Title or Bust in Bloomington? Hoosiers Exit Early

No college basketball fan will ever forget it: Indiana's Verdell Jones brought the ball length of the court only to find junior Christian Watford trailing the play. Watford would then drill what will stand as one of the biggest shots in Indiana basketball history to take down the number one ranked Kentucky Wildcats last December. The shot signified the resurrection of Indiana University basketball and showed just how far Tom Crean had brought the program. Things were looking up and for all the right reasons. Crean was honestly building a program with not only quality and talented players but quality and talented students as well. The team boasts a cumulative GPA that is over 3.1 and coming into this season, the Hoosier faithful had every reason to get excited.

The expectations were high, especially after a Sweet 16 appearance last year. Pre-season All-American big man Cody Zeller was coming back for his sophomore season and Watford decided to hang around for his senior campaign. Throw those two in with the top 5 recruiting class that Crean hauled in and the thought of a trip to Atlanta seemed like a no-brainer.

Crean has done a marvelous job of restoring IU basketball

The team steam-rolled their way to a 24-3 record before dropping three of their last six games before the Big Dance, including a 12-point loss to the Wisconsin Badgers in the B1G Tournament semi-final. Not to worry Hoosier fans, they still captured the regular season B1G title and received a number one seed heading into the tournament. The Hoosiers were in odd form in the NCAA Tournament, though. They destroyed James Madison as they should have, and they defeated Temple with a little help from Victor Oladipo's late three-point dagger. That brings the Hoosiers to Washington D.C. to face off against Jim Boeheim's Syracuse squad.

The Orange were a four seed but played like a one. The Hoosiers on the other hand, well they sure as heck didn't play like a team that should be hoisting a trophy in the first week of April. There is one word for the way Indiana played, and I apologize to the IU fans, but that word is "embarassing". Syracuse did whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, to whoever they wanted. Michael Carter-Williams was virtually unstoppable and dropped a game-high 24 points and helped the Orange shoot their way to a 46% field goal percentage.

On top of that, Syracuse just played harder. The rebounding total was darn near even but Syracuse's defense was suffocating as usual. Indiana on the other hand looked as if they had never seen a 2-3 zone. Rather than accept the challenge, Indiana looked scared. The Hoosiers received virtually no help from what has been one of the top backcourts in the nation this year in Jordan Hulls and Yogi Ferrell. The duo turned the ball over a combined six times and combined for zero points. With only four assists between the two, it's easy to see that Indiana's offense just couldn't get going.



Zeller's potential has yet to be reached

Speaking of Indiana's offense, sophomore Cody Zeller ended the game with 10 points and 10 rebounds, yet shot 3-11 from the field. This is perhaps the most puzzling player in the nation. Zeller had high expectations and yet he tended to fade into the background and have quiet performances. He never asserts himself, and gets bullied in the lane way more than a 7-footer should. Syracuse's big men were in foul trouble throughout the game and yet Zeller never demanded the ball or took it upon himself to get to the line and take over the game. Should he leave for the NBA, which I highly doubt he will, he's in for a rude awakening. Zeller needs to get stronger and get a little nasty in him. The shy, loveable underclassman act is over. He's going to be a junior next year and needs to stop playing soft. He clearly has the talent and fundamentals to be a dominant big man at the college level, but he has to let his presence be known.

Alot can be said in a positive way for Indiana's season despite the negative and disappointing end that it came to. Tom Crean has done a miraculous job of rebuilding this program and things will only go up from here in Bloomington. But the end to the Hoosiers' season was a letdown even to those who aren't Indiana fans. It wasn't title or bust for IU, but to end the season at the same spot as last year is nothing short of disappointing. The future is bright, however, with yet another top recruiting class coming in and only time will tell if Indiana will end up in Dallas for next year's Final Four.

Bracket Breakdown: East

Cody Zeller of Indiana

Once again, another tough bracket and the East Region could make a case for the most difficult bracket of the four. Indiana is the top seed with ACC regular season and tournament champion Miami down at the two line. Big East powers Marquette and Syracuse are also in the mix and so are NC State and Illinois. Former tournament Cinderellas Butler, Bucknell and Davidson are also in the South. If you want to see an upset this may be the bracket it happens in.

East Region winner: Indiana Hoosiers
It's difficult to pick against Indiana after the season they had. The Hoosiers won at home and on the road, they beat the good teams and the bad teams, they won with perimeter play and post play, they won in a shootout and they won in grind-it-out Big Ten fixtures. IU is arguably the best team in the country and, as far as number one seeds go, they may have received the best draw. That should ease the tension for Hoosier fans since they didn't receive the Midwest Region number one seed which would have allowed them to play in Indianapolis. The route to Atlanta will put them against a couple of teams who have been inconsistent in NC State and Syracuse and the possible Elite 8 matchup against Miami should be fun. Expect the Hoosiers to come out of the East because of their complete play and ability to win in different styles.

Upset Pick: Bucknell to the Sweet 16
Bucknell is going to beat Butler and they may just upset Marquette as well. The Bison are a solid team led by center Mike Muscala and they have gone toe-to-toe with some of the nation's better teams and held their own. In January they should have defeated Missouri in Columbia, but they lost by two when Muscala stepped out of bounds on one of the final plays. A gifted big man is hard to guard and Muscala will test Butler's Andrew Smith. Should the Bison win their second round game they will have to get through Marquette who is always one of the toughest teams in America. It may not seem likely, but every tournament needs a Cinderella and for Bucknell the slipper might fit.

