The Hoosiers, as you know, are 15-1 and ranked No. 7 by AP and No. 8 by the coaches. They have won three straight and have the look of a Big Ten contender.
Minnesota does not, but you won’t hear Crean say that.
“What we see is a team that could easily be 2-2 in this league, and with a couple of bounces 3-1,” Crean said. “You’ve got a national championship coach over there (Tubby Smith) with an outstanding staff. You’ve got a lot of players who have been through it. Rodney Williams is playing at a high level. Certainly Ralph Sampson is more than capable of hurting you from the inside and the outside.”
Minnesota’s great non-conference run (12-1) has been spoiled by an 0-4 Big Ten beginning. It’s lost three close games and got blown out at home by Purdue when the Boilers went 10-for-12 on three-pointers in the first half.
“We fully expect they’re going to play like their hair is on fire and we’ve got to do the same thing,” Crean said. “We’ve got to do the absolute same thing. That’s when we’re at our best and there’s no room for error in this league. If you don’t have effort and you don’t have energy and your level of execution and awareness is not at a high level, it can be a tough night. We’ve got to make sure we continue to stay locked in the way that we have.
“Our guys have done that. The last couple of days we’ve locked into game planning, but also worked on some of the things we felt we needed to improve on or that might be slipping. At the same time keep them really confident with shooting.”
IU should be confident shooting. It leads the nation in three-point shooting. Guard Jordan Hulls leads the nation in three-point shooting. Minnesota just got torched by Purdue’s three-point shooting.
Yeah, all signs point to a convincing Hoosier victory.
*****
There was a time when no one in Cream ‘n Crimson circles had ever heard of Don Fischer. He was a young guy from Illinois set to broadcast Indiana basketball and football games via radio.
He was, to be polite, raw.
Now, he is neither young nor raw, but he is very, very good.
Don’t take our word for it. The National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association has named Fischer the Indiana Sportscaster of the Year for the third straight year and 26th time in his 39 seasons with IU.
Over the years Fischer has won enough awards for 10 men. IU honored him with the J.W. Bill Orwig Medal, which goes to non-alumni for distinguished service to the university. He also has been named an honoray “I” Man.
In October of 2008 he was one of eight inductees into the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Richard M. Fairbanks Hall of Fame. The Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2004.
He’s also a very, very good golfer.
Fischer has broadcast more than 1,600 games, including three NCAA title games and eight bowls. He hosts the weekly football and basketball coaches’ show, plus the daily IU Sports Today radio show. He’s also anchored Indianapolis Colts preseason telecasts for the past 17 years.
We’re going on a limb here and say that Fischer is a lock to win Indiana Sportscaster of the Year honors again next year for his call of Christian Watford’s Kentucky beating three-pointer.
*****
Did IU REALLY beat out Michigan State, West Virginia, Iowa, Purdue, Georgia Tech and more to land standout running back Tevin Coleman?
It seems that way.
Coleman is a 6-1, 190-pounder from Illinois who is rated as the nation’s No. 39 running back by Rivals.com. He has a sprinter’s speed, which is good because he is a sprinter. He was the Illinois Class 2A runner-up in the long jump (23-1/4) and ran a 10.86 100 meter dash into a wind to finish fourth.
As a football player he was a big play waiting to happen. He rushed for 949 yards and 13 TDs on just 83 carries. He also caught 16 passes for 345 yards and five touchdowns. He had four kickoff returns and returned two for touchdowns. He also played cornerback and totaled 44 tackles and two interceptions.
What does this mean for Indiana coach Kevin Wilson? Basically, he’s getting a guy who can play running back, receiver and defensive back. Heck, maybe he could play all three. Who says the era of two-way college players is over.
Indiana now has 24 commitments for the Class of 2012.
*****
Tom Lemming, one of the nation’s top recruiting analysts has come out with his top 25 recruiting classes. It’s loaded with the superpower programs you’d figure would be on the list.
Indiana, by the way, did not make it.
Alabama, which just won the national championship, is No. 1 with 26 commitments, five in the top 100 senior recruits. Texas is second with 23 commitments and four in the top 100. Michigan is No. 3 with 24 and four. Ohio State is No. 5 with 19 and four.
Lemming, in case you didn’t know, is a very busy guy. He travels about 55,000 mile a year visiting top recruits. He has his own show, the LEMMING REPORT, on CBS Sports Network. He also contributes to CBSSports.com and MaxPreps.com.
Looks like Crean was right and the writer of this article was wrong about Minny. Try being a bit more realistic and objective in the future.
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