Crean’s Indiana needs a Big Ten Tournament title
By Ben Beane
Forget the NCAA tournament for just a moment. We still have yet to make it past the semi-finals of a Big Ten Tournament under Tom Crean. How can we win in the big dance if we can’t even prove that we are the best team in our own conference tournament?
Indiana has seen some great teams come and go in the Tom Crean era. Some may be upset that they exited the NCAA tournament too early in 2012 to Syracuse, or last year to North Carolina, but of all of the shortcomings of Crean’s Indiana, their poor performance in Big Ten Tournaments has to be the worst.
Since the Big Ten Tournament started in 1998, Michigan State has won it 5 times, Ohio State 4 times, Wisconsin 3, Illinois twice, Iowa twice, and even Purdue once in 2009. Yet, for as respected as Indiana’s basketball history is, still have yet to win a Big Ten Tournament. They have won the regular season twice in 2012-13 and 2015-16, which on paper should be harder than winning the tournament, but struggle to make it past the quarterfinals – only reaching the semis once in 2013.
Home court advantage is huge for Indiana. They didn’t lose a single game at Assembly Hall last season, which was recently ranked by ESPN as the hardest place to play in the Big Ten, and thrive off of the crowd’s energy. It would be easy to point to their tournament results and say it is because they have to play consecutive games at a neutral venue, but 7 of the 9 years Crean has been in charge the tournament was held at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse (or Conseco before it was renamed) in Indianapolis. Despite it being a different atmosphere, Indiana still has most of the crowd on their side, but fails to deliver.
It’s not as if they are going up against the top team every year either. Last season, they were the #1 ranked team in the conference, and were beaten by Michigan, who they defeated handedly away in the regular season. In 2013, when they were once again the #1 seed, they were defeated by Wisconsin by 12. They were beaten by Wisconsin the previous year, as well, this time as the 4 seed going up against the 5. Point being, over the years, Indiana has continuously lost very winnable games.
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How can you win in the tournament against the likes of Kentucky or Duke half-way across the country, when you can’t even beat Michigan in your own backyard? Winning the Big Ten Tournament this season may be just what the doctor ordered to make a big run in the NCAA tourney. Indiana needs to learn how to win a tournament before they win THE tournament.
They have the players to get them there. The addition of De’Ron Davis, who is reportedly now on campus, will add a lot to their defensive game, as he is a prolific shot-stopper and rebounder. With Thomas Bryant and OG Anunoby coming into their own, as well as a James Blackmon Jr. back to full-strength, they are without a doubt one of the most talented teams in the country. Perhaps this is the year that Crean finally gets a Big Ten Tournament title to go with his two Regular Season Championships.