Indiana Basketball: Guards step up vs. Kansas
By Ben Beane
A lot of criticisms about this Indiana team were centered on their uncertainty at the guard position. With Yogi Ferrell gone to the NBA, it was looking like their back-court would consist of Josh Newkirk, who many were underwhelmed with at Pitt, and James Blackmon Jr., who was returning from a very serious knee injury.
It is well known that Tom Crean likes to get the most out of his guards, but no one was expecting them to succeed like they did in their win over #3 Kansas last Friday – especially after Blackmon Jr.’s shaky shooting performance against Bellarmine. There was no leader for the guards, and many thought that would hurt the Hoosiers.
They had a tough matchup with Kansas, too. Jayhawk guards Frank Mason III and Devonte’ Graham were receiving a lot of attention nationally, and for good reason. Mason III absolutely carved the Indiana defense for 30 points. Crean will want to crack down on points given up on iso drives created by guards. Too many and-ones were given away.
What we saw was confidence – with no player being shy to step up when the game was on the line. Blackmon Jr. was clutch. When they needed a basket, it seemed he was always there to deliver. His best moments were the deep contested three he made with just over 2 minutes left to put the Hoosiers up by 2, and the three-pointer he made with a hand right in his face to put them up 94-91 at the halfway mark of overtime. If he doesn’t get those shots to fall, I’m not so sure Indiana wins the game.
Newkirk didn’t score well, only contributing 7 points in 35 minutes, but that should be by no means the way to judge his performance. He hustled on every play, and was a main reason why Indiana’s offense ran so smoothly. The team looked uncomfortable early, but that was because players like Thomas Bryant and Juwan Morgan would get stranded at the top of the key with the ball. Once Newkirk was the primary ball-handler, things started clicking for the Hoosiers. Along with his 7 points, he also added 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal.
Robert Johnson was great when he was in, but was in foul trouble for the majority of it. While the other starters were seeing 36, 35, 39 minutes, he was limited to 21. It was unfortunate because Indiana could have used an experienced player like Johnson toward the end, but ironically, it was the inexperienced player in Curtis Jones that came up big in his absence.
The freshman from Highland Springs, VA, came up huge for the Hoosiers down the stretch. His step-back three in overtime put the game nearly out of range for the Jayhawks. When Kansas responded on the other end, they were forced to foul Jones who showed great maturity by hitting both of his free-throws. Kansas responded once again, making it a 2 point game, but Jones broke free on the inbound pass, and dunked it to close out the game. Jones was Indiana’s highest recruit, ranked 40th overall in his class, and showed why. He only 16 minutes of the court, but you’d have to assume that number will rise.
Indiana’s other freshman guard, Devonte Green, couldn’t really get things going like he did in their opening exhibition game vs. Hope. In his 13 minutes, he was only able to hit one shot, also receiving a foul and turning the ball over. He’ll get there, he just needs to keep working hard and build his confidence. He was shown that, like his NBA player brother Danny Green, that he can be lethal from downtown.
These are the type of wins that the NCAA committee looks at in determining tournament seeds. It is only November, but to come out on a neutral court and hand a very talented Jayhawks a loss, on the back of some unexpected players, speaks volumes about the character of the team. It is early, but perhaps safe to say that this Indiana team is a little better than were previously expected, and they were previously expected to be pretty good.
The game itself was called pretty tight by the officials. They let them play a little more physical in the Big Ten, and I believe that will play to the benefit of the Hoosiers. They didn’t have bad games by any means, but Thomas Bryant and OG Anunoby had to be careful when working in the paint due to foul trouble. Both will be forces to be reckoned with this season.
Tom Crean must be over-the-moon with this win. It was an overall great team-effort, getting production from players all the way down the roster. If he can get a win over UNC after this stretch of easy games, then Indiana has to seriously looking at a top 5 spot, and a real contender for a title run. There is still a lot of season to play, and the team needs to stay focused. They can’t afford to assume they are as good as everyone is thinking they are, because that is how upsets happen.