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

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Immediate Reaction: Michigan Edition

Rapid Reactions:
By: Brian Hall

Man that first half was fun to watch! Victor Oladipo got off to a fast start behind his great defense and quick transitions. I had a feeling before the tip-off that Victor was going to have a big game. He did not let me down!

Indiana built an early lead behind Christian Watford's shooting and Michigan's inability to hit a three pointer. Watford looked like a man determined to prove to Calipari and all of the Kentucky fans that there was nothing lucky about the game winning shot!

Cody Zeller played some quality defense along with a very efficient offensive showing. Matt Roth did what Matt Roth does. Jordan Hulls looked a little out of sorts at times and Verdell Jones III flashed back to his freshman year by trying to drive and create everything. It's 2012 Verdell, not 2008...

With all that being said, IU lead 39-32 at halftime.

Michigan took immediate control of the game during the first six minutes of the second half. That run quieted the crowd as it became tied up. Quickly after, Hulls picked up his second foul and Coach Crean went to his bench for Roth. The direction of the team seemed lost while searching to find a leader. Who would step up and lead this team? Of course the answer is Watford and Zeller!

Zeller has been hitting everything inside lately and IU rode his hot hand with Hulls on the bench. I know Hulls was struggling, but why ride him on the bench with two fouls in a close game when Jones III is struggling? Hulls came back into the game with Jones III and IU calmed down and took back the lead. The Hoosiers extended the lead to ten points on a “Lucky” Watford three and a Victor Oladipo dunk. Indiana went into the flag timeout ahead by 8.

Michigan was able to hang around while Hulls continued to struggle. I'm not sure Coach Crean would leave Jones III in the game when he continued to turn the ball over. Jones III respond by hitting two free throws to take a two points lead with 2:20 to go in the game.

Fast forward a couple of series and Jones III hits the big pull up with 24 seconds to go! Jones followed up those heroics with another miss on the front end of a one-and-one. Michigan quickly came down and launched a three from Kirkwood to close the lead to one with 2.9 seconds left. Indiana go the ball to Watford who hit one of two free throws to put IU up by 2. Michigan got Watford's miss and dribbled to half court for a game winning buzzer beater... that missed it's mark.

Indiana ESCAPED.

Every time IU would pull ahead, I thought it was over. Give Michigan credit as they kept on coming back. You can see Sheehey's value during games like this where Crean would probably substitute him in for Jones III. The positive to take away tonight: We won without Sheehey, a struggling Hulls and struggling Jones.

Hoo’s Next: @ PSU 1/8 12:00 pm

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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.

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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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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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IU Players talk Kentucky Win (Video)

See what Chrisitan Watford, Jordan Hulls, Victor Oladipo, Cody Zeller, Verdell Jones and Will Sheehey had to say about this huge win!

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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.

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Gm 7: +/- Player Analysis - NC State Edition

Welcome back to another addition of the +/- Player Analysis for your 2011-2012 Indiana Hoosiers! WOW!!!! I don't know about you, but I still have a giant grin on my face. This is the best feeling I've had relating to ANY IU Athletic in the past 4 years. I'm not going to overstate the importance of this game, or declare us a Top 25 team, but I will say this team showed courage on Wednesday night. This team didn't hang their heads when things started going wrong (included "Goal tending" calls!). They stayed focused and came back. This squad is unlike the last three years... they just turned a 7 point deficit with 7:38 to go in the game into an 11 point "We Just Did That" win. That is growth and maturity folks.

Key Players:

• Christian Watford - You might say that Hulls or Zeller should get top billing, and maybe you are right. But I'm giving it to Watford. Watford has been a major talking point all year amongst Hoosier fans as he has struggled to find his new role on this team. I'm not going to declare that he found it, but I will say he played a very solid game for us with 16 pts & 9 rebs. He even had himself a Blk!
• Jordan Hulls - Hulls will continue to lead this team in minutes. IU plays so well with him in the game. Hulls showed up in a big way scoring a season high 20 points. The three pointer he hit late in the second half could be one of his biggest shots as a Hoosier.
• Cody Zeller - Cody, Cody, Cody. He's all he was talked up to be and more. It's still early in the season, but if Zeller can continue to play at this level, Chad Forde won't be crazy for listing him as the #19 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. That being said, I don't think it makes any point including him in those projections until 2014 or 2015 (we hope...)

