Indiana Hoosiers
Big Ten (20-13, 9-9)
Even though there were some tough moments along the way, Indiana’s young team had a great season. Regular season wins over teams like SMU, Pittsburgh, Butler, Ohio State and Maryland will propel this Hoosiers team in the postseason. Surviving in the grueling Big Ten means this team will not be afraid to take on anybody.
Big Wins: 11/20 SMU (74-68), 12/20 vs Butler (82-73), 1/22 Maryland (89-70)
Bad Losses: 11/24 Eastern Washington (86-88), 1/28 at Purdue (67-83), 2/25 at Northwestern (65-72)
Coach: Tom Crean
Why They Can Surprise:
Coach Tom Crean’s squad is loaded with talented shooters. Yogi Ferrell has connected on 40.8 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc and has turned into the team’s leader. His leadership and 4.9 assists per game are something this young team needed to find and Ferrell has certainly provided it. James Blackmon, Jr. has been just as prolific shooting and scoring as Ferrell. Blackmon averages 15.8 points per game and has made 38.7 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. Robert Johnson and Nick Zeisloft are also prolific shooters and are shooting around 40 percent from long range. The combined talent provides a lot of efficient and effective shooters and when those shots are falling, the Hoosiers can beat absolutely anybody.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Forward Collin Hartman is a superb shooter too and will stretch the defense. Troy Williams deserves a ton of credit for stepping up and becoming an interior scoring threat and strong rebounder, but he is basically a big guard. This team lacks a superstar and shot blocker in the frontcourt. The hope was Hanner Mosquera-Perea would emerge as that player, but it has not worked out that way. Injuries derailed and then ended his season. Teams that can attack the basket and get past the decent perimeter defense will be able to score. That may not be enough to beat Indiana if they keep raining three’s, but sooner or later the shots will not fall enough for the Hoosiers and that will put an end to Indiana’s postseason.
Probable Starters:
Yogi Ferrell, Junior, Guard, 16.1 ppg, 4.9 apg
Robert Johnson, Freshman, Guard, 9.0 ppg, 2.3 apg
James Blackmon, Freshman, Guard, 15.8 ppg, 1.6 apg, 5.3 rpg
Troy Williams, Sophomore, Forward, 13.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.9 apg
Collin Hartman, Sophomore, Forward, 4.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Emitt Holt, Freshman, Forward, 3.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg
Stanford Robinson, Sophomore, Guard, 2.9 ppg, 1.2 apg
Nick Zeisloft, Junior, Guard, 6.8 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 78.0 (18th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 71.8 (297, 14)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.1 (30, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 45.5 (302, 14)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 9.4 (8, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 41.0 (3, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.3 (94, 7)
Rebound Margin: 2.8 (87, 6)
Assists Per Game: 14.0 (75, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.7 (77, 7)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NCAA Second Round win over James Madison
2013 NCAA Third Round win over Temple
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Syracuse
2012 NCAA Second Round win over New Mexico State
2012 NCAA Third Round win over Virginia Commonwealth
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Kentucky
2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Arkansas
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Gonzaga
2007 NCAA Round of 32 loss to UCLA
2006 NCAA Round of 64 win over San Diego State
2006 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Gonzaga
2005 NIT First Round loss to Vanderbilt
2003 NCAA Round of 64 win over Alabama
2003 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Pittsburg
*all team stats through 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
