Indiana 94, Evansville 73: Hoosiers end road losing streak.
by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Nov 17, 2011 10:36 AM EST
in Indiana Hoosiers Basketball
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PrintI'll admit it. If, at 7:59 p.m. last night, someone had held a gun to my head and asked me which team was going to win, I would have said "Evansville." Part of it is because I'm shellshocked after the last three years. Part of it is that even NCAA-worthy IU teams have struggled on the road against in-state opponents (I'm thinking mostly of losses to Butler in 1993-94 and Indiana State in 2000-01 and 2005-06). Hell, Evansville's Colt Ryan is even from Batesville, the town that produced ISU's Michael Menser, the Hoosiers' nemesis a decade ago. The Aces knocked off NCAA runner-up Butler last weekend, they are an experienced team with a good coach, and this was a huge game for Evansville and its fans. Fortunately, my nervousness about last night's game proved to be completely unfounded. IU jumped out to a 7-0 lead, never trailed, and essentially sealed the game by halftime. IU's lead was as large as 33 before some garbage-time defensive lapses allowed the Aces to make things look more respectable than they really were. A game that screamed "trap!" turned out to be a house of horrors for Evansville and a very solid performance from IU.
Here are the stats. Obviously, IU continues to shoot extremely well, at 55 percent for the game and 60 percent in the first half. The three point shooting was very good as well:11-21. That number won't hold up, particularly when it is reliant on Verdell Jones III going 4-4, but IU got a number of open looks. The rebounding wasn't great, but it was nice that IU turned the ball over only 12 times (16 percent) against a team that relies pretty heavily on such things. Evansville turned the ball over 16 times, and 7 of the TOs were credited as steals for IU. The Hoosiers' overall numbers are getting pretty gaudy. IU is #15 nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, #2 nationally with an effective field goal percentace of 64.5, #18 in three point shooting percentage (47.2) and #10 in two point shooting percentage (62). We are #31 in the Pomeroy ratings (which still include numbers from last year) and Pom now projects us to finish 20-11/9-9. Those numbers aren't sustainable, but at this point we have taken it to all of our opponents, and none of them have been sub-300 body bag games.
Individual stat lines of note:
- Cody Zeller played very well, scoring 15 points on 6-7 from the field and adding 9 rebounds. His presence drew the double team, which helped IU's perimeter shooting and didn't really do much to stop Cody anyway.
- Verdell Jones III played one of the finest games of his career, scoring 17 points on 5-8 shooting, including 4-4 from deep, and adding 7 assists compared to 2 turnovers.
- Victor Oladipo didn't score as much as in previous games, with 8 points on 3-8 shooting, but had 4 boards, 4 assists, and 3 steals (and 2 turnovers).
- Christian Watford finally looked like himself, scoring 15 points on 5-7 from the field and grabbing 8 rebounds.
- Jordan Hulls was his steady self, scoring a quite 14 points on 7 shots.
- Will Sheehey added 10 points off the bench, giving IU five double figure scorers.
- It appears that Derek Elston is going to get most of the minutes spelling Cody Zeller, and that's fine. The healthy Elston we have seen this season is much more reminiscent of the promise he showed a a freshman rather than his subpar sophomore season. He's not as big as Zeller, of course (or Tom Pritchard), but he is a much more versatile offensive player than Pritchard and has enough shooting range to cause matchup problems for many interior defenders.
I'm trying not to oversell this. IU has looked very good so far. We have exceeded expectations in every game, dramatically so last night. That doesn't change the reality that we have our weak spots. Zeller is going to get into foul trouble at some point and is going to be out-muscled by some of our opponents. Our point guard play and perimeter defense remain concerns. Any significant injuries could have a major impact. All that said...hey, this stuff is fun again! I find myself watching other college basketball games with interest instead of with jealousy. I look forward to writing the recaps. I'm sure there will be some low moments this year, but we seem well on our way to being a bubble team, which most of us agreed before the season would be a positive, and are making it non-crazy to hope for more.
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The Crimson Kool Aid looks so, so tempting
But I’ll hold off for now. I am really looking forward to the matchups against Butler, Notre Dame and NC State. Those games will tell us a lot. Kentucky should be fun again, too, though I still don’t think that we can win that game. (But if we did, though—can you imagine the scene at the Hall?)