With that being said, let's jump into the +/- Player Analysis

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Sheehey, Hulls and Zeller discuss Butler Win

See what the players had to say after Indiana defeated the Butler Bulldogs!

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Gm 6: +/- Player Analysis - Butler Edition

Welcome back to another addition of the +/- Player Analysis for your 2011-2012 Indiana Hoosiers! IU took it's first step of reclaiming the state of Indiana tonight with their 16 point victory of the Bulldogs of Butler. IU struggled to put the ball away in the first half; a great credit to Butler and their defense. The Hoosiers overcame their offensive struggles in the second half led by Will Sheehey and Cody Zeller.

Key Players:

• Will Sheehey - Will continues to show his improved game. All summer we heard about his solid play and improved jumper. As the season continues, we are seeing Sheehey improve. It's a great thing to see for Hoosier fans.
• Cody Zeller - Cody was a non factor in the first half as the Hoosiers struggled to get the ball to him. The second half was another story as Cody broke out of the funk and Hustled harder than anyone on the court. Great effort out of Cody tonight.
  

With that being said, let's jump into the +/- Player Analysis

+/- Player Analysis vs Butler
*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:

• Derek Elston took the title of Best of the Night in terms of Plus-Minus per minute. Elston only played 14 minutes tonight, but he made those count by helping IU outscore Butler by 11 points.
• Just watching the game, you could see Will Sheehey had a major impact. The stats here will back that up. Sheehey was an outstanding +0.71 pts/min.
• Watford had arguably one of his worst games as a Hoosier. His shot wasn't falling (2-10), he had a loose handle (3 TO - (that is the official box score... feels like he had 100)), and he seemed to be stuck on Watford Island tonight. To Watford's credit, he did make some great moves to get to the bucket. He just couldn't finish the bunnies.
  
• 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: (click to enlarge)

• 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 19 different combinations of players in the game (smallest amount used so far this year). Of his 19 combinations, 10 were positive, 3 were neutral (0) and the remaining 6 were negative.
• 7 different units played multiple times these evening. The previous high was 2.
  

Best Lineup of the Night:
The best lineup of the night (+8) belongs to Hulls, Sheehey, Oladipo, VJIII and Zeller. This unit played 4 different times throughout the night (the most). They did their most damage at the 18:36 mark in the 1st half. Led behind an Oladipo 3 and a few free throws from Zeller and Oladipo, this unit got IU off to a 6-0 lead.

Worst Lineup of the Night:
This is why I love this analysis. The worst group of the night (-9) just so happens to be Crean's favorite lineup of the year and statistically best lineup of the year (from a +/- perspective). The lineup of Hulls, VJIII, Oladipo, Watford and Zeller takes the honors of worst lineup. You might think they just had one bad stint, that'd be wrong. Coach Crean played them 3 times. Right after Sheehey subbed in for Watford (Best Lineup), Watford came back in for Sheehey. Here the lineup recorded a -5. This group also started the second half and recorded a -4. They also played the first 1:30 of the game (0-0 score).

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 this tough fought battle, only 3 Hoosiers improved their season averages during this game. Elston, Sheehey and Pritchard all improved year to date. This can be referenced from IU's strong performance when they were on the court together tonight.
  
• There wasn't much movement, but Elston moved from 9th best to 6th. Oladipo dropped from 6th best to 8th, and Pritchard moved from 12th to 10th.

Lineup Combinations
Here are some quick stats related to the Lineups Tom Crean has used through the three regular season games:

• Coach has used 110 different lineups this year.
• Of those 110, only 31 are negative year to date.
• Best lineup is +26 (Also tonight's Worst Lineup. Crean's favorite unit of Hulls, Oladipo, VJ3, Watford, Zeller)
• Worst lineup is -6. (Consists of Oladipo, Sheehey, Moore, Abell, Elston)
  
• 21 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, 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!

