Gm 10: +/- Player Analysis - Notre Dame

Welcome back to another addition of the +/- Player Analysis for your 2011-2012 Indiana Hoosiers! To be considered a good basketball team, you must be able to win the ugly games.  This would qualify as an ugly game.  Indiana started the game off shooting 0-6 from the field while allowing ND's Alex Dragicevich to start 3-3 behind the arc.  IU finally started to settle into their game, and put Notre Dame away.

Key Players:
  • Cody Zeller - The Hoosiers went to Cody early and often.  Without Cody in this game, The Hoosiers probably would not have kept the game close enough to make a comeback and win.  It was nice to see IU feed Cody the ball as much as they did this game.
  • Derek Elston - Elston had a beautiful arching pass from 40 feet with 6 seconds left in the 1st half that bounced nicely off the backboard and rim into Remy Abell's hands who completed the assist with the buzzer beater jumper.  That's not exactly what happened, but it was nice to see Derek still have the explosion he has had earlier this year.  Many fans were concerned when he did not play against Kentucky that he was injured again and wouldn't come back the same.
  • Will Sheehey - This might surprise you to see Will in the Key players for the game.  While he did shoot 1-7 from the field, he grabbed 9 rebounds (4 offensive) which led to IU's 17 second chance points.  Will did a great job on the defensive end for the Hoosiers this game and that is reflected by his +/- for the game.
With that being said, let's jump into the +/- Player Analysis

+/- Player Analysis vs Stetson
*Just in case you forgot, here is a quick breakdown as to what the +/- Player Analysis is looking at.
Example: Here is a quick example of how the +/- stat is determined. Zeller, Watford, VJIII, Hulls and Sheehey start the game for IU. Therefore the score is 0-0. Coach Crean makes his first substitution at 15:00 with the score IU up 15-10. Oladipo comes into the game for Sheehey. For this stint in time, Sheehey would earn a +5 (while Sheehey was in, IU increased their lead by 5 points). The Lineup of Zeller, Watford, VJIII, Hulls and Sheehey also earned a +5. This will continue throughout the game.

Game Overall   

 Key Takeaways:
  • The first lineup of the game (Hulls, Jones, Oladipo, Watford, Zeller) started the game with a -7 from a +/- perspective in the first 6 minutes of the game.  This means, over the final 34 minutes of the game, Cody Zeller went +23, Hulls +15, Watford and Jones +11, and Oladipo +7
  • Cody Zeller - In Cody's 27 minutes, he accumulated a +16.  Cody was outstanding in every facet of this game.  The true test for the Hoosiers will be when Cody gets in foul trouble.
  • Derek Elston - Elston came back with a solid contribution of +!0 in his limited 11 minutes.  Elston came in and provided some energy for the team which is reflected in this statistic.
  • Christian Watford and Verdell Jones - Both did not have their best games, as reflected above.  Watford couldn't seem to find his game from last Saturday going 2-9  FG as Verdell went 1-5 FG.
  • It's interesting to see Victor Oladipo as even from a +/- perspective.  Normally VO scores relatively high in this measure.  His low minutes due to foul trouble could play a primary role in this.
  • I cannot stress this enough, anything in the GREEN, means the player had a positive impact on the game and helped IU get to their blowout win.

Lineups of the Night:  


Key Takeaways: 
  • Here you can see the game flow throughout the night. The chart reads from the beginning of the game to the end from top to bottom.
  • It is important to note, at the end of the game starting in lineup 255, Coach Crean when Offense/Defense with Zeller and Sheehey.  This would increase Zeller's +/- and decrease Sheehey's +/- for the game.
  • Overall, Coach Crean used 19 different combinations of players in the game. Of his 19 combinations,  9 were positive, 5 were neutral (0) and the remaining 5 were negative.
  • Of all the stints in this game (33), there were 16 positive, 8 neutral and 9 negative.
  • Five units played multiple times tonight.
Best Lineup of the Night:
The best lineup of the night (+5) belongs to Hulls, Sheehey, VJIII, Elston and Zeller. This group played together 4 times tonight going +4, 0, -1, +2.  They did their damage at the 12:13 minute mark of the first half where they went +4 in 2 minute 30 seconds. They entered with IU trailing 8-15 and left with IU trailing 12-15.

