Indiana expects test from No. 4 Kentucky
December 12, 2009
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Indiana waited more than a year to celebrate a victory likethe one over Pittsburgh.
So before the locker room became too exuberant Tuesday night, coach TomCrean gave the Hoosiers a quick lesson about reality: He told his players theyhad three days to get ready for their old rival, Kentucky.
As Crean knows, this is not just some ordinary Wildcats team coming toBloomington, Ind., on Saturday. This is a national championship contender, thebest team Indiana has faced so far and maybe the best team they’ll face allseason.
“I told my team they’re No. 2, but they’re No. 4?” Crean asked after thegame. “By Friday night, they might be No. 1 with the way they’re playing. Youwant to talk about Kentucky? They’re the real deal.”
Crean’s assessment shows just how much has changed since these twotraditional college powers met last December.
Back then, the Hoosiers were in full rebuilding mode after absorbing thepunishment of the school’s first major NCAA scandal in nearly half a century.Crean had just nine scholarship players, one senior and three players tallerthan 6-foot-6. Predictably, the undermanned Hoosiers were overwhelmed in a 72-54blowout that could have been even worse.
This year, the Hoosiers (4-4) have more talent and depth but still lackexperience. The leading scorers are freshmen, Maurice Creek at 15.6 points pergame and Christian Watford at 13.3. Sophomore Verdell Jones is third at 12.5.
Kentucky, however, turned things around in less than eight months.
After an inexplicable season-opening loss to VMI last season and thenfailing to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1991, the Wildcatsreplaced coach Billy Gillispie with John Calipari.
Calipari persuaded star forward Patrick Patterson to spend one more year incollege and won over heralded recruit John Wall, providing the inside-outsidecombination that has Kentucky back among the national powers and widened the gapbetween the two border state rivals.
Kentucky has responded with a 9-0 start and wins over defending nationalchampion North Carolina and perennial power Connecticut, though Calipari insiststhe Wildcats haven’t played that well.
“We are 4-5, that is what we are,” he said after Wednesday’s 64-61 winover UConn. “I know we have a nice will to win and we are doing some goodstuff. I told them in there we need to stop drinking the poison and do better inpractice.”
Crean knows better.
He’s seen the tapes and realizes the Hoosiers face a monumental challengematching up with Kentucky’s speed, depth and experience—things the Hoosiersare still trying to develop.
Wall averages 19.0 points with Patterson at 16.6.
“He (Calipari) inherited some really good players, and then he went out andrecruited some outstanding players,” Crean said, explaining the differencebetween the two restoration projects. “They are impressive. Their transitiongame is as good as anybody in the country.”
But for Indiana, there may not be a better time to get this kind of test.
After losing four of five, Indiana headed to New York City on Tuesday,desperately needing a victory. Mission accomplished.
Indiana was more rugged than usually physical Pittsburgh, building a17-point second-half lead and rolling to a 74-64 victory that gave the Hoosierstheir first signature win in Crean’s two-year tenure and a major injection ofexcitement.
“Our hard work is starting to pay off,” Jones said. “To get a win againsta big team like this, I think, it really motivates us to keep coming intopractice and keep getting better. It just feels so good to get that big win.”
Now Indiana heads home to Assembly Hall, where they are 3-1 this season,with a fresh outlook, renewed hope and what they anticipate will be a boisterouscrowd.
Is it enough to upset Kentucky?
“He (Calipari) is an incredible coach and he has a lot of talent and heknows how to utilize it,” Crean said. “So we are going to have a very smallmargin of error against them.”