February Hoosier Hoops Mailbag
Although there is no system in place for us here at Hoosier State of Mind to take questions from our adoring fan base, we know that there are many that fans are dying to ask. Luckily I am an expert at reading minds, and am able to know the questions our readers will ask long before they have even thought of them. To answer your first one: Yes, it is weird when Dan Dakich talks about his IU days and “sneaking over to sorority houses” during live broadcasts of games he is commentating. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, here is our late February Hoosier hoops mailbag.
How will Robert Johnson’s injury affect the Hoosiers Big 10 and NCAA Tournament title chances?
After driving to the basket late in the Purdue game on Saturday night, sophomore guard Robert Johnson came crashing down to the floor in what looked to be a devastating injury. After being carried off the court (by just a single assistant coach, who should immediately enter himself into various ESPN2 World’s Strongest Man competitions), the Hoosier faithful were justifiably concerned. However after the game Johnson’s x-rays came back negative and he was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain. If Johnson is shelved for an extended period of time it would undoubtedly impact the team’s chances of success going forward. Due to James Blackmon Jr’s season-ending injury earlier in the season, the Hoosiers were already short handed. They have been forced to give freshman walk-on Harrison Niego significant minutes in his absence, and Niego has responded positively by playing solid defense and giving Johnson and Yogi Ferrell needed rest during games. However if Johnson and his 25.5 minutes per game are removed, the Hoosiers are left with a gaping hole in their rotation. Think “the Warriors without Harrison Barnes” or “the Backstreet Boys without the weird tall one named Howie”: not the stars of the show, but important nevertheless. The only other playable guard on the roster is fifth year senior Nick Zeisloft, however his skill set is better used as a 6th or 7th man coming off the bench. If Johnson can’t go, Tom Crean will more than likely have to go big with his starting lineup and start both Max Bielfeldt and Colin Hartman. Putting these two bigs, as well as current starters Thomas Bryant and Troy Williams on the court at the same time leaves Crean with only one primary ball handler in point guard Yogi Ferrell. The key to holding things together until, or if, Robert Johnson returns will be Troy Williams. If he can take on more of a ball-handling role, then the Hoosiers should be ok. However, we know that Troy can play out of control at points , and can’t always be trusted with the ball in his hands. If Troy can actually bring the ball down the court like he isn’t running away from an actively erupting volcano, then maybe we can talk. We still shouldn’t necessarily count out Zeisloft starting though. Bielfeldt and Hartman are both big boys, and their relative lack of quickness could really hurt the improved defense that has come on strong the second half of the season. Long story short, the Hoosiers need Johnson in the lineup if they have any shot of making this season one to remember. Without him, the Hoosiers could be in trouble.
UPDATE: RoJo has been officially diagnosed with a high ankle sprain. Only time will truly tell, but it seems like we lucked out on this one. There are reports that he may only miss the Illinois game. Coach Crean will spend one less hour asking his trusted Magic 8 Ball how to coach this team when he gets home tonight.
Will Tom Crean ever act like a normal human being?
Clearly, the answer to this is a resounding no. Tom Crean seems like an alien that has been watching humans for a few years and knows pretty much how they are supposed to act, but doesn’t understand the specific intricacies of what it takes to be a normal person. These are things like not having a haircut that looks like something Johnny Tsunami would surf on, or not kissing your teenage son on the lips in front of 17,000 people. All of that said, Crean is starting to grow on me. He’s slowly becoming the equivalent of your weird little brother that sometimes eats glue or randomly stares off into space. You always make fun of him, but the second someone else starts talking trash you’re quick to defend him.
Who is the Big 10 Player of the Year?