Worst Lineup of the Night:
When you have a lineup that starts the game at -7, you would expect them to be the worst lineup of the game.  That definitely was the worst STINT, but not the worst lineup.  The starting group of Hulls, VJIII, Oladipo, Watford and Zeller bounced back from their -7 start to go Even (0) for the game.

The worst lineup of the night (-4) consisted of VJIII, Oladipo, Sheehey, Elston and Pritchard.  This lineup going the worst should not surprise anyone as this doesn't appear on paper to be a solid lineup.  This lineup came in during the second half with IU winning 48-35 with 9:27 remaining in the game.  They didn't last long, only playing 85 seconds and going -4.  Coach Crean quickly subbed Zeller and Hulls back into the game.

Season to Date:
As many people like to point out, looking at the +/- for one specific game is not entirely telling. Tracking this over the course of the year, will give a much clearer picture as to what each player brings to the team. Below is the updated season to date +/- for each player.

  • Tom Pritchard is moving closer back to even for the year after his -4 against Notre Dame.
  • Cody Zeller continues to impress in this stat as he is +210 for the year.  The next closest to him in points is Hulls with +164.
  • Daniel Moore played for 1 minutes this week and went +2 so his Pts/Min increased again.
Lineup Combinations
Here are some quick stats related to the Lineups Tom Crean has used through the three regular season games:
  • Coach has used 138 different lineups this year.
  • Of those 138, only 42 are negative year to date. (Increased by 1 this game)
  • Best lineup is +45 (went Even (0) vs Notre Dame; Crean's favorite unit (31 times) of Hulls, Oladipo, VJ3, Watford, Zeller)
  • 2nd Best Lineup is +22 (DNP vs Notre Dame: Consists of Hulls, Oladipo, Sheehey, Watford and Zeller)
  • Worst lineup is -6. (Consists of Hulls, Watford, VJIII, Sheehey and Pritchard)
  • 37 lineups have been used multiple times this year.
  • The top 4 used lineups contain these players: Hulls, Oladipo, Sheehey, Jones, Watford and Zeller.  Only Hulls and Zeller are in all 4 lineups together.
Lineup Creator!
Here is your chance to play Coach Crean!
What you can do is go to this link, "+/- Lineup Generator" and it will open an Excel file for you. Using the filters already on the page, you can filter the lineups for the year to see how all the different combinations of players play together.

For instance, if you wanted to see how the team does when Oladipo and Sheehey are in the game together, filter both their columns. This will return all lineups for the year that Oladipo and Sheehey have been on the floor together!

Overall
IU came out and did something they had to do... Beat a team they should beat.  This was another great step for this ball club as they continue to improve.  There were many questions going into this game on how IU would fare, it appears those questions were answered Saturday afternoon.  Look for IU to improve their rankings in the next weeks leading up to the big showdown in Bloomington vs top 5 team Ohio State.

+/- Player Analysis for Every Game!

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Saturday, December 17, 2011

Post-game reaction: IU vs. Notre Dame

Rapid Reactions
This game started slowly for IU as they struggled for the first part of the first half against Notre Dame. I was half expecting a slow start coming after a week off following the win versus #1 Kentucky, but this was a little much. They could have also been a little excited about Purdue blowing yet another double digit lead in the second half against a team that IU previously beat by sixteen.

Whatever the reason #TGFC (Thank God for Cody) in the first half. At one point, Cody Zeller had 10 of the team’s 12 points. If it wasn’t for him, I am not sure that IU sticks close enough to be in it at half. At one point I was thinking that Coach Crean should put Daniel Moore in the game for a spark! I am still curious about what in the world Elston was doing at the end of the half with five seconds left on the clock and launching a half court shot, but thanks to Remy he was bailed out.
I never was nervous about this game in the second half. Notre Dame kept it close but they never scared the Hoosiers.  Even though Indiana had several key members in foul trouble, the bench filled in nicely and we expanded our lead to mid-teens and held on, unlike Purdue. I was proud of all the members of the Indiana basketball team and I cannot wait until the Big Ten season starts!

I grew up ten miles outside Notre Dame’s campus and currently live in Lafayette, so today was a good day for me being an IU fan!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Coach Crean talks Notre Dame

See what Coach Crean had to say about playing in the CrossRoads Classic and IU's opponent Notre Dame.

