Doyel: Hoosiers' 2016 education continues
BLOOMINGTON – It’s still learning about itself, this Indiana basketball team. IU is having to discover itself – reinvent itself, in some ways – because of the injury to James Blackmon Jr., the emergence of freshman OG Anunoby and the realization among the IU coaching staff that Indiana needs more Thomas Bryant and, at times, less Troy Williams.
Add that up, and you have a team that remains in flux even after 25 games overall and 12 games in the Big Ten. But you have a team getting better. On Thursday night you had an IU team posting its biggest win of the season, the Hoosiers knocking off No. 4 Iowa 85-78 inside rowdy Assembly Hall.
“Excruciatingly loud,” IU coach Tom Crean said of the atmosphere.
BOX SCORE: Indiana 85, Iowa 78
Undeniably effective, anyone can see of this IU education that continued Thursday with a master’s level class against Iowa, by some standards the most complete team in college basketball. The Hawkeyes entered Thursday night as the only team in the country ranked among the top 15 in efficiency on offense (No. 6) and defense (No. 11).
The best team Indiana has faced this season?
“Absolutely,” Crean said. “By far.”
A tough test, and one Indiana aced. The Hoosiers shredded that Iowa defense for 85 points, outrebounded the bigger Hawkeyes 39-35 and learned from their mistakes Saturday against Penn State, when the Hoosiers ignored Thomas Bryant – ignored the paint entirely – and paid for it with a 68-63 loss.
“You won’t see that again,” Crean was telling me earlier this week. He was talking about Bryant’s lack of involvement against Penn State, when he played 24 minutes and got just four shots from the floor. He made three of them, because that’s what he does; he leads the Big Ten in shooting from the field at 72.4 percent. But he managed just four shots overall, because that’s what his teammates (don’t) do: They don’t pass him the ball enough.
That trend continued against Iowa. Bryant’s only reliable way of getting the ball was on the offensive glass, which he did routinely. Of his 10 points, six came after offensive rebounds.
On the other hand, Crean had said he worked with his team in practice this week on “playing through the paint more” and that was a lesson learned. The Hoosiers attacked the rim, got 21 free throws, made 18 of them. And on two-point field goals they were 20-for-38 (52.6 percent).
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The growing pains remain obvious – at times Indiana still had too much Troy Williams, not enough Thomas Bryant, and coughed up a 16-point lead to Iowa before righting itself in the final nine minutes – but overall this is good stuff.
The Hoosiers have been tinkering with their rotation – have had no choice – since the likely season-ending knee surgery to Blackmon on Jan. 5, and they tinkered some more against Iowa. It centered on Troy Williams and OG Anunoby, who have been splitting minutes more in recent weeks as Anunoby’s defensive versatility and offensive maturity have given Crean a more attractive look than Williams’ high-energy, acrobatic, infuriating style.
For 2 ½ years Crean has waited for Williams to grow up as a player. Nothing mean-spirited about the young man, but his game is out of control. Has been since the day he got to campus. Crean seemed to have hit his breaking point with Williams during the Hoosiers’ loss to Wisconsin on Jan. 26, when Williams took 14 shots in 31 minutes, including a stretch late in the game when he dominated six possessions in a row by putting his head down and attacking the rim.
Before Wisconsin, Williams had been averaging 25 minutes per game. In the next three games he was down to 19 minutes per game, with just 14 against Michigan. The Hoosiers played one of their best games of the season against Michigan; probably not a coincidence.
The Hoosiers already had discovered weeks ago that Anunoby is much better, sooner, than anyone expected. Already the 6-8 freshman is the best overall defender on the team. He can defend guards and, on Thursday night in the first half he was defending 6-9 Iowa national player of the year candidate Jarrod Uthoff.
Meanwhile, Troy Williams was doing Troy Williams things. Indiana jumped to 36-20 lead late in the first half after Collin Hartman blocked a Uthoff dunk at one end and hit a 3-pointer at the other, but the Hawkeyes slowly rallied, closing to within 45-38 at the half. Williams had a turnover on Indiana’s first possession of the second half. And then he had another 90 seconds later. And he was pulled from the game, to that point having taken nine shots (and missed seven) with three turnovers and one assist.
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But then an interesting thing happened.
“Troy was like Lazarus,” Crean said. “He resurrected himself.”
Indeed, Williams returned midway through the second half and scored nine of his 13 points in the final 11 minutes, including a 16-footer at the shot-clock buzzer for a 79-72 IU lead with 44 seconds left. But he missed two free throws with 32 seconds left and IU clinging to a 79-74 lead. And then he hit Hartman for a dunk that sealed it with 13 seconds left.
It’s still learning, this IU team. The season rolls onward. The education of IU continues.
Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Twitter at@GreggDoyelStar or atwww.facebook.com/gregg.doyel