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)

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Christmas Comes in Crean

It's time, Hoosiers Nation, to turn the page. It's time to take down the posters from the 70's, 80's and 90's. It's a new era in our great basketball history, and we should celebrate it. 11-0 is nothing to get too hyped about, especially looking forward at the schedule. But seeing our team this year perform the way they have, and to listen to the buzz about how well practices are going day in and day out I am petitioning my fellow Indiana fans to finally let go of the past, and look forward to the now and what is to come in the future.

His name will be forever linked to Indiana, and it still echoes in the walls of Assembly Hall. His voice I'm sure is still heard loud and clear in the locker room. Even Dick Vitale, being a member of the "non-partisan" media, can't call an Indiana game without endorsing his name for the court inside the Hall. But it's time; after eleven years since his departure from Bloomington, it's time to let him go.

Bobby Knight is a LEGEND, don't get me wrong. I was recently asked by a friend, if I could drink with any three men, who would they be? Bobby Knight was on that list. My family has had a dog named after him, and in our house that is the highest compliment. When I met my soon to be wife, to get her to have a better understanding of me and who I am I showed her clips of Knight's great and not-so-great moments. I can say as a man I have love for Bobby Knight and for what he did at Indiana, and for what he did for me as a kid watching those great teams. I still shoot free throws the way he taught those at his basketball camps: look at the basket, dribble three times, fluid motion... and release. Agree or disagree with his methods Bobby Knight will forever be a big part of what Indiana Hoosiers basketball was, is, and what it will be.

But we have a new coach at Indiana who is the face of Hoosiers basketball, and it's time to celebrate him and his efforts and the success he's had so far. Tom Crean came to coach at Indiana for the right reason, "It's Indiana." And he came to do it the right way- the Hoosier way: fair recruiting, high expectations of winning, and even higher expectations off the court. He recruits boys who love their mothers, and he proudly wears Indiana on his sleeve. He's coaching Indiana the way that we as fans want our team coached- with enthusiasm and dedication to the continuous development of the program. He knows that there is no higher goal than banner number six.

I'm done hearing podcast hosts say, "There's just something I don't like about him." They use the word 'arrogant' when describing him. Folks, let us not confuse arrogance for confidence. Look at what he did at Marquette. He took them from nothing all the way to the Final Four and near the top of the national rankings. And then he had the guts to come to Indiana; a program forced into the hollows where a previous coach left us. Tom Crean came to Indiana to rebuild this program, and through strong recruiting of great young men, Indiana, and I love to say it out loud to whoever is listening, Indiana is back! Young men out of high school need a confident man to lead them. Tom Crean is that man.

Even from the state of South Carolina where I now live, with plenty of filter and buffer from the local Indiana media via Kentucky and North Carolina, I run into people who will see the IU on my hat or shirt and they say about Tom Crean, "He's no Bobby Knight." Well who is? And in today's game who wants a coach like that? In the age of Twitter, strong NCAA punishments, and 24 hour news coverage, who wants a coach who is always in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons? Not this guy. I want Hoosiers basketball to be associated with morals and values and all the other good things about sports, and, of course, winning. If we keep dwelling on the closure that we as fans never had after Bobby Knight's firing at Indiana we're going to miss out on one hell of a good coach, and a good man. This man Tom Crean came to us and we're lucky to have him. It's a new era at Indiana, and as heavy as the page is, muster up the energy Hoosier Nation and turn the page to the Crean Era. If we don't we just might see this coach somewhere we don't want to see him, and we might be left out in the cold, again. Let me paint a picture...

There is a program in college basketball that is easily the envy of all programs. It has a coach that we would all love to have associated with our basketball team, and with whom any one of us would be proud to send our own son to play for. Coach Krzewski, or Coach K., of Duke University is one of the greatest coaches in the history of sports. His record speaks for itself. He doesn't always go after the best talent; rather the best kid who he believes can fit into his program. He develops that talent and gets the best out of every single player. He is a direct descendant of Bobby Knight. There is an irony here that can only happen in sports.

Here's the harsh reality folks: Coach K. won't be around forever. And what sort of individual would be best suited to take over for a legend like that? Brad Stevens? Maybe, but I don't think he's the coach yet that Duke would be looking for. You need a coach who has maybe been in the position of being in the shadow of a legend before, and one who knows how to make and cast his own shadow. You need a man who takes pride in the development of boys into confident young men. Among other things you need a proven winner. Now fast forward three years, five years, ten years from now. After Tom Crean does what is shaping out to be done in Bloomington, and takes Indiana back to where it once was, don't you think he would be a strong nomination for that job in Durham? I can hear it now, "It's Duke. It's Duke." It would break my heart if that were to happen.

