2011 Indiana Basketball Preview

2010-11 Results

Overall: 12-20 (Home 12-6 Road 0-11 Neutral 0-3 Postseason 0-0)
Big 10: 3-15
Conference Tournament: Lost in the first round of the Big Ten tournament to Penn State
Postseason: None

Tom Crean guided Indiana to a 12-20 overall record last year and a 3-15 record in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers started 9-4 but didn’t fare well once Big Ten action got underway and finished the season with nine straight losses. Maybe the biggest concern should be the fact that only three of their twelve wins game against teams from major conferences. Those three wins were over Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois.

Indiana was an excellent scoring team averaging 69.6 a game a year ago which ranked 5th in the conference. The Hoosiers need to improve their defense after allowing 68.2 points per game which was tenth in the conference. During the 2010-2011 season the team shot 46.1 percent from the field and 72.6 percent from the free throw line.

Roster

Returning Starters
Verdell Jones
Jordan Hulls
Christian Watford
Maurice Creek

Other Returning Players
Victor Oladipo
Tom Pritchard
Daniel Moore
Taylor Wayer
Matt Roth
Derek Elston

Newcomers
Cody Zeller
Austin Etherington
Remy Abell

Head Coach
Tom Crean

Key Losses

The Hoosiers didn’t lose much from last season’s team. Only defensive specialist Jeremiah Rivers is gone. He was a one dimensional player who won’t be missed. He averaged 3.8 points per game and 3.0 rebounds. From three point range he was hopeless only hitting on 22 percent of his shots. His only saving grace was that he made 75 percent of his free throws.

2011-12 Preview

The Hoosiers return their top seven scorers from a year ago. Maurice Creek and freshman Cody Zeller will play key roles in the team’s success this season. Expect Indiana to win anywhere from 6 to 10 conference games this season. It should be an exciting year for the Hosiers and their fans with so much to build on.

Backcourt

Jordan Hulls and Verdell Jones will return at guard. Neither is a true point guard but one of them will have to play out of position since the team lacks a true point guard. A year ago Hulls put up some big numbers and the Hoosiers will try to give him more opportunities offensively this year. He averaged 11 points a game a year ago and shot 91 percent from the foul line. Add that to a sizzling 41.4 percent from behind the arch and you have a dangerous offensive weapon. Jones on the other hand is an effective shooter but neither player excels as a court general. Tom Crean lacks the point guard that he would like running his offense.

Victor Oladipo is penciled in to come off the bench right now but the 6-foot-5, 210 pound guard can create a lot of mismatches. He could push Jones for playing time. With a little more work he could become an above average player in the Big Ten. Will Sheehey is a similar player.

Star recruits Austin Etherington and Remy Abell will see limited time but coach Tom Crean will try to get them playing time during the non-conference portion of the schedule. It will be critical that they get playing time to build on for next year.

Frontcourt

Cody Zeller will try to do for the Hoosiers what Jared Sullinger did for Ohio State a year ago. He will likely make an immediate contribution to the team. Zeller will definitely be better than Indiana’s previous center combination of Derek Elston and Tom Pritchard though the question remains how much of an impact he can make as a freshman. If he can have a great freshman campaign he could lead Indiana to the NCAA tournament.

Christian Watford, a 6-foot-9 forward, was one of the team’s best players a year ago. He averaged 16 points a game and 5.4 rebounds a game last year. Watford excels bother inside and out and should improve playing alongside Zeller.

Derek Elston and Tom Pritchard will provide depth off the bench. The 6-foot-9, 235 pound Elston averaged 4.9 points and 3.7 rebounds off the bench a year ago. Pritchard averaged 2.5 points and 3.8 rebounds off the bench.

More Big Ten Basketball Predictions

Ohio State Buckeyes	Michigan State Spartans	Michigan Wolverines
Wisconsin Badgers	Indiana Hoosiers	Purdue Boilermakers
Northwestern Wildcats	Iowa Hawkeyes	Minnesota Golden Gophers
Illinois Fighting Illini	Nebraska Cornhuskers	Penn State Nittany Lions

Comments

Got something to say?