+/- Lineup Generator

Overall
IU will have a big test this week traveling to NC State for the B1G/ ACC Challenge. I think we will learn a lot about this team from that game. IU was supposed to beat Butler tonight. While the scoreboard said 15 points, the feelings of Hoosiers made it seem like 30. Great win tonight!

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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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Oladipo, Sheehey and Elston discuss Gardner-Webb Victory

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GM 5: +/- Player Analysis (Gardner-Webb)

Welcome back to another addition of the +/- Player Analysis for your 2011-2012 Indiana Hoosiers! IU took on the Gardner-Webb this evening and chalked up their 5th 20+ point victory of the year. IU won in convincing fashion 73-49.

Key Players:

• Sheehey had a stretch in the second half where he made 5 consecutive field goals for the Hoosiers. This scoring spurt helped IU expand on an already large lead. Sheehey finished with 15 points.
• Elston has been a great surprise for the Hoosiers this year. Elston's jumper remains wet and he finished with 10pts and 9 reb.
• Oladipo showed some spirit tonight as he helped IU open the second half by wrecking havoc on the opposition in the 2nd half. Oladipo was a maniac on defense and set the tone for the Hoosiers.

With that being said, let's jump into the +/- Player Analysis

+/- Player Analysis vs Evansville
*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:

• Moore, Elston and VJ3 were 1,2 and 3 for the game. All three players have stepped their game up and the Hoosiers clearly benefit from their presence on the floor.
• This is the first game where Zeller wasn't near the top 3. Zeller was quite for more of the game as Sheeladipo took this game over. Zeller still played extremely well and Hoosier fans love the fact that he will dive on the floor for lose balls. Zeller was one reb short of a double double.
• All the significant minute players were in the Green again tonight. A trend that will continue to happen as IU keeps winning.
  
• 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: (click to enlarge)

• 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 23 different combinations of players in the game. Of his 23 combinations, 10 were positive, 6 were neutral (0) and the remaining 7 were negative.
• Only 1 unit played multiple times these evening and they ended with a +/- of Zero. (VJ3, Oladipo, Roth, Watford and Zeller
  

Best Lineup of the Night:
The best lineup of the night (+11) belongs to Sheehey and Oladipo.... (Hulls, Watford and Zeller were on the floor as well). The Super Sophs took over in this lineup. Led by Oladipo's defense and Sheehey's 5 straight FGs, this unit increased a 40-25 lead with 15:47 to go into a 55-29 lead with 10:05 to go. This unit played lights out and raised the decibels in Assembly Hall.

Worst Lineup of the Night:
There really wasn't a worst lineup of the night tonight. The worst lineup ended up -4 and closed the game out. They played the final minute and didn't score. No need to look further into this.

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.

• Quick reminder - the far right column shows the difference in Overall +/- from last game to this game. In short, it shows how this game affected their season to date +/-.
  
• 6 Hoosiers improved their season averages during this game. Moore and Elston raised their totals the most.
  
• Remy Abell is the only Hoosier who has seen 35+ minutes who is negative. It's important to note that Abell is still a freshman and will need some time to adjust to the college game. Etherington does not have that much better of a +/- for the year. Rule of thumb, don't focus much on freshman early on. The majority of the time they get in the game is when IU is already winning by a bunch.
  
• Like I mentioned last game, Zeller continuing his +1.00 pt/min is impossible. He regressed some here ,but that could be more to his minutes than anything else.
  

Lineup Combinations
Here are some quick stats related to the Lineups Tom Crean has used through the three regular season games:

• Coach has used 102 different lineups this year.
• Of those 102, only 27 are negative year to date.
• Best lineup is +35 (only unit to play in all five games, been on the floor together a high 10 times) (Crean's favorite unit of Hulls, Oladipo, VJ3, Watford, Zeller)
• Worst lineup is -6. (Consists of Oladipo, Sheehey, Moore, Abell, Elston)
  
• 13 lineups have been used multiple times this year.

Lineup Creator!
I just figured out a way to post this and I figured many people would enjoy this feature. What you can do is go to this link, 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!