Mike Muscala of Bucknell

Potentially Intriguing Matchup: Indiana vs. Marquette (Elite 8)
Let's say Marquette handles Bucknell in the third round and then knocks off Miami in the Sweet 16. That would set up a meeting with Indiana for the right to advance to the Final Four and it would be the first time Tom Crean faced his former team since leaving the Golden Eagles. Crean took Marquette to the Final Four in 2003 with Dwyane Wade, Travis Diener and company and he is aiming to get the Hoosiers back to prominence now. Anytime a coach faces his former employer it makes for good headlines (see Kansas-UNC third round game in South Region) and this game would live up to the hype.

Player to Watch: Mike Muscala, center, Bucknell

Muscala is a gifted big man that can hurt opponents from anywhere on the floor. His unusual athleticism for his 6’11” frame makes him a difficult matchup and he averaged 19 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game this season. Muscala is also a gifted shot blocker (2.4 per game) and he ranks in the nation’s top 30 in points, rebounds and blocked shots. His rebounding total is the fourth highest in the country. Muscala played three games against teams from Power Six conferences and in all three games he posted a double-double. 

Bottom Line: Indiana is going to march to Atlanta without much trouble and prove they deserved the hype all year long. 

Big Ten is College Basketball's Elite

If anybody watched college football this year, it wasn't hard at all to pick up on the fact that the Big Ten was less than impressive. It was a rough year for every fan of a Big Ten team, even if you were an Ohio State fan you had to sit back and realize their undefeated season meant nothing due to bowl ineligibility (Shout out to Terrelle Pryor and Jim Tressel). All in all, life as a Big Ten fan was pretty rough in the fall.

But the fall is over and winter is in full swing which means one of the worst conferences is now the best. The Big Ten has taken the world of college basketball by storm and it looks like it's here to stay. With six teams in the top 25 (no team being ranked lower than 18), it's plain to see that the Big Ten has talent that other conferences can only dream of. Take the Naismith Player of the Year award for instance, four players from the Big Ten have been mentioned in the discussion. DeShaun Thomas of Ohio State, Brandon Paul of Illinois, Cody Zeller of Indiana, and Trey Burke of Michigan have all been named possible winners or contenders. These players also come from teams that, right now, look as if they could contend for a trip to the Final Four.

Yet it's easy to base a conference off of the elite teams, but here's a look at the teams people may be overlooking in the midst of the talk about the six ranked teams:

Wisconsin: The Badgers are off to an 11-4 start with very few eye-opening wins. They lost by double-digits to Florida, Creighton, and Marquette. Yet they started the conference season with two wins. Granted, those wins came against Nebraska and Penn State, but if you think the Badgers won't give teams trouble, then you don't know Bo...Ryan that is. In my mind, Bo Ryan is a very underrated coach. He's not on the level of Tom Izzo but he does have five Big Ten titles and a record of 268-101 in his eleven years at Wisconsin. Not to mention that the Badgers are one of the toughest teams to beat at home, boasting an astounding 116-15 record at home under Ryan. They may not be ranked, but you'd be stupid to overlook the Badgers.

Purdue: A team with six freshman and only two seniors? What's to fear about a team so inexperienced? Well, if you were able to catch the Purdue/Illinois game, there's alot to fear. This squad of Matt Painter's is going to be an impressive one. They won't contend this year or maybe next year, but freshmen Ronnie Johnson and A.J. Hammons are showing great promise. Johnson is a quick guard who's averaging almost nine points, four rebounds, and three assists. Not bad for a freshman guard. As for Hammons, the kid looks like the second coming of JaJuan Johnson; very long and raw at a young age. Yet he presents a presence in the paint that will even make All-Americans change their shot. That's exactly what Hammons needs to understand. He doesn't necessarily need to be a shot-blocker. He can work wonders just by putting his hands up and standing there. Throw that in with the fact he's grabbing almost seven boards a game and you've got a player with some real potential. The Boilermakers already upset Illinois and gave Ohio State a great game. The old saying goes "Age is but a number", and this Purdue team is out to prove that no matter how young they are they're here to compete.

Iowa: The Hawkeyes currently have an 11-4 record and, if you look closely, they have only beaten cupcake teams. They don't have any impressive wins thus far and are 0-2 in conference play. With that being said, Roy Devyn Marble and Aaron White can still lead the Hawkeyes to a handful of conference wins. Marble averages just over fifteen points a game and White averages thirteen. Together, they led the Hawkeyes in a four-point loss to the nationally-respected Indiana Hoosiers. The final score was 69-65 and there were numerous times that Iowa had Tom Crean's squad on the ropes. Iowa is presented with another test tonight as they try to topple Michigan State at home. Again, the Hawkeyes are not likely to contend for the Big Ten crown, but there's no doubt they will be the spoilers when it comes down to the end.

I've heard plenty of people try to say that the Big Ten is not the best conference. I can respect opinions, but I can't see how someone could go against the talent, coaching, and flat out domination the Big Ten is showing this year. The ACC is Duke's for the taking. The Big East will, most likely, be Syracuse's once again, the SEC will come down to either Florida or Missouri, the Big 12 will no doubt be won by Kansas, and the Pac 12 will come down to UCLA and Arizona. Of the Power Six conferences, only the Big Ten has more than two teams that can contend for the title. Between Michigan, Indiana, Ohio State, Illinois, Minnesota, and Michigan State there is no clear-cut winner, not to mention the depth this conference has. Don't be surprised if the Sweet Sixteen has five or six Big Ten teams in it.