CBS Sports: "Indiana is in some serious trouble"

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CBS Sports last night:

"Indiana is in some serious trouble. The Hoosiers lost at Nebraska on Thursday, dropping to 3-5 in the Big Ten and 13-8 overall. Nineteen turnovers did them in against the Cornhuskers, who came back from a 16-point deficit. By the way, Tim Miles has Nebraska as winners of three of its last four."

(Indiana was ranked in the Top 25 in the 1st five polls this season: Nov 4-Dec 2)

 

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Nebraska won back-to-back conference games for the first time since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten three years ago.

 

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Indiana, which entered the contest averaging a Big Ten-worst 15.4 turnovers, finished with 19 on Thursday - the sixth time this season it has committed at least that many.

 

[psaboy]

Things are not good in Hoosier land. I'm starting to think Crean is not the coach to take them to next, higher level. He has had two top 10 recruiting classes the past three years. I think he did good in bringing team back from the Sampson nightmare, but think he has hit the ceiling on what more he can do.

 

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Inside the Hall ("the leading publisher of Indiana basketball news and analysis"):

--this was a game Indiana needed to win and should have won

--Turnovers may define Indiana’s season: After struggling with turnovers throughout most of the non-conference and then shoring them up briefly earlier in Big Ten play, the Hoosiers have been unable to shake the epidemic and it’s proving costly.

--IU’s offense is now 10th in the Big Ten

--In the second half, Nebraska had a 1.46 points per possession performance

--21 games in, IU doesn’t have a set rotation

 

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The Indianapolis Star:

--Indiana suffered the kind of loss it simply could not afford, not after falling to Northwestern just 11 days ago.

--Indiana’s best players were silenced in crucial moments.

In the second half:
--Indiana collapsed at both ends of the floor, losing 60-55 at Nebraska.
--Indiana went stale and cold offensively, and fell apart defensively.
--The Huskers outscored Indiana 41-23 after halftime.

 

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up next for Indiana: they host Michigan on Sunday at 1:00pm ET on CBS

 

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comments from Indiana fans on an Indiana basketball discussion board:

--We need to face reality. We find ourselves looking up at programs like Iowa, Northwestern and Nebraska these days. We are anything but a tournament team. Possibly NIT, but work to be done to even achieve that. Nothing is going to change. We are in disarray, plain and simple.

--I hate even writing this post. But this is a fan message board so I don't know where better to vent. Something is wrong. I hate it. I like Tom Crean. I loved all the "this is indiana" stuff. I loved the enthusiasm. I loved the reaching out to old players. I so appreciate and always will appreciate the rebuild. For that alone I hate this post. But, something is wrong. This is indiana. No way Indiana basketball loses to Northwestern and Nebraska in the same season. No more should IU be missing the tournament or finishing below .500 in the big ten. Something is wrong. It's just really tough. I was patient during those three awful years. I got it. It was a tough job. But that's over. And I'm not asking to be top 10 this year after all we lost last year. But I did expect to make the tournament. I did expect to at least finish .500 in the big ten. This is Indiana and those aren't walk ons anymore. These are kids he recruited. I didn't post after we lost to Notre Dame. I didn't post after we lost to Illinois. I didn't post after we lost to Northwestern. But for me, this is it. I can no longer consider myself all in anymore. I would consider myself neutral.

--I found I was a little indifferent regarding the outcome. Sure, I was a little p'od as they coughed up the lead, but afterwards, it was 'whatever'. Thinking about that today, I realized there is not a player on the entire roster this year that I have 'connected' with. From the moment Crean's been here, I've had that. This year.....nothing. Not a single player that I can look at and make them be part of who I am. I'm really having a hard time buying what this team is selling me.

--I had the same reaction last night. Typically if IU loses, my night is ruined and I am grouchy for a good hour or two. Last night was more of "Oh well, I think I will throw a bag of popcorn in the microwave and watch some Big Bang Theory" I am with you. Not sure what that says, but I have to say it is concerning.

--I feel like this a lot too with this team, and like everyone its tough when you feel like you want it more than they do.

--The frustrating thing to me is, how do we have so many scholarship players that give us nothing? How do we not have a single shooter on the roster? Between Ethrington, Davis, Hartman, Perea, Jurkin and Hollowell, we literally get nothing, absolutely nothing.

--I really hope that someone on the team would have ripped the door off their locker after last night and said something along these lines: "If you pu**ies dont want to play a full game and give full effort and show some heart on the floor, then just stay in the locker room from now on and dont even come on the floor. I'm tired of losing to the crap teams like Nebraska. In case you haven't noticed, this is freaking INDIANA that we play for and our fans deserve and expect better." I'm not sure who has the balls to make that speech on this team.

