Hoosiers Notebook: Odds and ends from another Purdue rout
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Changes to both rosters have since made the Hoosiers much more capable of beating Purdue.
But when Tom Crean started at Indiana in the fall of 2008, it was Matt Painter’s Boilermakers who served as the model program to which Crean aspired.
“He had great players,” Crean said. “I think he’s outstanding. He’s got a real security in how he coaches. They’re a great program, have been for a long time.”
Now, on paper, the two teams are far apart. On the court, that gap is wider than a valley in Brown County State Park.
The Hoosiers swept the season series for a second straight year, winning by 37 points in West Lafayette in January and by 28 here Saturday.
Painter said it comes down to one key difference.
“We have the talent,” the ninth-year coach said. “We don’t have the toughness, and we’ve got to get guys who will live in the gym.”
Indiana has both in abundant supply, and that’s one reason Crean’s crew has the inside track on the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.
Let’s run down a few more takeaways from Indiana’s 83-55 victory:
— In bigger games, Crean, like other college coaches, tends to tighten the rotation. Backup centers Derek Elston and Hanner Mosquera-Perea haven’t given the Hoosiers much, and it appears Crean is ready to shift those minutes over to Christian Watford when the situation calls for it. Watford has begun sliding over to center in recent weeks, and on Saturday, Watford guarded mammoth Purdue center A.J. Hammons even with Cody Zeller in the game. That speaks volumes about Indiana’s comfort level with Watford in the middle.
“We wanted to get into his (Hammons’) body a little more,” Crean said. “We wanted to be aggressive. He can really, really defend. It’s huge. Christian really rose to the challenge. He can guard anybody.”
If Watford can avoid being a liability as a rim protector and primary defensive rebounder, the 6-foot-9 senior can then destroy opposing centers on the other end with his quickness and mobility. It’s a wieldy frontcourt trick in Crean’s deck of cards.
— Crean said Will Sheehey, he of the career-high 22 points and 9-for-9 shooting, is considered a starter by the coaching staff. Actually starting their sixth man would be another wild card the Hoosiers could play at some point down the road.
— Victor Oladipo, who suffered a sprained left ankle in the first half and sat out the remainder of the game, is sorely needed on Tuesday against Michigan State. The winner of that game will own sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. Crean said Oladipo will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis and is scheduled to undergo treatment at the team facility.
— Crean improved to .500 (78-78) in his tenure at Indiana. In a just world, about 50 of those losses would be dropped on Kelvin Sampson’s record. Sampson not only broke NCAA rules and then lied about doing so, but the former coach oversaw a sharp decline in grades among Hoosier players. Ex-Indiana star Eric Gordon alleged that drug use was common among members of the team at the end of Sampson’s disastrous reign. Crean is hardly surprised it took him this long to pull even.
“I got over personal goals really quick,” Crean said. “I knew if I didn’t I was going to be really depressed. It’s nice. But coming to Indiana I gave up on all of those things. There was a time I was interested in that when we had it going at Marquette. I chose to come here. In one sense it’s nice. It says a lot about the fact that this group has won 50 games in the last year and a half.”
— Point guard Yogi Ferrell had six rebounds; only two players in the game had more. The 5-11 freshman has proven he’s not afraid to mix it up in the scrum, which makes Indiana even more dangerous.
“When Yogi gets a rebound, that’s a big deal,” Crean said. “That takes two or three seconds off your break.”
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