Indiana Hammering Michigan In Ann Arbor Should Silence Doubters

Indiana has been at the top of the Big Ten all season, but many (myself included) refused to give the Hoosiers or head coach Tom Crean any credit for an outstanding record and the team’s excellent run of play. After last night, we can’t ignore the Cream and Crimson any longer.

The Hoosiers faced what shaped up to be their toughest test of the season in Ann Arbor against Michigan Tuesday night. They were going head-to-head with a Wolverines team that had won four-straight, 11 of its last 13, boasted a 17-5 record, a 7-2 conference mark and was just itching to blow someone out. It was the first time all season Indiana had faced a team in the Big Ten’s upper echelon. To say the Hoosiers passed the test would be a massive understatement.

After falling behind 17-6 in the game’s first seven minutes, Indiana outscored Michigan 58-20 over the next 23 minutes. That stretch included a 25-0 run to end the first half that was mind-boggling statistically and became a 28-0 run before the Wolverines finally got a bucket in the second half.

After the break, Michigan finally mustered some resistance and stopped the bleeding temporarily, but never got the game close again. The Hoosiers led 73-49 when Crean finally called off the dogs with five minutes remaining, and the Wolverines used garbage time to make the final score look somewhat respectable at 80-67. It was a stunning, thorough beat down at the Crisler Center that should change the way we look at Indiana this year.

Indiana now sits atop the Big Ten with a 9-1 record and an overall mark of 19-4. The Hoosiers certainly haven’t had the toughest schedule in the world, in fact, their conference slate has been laughably light. Wins over Notre Dame, Ohio State and Wisconsin are really all Crean’s team can point to as “solid” victories. But since an embarrassing 94-74 loss at Duke on December 2, the Hoosiers have completely turned things around. In the last two months, Indiana’s only loss has come via an 82-79 overtime defeat at Wisconsin.

The change all started on the defensive end, as a squad that was once a swinging gate defensively now ranks 48th in adjusted defensive efficiency on KenPom. When starting guard James Blackmon, Jr. went down with a knee injury, Indiana’s defense got much better. Blackmon’s absence opened the door for freshmen OG Anunoby and Juwan Morgan to see more playing time and both have shined. Along with the development of freshman big man Thomas Bryant, the Hoosiers have a trio of first-year guys who are chipping in on both ends of the floor.

Senior point guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell has also stepped up with Blackmon out. Ferrell has become Indiana’s unquestioned leader on both ends of the floor and is making a serious case for Big Ten Player of the Year. On Tuesday night he paced Indiana with 17 points and nine assists, while also sparking the team defensively. With solid role players like Collin Hartman, Max Bielfeldt, Robert Johnson, Nick Zeisloft and human wild card Troy Williams all chipping in on both ends, the Hoosiers are starting to look a whole lot more dangerous.

Indiana still faces a really stiff conference slate down the stretch and it could make or break the team’s season. After a road matchup with Penn State on Saturday, Indiana welcomes No. 5 Iowa to Bloomington next Thursday, then travels to East Lansing to face No. 10 Michigan State three days later. After mid-week contest with Nebraska on February 17, the Hoosiers welcome archrival No. 18 Purdue to Assembly Hall on the 20th before going on the road to face Illinois on the following Thursday. If that wasn’t enough, Crean’s bunch then finishes off the conference schedule by traveling to face Iowa, and playing No. 4 Maryland at home to end the regular season.

That is an absolutely brutal finish to the Big Ten season, but the Hoosiers have a real chance to be 10-1 in conference when they play Iowa next Thursday. Two months ago that looked like an impossibility.

So what should we make of the Hoosiers? We know they can score with anyone, even with Blackmon on the sidelines. They rank 18th in adjusted offensive efficiency and could be much higher if not for a few slow patches in conference games. Iowa and Maryland are still everyone’s favorites to win the Big Ten, but it’s long past time to include Indiana in that discussion.

Despite a weak curriculum, the Hoosiers have aced virtually every test they have faced since that brutal loss to Duke. At some point we’re going to have to start giving them credit for it.