Hoosier State of Mind
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Indiana Basketball: Breaking Down the First Month of 2016-17

By Jordan Maly

Nov 30, 2016; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers coach Tom Crean coaches on the sidelines against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Assembly Hall. Indiana defeats North Carolina 76-67. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2016; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers coach Tom Crean coaches on the sidelines against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Assembly Hall. Indiana defeats North Carolina 76-67. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Bad

Loss to IPFW

It goes without saying that losing a game of this magnitude hurts, a lot. While IPFW is no cupcake game, it was one that Indiana undoubtedly saw as a victory. The recent history of major struggles on the road for Indiana continued, dropping what should have been a pretty uneventful win.

What makes the loss hurt even more is the two wins against top 5 opponents that could have shot Indiana straight to a #1 ranking had they been able to corral a win in Fort Wayne.

IPFW ranks in the top 15 (#11) in scoring throughout all of Div. I Men’s Basketball. The Mastodons are averaging right around 89 points per game. IPFW’s Bryson Scott, who hung 16 points on the Hoosiers en route to the win, was a former player at Purdue who transferred after last season.

We continue to see Indiana play to the level of their competition, beating two top 5 ranked teams early and then flopping against lesser opponents. If Indiana wants to continue to be considered one of the toughest opponents in college basketball, losses like this one cannot continue.

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Injury to O.G. Anunoby

The incredible performance of O.G. Anunoby in a 76-67 win over #3 North Carolina is masked by his non-contact injury suffered in the late portion of the second half. He was helped off the court, seemingly unable to put any weight on his left leg.

Coach Crean said during the post game ““It’s (a) high (sprain), so we’ll see.”

While many are reporting that Indiana will be without Anunoby for at least two weeks, it’s reassuring that there was no major damage in the initial reports. Indiana cannot afford to lose him for any extended period of time, as the Hoosiers are set to square off against two top 15 ranked teams (#11 Louisville, #16 Butler) at the end of December.

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