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Also check out our Team Store for The Hoosier Holiday Season!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Gm 9: +/- Player Analysis - Kentucky Edition

Welcome back to another addition of the +/- Player Analysis for your 2011-2012 Indiana Hoosiers! It's going to be hard to say anything about this game that Hoosier fans don't already know.  IU basketball is officially back to the National Stage!  I have re watched the game twice now and have picked up on things you don't notice during the actual flow of the game.  For instance, Christian Watford practiced his Buzzer Beater shot EXACTLY earlier in the second half.  This game was one for the ages, an Instant Classic.

Key Players:
  • Christian Watford - Did he step up or what?  Watford was a man amongst boys in this game.  He scored, he completely shut down Terrence Jones (although Jones appeared to shut down himself), and Watford played Hero for the night.  This was one of Watford's best games of his IU career.  Christian came up big for IU hitting 4 of 6 from behind the arc.
  • Cody Zeller - A lot can be said about Dick Vitale's comments about the Hoosiers lack of effort in feeding Zeller all night.  From listening to Vitale, IU shouldn't have won that game since we didn't feed Zeller every trip down the court.  I do however agree with Vitale, IU has struggled at times this year to get Cody the ball down low.  Our future success will depend greatly on our ability to get Cody involved on the low blocks.
  • The Fans - That was deafening.  From 90 minutes before the game, to 90 minutes after the game, Assembly Hall was jumping.  If you don't think a crowd can influence a game, ask Kentucky's freshman what they thought.  This was a great crowd and hopefully we will continue to see the early arrival from all fans.
With that being said, let's jump into the +/- Player Analysis

+/- Player Analysis vs Stetson
*Just in case you forgot, here is a quick breakdown as to what the +/- Player Analysis is looking at.
Example: Here is a quick example of how the +/- stat is determined. Zeller, Watford, VJIII, Hulls and Sheehey start the game for IU. Therefore the score is 0-0. Coach Crean makes his first substitution at 15:00 with the score IU up 15-10. Oladipo comes into the game for Sheehey. For this stint in time, Sheehey would earn a +5 (while Sheehey was in, IU increased their lead by 5 points). The Lineup of Zeller, Watford, VJIII, Hulls and Sheehey also earned a +5. This will continue throughout the game.

Game Overall   

 Key Takeaways:
  • Close Game - This was the first single digit game the Hoosiers have been involved in.  It's interesting to see that 4 starters remained positive and the one starter in the negative was Cody Zeller.
  • Cody played a game high 37 minutes so he was on both sides of the big runs.  This would be expected.  The interesting thing of note with Cody is, during the 3 minutes he was on the bench, IU outscored Kentucky by +4.
  • Coach Crean didn't go very deep on his bench at all.  Only 7 players saw significant time.  Coach Crean did say in his post game press conference that Derek Elston was cleared to play medically, but he decided not to use him.  Hopefully Derek will be okay and can continue playing at the high level he was in the early season.
  • I cannot stress this enough, anything in the GREEN, means the player had a positive impact on the game and helped IU get to their blowout win.

Lineups of the Night:  

Key Takeaways: 
  • Here you can see the game flow throughout the night. The chart reads from the beginning of the game to the end from top to bottom.
  • This is where the analysis gets interesting.  IU had two stints in the game (+8, +10) where they dominated the Wildcats for a short period of time.  It was really only those two stints that won them this game.  They got beat during the rest of the game.
  • I'll discuss the stints in more detail below.
  • Overall, Coach Crean used 13 different combinations of players in the game (the fewest amount to date).  Of his 13 combinations,  5 were positive, 2 were neutral (0) and the remaining 6 were negative.
  • Of all the stints in this game (19), there were 6 positive, 4 neutral and 9 negative.
  • Only two units played multiple times tonight.
Best Lineup of the Night:
The best lineup of the night (+5) belongs to Hulls, Oladipo, Sheehey, VJIII, and Zeller. They only played together once Saturday night. They did their damage at the 8:13 minute mark of the first half where they went +5 in 1 minute 30 seconds. This was actually the 8th time all year Crean has used this lineup.  Only 3 other lineups are used more often.

Worst Lineup of the Night:
The worst lineup of the night (-4) consisted of Hulls, Sheehey, Jones, Pritchard and Zeller.  This lineup played in the first half immediately before the Best Lineup of the Night came in.  This game was back and forth, and judging from the chart above, there were plenty of groups who had some negative splits.

