Tom Crean, Star Trek and Grumpy Times

Tom Crean was grumpy. Or was he provoked? Or, well, does it matter?

Ah, these are the questions of our lives in an era in which girlfriends sometimes don’t exist, Tour de France champs can be frauds and the only thing we know for sure is that one Crean-related family, the Harbaughs, are Super Bowl bound.

Anyway, Crean was not the happiest coach in America in the wake of his Hooisers’ 67-59 victory over Northwestern. He was a bit edgy, perhaps because his team didn’t play like a juggernaut, perhaps because of some of the criticism directed his way, and that of his players, after last week’s Wisconsin defeat.

Or, perhaps, because he’s an intense guy and if you’ve seen Big Ten action this season, you know how intense that can be, and in the few minutes after a game it’s hard for that intensity to cool off.

Anyway, IU is 16-2, and spent a big part of the season ranked No. 1, but those two losses weigh heavily on fans’ minds. They see half-court vulnerability, poor second-half adjustments and coaching weakness. Some anger is directed toward Crean, who before the Butler loss could walk on water and who now, after the Wisconsin loss, is seen as mortal.

There is a famous Star Trek line – “Behold, the god who bleeds!” – that reflects this kind of thinking, but we don’t want anyone to think we base ALL our philosophy on a 1960s Sci-Fi TV episode.

Anyway, elite coaching is rewarding for a number of reasons, including the mega-million-dollar salaries, but with it comes off-the-charts pressure. Lose once and you’re a bum. Lose twice and, well, reap Kim Kardashian notoriety. Sometimes not even winning is enough. In 2002 Ohio State went undefeated and won the national football championship, but won a lot of close games, in part because of a great defense and mediocre offense. Fans grumbled about the failings of then coach Jim Tressel right up until the time the Buckeyes claimed the national title trophy.

With that in mind, and submitted for your approval (yes, that’s a reference to another 1960s’ Sci-Fi TV show – do you know which one?), is an excerpt from Crean’s Sunday post-game press conference. The Hoosiers held Northwestern to 30.4 percent first-half shooting to build a 14-point halftime lead, more than enough, as it turned out, to secure their third straight Big Ten road win.

Here’s one part of Crean’s press conference:

“Our key is that we've just got to stay locked in to what we're doing, and try to stay away from all of the clutter and noise and all those things that can distract you from…and there is so much of it…you just have to stay locked in to what's important, and that is how do you improve and how do you make your teammates better…and what is your recipe for winning. Our guys have done a really good job the last couple days of really understanding that again. They've been very locked in to this game, and I think it showed in our defense.”

The “clutter and noise,” we assume, is all the griping on the message boards and from some media analysts.

Then there was this from the same press conference:

“I thought our guys really defended…I think…one thing I had to remind them of, because they never read about it or hear about it, is that they are in the top 10 in field goal percentage defense…and they are in the top 10 in field goal percentage defense and offense…and nationally. I think they needed to be reminded when we do those things we're pretty good.”

And then a young reporter from a college publication tried this question:

“Coach, against Minnesota you guys scored I think 52 points in the first half and then you fell back in the second half. It was kind of a similar thing today but maybe not to the same degree.. Northwestern was able to claw back in the second half. Was there any similarities?”

Crean: "What's your point? I don't get it. Claw back? What do you mean?"

“They were able to narrow the deficit in the second half.”

Crean: “Well, they played pretty well…those teams played well. We actually…we won both of those games…make sure that you write that, too.”

And then, well, Indiana has another intriguing week, which is what Big Ten basketball is all about. On Wednesday struggling Penn State comes to Assembly Hall and the Hoosiers figure to win decisively. Then Michigan State, which leads the Big Ten with a 5-1 record, comes to town next Sunday. That will be a real chance for IU to show its championship mettle.

Win both and Crean might be, for a few minutes, back to walking on water. But as we know from the early Big Ten season, nothing is sure except nobody walks above the rest for long.

Captain Kirk couldn’t have said it any better.

Indiana Ready for Big Ten Road

Fear the Big Ten road?

Not Victor Oladipo.

Indiana’s junior guard and defensive juggernaut embraces the challenges opposing gyms bring -- hostile crowds, hyped home teams, calls that don’t always go the Cream ‘n Crimson way.

The Hoosiers will get all of that on Sunday when they head to suddenly dangerous Northwestern, which is coming off a stunning 14-point victory AT No. 22 Illinois.