+/- Lineup Generator

Overall
IU came out and took care of business. They did what was needed to get the big win. The Hoosiers now have a few days to rest up before Butler comes to town. While I like to say that this isn't your Hoosiers of the past few years... this DEFINITELY isn't the Butler Bulldogs of the last two years. Butler has struggled early this season and if IU doesn't put them away handily, it will be a win for Butler. IU needs to stay focused and get ready to take the state back. Starting Sunday...

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Gm 4: +/- Player Analysis - Savannah St.

Welcome back to another addition of the +/- Player Analysis for your 2011-2012 Indiana Hoosiers! IU took on the Tigers of Savannah State on Saturday evening and continued to show why this Hoosier squad is NOT your Hoosiers of the last three years. IU came out and established Big Ten Freshman of the Year Cody Zeller (I realize it hasn't been announced yet... but come on...) and the offense took off through him.

Key Players:

• Cody Zeller - He came out early and dominated Savannah St. The Hoosiers kept feeding Zeller the ball, and he just kept scoring. If you want to know how good Zeller is, think about this second half play: Zeller was on the baseline on defense, went up to contest a shot, Oladipo got the rebound, Zeller beat EVERYONE down the court for an easy layup. Yes, that is your 7 footer out running the team d
  own the court for an easy lay in. Future Freshman of the Year for the B1G and maybe Nation.
  

With that being said, let's jump into the +/- Player Analysis

+/- Player Analysis vs Evansville
*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:

• It is pretty impressive the our top 6 (rounding up Hulls) were all over 1 pt/min. That is pretty incredible. When you see that you will see a significant victory.
• Zeller - Are you catching a theme about how good this kid is? Well he led the Hoosier again for +/- on Saturday Night.
• Moore - The love/hate fans for Moore will get to argue again! Moore again showed his value for the Hoosiers recording a solid +13 for his 11 minutes of game time.
• 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: (click to enlarge)

• 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, 15 were positive, 4 were neutral (0) and the remaining 7 were negative.
• 3 units played multiple times these evening (2 each).
  
• Coach Crean ensured through his subbing, that there were not two straight lineups that gave up points. (were negative)
  

Best Lineup of the Night:
The best lineup of the night (+8) belongs to Moore, VJIII, Sheehey, Watford and Zeller. This unit came in at the 7:43 mark in the second half with IU winning 71-47. They played until the 4:16 mark and left with IU winning 88-56.

Worst Lineup of the Night:
The worst lineup of the night came in right before the Best Lineup of the Night. The lineup of Watford, Sheehey, VJ3, Roth and Zeller were -5 in the short span from 8:37 to 7:43. At this point, Crean decided to make a move and brought Moore in for Roth which sparked a +8 stint.

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.
The stats below are only related to Stony Brook, Chattanooga and Evansville.

• Quick reminder - the far right column shows the difference in Overall +/- from last game to this game. In short, it shows how this game affected their season to date +/-.
  
• 8 Hoosiers improved their season averages during this game. This would be expected based on the blow out nature of the game.
  
• The biggest significant drop of the night belongs to Matt Roth. After leading the +/- last week (limited minutes), he fell significantly due to the -11 he recorded for Savannah State.
  
• Zeller is closing in on Moore as the overall leader for the Hoosiers. I wouldn't be surprised to see if Moore can hold on to the title though, due to his limited minutes. Moore will need to continue a +11 for his 11 minutes of game time while Zeller would have to continue +30. One of which is more likely.
  

Lineup Combinations
Here are some quick stats related to the Lineups Tom Crean has used through the three regular season games:

• Coach has used 83 different lineups this year.
• Of those 83, only 21 are negative year to date.
• Best lineup is +28 (only unit to play in all four games, been on the floor together a high 9 times) (Crean's favorite unit of Hulls, Oladipo, VJ3, Watford, Zeller)
• Worst lineup is -6. (Consists of Oladipo, Sheehey, Moore, Abell, Elston)
  
• 11 lineups have been used multiple times this year.
• Cody Zeller is now present in the top 10 lineups for +/- this year. The next highest presence is Watford (8 of 10).
  