I miss our former coach, but I don't wish we could have him back. Recently in Bloomington there was a reunion of the 1987 championship team, but there was one key figure not in attendance. It's not like Coach Knight isn't around the game anymore, because I hear him break down games all the time as part of ESPN. But there is one team I have yet to even hear him mention, and it's a team that has fans that still yearn for him to come back and give us closure. The fans did not make the decision to fire him, and therefore should not be associated with his bitterness towards the greatness that is Indiana Hoosiers basketball. And if he doesn't want to give back what us fans gave, than let us focus on what we now have, and what we want for the future of Indiana basketball. I want to see Tom Crean with grey hair, wearing that nice suit with that crimson tie, pacing along the sideline for a long time to come. Maybe one day Knight will come back to Indiana to say hello again, or to say good-bye. But if he doesn't let us hope that we as fans can embrace another name for that court. Crean Court sounds pretty damn good to this Hoosier. In the meantime, we're 11-0, back in the top 25, and headed for greener pastures...Creaner pastures.

-Kenneth Languell
@AskTheWho

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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!

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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!!!!

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Immediate Post Game Reaction: IU vs NC State

Rapid Reactions:

• Jordan Hulls was aggressive taking threes and driving the ball. He was the first player on either team in double figures.
  
• Victor Oladipo was solid on defense stuffing his statsheet with steals, rebounds, and a couple of emphatic nice dunks.
  
• Christian Watford looked steady. He didn't throw the ball away as often and made some quality shots.
  
• Cody Zeller was the “savior” that we all thought he would be. Rebounding, hustling after loose balls, and break away dunks led to a very encouraging eleven point lead.
  

Then the wheels came off...
North Carolina State started rebounding everything in sight (or Indiana forgot how to box out). After the final ten minutes of the first half I felt lucky to only be down one point.

The second half started out with Indiana playing with great confidence. Unfortunately, after the first TV timeout, Indiana played like the team in the final 10 minutes of the first half. Verdell Jones III threw the ball away and took fade away shots in the lane, while Oladipo tried to foul out. This earned Victor a nice little session on the bench.

NC State went up seven and the Hoosiers were down and out....

...at least the teams of the last three years would have been done.

But this isn't your same old Hoosier squad! The Hoosiers of the first ten minutes of the game showed up and kicked ass!!! I have not been that excited since the Illinois victory last year. Hulls hit huge shots, Zeller kept up the pressure, and Oladipo was the Oladipo that jumped over the middle schoolers during Hoosier Hysteria.

There were some things to complain about as an alumnus, but this was an all-around amazing game. I am not going to say that we are back like some people are saying on Twitter, but we are back from the embarrassing level that we have been stuck at for the past three years. I predicted that we would finish fifth in the Big Ten before the year started and I think we are right on track for that. Amazing job HOOSIERS!!!!

Next up: vs Stetson on 12/4

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Immediate Post Game Reaction IU vs Butler

Rapid Reactions:
In the beginning, I am not sure if it was great defense or extremely sloppy play by both teams. The game turned into a great defensive effort on Indiana’s part in the second half. I was very proud of how Indiana turned up the intensity in the second half.

Statsheet Stuffers:
One of my favorite players from last year, Will Sheehey, came to play tonight. Sheehey and Zeller’s play turned this game from a nail-bitter into a blow out. Hulls showed great leadership and Oladipo continued to show his unbelievable athletic ability.

Not so Great...
Watford and Jones III. What in the world were they doing? They both forgot that this isn't the 2010-2011 season. They didn't pass the ball, they forced shots, and they seemed to pretend as if they were the only players on the court. If I was Coach Crean, I would have sat them down and explained how to play like a team. If they cannot play as a team, they will be sitting the bench.

Overall it was another great win for the Hoosiers. Be sure to check back soon for the +/- Player Analysis. IU will travel to NC State for their next game! Go Hoosiers!

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Immediate Post Game Reaction-Evansville

Rapid Reactions:
The game started out at a much faster pace than the first two games that IU has played this year. The team seemed focused on feeding Cody Zeller early and often. This not only gave him more looks, but also let the double team come to him which allowed Zeller to pass the ball out to the open perimeter look. My brother-in-law and I texted each other at the same time talking about how good Zeller looked early. Besides Cody, the entire team looked great in the first half. Verdell Jones III was going inside and out and controlled the ball while hitting some quality buckets. Indiana pushed the ball down the court in transition and played quality defense throughout the first half.

The second half started slowly and Indiana was a little sloppy, but Evansville never came close to making it a game. Christian Watford looked like the Watford of old. He made long three pointers, grabbed rebounding, and looked like he actually wanted to be out on the court! Indiana almost had a 1 to 1 assist to field goal ratio! The Hoosiers have not been that efficient since I was in undergrad down in Bloomington. All around, Indiana looked good on offense, defense, and transition. Haven’t looked at the television schedule for the rest of the year, but hopefully there are not anymore on ESPN3!

Final Score: IU 94  Evansville 73

Up Next: Savannah State on November 19^th 8:00 EST

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