Is This Indiana Team For Real?

After Tuesday night’s dismantling of struggling Illinois, Hoosier nation allowed a thought to creep into their head that no one had dared consider in the past three years: Indiana might actually be good again. While many point out that Indiana has only played the bottom feeders of the Big Ten this year, pundits shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss what the Hoosiers have done. Even though we are able to look through the goggles of the Oladipo and Zeller years, we are all far too aware of how difficult it is to get six wins in the Big 10 (appreciate all of your hard work Kelvin Sampson!). In order to get a better idea of just how good this Indiana team may be, it’s important to look into what led them to their current 16-3 record.

Even the most casual IUBB fans will remember the absolute beat down Duke put on the Hoosiers at Cameron Indoor in early December. Not only did the Hoosiers lose, they looked like they forgot the main concepts of the game of basketball at certain points (pass the ball to your teammates, put the ball through the orange hoop on the far side of the court, etc.). After that game, nearly everyone in the college basketball landscape was ready to sign IU and Tom Crean’s death certificates. However instead of turning over and dying after the 20-point loss, Indiana did a funny thing: it came together and started playing Hoosier basketball. The squad may have been assisted by certain things out of their control (**cough** James Blackmon’s absence**cough**), but by coming together after a tough loss instead of blaming each other, we saw something in this team that we haven’t seen in awhile. It sincerely looks like this group of guys enjoys playing with each other, and for their much-maligned coach.

The past few years we’ve been accustomed to seeing a team full of players that refuse to buy in. These tough times consisted of selfish basketball and emotionally vacant players that seemed to just be going through the motions. However this 11-game win streak in response to the Duke loss tells Hoosier nation that this isn’t the same team as years past. Whether it was the addition of the colorful big man Thomas Bryant, the realization that playing defense actually makes a difference, or a lucky string of winnable games, the Hoosiers have seemed to put it all together. This sense of camaraderie is the main reason why I believe that this team is different. It’s pretty obvious that in order to be a good basketball team, you have to enjoy playing together. Perhaps more than any other sport, chemistry on the hard-court can take your team from being good to great. Look no further than the Golden State Warriors, who Indiana was actually unfairly compared earlier this season. When players enjoy playing with each other, good things happen. By buying into Tom Cream’s message, Indiana has started to turn things around.

Now don’t get me wrong, IU is going to lose some heart breakers this year. There will still be games that the Hoosiers do something that make you want to scream a four-minute straight stream of curse words at your TV. It wouldn’t be Indiana basketball without moments like these. But instead of giving up on the team, dig in a little deeper and start to believe that Tom Crean is finally getting through to his team. Have faith that this team knows that they are playing for something bigger than their own personal basketball futures. Have faith that Indiana basketball is on the right path (I know we’ve heard that before). I know it’s difficult to believe in Tom Crean, but if this 11-game win streak continues, it will start to become almost impossible to believe in anything else.