There are a few good options here, including Purdue’s AJ Hammons, Maryland’s Melo Trimble, and our very own Yogi Ferrell. However, this will ultimately be a two horse race between Iowa’s Jared Uthoff and Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine. Both players are having unbelievable seasons, with Uthoff putting up 18.8 points a game and Valentine throwing down 19.7. The key here is not how these players have finished the year, but how they have been playing the whole season. While Valentine has been destroying everyone that comes in his way (we saw it first hand when he threw up a casual 30 points, 13 assists and 5 boards against IU in East Lansing), he also missed 4 key games at the start of Big 10 play. Quick side note: has anyone sounded like they should be a Barry White-style “setting the mood” singer more than someone named “Denzel Valentine”? Other than our boy Verdell Jones, I think not. Anyway, back to the breakdown. While Valentine has been dominating since early January, Uthoff has been doing his thing for the entire year. The senior has led Iowa to one of the best seasons in the program’s history, and is my choice for Big 10 POY. Now, let’s hope that this somehow jinxed him when the Hawkeyes play the Hoosiers next week.
Where does Yogi Ferrell rank among the all-time greatest Hoosiers?
Over the past four years, Yogi has blossomed into one of the best players in the history of Indiana basketball. He is now the all-time assists leader, sits in the top 25 in career points for IU, and just passed Christian Watford for most games started under a Tom Crean-led Hoosiers team. Other than Isiah Thomas and Steve Alford, it is not ridiculous to believe that Yogi is one of the best point guards to come through Assembly Hall. Yes, everyone can agree that Calbert Cheaney, Scott May and Mike Woodson all rate higher than Ferrell, which can be partly attributed to their postseason success. However Ferrell has laid claim to being the face of Hoosier basketball in the 21st century. If he can finally make a tournament run, his name will skyrocket up the list. At the very least, Ferrell is a top-15 all-time Hoosier.
Should it be illegal for IU to play games in Assembly Hall?
Quick story. I went to the Purdue/IU game the other night and was lucky enough to sit in the student section behind the basket. As soon as the Indiana starter introductions began, a kid in this section started screaming at the top of his lungs. This went on FOR THE ENTIRE GAME. No breaks. That’s like 3 hours. I’m pretty sure he didn’t even break to take a breath. Could you imagine yelling at the top of your lungs for three straight hours? That is arguably more impressive than the moon landing. I feel so bad for his future kids. The only justification for screaming at the top of your lungs for three straight uninterrupted hours is if you are a male that just walked out of the theater after a showing of “Gone Girl”. Anywhere else in the world, you would think that this kid is certifiably insane. Alright, he probably is insane. But that is just one example of the thousands of wild fans that pack into Assembly Hall for every Hoosier home game. After that huge Purdue win, IU extended its record at Assembly Hall this year to 16-0. With a win against Maryland in the last game of the season, the Hoosiers could cap off a perfect home record in 2015-2016. The fact of the matter is that when the Hall is rocking, it’s the biggest home court advantage in college basketball. No matter who the opponent is, the Hoosiers always seem to elevate their game to another level when they’re playing in front of their home crowd. Whether this is due to the largest student section in the nation, or opposing players seeing full grown men wearing candy stripe pants, something about Assembly Hall and the raucous crowd always seems to get underneath the opponents skin. In fact, IU is an astounding 17-2 against ranked teams at home in the last five years. If the Indiana athletic department could somehow swing it to get all of the Hoosiers NCAA tournament games played at home, there is no doubt in my mind that the team could win an unprecedented 14 straight NCAA titles. So to answer the question, no probably not.
Should Tim Priller be announced along with the starting lineups before every game?
Yes, yes, yes. A million times yes. Let me paint you a picture. The PA announcer has just finished his normal routine of announcing the starting Hoosiers, finishing as always with “and at point guard, from Indianapolis, Indiana, Yogi Ferrell!”. Then a hush sweeps over Assembly Hall as the opening chords from Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” reverberate throughout the building. Suddenly, echoing shades of Michael Buffer introducing a prize fighter before a title fight, the PA announcer comes on and yells with all of his might, “Ladies and Gentleman, Tim…….Prilllllllllller!!” No hometown, no height, no position. Just his name. In this scenario, Priller would take a lap around the court waving to his adoring fans like Cal Ripken after ending his consecutive games-played streak as “Lose Yourself” rocks the stadium. He would then make his way to the end of the bench, sit down, and watch the entire game from the last chair on the sideline as he usually does as if nothing happened. This would make every pre-game ceremony a must-watch event, and would undoubtedly send Priller to heights of fame reserved for only rappers and the “Suh Dude” vine guys. Hey, a guy can dream.