Refinement pays off for No. 6 Hoosiers in rout of Florida Atlantic
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Cody Zeller smiled as he succinctly described his recently improved accuracy at the foul line.
“Shooting higher,” Zeller said. And so, metaphorically, are the Indiana Hoosiers. Following a loss to Butler that cost them the No. 1 ranking, Zeller and his teammates are as detail-oriented as ever before.
“Cody’s a very hungry player who works very hard at what he needs to improve at,” Indiana coach Tom Crean said. “The free-throw shooting shows it.”
Zeller shot 12 for 13 at the line Friday night, accounting for the only blemish on Indiana’s otherwise perfect 26-of-27 performance at the charity stripe. The Hoosiers missed 11 free throws in the two-point loss to Butler. Yet after an 88-52 romp over Florida Atlantic, Victor Oladipo was ribbing Zeller in front of the media for the lone misfire, which came with 16:07 remaining. It was that kind of night for the Hoosiers — no problems, just a lot of joy and humility.
Here’s how it went down inside a less-than-ultra-packed Assembly Hall:
IN A NUTSHELL: Florida Atlantic (5-7) lost this one as soon as the ball was tipped. Mount St. Mary’s stayed with Indiana (11-1) through much of the first half Wednesday. The Owls, coached by former St. John’s mainstay Mike Jarvis, could do no such thing. Indiana went on a 20-2 run over a roughly six-minute stretch in the early going to seize control. Zeller had nine points in the spurt, Will Sheehey added five, and Hanner Mosquera-Perea contributed four as the Hoosiers connected on 9 of their first 12 shots. FAU’s Greg Gantt finally ended the nightmarish stretch with a 3, but that only made it 24-11. Indiana quickly answered with seven more. In the final 6 ½ minutes of the half, the Hoosiers threw up two additional 9-0 runs. Indiana led 55-25 at the break. FAU played even with the Hoosiers for the first 10 minutes of the second half, actually outscoring them 21-20, but the outcome was already decided.
STAR OF THE GAME: Zeller scored a season-best 24 points, two shy of his career high, and added six rebounds while shooting 6-of-9 from the field. Since the loss to Butler, Zeller is 14-of-15 at the foul line. Entering Friday, Zeller’s season conversion rate was just 67.1 percent. All of Zeller’s skills were on display against FAU. He intercepted a pass, kept the ball and dribbled toward the rim for a score while being fouled. He made a long jump shot. He led a fast break and dished at just the right time to Oladipo, who was fouled. He used his length to tip in a missed shot with one hand, never needing to bring it into his body. In the mid-post, Zeller faced up his defender and went left off the bounce for a bank shot. Zeller had 15 points by halftime. “We’ve been playing fairly well,” Zeller said. In his case, that’s an understatement.
BEHIND THE SCENES: For a second straight contest, freshman forward Jeremy Hollowell did not play. Crean opened his press conference by reading a prepared statement, saying Hollowell is dealing with a personal and private matter that is not related to disciplinary or academic issues. The coach would not comment on any further details or how long he thought Hollowell might be unavailable. Indiana has a week off before facing Jacksonville Dec. 28. Hollowell was in attendance but did not dress. Speculating on the problem would be inappropriate. In terms of basketball, it sets Hollowell back. Crean entrusted the Indianapolis product with only three minutes of game action against Butler. Although Hollowell is 6-foot-8 and gifted athletically, he has thus far failed to secure a clear role, and it’s entirely possible senior Derek Elston and fellow freshman Perea use Hollwell’s absence during a soft part of Indiana’s schedule to gain an edge.
CAUSE FOR CONCERN: Barely anything. Even Tom Crean, normally reluctant to count his chickens, could find little to anguish over. “I love where our team is at,” Crean said. If pressed to illuminate something, the obvious source of worry are the hands of Perea and freshman center Peter Jurkin. Jurkin fumbled a rebound out of bounds late in the first half. He wasn’t even bothered by an Owl. He just lost it. Perea failed to corral multiple passes. The inability to catch is an off-putting trait in big men and, if it’s truly there, is a sore that can stick around. “I think he had a couple Sportscenter plays in mind before he caught it,” Crean said of Perea. “He’ll be fine. He brings a different element to our team. He’s only going to get better and better. So is Peter.”
FAMILY FOR THE HOLIDAYS: Just watching and listening to Indiana’s players at the postgame podium, their camaraderie becomes apparent. Oladipo is a happy-go-lucky spokesman, the dude who once sang the COPS theme song to describe a basketball game, and he’ll poke fun at Zeller or explain how great it was to see Raphael Smith – perhaps the 15th man on the totem pole – draw a charge at the end of a blowout. Perea spoke of how beneficial his teammates have been in bringing him along in practices, in teaching him the tricks of playing big-time college basketball. Because of their advice, he said, “I felt more comfortable; don’t worry about mistakes, just play.” And all Perea did was grab 10 rebounds in 14 minutes. “It was the quickest 10 rebounds I’ve ever seen,” Zeller said admiringly. “That’s what he does. He’s going to help us a lot.” Perea is close to Jurkin, interesting because the two are linked as raw, freshmen big men born outside the United States. “We’ve been pushing each other, helping each other,” said Perea of their relationship. Unprompted, Crean spoke about the harmonious state of his locker room as a whole. “There are some unbreakable bonds,” he said. “This is a very close-knit group. They care about one another in a great way.” Crean said the team will reconvene Christmas evening, which is perhaps fitting for a bunch of guys that have formed a veritable second family.
NEXT: Indiana faces Jacksonville in the Hoosiers’ final nonconference game of the regular season at Assembly Hall next Friday at 8 p.m. The Dolphins are currently 4-7 after going 8-22 last season. Jacksonville has appeared in the NCAA tournament five times and actually went to a Final Four in 1970, losing to UCLA in the national championship game. The Dolphins last went dancing, however, in 1986.