Overall
This was the coming out party for Cody Zeller. Another fun stat which I should start tracking, is Technical and Flagrant fouls which Zeller was a part of. So far we have 3 Flagrants and one Technical. Good job Cody!

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Gm 3: +/- Player Analysis - Evansville

Welcome back to another addition of the +/- Player Analysis for your 2011-2012 Indiana Hoosiers! IU took on the Purple Aces of Evansville on Wednesday evening and put the game out of reach within the first 15 minutes of the game. I've said this in prior games write-ups, but I'll say it again... This isn't the same old team as they won convincingly 94-73.

Key Players:

• Watford - rebounded nicely from a couple of dismle games. Showed alot of heart.
  
• Zeller - I feel like I could say the same great stuff every night. He commanded the low post to start the game. IU looked to feed him early and often. This resulted in a huge lead for the Hoosiers.... A Zelleresque performance
• Hulls - 5/7 from the floor for 14pts
• VJIII - 17pts, 4/4 3pt, 5 reb, 7 ast, 2 blk, 2 TO. The guy was an animal. One of his best performances.

With that being said, let's jump into the +/- Player Analysis

+/- Player Analysis vs Evansville
*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:

• Remy Abell - I know this will be a hot topic for Hoosier fans as many fans are frustrated with Abell's play. I have to say once I finished crunching the numbers for this game, I had to go back and double/triple check Abell's +/-. I realized while watching the game that he was struggling, but I never would have imagined he would have ended up -16 in 7 minutes for a team that was up by 33 at one point. That is troubling.
  
• Christian Watford again is right at the top of the list for the second game in a row. Watford really came out and played his game tonight. We can see by the stats above that he had a great impact on IU while in the game.
  
• Cody Zeller -Another top 3 finish for Cody. The trend continues...
  
• Matt Roth - Roth led the team in +/- tonight due to a strong stint in the final 10 minutes of the first half. Roth was a part of the unit that went on a 11-0 run. A 3pt specialist like Roth is always interesting in these anlysis. Generally speaking, he won't get many minutes each game, but can result in getting a very high +/- due to his abililty to shoot the long ball. When Roth is in, we see some plays set up to get him shots. If he hits these shots, he will produce a very high +/- like he did this evening.
  
• 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 25pt win.

Lineups of the Night:


Key Takeaways: (click to enlarge)

• 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.
• In the first two games of the year, IU started out very slow. That was definitely not the case here as 12 of their first 14 lineups were even or positive.
  
• Overall, Coach Crean used 24 different combinations of players in the game. Of his 24 combinations, 11 were positive, 6 were neutral (0) and the remaining 7 were negative.
• Only one unit played multiple times these evening (2). They shared the Best Lineup of the Night award.
• Remy Abell, was on 6 of the 7 negative lineups for the game.
  

Best Lineup of the Night:
The best lineup of the night (+11) was a tie between Crean's favorite unit of Hulls, Oladipo, VJ3, Watford, Zeller and VJ3, Roth, Sheehey, Watford and Zeller. Crean's favorite unit was the only unit used multiple times again this game. Coach Crean named this group the Starters of the game. They earned a +8 for their first 8.5 minutes in the game. They also started the second half and went +3 in 4 minutes.

The group of VJ3, Roth, Sheehey, Watford and Zeller played one stint tonight that ended +11. This group started their stint at the 7:37 mark in the 1st half with IU leading 31-23. IU exploded over the next 1:53 as IU went on a 11-0 run. The run consisted of 2 Zeller layups, Roth and Watford 3's and a Zeller free throw. This group left at the 5:30 mark with IU leading 42-23.

Worst Lineup of the Night:
The worst lineup of the night came at the end of the game with IU leading 86-59. Obviously at this point of the game, the game was all but wrapped up. This group featured Moore (our previous season leader for +/-, Sheeladipo, Abell and Elston. The group ended their 1 min stint without scoring points while allowing 6. Again this wasn't a big deal as IU had this game soundly put away.

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.
The stats below are only related to Stony Brook, Chattanooga and Evansville.