“(Going on the road) brings us together because that’s what you have to be in order to win on the road in the Big Ten. We’re looking forward to it. We’re definitely looking forward to playing at a high level and playing at Indiana basketball.”

Indiana basketball, or at least the perception of it, took a hit with the Assembly Hall loss to Wisconsin. If the No. 2 Hoosiers (15-2 overall, 3-1 in the Big Ten) are no longer unbeatable at one of the most intimidating arenas in college sports, does this mean they’re vulnerable elsewhere?

Not necessarily, but IU has to pick up its level of play, especially in the second half. The last couple of days of practice, Oladipo said, were designed to reinforce that.

“We’ve been emphasizing a lot of things. Getting back on track and playing Indiana basketball. The last couple of games we’ve been losing that. We’re getting back into the groove of things and doing a great job.”

Senior guard Jordan Hulls said practices reflect that emphasis.

“It’s been really competitive with a different edge. We’re trying to build back that mindset that we need in order to win. Focus on defense and rebounding.”

Unlike Assembly Hall, Northwestern’s Welsh-Ryan Arena is small and intimidate, but it can get loud. Still, given the large number of IU fans in the Chicago area, it wouldn’t be surprising that a lot of them attend the game.

“It’s a little bit of a different environment,” Hulls said. “It’s a smaller gym, but it gets pretty rowdy. You have to have the same mindset that you have when you play in every other gym. Play together, communicate and make sure we’re doing all the things we can to win.”

Northwestern (11-7 overall, 2-3 in the Big Ten) has adjusted to the loss of standout guard Drew Crawford behind guards Reggie Hearn (14.1 points, 4.9 rebounds) and Dave Sobolewski (11.5 points, 76 assists against 32 turnovers). It thrives with a patient Princeton offense and trapping defense.

“I think anytime you play a Northwestern team, you understand their system, what their system brings to the game,” associate head coach Steve McClain said. “This is a team that continues to get better. They’ve had to go through the injury phase and new guys getting into the system. There’s no question, they showed at Illinois the other night that this group looks like they’re getting more and more comfortable in the system and running the system to what it gives them to each individual.

“They are a team that’s coming off a big win at Illinois. You look at their wins on the road – at Illinois, at Baylor – they’ve been to some tough places and came away with wins, so going to their place, we know it’s a game where you’ve got to go in and be sharp defensively.”
 

McClain understands the challenges present by Hearn and Sobolewski.

“Hearn is a guy who’s a veteran. He’s a veteran in the system. You saw a year ago when they have five veterans out there running that system, it creates unbelievable problems. Reggie is a guy who is a senior and feels like it’s time to step up and he definitely did that the other night at Illinois and has shown the ability to step up and have big games.

“(Sobolewski) played a lot of minutes last year, so he got a year of understanding and running the Northwestern system, so he can direct everyone. He can tell people when they are in the wrong spot and he’s such a good driver, he’s a good reader and he finds a way to get to that rim. So you’ve got to do a great job on him or he can have a big night.”

One of the biggest challenges when playing Northwestern is dealing with all the backdoor cuts. Lose your focus for just a second and you give up a layup.

“They have a lot of back doors that we have to be aware of,” Hulls said. “They can all shoot, so they definitely make it a little bit different in that regard, just different than most teams in the style of play that they run in transition.”

Added Oladipo: “It’s hard because they are a very good team, especially on their home court. They run that offense where they move a lot and they won’t stop moving, so we have to come with our defensive hats on and be prepared and stay focused on both ends of the floor.”

IU’s relatively light schedule, where it basically just played one game a week, is over. It will basically be two games a week the rest of the way. That’s good, McClain said.

“You can prepare both mentally and physically for it. It helps your players. I think the other side of it is that this league has already shown that playing at home isn’t a given that you’re going to win, and going on the road doesn’t mean you can’t win. I think that’s what this league has always been about and we’ve got enough guys that should understand that every team is one big win from feeling good about themselves and Northwestern is coming off a big road win at Illinois, feeling good about themselves coming home.

“I know this, our veteran guys will be prepared to go in and know that you’re going to be at your best in this game.”

Hoosier Answer Man Ready for IU Questions

Howdy and welcome to the latest edition of Hoosier Answer Man, that’s HAM to you. You’ve got questions and we have answers -- and NONE of them have anything to do with Manti Te’o, Lance Armstrong and the girlfriend who didn't exist.

