impressive!

I’m not sure what more can be said about Indiana’s (IU) big win over in-state rival Purdue last night that hasn’t already been said, so these are just some of my thoughts on what was an extremely impressive outing by the Hoosiers. The #4 ranked Boilermakers rolled into town coming off of their own impressive win against conference front runner Illinois, and a nine game win streak against IU. Very few teams have come to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (SSAH) as a favorite, but the Boilermakers were favored by 3.5 points. What ensued in front of a pumped up and raucous crowd can be summed up with the word impressive.

As much as it troubles me to say, this Boilermaker team has all of the pieces to make a very deep run in the NCAA Tourney come March. On the other hand, although IU has shown glimpses of what they are capable of they had yet to string 40 minutes of that together this season under new head coach Mike Woodson. And while last night wasn’t perfect, aside from the outcome that is, IU played their most complete game to date.

The two early fouls on pre-season All-American candidate Trayce Jackson-Davis (TJD) briefly took some of the air out of the Hoosier faithful, but new comer Michael Durr came off the bench and performed admirably in my opinion. At 7’0” 250lbs. Durr is very seldom going to be noticeably smaller than his counterpart, but Purdue’s 7’4” 295lb. center Zach Edey changed that. Edey is not only big, he is also pretty good. Especially when can establish position and gets it deep in the paint. To put it bluntly, he is a load. He is not going to beat you too often if he receives the ball outside of the paint, and Durr be able to establish his own position early and then having the strength to hold it kept Edey out of his comfort zone.

Let’s face it, Mike Woodson said from the get go that this team needed an identity early and that identity would be defense. To the players credit they have bought into that and they take pride in it. Very few times will you see a Purdue team look a little rattled or frustrated, in fact they are usually the ones doing that to other teams, but at times last night IU’s relentless energy on the defensive end got to them. They showed frustration, they turned the ball over, they begged for calls, they were rattled. And much to IU’s credit, every Hoosier that saw the floor got after it on that end of the floor even when they were giving up height, quickness or athleticism. Woodson also said that the offense would eventually catch up. And as I mentioned before, we have seen glimpses of that this season, and while last night wasn’t perfect, if IU plays that way on both ends of the floor from here on out, just like Purdue, they have the pieces to make a deep run in the NCAA’s as well.

IU’s guards, and their bench, have caught the brunt of the criticism this year when they’ve lost or not played particularly well, and in most cases rightfully so. But not last night. The guards and the bench both came up huge for the Hoosiers. Starter Xavier Johnson and reserve Rob Phinisee played about as good a basketball as two guards can play in such a big game. They combined for 38pts. 8rebs. and no turnovers…yes, no turnovers as in zero, nada, zilch…NONE! In fact, the Hoosiers only committed 3 as a team for the game. And this coming from a team that has had games of 20+ turnovers this year. Not only was it remarkable, it was beautiful to see.

Rob Phinisee as we all know has struggled with confidence since his freshman year in Bloomington but a new coaching staff, and his teammates have helped to restore that and the past few games we’d seen a little more of the “old Rob” come to the surface. Well last night he exploded past the surface almost immediately after checking into the game and helped carry the Hoosiers into the locker room with a 9pt. lead. While his his scoring tapered off in the 2nd half (how could it not) it didn’t effect any other part of his game. He was productive in other ways on offense and the same old in your face defender that he always is. And speaking of confidence, not only did Mike Woodson call his number on the final two plays for a potential game winning shot, Phinisee asked to be THE guy. On the second attempt he curled around a screen, caught the ball, rose and fired…NET! And while Purdue had enough time to get off a pretty good look from arguably their best player, Jaden Ivey, to tie the game, it bounced on the rim, the backboard, and the rim again before the horn sounded and chaos ensued.

It could not have been more fitting for a young man from Lafayette of all places, to regain his confidence at the same time confidence in the direction of the program is returning under the guidance of former Hoosier great Mike Woodson. The smile on the mild mannered and unassuming Rob Phinisee’s face as his teammates hoisted him above the crowd will be framed and on thousands of walls in Hoosier households for years to come, mine included. And knowing the young man’s journey as much as a fan can, it brought out a ton of emotions above and beyond the elation because the Hoosiers beat the Boilermakers for me. And I’m sure many others.

Phinisee may have been the brightest star for the Hoosiers but this was a total team effort from the coaching staff, down through the players, and including the Assembly Hall faithful. Every single player that stepped on the floor contributed in a positive way. They are learning their roles and taking advantage of their opportunities when their number is called. SSAH is once again becoming a place that opponents don’t like seeing next up on their schedule. And myself being an old timer, that also is a beautiful thing. Will there be some more bumps along the way? More than likely. Are they getting better every game? I believe so.

Committed and uncommitted recruits in the stands celebrating the win with the players and fans around them is not something you see everyday. The atmosphere in SSAH is second to none on game day for a big game. Simple things like Race Thompson refusing to let Jaden Ivey throw down a dunk well after the whistle is the type of toughness that has been missing for awhile. It wasn’t dirty, and I’m glad that Ivey wasn’t hurt when he fell, but Race wasn’t having it in “our house.” Trey Galloway seemingly have endless energy, the toughness and willingness to do whatever it takes to win, and the uncanny ability to make the right plays, winning plays, at the right time. Xavier Johnson making the right decisions, playing under control, and his relentless defense were on full display last night.

Again, everyone contributed to this signature win. I was just pointing out a few of the things that stood out to me personally. You can tell this team enjoys playing together. They enjoy being coached. And they may have learned something invaluable last night that not only helps each and every one of them personally, but also benefits them collectively going forward, and that is they basically played this game without their All-American center and they beat the #4 team in the country. EVERYONE wins with the confidence and belief they gained last night and then you add TJD back into the mix.

I believe Mike Woodson is the right man at the right time to bring our beloved university back to prominence. I damned sure know he was the right man to lead the Hoosiers last night. He understands IU basketball because he’s lived it and he loves it. He understands the rivalry because he’s lived it and he loves it. He’s a Hoosier to the core and has been since the day he committed to play there. It’s been a long journey back to Bloomington for him, and he understands the size of the task at hand of getting IU back to the top. I personally think he does it sooner rather than later because he’s lived it and he loves it.


GO HOOSIERS!!!