Indiana crushes North Carolina 83-59

Cliff November 28, 2012 1

By CLIFF BRUNT
ISL Editor

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Every time I watch Indiana play, I come away impressed with something different.

This time, it was the Hoosiers’ ability to pull away from a talented team by simply sticking with the game plan.

There were no major shifts in approach that took a close game and turned it into an 83-59 rout against North Carolina, one of the nation’s storied programs. The Hoosiers were just being the Hoosiers.

Whether they were beating North Carolina downcourt over and over again for easy layups and dunks, or simply making the extra pass that left one of its numerous 3-point shooters wide open, the Hoosiers simply played better basketball than North Carolina.

North Carolina has an impressive collection of individuals who are not a team yet. That’s why Butler beat the Tar Heels. History shows that if you don’t play team ball against Butler, you lose.

North Carolina isn’t there yet. James Michael McAdoo said it’s because the Tar Heels are young.

Indiana was there at one point a few years back. The Hoosiers learned that they need to be a unit, and they have kept that mentality all the way to the top of the rankings. Indiana is a team above all else, and it is rare for a collection of talent this good to play this way.

The Hoosiers often talk about playing 40 minutes and about doing the little things. It doesn’t seem staged or fake because of what they do on the court. The special thing about IU — it’s a team with Top 10 talent that still plays like it has something to prove.

Another impressive thing — Cody Zeller tied for the team lead in field-goal attempts. Sometimes, all those shooters forget about the 7-foot stud in the post. He finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and four blocks. The most impressive thing about him yesterday was his ability to beat opponents down the court. His athletic ability is rare for someone his size.

The Hoosiers have two wild cards.

Sometimes, Christian Watford can force things and disrupt the flow of the offense. He had a rough night, shooting 1-for-9 against North Carolina, but he seemed to play within the team.

Jeremy Hollowell has struggled a bit this season. He is talented, but he is a shoot first player who, like Watford, can sometimes disrupt the team’s flow. If he gets on board, the Indiana bench becomes even more dangerous.

Overall, it was a knockout performance. I know the Big Ten is very deep. If a team in the conference is better than the Hoosiers, I can’t wait to see that team.

Here is the link to my Sports XChange/Reuters story on last night’s game.

Indiana 83, North Carolina 59