Indiana began the season with 12 consecutive victories.But coach Tom Crean said IU is a better team now than they were after capturing that 12th straight victory Dec. 22 against Maryland-Baltimore County.The No.Tom Crean looks at Indiana’s progress in two lights: From where it was a year ago and day-to-day.
A year ago, Indiana had 13 points at halftime of its game at Kentucky. In the latest installment of the rivalry Saturday, the Hoosiers held a one-point lead early in the second half before ultimately falling to the Wildcats 90-73.
Coupled with the Dec. 8 win against Pittsburgh, Crean sees growth.
“We had a week where we had some payoff for a lot of hard work,” Crean said during the Big Ten men’s basketball teleconference Monday. “A young team was able to gain some confidence in a win in Madison Square Garden against Pittsburgh. That really helped us. We turned around and learned how far we really have to go when you play a team like Kentucky. We showed flashes of what we are capable of in the future. We showed flashes of what we’re learning. But we also showed flashes in the second half of what we’re not capable of yet, which is battling and bearing down in a very physical game and holding our own. We’ve got a long way to go in that area, but the good news is I think we can get there.”
Crean has seen the biggest improvement in the team’s decision-making. IU had a season-low nine turnovers against the Wildcats.
“It didn’t show itself totally, but to be in an environment like that and to play against a team like that and only turn the ball over nine times while also trying to push the pace as well as they were is a good sign,” Crean said. “We’re starting to learn the concepts on both sides of the ball better; we’re just having trouble being consistent with it.
“I would say we’re getting closer all the time of bringing that practice-level effort to the games. We showed that (in the 74-64 win against Pittsburgh). The fact that they’re learning what it takes in practice and how hard they have to compete day after day, they’re starting to bring more of that for longer stretches to the games.”
The Hoosiers (4-5) still have steps to make in creating a defensive identity. IU ranks last in the Big Ten in scoring defense, giving up 72.9 points per game. The Hoosiers are ninth in field goal percentage defense, with opponents shooting 42 percent.
“We’re trying to build that attitude defensively. Hopefully over a period of time, that will be what our identity leads off with,” Crean said. “We’ve shown flashes, but we haven’t shown the maturity yet over a period of time to sustain that.”