• I have added another column to the season long stat which shows the change from the previous game. This is the cumulative +/- for the season so you can see how the Pts/Min was affected based on the Evansville game.
• I think the most important takeaway from this chart is seeing 4 out of the top 6 positions belonging to our starters. Crean has shown a lean towards one lineup so far this year, and if they can continue to produce like they have been, it will be a great year.
  
• The biggest significant drop of the night belongs to Remy Abell. His -16 +/- on the night dropped his season to a -11 and his overall +/- dropped .72 pts/min.
• Roth being a part of that 11-0 run benefited the most and improved his specialist +/- for the year. He has now surpassed Daniel Moore (dropped 0.49) as the top player for +/-.

Lineup Combinations
Here are some quick stats related to the Lineups Tom Crean has used through the three regular season games:

• Coach has used 65 different lineups this year.
• Of those 65, only 16 are negative year to date.
• Best lineup is +21 (only unit to play in all three games) (Crean's favorite unit of Hulls, Oladipo, VJ3, Watford, Zeller)
• Worst lineup is -6. (mentioned above)
  
• 7 lineups have been used multiple times this year.
• Hulls, Oladipo, Watford, VJ3 and Zeller have been on the court together 7 separate times this year are statistically the best Lineup for IU right now.
• Cody Zeller is now present in the top 9 lineups for +/- this year. The next highest presence is Watford (7 of 6).
  

Overall
IU put on a show in Evansville tonight. They came out from the get go and showed they were stronger, more athletic, quicker and finally an all around better team. If IU has postseason hopes, they will need to continue this type of play on the road. Check back to the site for a preview of the IU vs Savannah State on the 19th.
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+/- Analysis for All 2011-2012 Games

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Hoo's Next - Evansville Edition

Who: University of Evansville Purple Aces

When: 8:00pm ET – Wednesday November 16, 2011

Where: Ford Center – Evansville, IN

TV: ESPN3

The Scoop: The Evansville Purple Aces look to defend their 1-0 record at home tonight against our Cream and Crimson who look to advance to 3-0. The Aces are coming off a shocking overtime victory in a game versus the defending national runners-up, the Butler Bulldogs. Though the Hoosiers have never lost to Evansville, it is a bit too early in the season to count anyone out. Coach of the Aces, Marty Simmons, looks to build off of his team’s early momentum tonight, but one can be sure that Coach Crean and the gang won’t make it easy.

What to Expect:

• Cody Zeller - There are plenty of stories to follow throughout tonight's game. As always, continue to look out for freshman Cody Zeller as he comes off of a B1G Ten Co-Freshman of the week award. Naturally, keep on eye his scoring threat and ability to rebound. But also, watch out for Zeller’s defensive presence, as he already has 9 steals through the first couple of games.
• Sheeladipo – Sheeladipo of course standing for the unstoppable sophomore duo of Will Sheehey and Victor Oladipo. The two players have combined for 56 points and 17 rebounds over the course of the first two games. Oladipo recently receiving an award of his own, the B1G Ten player of the week. This hybrid of dominance is one thing that Hoosiers fans hope to see more of throughout the year. Between Sheehey’s poise and Oladipo’s explosiveness, the Hoosiers should have a leg up on the Aces tonight.
• Moderate chance of rain – No, I’m not referring to the state of Indiana’s bizarre weather changes. You should expect a chance of rain, not off, but on the court tonight in Evansville. The Hoosiers stand at 10th in the nation in field goal percentage with a whopping 57.8% average. It is evident that the Hoosiers have spent some time in Cook Hall this off season. Expect players like Hulls, Sheehey, and Jones III to light it up tonight as they have so far this season, but also don’t count out players like Oladipo and Elston to have accurate shooting nights as well. 

However, it is not only the Hoosiers who will be dropping in shots tonight. Indiana has struggled to close out shooters behind the arc thusfar this season. The Hoosiers should look to apply more pressure on outside shooters to avoid giving up the deep threat.

Outcome: The Aces will have to ride their recent momentum to have a chance in this one. I expect the Hoosiers to run away with it after a while. 83-68 Hoosiers.

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