+ 1Million on this point, though: this is fun again. I have felt for you over the past few years, having to write these posts for each demoralizing and numbing loss as they piled on top of each other. So I am happy for you now.
by hoosierdaddynow on Nov 17, 2011 10:47 AM EST reply actions
Thanks. For my part, I appreciate that I still have had you and other readers who would slog through night after night of, “well, that sucked. The next game will suck, too. Maybe when we get some better players and more experience, we will suck less.”
The Crimson Quarry, SB Nation's Indiana Hoosiers blog
by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Nov 17, 2011 11:19 AM EST up reply actions
I am in Indy tomorrow and would be delighted to buy you lunch to celebrate a rare road victory. My break is at 12:15, and I’ll be downtown at the ICLEF center. I promise I’m not an axe murderer. If you are interested and available, name the place.
by hoosierdaddynow on Nov 17, 2011 2:34 PM EST up reply actions
I'll be in Indy starting in January
thinking about having a tweet up for a game if you are at all interested
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
It turns out that my office is directly across the state from ISBA. Drop me a line at crimsonquarry at sbcglobal dot net and we can work out the details.
The Crimson Quarry, SB Nation's Indiana Hoosiers blog
by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Nov 17, 2011 3:56 PM EST up reply actions
Across the street, that is.
The Crimson Quarry, SB Nation's Indiana Hoosiers blog
by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Nov 17, 2011 3:56 PM EST up reply actions
and hopefully for football too (as in turnaround)
Sorry, could not help myself. Looking forward to the IU v. Stetson. Go HATTERS!
Maybe it was the
pessimistic fear of regression (which will certainly rear its ugly head at some point), or the absurdity of being one of a couple hundred piled into Yogi’s to watch on a pixelated, jumpy projected laptop screen, but I was blown away by this team’s performance last night. For the first time in years, I have a modicum of confidence in Indiana basketball, and not a moment too soon. They are young. They will undoubtedly lose games they shouldn’t, and you’ll hear tales far and wide about kool-aid, etc., but I’m now convinced they will also win games they shouldn’t, and 48 hours ago, this, at least to me, was still unproven. This stuff is fun again, indeed.
about the winning games they shouldn't
I feel confident in adding a game or two when I’m trying to predict the results. I had us at 19 wins the last I looked and would feel pretty good about putting a +2 on the end for just winning games that we have no right to be winning. This team has an energy about them I haven’t felt recently. It is a good feeling and has me overly optimistic for the season at this point in the game.
It isn’t just that they’re winning games, but it is how they’re winning games. Who cares that they’re 3-0 against mid-major teams. What I care about it how they’re 3-0. They have a great mix of inside-outside play with limited turnovers against 3 high pressure defenses and they’re taking the smart open shots. As of right now it appears the three man weave at the top of the key is dead. We aren’t looking to limit possessions anymore to keep us in the game. We’re attacking the basket and looking to run. That is something the last couple years would have never been capable of. This year, shootouts are in our favor.
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
When I looked at the schedule, I broke the games down into games that they will win, should win, can win and won’t win. Last night’s was a game that they should have won (but could have lost). And they did what they were supposed to do. After the last three years, it’s OK to feel good about doing something you are supposed to do. And when you go out and just put on an exhibition on the road? Then it’s OK to get excited.
That’s why I am excited about Butler, ND and NCSt. Those are “can win” games (it’s debatable, but I’ll hold off on putting Butler in Bloomington in the “should win” category). I want to see how they do with the next level of challenge.
by hoosierdaddynow on Nov 17, 2011 1:29 PM EST up reply actions
I will say I agree with you John in that watching college basketball feels more exciting already
I don’t know if it’s just excitement for the season to begin again, or the fact that I actually think the Hoosiers can run with these teams for once. All I know is that when my opinion of the Hoosiers is high then basketball seems a lot more fun.
-Contributing Writer at The Crimson Quarry.
Happy to see the progress this season so far.
Just waiting for my opprotunity to get a look at them on TV. Thinking this is just the beginning of IU’s return to glory.
Someone once called Mr. T, Mr. Coffee...his body was found in a dumpster shortly after.
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