As you can imagine, questions are everywhere in the wake of the stunning loss to Wisconsin.

So let’s get started.

Q: You said in your last post to bet the house IU would beat Wisconsin. We made the bet. How are you going to make that right?

Hoosier Answer Man: I don’t know what you’re talking about. Next question.

Q: What’s up with the Hoosiers in the second half? They basically stunk the last 20 minutes against Penn State, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

HAM: The easy answer would be to say that opposing teams are making better halftime adjustments. That’s probably partially true.

Take the Wisconsin game. Badgers coach Bo Ryan was so worried about IU’s three-point shooting, that in the first half he basically had just one guy defending Cody Zeller in the post. Guess what? Zeller went nuts with 18 points. So Ryan double and even triple teamed him in the second half. Zeller was 1-for-7 in the final 20 minutes and totaled just five points.

IU’s counter was to hurt the Badgers from the perimeter, but its outside shooting never got going. That allowed Wisconsin to clog the lane even more.

Another factor could be fatigue. The Hoosiers play very, very hard, and even for the fittest players, it takes its toll. Depth is a problem because of injuries to forward Derek Elston and guards Maurice Creek and Austin Etherington, and the nine-game suspensions to freshman forwards Hanner Perea and Peter Jurkin for recruiting issues.

Crean played basically a seven-man rotation against Wisconsin. He’d like to add three more, but they have to be ready and productive.

IU does a great job of pre-game preparation, and that's evident in the first half. But unless the second-half issues are corrected (better focus and energy, fewer turnovers, more consistent shooting), championship aspirations won't end well.

Q: The bench was supposed to be a strength. It’s all but disappeared the last two games. What gives?

HAM: That's a big problem. On Tuesday, the bench totaled two points to Wisconsin’s 16.

Will Sheehey, Remy Abell, Jeremy Hollowell and Hanner Mosquera-Perea combined to go 1-for-8 from the field with three assists and three turnovers. And their defense was just so-so.

That’s not nearly good enough.

The bench, which feasted on non-conference patsies, also scored just three points against Minnesota.

That must be corrected ASAP.

Q: Can Indiana dictate pace to avoid half-court drudgery?

HAM: The Hoosiers want to run on offense, attack on defense. Making shots is crucial to that.

Against Wisconsin, IU couldn’t run (just three fast-break points) and couldn’t shoot (37.0 percent overall), especially in the second half (just 26.9 percent). Much of that was due to the Badgers’ rock-solid defense, some the Hoosiers were just missing and some the pressure of the moment.

Let’s face it. It’s easier to hit a shot when you’re up by, say, 30, as IU so often was during non-conference play, than if you’re down by three.

Indiana tried full-court pressure to speed up the game, but Wisconsin handled it. That can work, but the Hoosiers have to be better at it. It would help if Elston and Jurkin and, perhaps, Creek can contribute minutes to provide the starters some much-needed rest. For Elston and Creek, that depends on their health. for Jurkin, it depends on if he's ready for Big Ten action. Right now, it seems, he's not.

On Sunday IU will again face a team that slows the pace in Northwestern, which stunned Illinois in Champaign Thursday night. The Wildcats are EXTREMELY PATIENT on offense. They love backdoor cuts and if the Hoosiers aren’t really dialed in defensively on Sunday, they will get burned early and often.

Q: Why should we believe anything you say after your "bet-the-house" post on Wisconsin?

HAM: We have to do a better job of screening these questions.

Q: Can the Hoosiers win big with a freshman point guard?

HAM: Yogi Ferrell often looked like a freshman against Wisconsin with his 2-for-8 shooting and just one assist in 34 minutes. But then, Wisconsin has a way of making every point guard, regardless of the experience, do that.

Ferrell is IU’s first true point guard in a least a decade. He has all the tools, but he’s got to get the experience, which means he's going to make mistakes. Crean gives him room to make those mistakes and provides the minutes Ferrell needs to develop. Ferrell played 34 minutes against Wisconsin. He played 37 against Minnesota.

That’s a lot, especially given how hard the Hoosiers play, but as former Purdue coach Gene Keady once said, “I don’t think 18- and-19 year olds can get tired.”

Oh. One other thing. Trey Burke handled the load last year for Michigan as a freshman, and all the Wolverines did was share the Big Ten title.

Youth, it seems, is no longer wasted on the young.

Q: Jordan Hulls was a superstar in non-conference action, but has fallen off in Big Ten games with Iowa and Wisconsin. What gives?