--Just watched my last IU game of the year...Turnovers - indecisiveness - careless passing - terrible rotations - poor defensive awareness - general cluelessness. I can experience all that watching my 6 year old daughter play on her Purple Princesses team. They just got beat by 18 points in the 2nd half to mighty NEBRASKA for crying out loud. I love IU basketball and truly hope they turn it around and do better the rest of the year, but whatever they are doing out there is unwatchable. Even in the first half when they got the big lead it was mainly due to lucky shots coupled with Nebraska taking careless 3s. I have found myself getting way too frustrated watching this team play - tonight was the straw that broke the camel's back. I had more fun watching the first 3 years of the Crean experiment than the mess I've seen this year. Just taking a break for a while - don't see the value in regularly putting myself through 2 hours of thoroughly unenjoyable basketball watching. I've watched damn near close to every televised game of IU hoops for the last 30 years - didn't say I wasn't going to read up on them or follow their progress in other modes (there is this thing called the internet). After seeing all 21 games of this debacle of a season, I'm just going to take a break from related television viewing. I just don't much enjoy watching the train wreck on the court at the moment...except for the tail end of the Davis experiment, this is easily one of the least enjoyable IU products to watch I have seen. Watching dysfunction is not my idea of a good time.

--It is really hard to devote the time to sit down and watch this group play.

--I give up....when's baseball start.

--Every fan deep down, whether they admit it or not, believes their team can win every game in which they compete. However, since after the Northwestern loss I have distanced myself from these "fan feelings" and found myself watching this team differently. I can honestly say I did not expect or think we were going to beat Nebraska. Now I watch this team more objectively and see a team without an identity and little understanding of either the game of basketball. We just aren't very good.

--I am done getting mad about this team. Wife put the boy down and came back right before the game started, asked who we were playing and If we were going to win. I said no we will not win. It is sad that I had to say I thought we would lose to Nebraska. That is how BAD this team is. I really do not feel comfortable saying we will win another game. I am sure we will but it would not surprise me if we didn't.

--We had no heart or will to win in that second half and the coach stood around clapping while Nebraska was scoring at will. We will be looking at this type of team for years to come I fear. I would love to be wrong but I fear mediocrity will be as good as it gets from here on out with crean. And mediocrity isn't good enough for Indiana basketball.

--I'm fully disgusted as everyone else and I dont see this getting better.

--Rebuild is done. Grade for CTC is a solid A for that. Now we are into the ongoing coach role and like the OP I am seeing too many red flags go up not to be concerned. CTC may occasionally find a Vic, but his recruiting gets that turn out to be duds is higher. The 2012 class,outside of Yogi, has woefully underperformed. Sure you will miss some but we cannot laud CTC as a great recruiter with these misses. Prior to 2012 I will not fault because that was just building a team.

--This season is turning into the worst season under Crean. Not because we were supposed to be a top 10-15 team but because we are rebuilt. When we sucked there was a logical reason why. Now there aren't excuses. Not for it being this bad. Embarrassing.

--This is very sad.

--We are simply not ready for primetime. And will not be anytime this season.

--I think the Mike Davis years were better. Honestly. At least then you knew what you were getting. At this point it's like Charlie Brown getting the football pulled away from him.

 

[NDHoosier101]

Things are not good in Hoosier land. I'm starting to think Crean is not the coach to take them to next, higher level. He has had two top 10 recruiting classes the past three years. I think he did good in bringing team back from the Sampson nightmare, but think he has hit the ceiling on what more he can do.

I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for a couple more seasons. We're one season removed from a B1G championship and being number one most of that season. He's recruiting well. The program just isn't back to a point where we aren't going to have rebuilding seasons yet (I mean two of our players went number 2 and 4 in the draft, you're going to miss that. I'm not all that worried....yet. Am extremely frustrated though.

 

[MI Nightmare]

Indiana is the youngest team in the B1G and 3rd youngest in the country....something like that. I believe Michigan is the 3rd youngest team in the B1G, behind Illinois and Indiana, and 11th youngest in the country.

IU will improve.

 

[ChicagoIrish]

Indiana will get better.

Lost 4-1,000 point scorers last season, and 2 top 5 NBA draft picks.

Although Crean's in game coaching is questionable, his recruiting is not.

 

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Indiana is the youngest team in the B1G and 3rd youngest in the country....something like that. I believe Michigan is the 3rd youngest team in the B1G, behind Illinois and Indiana, and 11th youngest in the country.

