Successful Start

The Indiana Hoosiers got the 2009-2010 basketball season off to a solid start with a 96-73 victory over the Grace College Lancers on Wednesday night. There were several positives and some negatives that will need to be worked out but the upgrade in talent is obvious. Again, let me stress that you cannot look at the score or rely too much on stats in these exhibition games. Indiana beat a team by 40 in one of last year's exhibition games and look how the season turned out. These games are important but they won't give us any conclusions about this year's team.

Balanced Scoring
I loved to see six IU players reach double figures. Christian Watford led the way with 19, Jordan Hulls had 14, Tom Pritchard and Jeremiah Rivers both had 12, Verdell Jones and Derek Elston both had 10. IU didn't have this kind of balance at any point during last season. The balance is not something that won't be duplicated. I don't think anyone will be playing more than 30 minutes a game and the points will be spread out. It is very possible that four or five players could average double figures in this uptempo system.

Picking Up The Pace
Tom Crean has made it very clear, his teams are going to run. Last night was the first public display of what he wants his teams to do. They were able to get a lot of transition baskets by pushing the ball. However, the Hoosiers missed some easy chances that could have pushed them well over 100 points. Part of playing an uptempo style is giving yourself some easy baskets. If you generate them, you have to convert them into points. Another part of playing fast is getting back on defense quickly after scoring. Indiana gave up some easy layups to Grace because they don't quite grasp the "turn and sprint" mentality you need in college. That will come though. This style of play is entertaining for the fans and attractive to recruits. Most importantly, I think it can win big in the Big Ten.

Welcome Newcomers
Indiana played five of their six newcomers last night (Bawa Muniru still isn't cleared by the glacial NCAA) and four of them played well. Bobby Capobianco corralled nine rebounds and was a physical presence (maybe too physical, he had four fouls). Derek Elston exhibited a nice touch around the basket and a nose for the ball with 10 points and 7 rebounds. Jeremiah Rivers had 12 points and he was a force on defense. The biggest stars last night were Jordan Hulls and Christian Watford. Hulls had 14 points on 5-6 shooting and 2-2 from the foul line. He also added 3 assists, 3 steals and did not commit a turnover in 21 minutes. Anyone surprised by this never saw him play in high school. Hulls is a winner and he will do some very special things during his career at IU.
Christian Watford also played a starring role in the victory. He scored a game-high 19 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and had 3 steals in 22 minutes of action. The explosive Watford missed a couple of bunnies but his athleticism and size around the rim is a combination Indiana has not had in quite some time. The 6'9" freshman can shoot from the outside but he focused on his interior attack last night. Watford looks poised to lead this team in scoring.

There were plenty of negatives last night as well. The exhibition game was characteristically sloppy. IU had 17 turnovers (fewer than I thought they would) and they missed several layups. Tom Crean mentioned that they needed to be more aggressive around the rim. He wants them to finish by dunking the ball and attacking the rim. A quick rundown of the negative aspects of exhibition game #1.

Defensive Lapses
IU got beat down the court a few times after made baskets. Indiana is going to be a fast-paced and uptempo team for as long as Tom Crean is the coach (a long, long time!). That means they are going to get some transition and fast break buckets. When you score a fast break basket, the other team is going to have a chance to score quickly the other way. The Hoosiers were caught by this a few times and it needs to get corrected. IU was also burned by open three point shooters for the first 25 minutes of the game. They clamped down and began to turn up the defensive pressure as the game wore on though.

Rebounding Margin
The final margin looks good for IU (+13). However, IU and Grace College were nearly even in rebounds for the first 25 minutes of the contest. I was happy that Watford, Pritchard, Elston and Capobianco rebounded well but the guards need to chip in more on the glass. Rivers and Jones are both 6'5" or taller and they should be able to contribute 4 or 5 boards a game.

Overall, this was a solid start to the season. I know people wanted to see IU win by 40 or something but the score is truly irrelevant. Tom Crean was able to get his guys through a game, he has some film to study and no one got hurt. Devan Dumes should be ready for the season opener and Bawa Muniru should be cleared any day now. Basketball season is upon us!

By the way, Isiah Thomas made his debut as the coach at Florida International last night. The Panthers took on Northwood, an NAIA school coached by the legend Rollie Massimino. As has been the case for Isiah in the past five years, things did not go well. Northwood took down FIU 71-61. The Panthers play at #6 North Carolina on Monday to open the 2009-2010 season. Good luck with that!