HAM: There’s no way to put this gently. Hulls is not a dominant athlete. Big Ten teams will exploit his defensive liabilities. Whoever he is guarding will attack the rim, which is basically what Butler’s Alex Barlow did in the Bulldogs’ upset win last month in Indianapolis. It’s basically what Big Ten teams did most of last season.

IU can offset this with great team defense. Of course, Hulls can also maximize his impact with strong shooting, sharp passing and strong decision making, something that disappeared against Wisconsin.

Here’s the bottom line -- if Hulls can’t make shots, if he can’t be solid with the ball, the Hoosiers are in big trouble.

Q: What’s up with Will Sheehey? He’s done nothing the last couple of games.

HAM: Sheehey is 0-for-7 from the field in his last two games for zero points. And the game before that, he had eight points on 2-for-6 shooting. That’s not what you want from a guy who, just two weeks ago, was averaging 12.4 points and a favorite to win Big Ten sixth man of the year.

His line against Wisconsin -- no points, three rebounds, two fouls, one assist, two turnovers in 17 minutes -- caused Crean to say, “Will has got to get more involved. Will is an active, engaged player. Will is the last guy we need when the shot is not going to not be at the same place that he needs to be defensively. He's got to be way better than that.”

Sheehey, by the way, is not exactly Mr. Friendly with the media, which as Bob Knight found out, adds unnecessary drama and stress.

And, yes, the media has noticed.

But that’s a sideshow topic for a bottom-line point, which is this can still be a special Hoosier season. The Big Ten is brutally tough, and a 13-5 record might win the championship. And all these tough games will provide excellent preparation for the NCAA tourney. IU can have a championship season.

There’s no question about that.

Bet The House – IU Beats Wisconsin

Christian Watford knows what’s coming. How could he not? The Indiana senior forward is 0-for-6 against Wisconsin in his career.

“They never stop coming, that’s the main thing,” he said. “As the game goes on, they start coming harder and harder.”

The No. 2 Hoosiers (15-1) get another chance tonight at Assembly Hall against the unranked Badgers (12-4). This will be the only regular season meeting between the two, and sole possession of the Big Ten lead is at stake. Both teams are 3-0 in conference play.

Wisconsin thrives on patient offense, physical defense and an overall rugged approach IU has to match, and then surpass.

“You’ve got to keep them off the glass,” Watford said. “When they’re not able to get the ball, they’ll tip it out, do anything just to get an extra possession.”

The Badgers have beaten Indiana 10 straight times. IU’s last win in the series came in 2007, when Kelvin Sampson was the coach.

This should be an intriguing matchup. The Hoosiers have the nation’s best offense, averaging 87.1 points a game. Wisconsin has the Big Ten’s stingiest defense, allowing 54.7 points.

“I think they do a really good job of making you take challenged, mid-range shots,” associate head coach Tim Buckley said. “I think when people penetrate the lane, they’re not afraid to switch (6-11 forward) Jared Berggren off on (point guard) Yogi Ferrell. Then that guy tries to score over the top of 6-11, 7-footer who has great timing and who is a great athlete. It’s very difficult to score that way.

“You can’t force them into making you take those tough shots. You’ve got to try to get the best shot that you can get. You’ve got to move the ball; you’ve got to cut hard; you’ve got to set good screens -- all the things you have to do against other teams that are really good defensively.”

Berggren is the key. He leads the Big Ten in blocked shots and is also averaging 13.4 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 55.2 percent from the field.

“He’s intelligent,” Buckley said. “He’s athletic. He has great timing. He really knows how to play, and he’s like the rest of those guys. They play within themselves. They never try to get outside of who they are. ”

Who they are doesn’t include turnovers. They average just 8.9 turnovers a game, the best in the Big Ten. They also lead the nation in turnover percentage, losing the ball on just 14.2 percent of their possessions.

But they haven’t faced a defense like Indiana’s. Led by deflection-machine Victor Oladipo, the Hoosiers will swarm and attack and pressure with their length and athleticism.

“They’re just dedicated to running their offense and doing what their coach wants them to do,” guard Jordan Hulls said. “In order for us to do that, we just have to get in the passing lanes and try to create havoc. Just knowing their game plan and knowing their tendencies is really going to benefit us.”

Even then, it might not be enough.