Season to Date:
As many people like to point out, looking at the +/- for one specific game is not entirely telling. Tracking this over the course of the year, will give a much clearer picture as to what each player brings to the team. Below is the updated season to date +/- for each player.

  • In a close game like this, there isn't going to be many huge misses.  This game was extremely close and you can see that from the plus/minus data.  
  • Every player in this games' Pts/Min decreased, which is expect able.
Lineup Combinations
Here are some quick stats related to the Lineups Tom Crean has used through the three regular season games:
  • Coach has used 131 different lineups this year.
  • Of those 131, only 41 are negative year to date. (Increased by 3 this game)
  • Best lineup is +45 (went -1 vs Kentucky;Crean's favorite unit (19 times) of Hulls, Oladipo, VJ3, Watford, Zeller)
  • 2nd Best Lineup is +22 (went -2 vs Kentucky: Consists of Hulls, Oladipo, Sheehey, Watford and Zeller)
  • Worst lineup is -6. (Consists of Hulls, Watford, VJIII, Sheehey and Pritchard)
  • 34 lineups have been used multiple times this year.
  • The top 4 used lineups contain these players: Hulls, Oladipo, Sheehey, Jones, Watford and Zeller.  Only Hulls and Zeller are in all 4 lineups together.
Lineup Creator!
Here is your chance to play Coach Crean!
What you can do is go to this link, "+/- Lineup Generator" and it will open an Excel file for you. Using the filters already on the page, you can filter the lineups for the year to see how all the different combinations of players play together.

For instance, if you wanted to see how the team does when Oladipo and Sheehey are in the game together, filter both their columns. This will return all lineups for the year that Oladipo and Sheehey have been on the floor together!

Overall
What an outstanding game this was.  I apologize for getting the +/- Player Analysis out late, but Kirkwood was calling my name Saturday night.  The hall was rocking, IU is back into the top 25, and Kentucky went home a loser.... What a great night!

+/- Player Analysis for Every Game!

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The Shot Heard 'round B-Town and the World

The Shot Heard 'round B-Town

Hoosier fans rush the court in celebration.
Where does a Hoosiers fan begin when they try and describe the events and feelings that occurred last Saturday night? Does the entire experience begin at 5:25 when the ball was tipped off? Does it begin when we as Hoosiers fans woke up Saturday morning to do all of our chores early, just to be sure we were on our couch, or in the bar, or, for those lucky enough, in our seat in Assembly Hall? If you were one of the 17,000 plus fans with a ticket to the game, I’m sure that at 5:25 you weren’t sitting. And as I’m sure that my blood bleeds crimson, I’m sure wherever you were, you were not sitting down as Christian Watford released one of the most beautiful shots in Indiana Hoosiers basketball history. But for this fan, the experience of Saturday night’s victory over the then top ranked Kentucky Wildcats began long before Saturday.

I often repeat in my head two words that Tom Crean said when he got hired on as Indiana’s basketball coach, “It’s Indiana.” To those who question why I’m a Hoosiers fan, to those who don’t know why a coach would leave a Final Four team in Marquette to take a job for a program that is suffering, to those who don’t truly know why I often times schedule my social life around IU basketball games, I just tell them what Coach Crean told so many: It’s Indiana. It’s Indiana.

Saturday night was what I needed in my life when it comes to sports, and as conflicted as it makes me feel, it’s what I needed in my life to move on as an Indiana born man. When Watford’s shot went in, and Indiana “upset” Kentucky, I felt a rush of emotion come over me that I thought I would save for the next time IU won a national championship. Some may think that all of that emotion stems from watching IU do so poorly the past three years. Those people are correct, to a certain extent. I can’t lie and say that the past three years have been easy to watch, but as a true Indiana fan I knew that it was just a part of the process. I had to stick by my team, and their coach, and one day it would all come back. One day Indiana would be Indiana again.

