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Painter adding touch of green to IU fan base (1070 the Fan)
Oh goodness, Montieth. Painter is a good coach. Purdue has a very good team this year. But we're not jealous of Purdue. Montieth says: "Fact is, Purdue is dominating in-state recruiting for the first time since the mid-1960s, when it signed three consecutive Mr. Basketballs." Fact is, Mark, Purdue hasn't signed a Mr. Basketball since Glenn Robinson in 1991. IU has the reigning Mr. Basketball on its roster, has signed two of the last three, and three of the last six. The retort will be that Mr. Basketball isn't the be-all and end-all, and that's true. But neither are trophies awarded for "dominating Indiana recruiting." IU and Purdue have had strong programs at the same time in the past. Obviously, I'm impressed by what Purdue is doing and wish IU were in a better position, but one has nothing to do with another. If anything, Purdue's current status should give IU hope. When the Hummel/Moore/Johnson/Martin class signed in November 2006, Purdue had won a total of 16 games in the previous two seasons (one ahead of where IU is now for the last two seasons). Declaring the permanent demise of Purdue would have been foolish then. Predicting the permanent dominance of Purdue now is just as foolish. -
Tough stint awaits Hoosiers, starting at Wisconsin (Indiana Daily Student)
"IU recently lost its fifth consecutive game but now embarks on a stretch tougher than any other this season. It starts with a 2 p.m. game against the No. 11 Badgers on Saturday in Madison, Wis. Competition within the Big Ten so far has shaken up the young team IU coach Tom Crean called "fragile" Wednesday night. "
Despite losing Indiana tries to look forward (The News-Sentinel - Fort Wayne IN)
"Time might move forward, but this Indiana basketball team seems stuck in unwanted regression. Blame it on youth, fatigue, brutal schedule, Kelvin Sampson, it doesn’t matter. The Hoosiers play at Wisconsin Saturday and the only certainty is that the No. 11 Badgers will not feel sorry for them."
Badgers look to stay in race against Indiana (The Daily Cardinal)
"Indiana is still under a new regime with second-year head coach Tom Crean. During Crean’s first season, Indiana won only one Big Ten contest all season. This year’s campaign appeared more promising after a 3-3 start in conference play, but a five-game losing streak for the Hoosiers put the team near the basement of the Big Ten, thus Saturday represents a golden opportunity for the Badgers to grab a conference victory."
Ask the Expert Reborn: Batch No. 2 (Hoosiers Insider | The Indianapolis Star)
"You say yourself that Crean inherited a bad situation. He put together a patchwork first recruiting class at the last minute with some restrictions in place imposed on the previous staff. This class was significantly better but expecting major improvement right away was probably a reach. I picked the Hoosiers to finish 12-18 in the regular season and 13-19 when you factored in the Big Ten Tournament. That would mean four more wins which right now looks like a reach. But the point is, I don't think this team is that far from where I expected and my prediction was based on having Maurice Creek and Matt Roth healthy this season."
Catching up with IU commitment Will Sheehey (Inside the Hall)
"That street runs both ways, of course. Sheehey has been keeping close tabs on the Hoosiers as well, watching as many of their games this season as he can. He said he’s encouraged by what he’s seen, and expects the Hoosiers’ second season of struggles to make them stronger in the end. "All these tight games that they’re playing, that just helps experience," Sheehey said, adding that he chose IU for the chance to play with the Hoosiers’ corps of young talent."
Buckeyes tied atop Big Ten (BuckeyeXtra)
"Tonight was far more mental than anything else. They got way too many easy baskets," said Indiana coach Tom Crean, who stayed in the locker room with his players for nearly an hour before attending his postgame news conference.
A Buckeye blowout (Post-Tribune)
"We might have a couple of guys, but we just don't have enough guys that understand how to respond," Crean said of adversity. "We probably have a couple that are choosing not to respond, but we'll figure all that out. I know where we sit."
First_half drought buries Hoosiers (The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Ind.)
"The game began to unravel for IU toward the end of the first half when the Hoosiers didn’t score a point in the final 6:07. The Buckeyes closed the half on a 12-0 run and didn’t look back, handing Indiana (9-14, 3-8 Big Ten) its fifth straight loss."
Buckeyes thump dispirited Hoosiers (The Indianapolis Star)
"Sorry for the delay," Crean said when he emerged 30 minutes later than normal to speak with the media, "but the most important thing for us right now is to make sure we get our mentality back with this team. There's no excuse for not playing better tonight, but it's a situation where we don't have anything in the tank to fall back on when things aren't going well for us.
Hoosiers fall apart again during loss to Ohio State (TIM ETHRIDGE COLUMN " Evansville Courier & Press)
"Thad Matta knows who he can rely on. Tom Crean is still trying to figure it out."