“They’re fundamentally sound,” Buckley said. “I think all of their guys play within themselves. You never really see them play too fast. They try to play at their own tempo. And if you watch enough film of Wisconsin, if they turn the ball over, you kind of hear the buzzer, and then somebody else checks in, and so I think that has a little bit to do with it, but I would also venture to guess that that is something that is emphasized tremendously in practice.”

IU has its own practice emphasis and it boils down to this -- Nobody will beat the Hoosiers in Assembly Hall this season.

******

Should Indiana, rather than Louisville, have made it to the top of the polls this week?

That’s a matter for debate.

It’s possible, if the Hoosiers had blown out No. 8 Minnesota, as they were poised to do at Saturday’s halftime, they might have made the jump from No. 5 all the way back to No. 1.

But they didn’t, and Louisville affirmed its top-ranked status with a tough-minded, comeback victory at Connecticut Monday night.

Anyway, IU (15-1) had a chance after beating Penn State and the Gophers, while No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Michigan and No. 4 Arizona all lost last week.

In the end, Louisville got 36 first-place votes in the AP poll to Indiana’s 13. Duke had 14 first-place votes, but not enough overall points to finish third. Fourth-ranked Kansas and fifth-ranked Michigan also received a first-place vote.

It was the same order in the USA Today coaches’ poll, with Louisville No. 1, IU No. 2 and Duke No. 3, Kansas No. 4 and Michigan No. 5. The Cardinals had 18 first-place votes to Indiana’s six and Duke’s seven.

Louisville has Syracuse later this week. If the Cardinals lose, and Indiana can beat Wisconsin and Northwestern, it might regain the No. 1 spot it lost with the overtime defeat to Butler.

*****

It took more than a year, but an Indiana Hoosier finally earned a Big Ten player of the week honor.

Cody Zeller shared the honor with Ohio State’s Deshaun Thomas after averaging 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals, 3.0 blocks and 1.5 assists in wins over Penn State and Minnesota.

It’s the first time Zeller has won a Player of the Week award. Last year he won seven Freshman of the Week honors.

The last Hoosier to win Big Ten player of the week honors was Christian Watford on Dec. 12, 2011. That was after he hit a rather big shot to beat Kentucky.

How Good Are the Indiana Hoosiers?

Are you like us? Did you have a sleepless night agonizing over the biggest sports question of the 21^st Century:

How in the bleep did the Denver Broncos lose to the dark-side-of-the-force Baltimore Ravens?

Sorry. We lost focus -- just like the second-half Hoosiers.

Anyway, in the aftermath of the victory over very, very, very good Minnesota, where are we with Indiana?

Is this truly a national title contending team or does it lack, despite all the work, talent and tenacity, the true killer spirit necessary for great things?

It’s hard to know.

The Hoosiers played one of the great halfs of the season and turned around to play one of the worst.

Yes, it happens. It’s human nature, despite all the talk, to let up, to lose the edge when a halftime lead is so large that it’s almost beyond belief it could be lost, especially at Assembly Hall.

IU almost did. And if not for some great hustle by Cody Zeller to tip Jordan Hulls’ third straight missed crunch-time free throw back to Hulls, who was fouled and hit the clinching free throws, Minnesota might have claimed one of the best rallies in Big Ten history.

This is the second straight game the Hoosiers have botched the opening of the second half after a kick-rump first. Last Monday at Penn State they had a Keystone Cop run where the only thing they did well was screw up.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Yes, we know the Keystone Cop references a Silent Movie era-symbol of incompetence. No, it does not mean we were alive when the cops were at their popular peak (1912-17).

Anyway, maybe it’s time for a new halftime locker room presentation. Our suggestion -- pump Tiny Tim singing “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” into the locker room. Tell the players, in so many words, that if they don’t play solid ball in the first five minutes of the second half Tiny Tim will become mandatory mood music at all practices for the rest of the season.

IMPORTANT QUESTION: Isn’t that cruel and unusual punishment, and just plain wrong?

IMPORTANT ANSWER: Yes. Now get your candy-rumps going!

Anyway, IU had one assist in the second half compared to 11 turnovers. Much of that was due to the way it stumbled against Minnesota’s press. Bet the house other Big Ten teams will take note. So what was the problem?

“We didn't attack it correctly,” coach Tom Crean said. “We got caught up a little bit in getting it down the court rather than how we were going to get it down the court.

