There were worries that 18th-ranked Indiana would come out flat after their triumphant win over No. 1 Kentucky one week ago. Fortunately for IU, Notre Dame wasn’t any better. Indiana improves to 10-0 and is the last unbeaten Big Ten team after a 69-58 win over the Irish.
The Hoosiers have now faced UIndy, Evansville, Butler, Notre Dame and they beat them all. The only team left is Purdue, they’ll meet twice in conference play.
First, let me note that the event was spectacular. The passion for basketball is high in Indiana, so it made too much to sense spend a day showcasing the top four teams. As always with events in Indianapolis, it was well done, a huge hit, and I can only hope it is here for the long run.
An IU team that has been through the worst, finally sees the light at the end of the tunnel and they are headed down the right path. Four years ago during Tom Crean’s first season, the Hoosiers were just torn apart by Notre Dame and it wasn’t even close. About half of the current IU roster was involved in that game and I’m sure they had a little pay back in store. And they got it.
When asked about Indiana’s progress, Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said, “they’ve been kicked around…now it’s time to deliver, and they’re ready to do it.”
The win streak remains in tact, the confidence is as high as ever, and basketball fans nationally are aware of what Indiana is doing. They rebuilt a program with high-character guys that IU fans can be proud of both on and off the court. They rebuilt it with four-year players that are proud each game to wear the candystripes.
One of the centerpieces of this year’s team of course is Cody Zeller. I think Coach Crean has repeated after nearly every game, “we can go to him or we can go through him.” Against the Irish, Zeller had his way, finishing with 21 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. It was also one of the few games he’s been in foul trouble and he handled it well.
Indiana has struggled out of Bloomington in the Crean era, mostly due to their inexperience and lack of talent. Today, they ended a 5-game losing streak in Indianapolis and won yet another road win. Even though it was a neutral floor and there were over 11,000 fans in cream and crimson, it’s progress.
Coach Crean stressed from the beginning of the season that they are going to be about defense. And when the offense breaks down, like it did tonight, they can create offense from their defense.
How about this stat — Notre Dame didn’t have a field goal in the final 14 minutes and 33 seconds in the first half. I don’t ever remember seeing a stat like and it made for a sluggish game. In a grind-it-out type of game, IU again showed they could overcome an early deficit and not waver.
IU hosts Howard and UMBC to Assembly Hall before Christmas break and should head into the conference season 12-0. That’s something the program has to be ecstatic about. This train has taken time — probably more than anyone has wanted — but they are on the tracks and rolling.
The offense is there, leadership is there, players are improving, and the wins have followed suit.
Today was spectacular — four Indiana teams coming together and showing what its all about. It was a sellout crowd for the first annual Close the Gap Crossroads Classic. There’s no reason for this thing not to continue.