Hoosiers are 2-0

The Indiana Hoosiers are off to a 2-0 start. They haven't looked good at times but they are 2-0 and that's what counts. In my opinion, they have played about 30 minutes of pretty good basketball. The other 50 minutes reminds us that this program is still a long way from contending for Big Ten titles again. I am going to list my positives and negatives through two games. This list is going to be things that I think will be long-term positives or long-term negatives. Big picture folks!!!

"Cornerstone" Players
I think Christian Watford, Maurice Creek and Derek Elston have shown they are ready to be long-term stars for the Indiana Hoosiers. Watford has had two double-doubles. He is showing athleticism, confidence, solid fundamentals and a very nice touch around the basket. Watford is showing that he can score in a variety of ways and his effectiveness on the glass has been a very nice surprise. Maurice Creek is the best scoring guard on this team. He can shoot the three, hit the mid-range jumper or drive and finish pretty well. Finally, Derek Elston has shown he belongs on the floor. Inside the Hall (great site) has nicknamed him "Billy Bad Ass", how appropriate. Elston has surprised some with his effective jump shot and his athleticism. Everyone knew he would be a tough player but his offense is going to give him a lot of playing time during his career in Bloomington. Jordan Hulls is playing well and I think he will be a solid player throughout his career but the other three freshmen have truly impressed.

Pushing the Tempo
Tom Crean loves to play an uptempo style. Indiana fans still haven't seen this to its full effect because of personnel. However, I think we have seen enough of it to be legitimately excited about what it can do in the Big Ten. Indiana was able to pull away from Howard because of a lot of easy baskets caused by the uptempo play. IU also had a few transition baskets in the USC-Upstate game that were caused by pressuring the ball. The Hoosiers will continue to get more comfortable (and more effective at) this new style of play as the season progresses.

Options
Tom Crean has a lot of options and he is not afraid to use them. Crean went 11-deep in the first 12-minutes of the season! Capobianco and Bawa Muniru did not play much in the USC-Upstate game but they are options that will be used some during the season. I don't know how everything will shake down but this team is a lot more talented from roster spots 1-15.

Pritchard and Dumes: You Have to Wonder
Tom Pritchard played ten minutes last night. He scored four points and did not grab a rebound. Yes, he had some foul trouble and USC-Upstate a solid 7'3" center. Still, that is a bad game. Devan Dumes played 20 minutes, shot 1-6 from the field and had four turnovers. Bottom line, I don't know if Pritchard will be able to stay out of foul trouble and I don't know if Devan Dumes will ever stop dribbling himself into trouble. There are now other options for Crean if these guys don't play well.

Turnovers Still an Issue
The turnover problem is not going to be near as bad as it was last season. However, I think it will still be a season-long struggle. They turned the ball over 18 times on Monday night against an Atlantic Sun team. Dumes and Rivers both had four turnovers. They need to keep the turnovers at 15 per game or lower if they want to have a chance against the better opponents that are coming up.

Overall, a positive start. They beat Howard by 23 points (didn't beat anyone by 20+ last season) and had a 20 point lead against USC-Upstate. Now things get tough. They take off for Puerto Rico to play Ole Miss, a borderline Top 25 team. They could potentially meet up with Kansas State and Dayton as well. I will preview the Puerto Rico Tipoff Classic and the Old Oaken Bucket game later this week. Until then, God Bless.