“They were aggressive. We knew that. We practiced for that. I just think that we didn't do a great job with our spacing. We didn't do a great job with the in-bounds. I'll blame myself for not having enough screening, because they were very physical. A couple times it was hard to get open. We may need to put a few more screening options in our zone like we did later in the game.”

Okay, enough of the negativity. Indiana did beat one of the hottest teams in America because it played a first half for the ages. It turned Minnesota into Central Connecticut State. It shot well, defended great, and displayed all the things Crean wants in a basketball team.

In so many ways, it’s basketball as art. The Hoosiers display the kind of balance that no team can defend.

Look at these halftime numbers against one of America’s best teams: Christian Watford had 10 points and five rebounds; Victor Oladipo had 13 points, two assists and two steals; Hulls had 12 points on 4-for-5 three-point shooting; Yogi Ferrell had eight points and seven assists.

IU shot 65.6 percent from the field, had 13 assists against four turnovers, had seven steals and forced 12 Minnesota turnovers, had a 13-12 rebound edge.

In the end, Watford finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Zeller had 18 and nine. Oladipo had 20 and six. Hulls had 19 and four. Ferrell had 13 and eight assists.

That’s impressive balance.

“I think there is balance for a reason,” Crean said. “Our guys aren't dominating the Big Ten Player of the Week, Big Ten Freshman of the Week mantels because it's rare that it's going to be one guy with major points. We have got a lot of balance scoring. Today was another day like that.

“I think they are really understanding two things. Everybody is going to score the more points we score. But it doesn't happen if we don't defend and score off our defense, and it doesn't happen if we don't rebound.

“When you're working as hard as you are on defense, you're rarely going to come down and take a bad shot or force something when you've got other teammates working that hard with you defensively. I think we're a good example of that now.

“Yogi has got a lot to do with how the ball moves. Jordan does. There might be somebody as good as passing the ball from the forward position, but I've never seen anybody pass it better than Cody. He is tremendous at that. A key for us is our reversals. Those guys are buying into the percentages of what happens when we reverse it two or three times. Those numbers don't lie."

Here’s what else doesn’t lie -- IU can’t have any more low-level second halfs. It’s not realistic to expect to build a 23-point halftime lead against Big Ten competition the rest of the way. It almost certainly won’t happen Tuesday night against dangerous Wisconsin, which is 3-0 in league play along with the Hoosiers and Michigan.

The Badgers stumbled a bit in non-conference play while adjusting to key injuries and player losses from last year, but they’ve won six straight and just flattened No. 12 Illinois at the Kohl Center.

Indiana has to play tough, focused, 40-minute ball. If it does that, it cruises. If not, it will have no one to blame but itself.

And that leads to the last question -- who the bleep is Tiny Tim?

You ask too many questions.

*****

I want to thank all the readers who provided the kind words of support in an earlier post. They very much helped. I'm still wrestling with the idea of writing something about it. So we'll see.

Basketball showdown -- Can IU Get Minnesota to Blink?

Don’t expect Minnesota to blink today in Assembly Hall.

The Indiana Hoosiers sure don’t.

“They won’t be afraid of the atmosphere,” forward Cody Zeller said. “We play well at home, but they beat us here last year. There won’t be too much of an advantage for us.”

Yes, Minnesota won at Assembly Hall 77-74 last year. Yes, the No. 8 Gophers are much better this season (see the blowout win at No. 12 Illinois as the biggest example).

Still, Zeller might be understating things a little. Assembly Hall will be packed and loud, especially now that the students are back from their holiday break. At the moment, there might not be a more intimidating arena in America.

This is IU’s first Big Ten home game and if it took two weeks to arrive, who cares.

The No. 5 Hoosiers (14-1 overall, 2-0 in the Big Ten) and the Gophers (15-1, 3-0) should provide plenty of action and drama. So much so that Tom Crean nearly wishes he were a fan instead of a coach.

Nearly.

“It would be a great game to watch,” he said, “but I have to participate in it.”

Participation brings plenty to worry about. Minnesota has a tough, veteran squad that only has two freshmen on the roster and only one who plays, guard Wally Ellenson.

The Gophers are anchored by 24-year-old power forward Trevor Mbakwe, who started his college career at Marquette (with Crean as the coach) before transferring to Minnesota.

The 6-8, 245-pound Mbakwe is one of the most physically imposing players in the country. He’s rounding into form after missing most of last season with a knee injury. He averages 9.3 points and 7.9 rebounds, and is coming off a 19-point, 11-rebound effort at Illinois.

