Hoosiers: Season End
Well, for some reason the end of the Indiana Hoosiers season has caused me to break out the livejournal account from mothballs. I saw Syracuse play against Arkansas early in the year, the only game any team won in Fayetteville this year. I felt bad about this game partly based on that because I saw Syracuse's lengths and thought about against Ferrell and Hulls. The 4 seed for the Orange is deceptive, this is a very, very good team.
The Hoosiers looked tentative all game, obviously unfamiliar with that sort of zone with that sort of length. Free throws that normally fall didn't, Zeller couldn't handle the inside pressure (for those saying he was being fouled, if he's going to go pro, he'd better expect a lot worse than tonight), players passed low or just passed bad. When they had the opportunity to even the game after the 2nd half, they couldn't close the deal, and Syracuse got their act together.
I don't think it's a huge shot at Crean to say Boeheim outcoached him. But Looking at the squads on the floor, it's obvious who was more prepared. That said, IU has come all the way back, and with the talent the state produces, and Crean's skills recruiting, I'm confident we can expect IU is back to contending for Big Ten titles year in and out. This year is disappointing because the talent at hand was good enough to challenge for a title and I suspect they'll lose several to the NBA. Even if I think Zeller and Oladipo could use more seasoning before the pros, I could never honestly tell anybody to keep playing just for a scholarship when you can make several million.
So I'm disappointed, but optimistic for the future. I'm just glad to be at a place where a sweet 16 can be a disappointment again.
The Hoosiers looked tentative all game, obviously unfamiliar with that sort of zone with that sort of length. Free throws that normally fall didn't, Zeller couldn't handle the inside pressure (for those saying he was being fouled, if he's going to go pro, he'd better expect a lot worse than tonight), players passed low or just passed bad. When they had the opportunity to even the game after the 2nd half, they couldn't close the deal, and Syracuse got their act together.
I don't think it's a huge shot at Crean to say Boeheim outcoached him. But Looking at the squads on the floor, it's obvious who was more prepared. That said, IU has come all the way back, and with the talent the state produces, and Crean's skills recruiting, I'm confident we can expect IU is back to contending for Big Ten titles year in and out. This year is disappointing because the talent at hand was good enough to challenge for a title and I suspect they'll lose several to the NBA. Even if I think Zeller and Oladipo could use more seasoning before the pros, I could never honestly tell anybody to keep playing just for a scholarship when you can make several million.
So I'm disappointed, but optimistic for the future. I'm just glad to be at a place where a sweet 16 can be a disappointment again.