Crossroads Classic: Indiana defeats No. 23 Butler 82-73

In a game where statistical matchups were turned upside down and the difference between winning and losing turned on foul trouble, Indiana showed the kind of promise that matters this time of year.

The Hoosiers (9-2) defeated No. 23 Butler 82-73 Saturday, ending the Bulldogs' (8-3) three-game winning streak in the Crossroads Classic in front of a crowd of 14,753 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Troy Williams, irrepressible with the ball in his hands, finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds, both team highs. Yogi Ferrell scored 20, all in the second half.

Williams' performance proved emblematic for an Indiana team that picked up its second win over a ranked team this season because it overcame its flaws, something last year's Hoosiers rarely managed.

Against Louisville 11 days ago, Williams was equally representative of his team's fortunes. He scored 10 points but managed just one rebound — as IU got pounded on the boards — and his three turnovers and overall sloppiness outweighed his offense. He wasn't alone in his sins that night in New York.

And he wasn't alone Saturday, on an Indiana team that never succumbed to its weaknesses against a team that, statistically, seemed perfectly positioned to exploit them.

"Frankly, we've made a lot of progress since the Louisville game," IU coach Tom Crean said.

Butler entered play Saturday with wins over North Carolina and Georgetown on its ledger. The Bulldogs carved out their surprising start to the season with sturdy rebounding and solid defense, particularly along the 3-point line.

There might not be a team in the country that wants or needs the 3-point line more than Indiana. Somebody had to fail.

Butler did.

"You can have your defense set and still have to guard a lot of the floor," Butler interim head coach Chris Holtmann said of IU's 8-of-17 performance from behind the arc. "They certainly put a lot of pressure on you at that end."

So Indiana scored like it wanted to. And saddling Butler point guard Alex Barlow, second in the Big East with 2.8 steals per game coming in, with foul trouble hindered the Bulldogs' ability to turn IU over.

But Crean wasn't worried about turnovers — his team has actually been more careful with the ball than expected this season.

His mind was on a different concern.

"We had to win the backboard battle to win the game," Crean said.

Crean's anxiety is justified. Indiana's lack of size and experience has made it one of the Big Ten's worst rebounding teams so far this season. Louisville pulled in 26 offensive rebounds alone against the Hoosiers.

Williams was a primary culprit during that 20-point loss in New York, as was junior forward Hanner Mosquera-Perea. But not Saturday. Together, IU's starting forwards responded with 20 rebounds, against a team that outrebounded North Carolina 57-40 earlier this season.

"I don't think it was anything special, any type of scheme to get rebounds," said Kameron Woods, admitting IU outfought the Bulldogs on the boards. "They were just more physical."

These were the ways in which the Hoosiers earned an important win for their NCAA tournament resume Saturday. And they were also signs of larger promise, suggestions that this team can overcome its weaknesses, rather than simply trying to outrun them with more points.

The latter strategy is a dangerous one. It's also what, in a basic way, Indiana tried last season, and it failed far more often than it worked. That team was never good enough to stop beating itself.

Whether this one is that good will be tested more routinely in Big Ten play, but Saturday offered promise. For Georgetown next weekend, and for the rest of the Big Ten starting on New Year's Eve, it also looked like a warning.

Follow Star reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.