Hoosiers respond with win over Pittsburgh
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Editor
Tom Crean discusses the win over Pittsburgh.
BLOOMINGTON — A bit of panic had been creeping in to Hoosier Nation over the last few weeks after Indiana struggled against three weaker opponents in their last few games. Tonight, it looked like a different team, as the Hoosiers cruised to an 81-69 win over the Pittsburgh Panthers at Assembly Hall. Pittsburgh is not a great team by any means, but this game should help calm down Indiana fans at least for the time being.
Emmitt Holt has been in the news for the wrong reasons this season. In this game, he showed what he is capable of on the basketball court. Holt was a spark off the bench, scoring a team-high 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting. He also grabbed five rebounds and had two blocks.
Fellow freshman Robert Johnson also had a big night, facilitating the offense with Yogi Ferrell in foul trouble. Johnson dished out nine assists with only two turnovers.
Despite out-shooting the Panthers 61%-37% in the first half, the lead was just 45-37 going into the break. The Panthers put together a nice run to end the half to keep the game close. A strong start to the second half was too much for Pittsburgh, however, as the Hoosiers pulled away and never looked back. For the game, Indiana shot 54% including 7-of-17 from behind the arc.
Indiana had a lot of positives to take away from this game. For starters, they had a very balanced offensive attack. Eight different players had at least six points. On a night in which Yogi Ferrell only had one shot attempt halfway through the 2nd half, they were still able to score with ease. Another positive was only having nine turnovers for the game. The Hoosiers will need to take care of the ball to help make up for their lack of size. It was the third game this season in which the Hoosiers had fewer than 10 turnovers, matching their total from all of last season.
According to Hoosiers freshman guard Robert Johnson, the Hoosiers lack of size won’t be a problem if their intensity is up: “When you’re a smaller team, the intensity and edge that you bring will be the difference.”
Coach Tom Crean was pleased with the effort: “We’ve got a lot of things to get better at, no question. But the way they came back with focus and a 40-minute mindset tonight was really impressive for the youth of this team.”
In the Tom Crean era, the Hoosiers have seemed to play better against better competition. Now the challenge will be to keep this kind of focus for every game, no matter the opponent. “We’ve got to come just as prepared for Savannah State as we were for Pittsburgh” Crean added.
It’s only one win, and it doesn’t erase the loss to Eastern Washington. But at least for now, Hoosier fans can breathe a little easier and know there’s a lot of basketball to be played this season.
Follow Tyler on Twitter: @TylerSmith_ISL
