Big Ten Pre-conference Basketball Preview- concluded
Michigan checked in at 9a and may soon join the remaining two teams, Indiana (9b) and Iowa. There is little difference between actual performance of Michigan and Indiana currently. Indiana does play smarter and harder (defense) than the Blue.
So, Indiana is improving and will improve even more in the years to come. Anyone wanting to settle old grudges established by the long reign of The Great One at IU better serve notice this year. After this year, Indiana may be back to fighting with the conference elites. Iowa, on the other hand is going backwards, but still has enough talent and smarts to make life difficult for any conference team on that famous any given game scenario. Indiana and Iowa will almost certainly win some games from good teams and may make the bottom tier of the cement mixer, kicking out one of the previously listed residents.
Indiana is young and some players are very talented and some are just what you would expect from homegrown Hoosiers, tough, know the game type of kids. The Hoosiers are 1-4 against good competition, 6-6 overall (Dec. 31 game not included).
The talented players include a core of three impact players making significant contributions, two of them freshmen. Maurice Creek and Christian Watford were top recruits and are scoring 16.4 and 12.4 respectively. Sophomore Verdell Jones III is averaging about 12 a game. Three other players are contributing at a positive level, Jeremiah Rivers, Tom Pritchard (rough and ready), and another freshman, Derek Elston.
Here are some early season observations about the Hoosiers. Shooting has been just ok, but Maurice Creek is lighting it up from 3-point-land. Pritchard, as tough as he is, can get in foul trouble if the opposition gets match-ups against him. The freshmen are the players NOT to foul in close games. Indiana is very well coached and the highly knowledgeable Hoosier fans understand this and show the team appreciation. Soon the appreciation will be rewarded in one of the true basketball shrines in college basketball.
Iowa had high hopes for the future not so long ago, but those hopes have been deflated. The team is currently 5-8 and 0-5 against good competition. There is one possible shining footnote; four of the five starters are freshmen or sophomores.
The Hawkeyes have a core of three significant players in sophomores Matt Galens, Anthony Tucker, and Junior Jarryd Cole. But while this sounds great, the meeting of the significant criteria is minimalist in that the three players average about 34 points between them. Other contributors are freshmen Eric May and Brennan Cougill.
The Hawkeyes simply have no single player that can serve as the every game go-to guy and will do everything by team play and committee. It has been rough statistically, as Iowa is at the bottom of the league in stats. Statistics sometimes do not tell the entire story, but in this case the results match the numbers. The numbers indicate the lowest rebounding total in the conference. The shooting is at 43% overall, a few points short of typical results.
What the Hoosier and Hawkeye fans will most focus on is the improvement of the young squads between January and March.
GBMW hopes you have enjoyed the preview. And as you, the most informed of sports fans, know, all GBMW readers understand that games are not played on paper, but discussion serves to sharpen the watchful eye as the conference begins play.
Thank you for reading and continue to visit GBMW.
Written by Doc4blu
Go Blue -- Wear Maize!
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