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.Indiana plays Michigan tonight.
Sound familiar?
It should.
The teams met only two weeks ago, with the Hoosiers topping the Wolverines 71-65 on New Year’s Eve at Assembly Hall.
Four players scored in double figures for IU in its first game after losing Maurice Creek for the season because of a fractured left knee.
The rematch is at 9 p.m. today at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich.
“For both teams there is a real familiarity,” IU coach Tom Crean said during a news conference Wednesday. “The thing we have to make sure we understand is we executed in that game. It wasn’t an emotional upheaval because we had lost Maurice. We executed. We earned the victory.”
Crean isn’t bothered by seeing Michigan (8-7, 2-2 Big Ten) again so soon.
“In the NBA they do that all the time. It’s just part of it,” Crean said.
“(Michigan State) coach (Tom) Izzo was telling me (Tuesday) that they’ve got three games in a row coming up at home. Now that’s not supposed to happen, and I don’t even think he’s happy about it because then I think they’ve got a span of six out of eight that are on the road.
“I don’t have any real complaints on our schedule because we have a real balance with home and away. I think that’s better, so I haven’t put a lot of thought into playing somebody (again) that quick.”
Crean is more concerned with the decisions the Hoosiers are making on the floor. IU (7-8, 1-2) had a season-high 24 turnovers in its last road game, a 79-54 loss at Ohio State on Jan. 6.
“Those turnovers at Ohio State led to baskets. It’s not just the points off of turnovers, it’s how they get them,” Crean said. “It’s the ability that you don’t have to get back and make a stop because it was a turnover that nobody saw coming.
“It’s a game of easy baskets. The team that gets the most is the team that wins. The teams that give up the fewest are the teams that win on the other end. If you get enough of them and you take them away from the other team, you’ve got a winning team, no matter where you play.”