For comparision,  a fully healthy Mbakwe averaged 13.9 points and 10.5 rebounds as a sophomore and 14.0 points and 9.1 rebounds as a junior.

“There’s no doubt Trevor makes a huge difference in their lineup,” Crean said.

Combine that difference with the improvement in players such as guards Andre Hollins (13.7 points, 3.7 assists), Joe Coleman (10.9 points, 4.2 rebounds) and Austin Hollins (10.8 points, 3.4 rebounds), plus forward Rodney Williams (12.6 points, 5.9 rebounds) and you have a powerhouse team capable of beating No. 22 Michigan State and Illinois by double digits.

“Anybody who’s known them and followed their team knew that was going to happen,” Crean said. “Now take what Trevor is doing, and how improved they are all, the commitment they have to the rebounding. They are really good in helping each other on defense. They’ve grown as a team. They play so hard.

We know what we’re in for. That was the only (home) loss we had a year ago. We’ve had some great battles with them. We’re well aware.”

Awareness starts with Zeller, who will likely have to deal the Mbakwe.

“They’ll be one of the toughest games we’ve had all year,” Zeller said. “Look at the teams they’ve beaten already. They’ve proven themselves that they’re a very tough team. They’ve got a lot of guys who can hurt you in a lot of ways. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

To reinforce that, Crean had a tape of last year’s Minnesota game playing in the locker room.

“This is a huge game,” guard Victor Oladipo said. “It’s big for us. It’s big for them. You’ve got two top-10 teams and it’s in the Big Ten. It doesn’t get any more high level than this.”

Well before the season Crean was talking up Minnesota’s prospects. Losing Mbakwe cost the Gophers a NCAA tourney opportunity last year, but they did finish as the NIT runner-up, with plenty of guys getting plenty of experience.

This year is the payoff.

“It’s not like I’m a prophet,” Crean said about his Minnesota optimisim, “but Trevor is too good. The improvement of those guys. The confidence the Hollins guys have. The way Rodney Williams has continued to develop. Joe Colemen is tough, aggressive, athletic. They’re a deep team. They have an understanding of what it takes to win at a high level. They’ve been through some things.”

Minnesota plays 12 guys eight minutes a game and more. IU has 11.

“We’ll both try to play deep, play good defense and get out in transition,” Crean said. “It will come down to shot selecton, rebounding and decision making.

“They lead the league in steals (154 total, 22 in three games). We want to create deflections. They want to get steals.”

In other words, the Gophers ain’t blinking.

Will Indiana’s Watford Stop the Roller Coaster?

Enough of Christian Watford as the human roller coaster.

Indiana’s senior forward is good. When he’s on, he’s one of the best players in the country. When he’s not, he’s the invisible man.

Watford, the guy who will forever be remembered for his Kentucky-beating three-pointer, had just six points and four rebounds against North Dakota State, two points and five rebounds against North Carolina. He had zero rebounds against Florida Atlantic, although he did offset that with 17 points.

Let’s be blunt -- that can’t happen.

The 6-9 Watford is the Big Ten’s best free throw shooter (89.2 percent). He’s a potential double-double guy every time he steps on the court (he averages 12.7 points and 6.5 rebounds). He can guard every position.

Maybe Watford needs an A.J. McCarron-Barrett Jones kind of moment before each game, where a teammate gets in his face during the game and so ticks him off that a shoving match ensues.

Then, all riled up, he takes it out on the opposition.

McCarron, in case you’ve forgotten, is the Alabama stud quarterback with the really hot girlfriend (just ask Brent Musberger) who, in the heat of the moment in the closing minutes against Notre Dame, got into it with his occasional roommate, stud center Jones.

Anyway, IU needs Watford at his full-court best, which he was at the start in Monday’s win at Penn State. He had 13 points in the first 14 minutes to jump start the Hoosiers to a 37-21 lead.

He finished with 16 points (on 5-for-8 shooting) and eight rebounds as the Hoosiers won by 23 points, it’s biggest conference road victory in a decade.

This was no accident. Coach Tom Crean said the Hoosiers made getting Watford off to a good start a priority.

“We wanted to get him going and we went to him right off the bat. We felt that was a big part of our game plan and he responded.

“We want him to hunt (for his offense). We don’t want him to make up his mind early and say, ‘I need to shoot this’ or ‘I need to go here.’ We want him to hunt offense by movement and reading what’s there. I think he did a great job of that, whether it was getting to the rim, whether it was making threes, the post-up game. He did an extremely good job. He was one of our catalysts defensively.”