But the emotion I felt as that three point shot went through the net, and the emotion I felt after pinching myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, and the emotion I felt as I hugged my wife-to-be (proud to say a new Hoosier fan herself), that emotion stems from my bedroom closet when I was seven years old. When I was a kid (born in 1982, too young to remember the ’87 championship), I admit I was a bit of a trouble maker. More often than not I spent my time confined to my room for doing things I knew I shouldn’t be doing; hiding my report card from my parents, getting into trouble at school for taking the fish out of the tank and causing it to die, not doing my chores, etc. But even though I was told to go to my room after dinner, and not allowed to watch the Hoosiers play, I always had my radio that I would take into my big closet to set up shop with and listen to WOWO radio broadcast the game. In that closet is where I fell into a deep, never abandoning, never doubted love for Indiana basketball. In that closet is where Saturday night’s emotion stems from. That beautiful closet where my blankets where all laid out, where my stuffed animals kept me company and where my IU basketball calendar hung will forever be etched in my memory, right alongside a new memory I now have- the greatest shot I’ve ever seen taken by a Hoosier. Some say I’m living in the moment, and that’s fine. But I say, “No. I’m living in The Movement.”
 
-Kenneth Languell
@AskTheWho
 
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Sunday, December 11, 2011

Scenes from Bloomington after IU's Big Win

What a night! We'll have more posted today about the game and reactions from fans!

Kirkwood Goes Crazy!




Nick's English Hut



View from Behind Kentucky's Bench


View from the Student Section


View from Student Section Behind Baskets

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Post-Game Reaction IU vs. UK


I am not sure I can possibly type what I am feeling after this game! I have watched the IU/UK game with a friend of mine who went to Kentucky and a die hard UK fan for the last six years and this is the first time in that many years that we (IU) came away with a win. I live in Lafayette and I was watching the game in a bar with many Purdue fans that suddenly turned into UK fans and they quickly cleared our after Watford hit that three pointer. I am not going to talk about anything except how Freaking Amazing that game was. I have been a Coach Crean fan since he has started and I hope that fellow alumni that are calling for a new head coach after a difficult few years are quieting their voice. Amazing game and if you want some detailed analysis, go to ESPN3 and view the playback. AMAZING!!!! Oh wait, Sportcenter is currently highlighting IU victory over Kentucky currently!!!!

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Gm 8: +/- Player Analysis - Stetson Edition

Welcome back to another addition of the +/- Player Analysis for your 2011-2012 Indiana Hoosiers! This was a story of two halves today in Assembly Hall.  IU came out into the game lethargic and nonchalant which allowed the Hatters of Stetson to hang close at the half.  Coach Crean did some lineup adjustments at the half; only returning 2 starters, to start the second half.  This was only the second time this year Coach has opted to start the second half with a different lineup than he did in the first half.  The insertion of Daniel Moore, Will Sheehey and Derek Elston proved to do the trick as the Hoosiers ended with a 84-50 victory.

Hoo's Next: Stetson Edition


Hoo's Next

Who: Stetson Hatters

When: 4:30pm ET – Sunday December 4, 2011

Where: Assembly Hall – Bloomington, IN

TV: BTN.com, FirstRowSports



How to watch the game:

There are different avenues to watch the Hoosiers. The first option (and most legal option), is to purchase a subscription from BTN.com to view the game. Another option, is to wait until the game is shown on the BTN Channel on TV. The final option, is utilizing a site like FirstRowSports.tv which broadcasts games. They appear to be broadcasting the Stetson vs IU game today so you can give that a shot!


The Scoop: Out of the Atlantic Sun conference, the Stetson Hatters will be in Bloomington this Sunday to face off with our Cream and Crimson. Stetson (4-3) comes off a recent win over East Tennessee State but has their work cut out for them in this one. The Hoosiers, now 7-0, are sitting at ninth in the nation in field goal percentage (.524). Overall, it is important for Indiana to not overlook the Hatters despite the hype surrounding next week's highly anticipated match-up with number one ranked Kentucky.


What to Expect:

Deflections Although his description of them is quite confusing, Coach Crean's getting a lot of them. Expect the ball to be batted and swatted around often when Indiana is on defense as their intensity and defensive presence has been unquestionable as of late.
Scoring – The Hoosiers are averaging 85 points a game this season and have continued to shoot lights out. The Hatters could struggle to contain the many scoring threats of Indiana.
Rebounding – The Hoosiers have struggled on the boards and will need to improve in the area to have a decent shot at Kentucky next week. Look for Coach Crean to stress rebounding with his players and emphasizing boxing out.

Outcome: The Stetson Hatters have endured much adversity already this season; however, two of their three losses have come against ranked opponents in Florida and Florida State. The Hoosiers, though, should outmatch the opponents in this one and hopefully move to an impressive 8-0 start. Hoosiers over Hatters, 81-57.




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