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Crean's rebuilding project a work in progress (Lansing State Journal)
"In the wake of NCAA violations committed by former Indiana University coach Kelvin Sampson, the Hoosiers looked to hire a man capable of bringing integrity and respect back to the storied program. They did just that, bringing in former Michigan State assistant Tom Crean following nine highly successful years as Marquette’s head coach. What they couldn’t do was offer any talent, considering the host of early departures, dismissals and transfers following Sampson’s final season. While inheriting one of the most prominent coaching positions in all of sports, Crean was essentially given a Porsche without the engine." -
MSU men's basketball: Wobbly Spartans seeking balance (Lansing State Journal)
"Korie Lucious is back for Michigan State, and if he plays tonight at Indiana as expected, and no one else is benched or hurt or suspended or left at a restaurant, the Spartans will play a complete game with a full arsenal. For the first time this month." -
Spartans cautious of letdown — Indiana a potential trap (Livingston Daily)
"Attempting to turn Michigan State's attention away from the Hoosiers, however, is a looming showdown with No. 9 Ohio State Sunday. That matchup will have considerable Big Ten title implications for both teams." -
Reeling Hoosiers try to get 'spirit' back against Spartans (Post-Tribune)
"Don't expect Indiana to wave any white flags just yet, unless you count the ones that spell out "Hoosiers" during the team's in-game rendition of the William Tell Overture. "
Standout recruit Selby says no to Hoosiers (The Indianapolis Star)
"Josh Selby, the fourth-ranked player in the current senior class, on Monday removed the Hoosiers from his list of potential college destinations."
Help inside for IU? Not yet (The Indianapolis Star)
"Indiana has a plethora of guards but little in the way of talented big men in the middle. Unfortunately for Hoosiers fans, that isn't about to change at this point in the recruiting process."
Hurting Hoosiers limp to finish line (The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Ind.)
"We’ve got to get that spirit and energy back and really the believability that you can play and win," IU coach Tom Crean said Monday. "That’s what I think we’ve lost in these games. It’s a product of not having the leadership anywhere near where it needs to be and not having guys who are truly confident that they can really make a difference."
IU needs to overcome internal woes (Indiana Daily Student)
"In the team’s most recent losses, it hasn’t displayed that same fight the 2008-’09 Hoosiers did against the Spartans. IU simply hasn’t been competitive after falling behind by double digits."
Hoosiers look to end losing streak against No. 11 Spartans (Indiana Daily Student)
"While the Spartans had a three-game losing streak — ended with a 65-54 win against Penn State on Saturday — those were also the team’s first conference losses all season. They can look at their record if they need a confidence booster, but IU doesn’t have that luxury. Instead, Crean said the team needs to regain a winners mentality."
Spartans next for Hoosiers (Evansville Courier & Press)
"Even if some Indiana University basketball fans are growing antsy, coach Tom Crean insists that the program is making progress in his second season. But after six consecutive losses, the last three of which certainly qualify as ugly, even the usually upbeat Crean admits that the progress isn’t coming "as consistently as we would like."
Tom Crean, part of Michigan State's rebuilding, trying to resurrect Indiana program (MLive.com)
"When Crean was a student at Central Michigan University, he served as an assistant high school coach and went on some recruiting trips with Izzo. Later, his first full-time coaching job was with MSU, at Izzo’s recommendation."
Stats, records thrown aside when visiting Assembly Hall (The State News)
"The Hoosiers are losers of six straight, but Izzo said Indiana senior guard Devan Dumes didn’t travel to Wisconsin for a 83-55 loss and sophomore guard Verdell Jones III was ill throughout the trip. Losing leading scorer Maurice Creek to injury heading into Big Ten play only has made things more difficult for the inexperienced Hoosiers."
Preview: Michigan State-Indiana (The Only Colors)
"While Indiana has clearly improved from the everybody-needed-a-name-tag-at-the-first-practice edition of the team from last year, the improvement has perhaps not been as rapid as Tom Crean, and Indiana fans, would have hoped. After going 1-17 last season in Big Ten play, the 2010 Hoosiers have won a modest 3 conference games to date this season."
The opponent's take (The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Ind.)
"I think (Indiana coach Tom Crean has) done an incredible job. The injury that they had losing one of their top players (Maurice Creek) early has affected them some. But still, they could have beat Purdue, they could have beat Illinois. There are a lot of games they could have. "
Crean handles questions about big men, officials (The Hoosier Scoop)
Crean responded that he certainly wanted to find more big men, but told the caller that there aren’t a lot of "aircraft carrier" types around the country and there aren’t any coming "on the horizon." He said that programs are built on "multi-checkmark guys," who can do a lot of things like shoot, pass and get the ball in the lane.