The No. 5 Hoosiers (14-1) will need all the catalysts they can get Saturday when No. 8 Minneosta (15-1) comes to Assembly Hall. Both teams are unbeaten in Big Ten play, with IU at 2-0 and the Gophers at 3-0.

Minnesota has the best Big Ten road win so far, winning at Illinois by 17 points. A few days earlier the Illini had beaten Ohio State there by 17 points.

IU has lost only one game at Assembly Hall in the last two years – that was to Minnesota by a 77-74 score. In other words, it has won 28 of its last 29 home games.

The Hoosiers appear unbeatable at Assembly Hall, especially with students back with all their loud, intimidating passion.

IU MIGHT beat Minnesota with a sluggish Watford. It will beat the Gophers if Watford is on his offensive and defensive game.

*****

Sophomore forward Cody Zeller has made the Wooden Award’s top 25 list. That means he’s still in the running to win the award, which goes annually to the nation’s best player.

Is Zeller deserving of that honor? Before the season started he was projected as the nation’s best and a strong contender to be the No. 1 pick in next summer’s NBA Draft if he chooses to leave school early.

But he’s taken a dip in some national experts’ eyes, although he leads IU in scoring (16.5 points), rebounding (7.9) and blocks (20).

And, remember, the Hoosiers are a strong national contender.

In ESPN.com’s first Player of the Year straw poll Zeller came in fourth behind Duke’s Mason Plumblee, Michigan’s Trey Burke and Creighton’s Doug McDermott. Zeller was the preseason leader in the poll.

For the record, I vote in the poll and did list Zeller in my top three.

Also for the record, last year’s eventual national player of the year, Anthony Davis of Kentucky, was fourth in the first poll.

*****

Indiana might need a perfect month of January to win a Big Ten championship.

Why?

Glad you asked.

The Hoosiers have an absolutely brutal February -- road games at No. 12 Illinois (14-3), No. 15 Ohio State (12-3), No. 22 Michigan State (12-3) and Minnesota, plus a home game against No. 2 Michigan (16-0). That overshadows a home game with arch-rival Purdue (7-8).

Oh. Don’t forget the regular season ending finale on March 10 at Michigan.

If Indiana can get to February unbeaten in Big Ten play at 8-0, it could afford some February losses. That means beating Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Penn State, Michigan State and Purdue.

As far as what kind of record will win the conference title, who knows? The Big Ten is ridiculously strong. A 13-5 record won last year. That’s probably a good goal to shoot for, then if a team goes, say, 15-3, it probably wins in a landslide.

Is any team good enough to win 15 games against this kind of competition?

All we can say is, it will be fun to watch.

******

You never know where Indiana’s basketball recruiting will go.

Take, for instance, Australia. That’s the homeland for one Dante Exum, a 6-5 shooting guard rated No. 17 in the Class of 2014 even though he doesn’t play high school ball in the United States. He plays for the Australian Institute of Sport, but impressed a lot of people last summer in Las Vegas. He’s good enough to have offers from the Hoosiers, Georgetown and LSU, among others. North Carolina is giving him a strong look. His father, Cecil, played on the Tar Heels 1982 national title team. Cecil played pro ball in Australia.

Exum is making his first official visit this weekend at IU, which means he’ll be front and center for the Minnesota game. He’s already made an unofficial one to North Carolina. Those are presumed to be his two favorites.

Exum is in the same class as Fort Wayne Bishop Luers’ James Blackmon, who committed to IU before he even reached high school.

Another big IU target in the Class of 2014 is Indianapolis Park Tudor small forward Trevion Bluiett, who has offers from IU, Purdue, Michigan, Louisville and Virginia. He’s rated No. 46 nationally in the Class of 2014.

The Hoosiers also are in the running for forward Cliff Alexander (ranked No. 4), Evansville Bosse’s Jaquan Lyle (No. 16), Baltimore small forward Dwayne Morgan (No. 18), North Carolina forward Theo Pinson (No. 11) and Georgia shooting guard Ahmed Hill (No. 25)

Crean got IU back into the national spotlight because of his strong recruiting. As you can tell, he hasn’t forgotten.

*****

I have not posted in a while. The reason is very personal, and very emotionally painful. Part of me wants to keep it personal, part wants to make it public. I'm not sure which direction I will go.