Indiana's Top 6 guys are 2 seniors, 2 soph, 2 freshmen

Michigan's Top 5 are 4 soph and 1 freshmen. Two guys are tied #6, a soph and freshman

Kentucky's Top 6 are 4 freshmen, 2 soph...and the top 4 are all freshmen

 

[NDHoosier101]

Indiana's Top 6 guys are 2 seniors, 2 soph, 2 freshmen

Michigan's Top 5 are 4 soph and 1 freshmen. Two guys are tied #6, a soph and freshman

Kentucky's Top 6 are 4 freshmen, 2 soph...and the top 4 are all freshmen

C'mon now, calling Gordon one of our top players is laughable. He's started three games and although he played solid minutes early in the season he's been replaced by Robinson.

 

[Peter Gozintite]

The hater is strong in this one

 

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C'mon now, calling Gordon one of our top players is laughable. He's started three games and although he played solid minutes early in the season he's been replaced by Robinson.

Gordon is #4 on the team with 21.5 minutes per game and #1 on the team in 21 games played (tied with 5 others). He is #6 in ppg, #6 in FTM, #5 in FGM, #3 in 3PM, #3 in APG and ASTs, #1 in SPG and STLs

Robinson has only started 3 games

 

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The hater is strong in this one

With the possible expection of UCLA, I think Indiana has the greatest basketball tradition in the country. And being that Indiana is America's heart land, is known as a state for raising kids on basketball from the time they are babies (goes with America's favorite basketball movie, Hoosiers, as well as Butler, Larry Bird, etc), I think of Indiana as America's team. Of the great programs, the only one I have rooted against before is Kansas, because most people act like Kansas and Duke are the clear top two programs, and Kansas is only in the top 8 in national titles. Indiana is Top 4 with UCLA, Kentucky and tied with UNC

 

[broncosmitty]

Indiana's Top 6 guys are 2 seniors, 2 soph, 2 freshmen

Michigan's Top 5 are 4 soph and 1 freshmen. Two guys are tied #6, a soph and freshman

Kentucky's Top 6 are 4 freshmen, 2 soph...and the top 4 are all freshmen

Not sure what constitutes Top Five. Or why certain players are focused on or skipped over. If you're overlooking Morgan and Horford, both upper classmen, to make Indiana seem like more of a failure this year, Id go another route. The Hoosiers season is playing out the way most people would have expected. Not every program can retool itself as quickly as Kentucky. They'll compete for conference championships again soon enough. Purdue and Illinois' respective programs make it hard for me to judge Creen too harshly. (All three equally shitty. Two didn't lose multiple lottery picks.)

 

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Nebraska won back-to-back conference games for the first time since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten three years ago.

Fort Wayne, Indiana newspaper:

Terran Petteway spiked the basketball hard and high. Nebraska had just finished a 60-55 victory over Indiana. Petteway celebrated not because the Cornhuskers beat one of college basketball’s so-called blue-bloods. No, Petteway’s show of emotion had more to do with another small step the long-struggling Huskers took Thursday night. “I was just happy we got two wins in a row,” Petteway said.

 

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Not sure what constitutes Top Five. Or why certain players are focused on or skipped over. If you're overlooking Morgan and Horford, both upper classmen, to make Indiana seem like more of a failure this year, Id go another route. The Hoosiers season is playing out the way most people would have expected. Not every program can retool itself as quickly as Kentucky. They'll compete for conference championships again soon enough. Purdue and Illinois' respective programs make it hard for me to judge Creen too harshly. (All three equally shitty. Two didn't lose multiple lottery picks.)

i had to google Morgan and Horford to see who they were. I see they are Michigan players: #8 and #9 on team in mpg, #7 and #8 in ppg (5.4 and 5.0), that's why I didn't put them in the top 6.

Reading up on it, I see soph Mitch McGary (who I included in Michigan's top 6), got injured and got replaced by Horford and Morgan who are splitting time at the five position

Many of the Michigan faithful thought the worst
when super sophomore Mitch McGary was
sidelined with a back injury over a month ago
The Maize and Blue had dreams of a return
trip to the Final Four and a national
championship.
McGary’s injury seemed to crush those hopes,
but Michigan’s record is unblemished at 10-0
without the big man. The Wolverines beat three
top-ten teams in a week
That success is due, in large part, to stopgaps
eating McGary’s available minutes: Jon Horford
and Jordan Morgan .

 

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on Nov 1, Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star wrote a column titled: "Lower your expectations for this season’s Indiana basketball team," that he concluded with:

"Ultimately, expectations ought to be reasonable. With 17 home games and a soft nonconference schedule, they ought to win about 20 games and earn a spot in the tournament."

Indiana is now 13-8

they have 10 games left in the regular season:
Michigan (CBS)
@Minnesota
Penn State
@Purdue (ESPN)
Iowa (ESPN)
@Northwestern
@Wisconsin (ESPN)
Ohio State
Nebraska
@Michigan (ESPN)