Indiana University Athletics
Crean, IU Looking For Continued Improvement Against Morehead State
12/5/2015 10:47:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By: Sam Beishuizen, IUHoosiers.com | Twitter
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Tom Crean isn't about to make drastic changes.
Indiana's head coach hasn't hit the reset button. He's not implementing new strategies or schemes in the wake of three early-season losses. He doesn't believe that's the answer to IU's problems.
The solution, Crean said preview tonight's 7 p.m. game against Morehead State, is for Indiana to do what it already does better.
"I think we just have to work to get better and work to improve in every area of what we're doing," Crean said. "It starts in practice and we need to carry it over."
This isn't new for Indiana. Crean's players were saying nearly the exact same thing after beating Alcorn State on Monday before Wednesday's loss to Duke.
The Hoosiers (5-3) have emphasized playing as they do in practice during games. They've pinned losses on an apparent drop-off between the two and credited wins to being consistent in the way they've played.
That being said, the only thing that affects a team is its results in games. IU knows that.
It's why Crean spent time speaking highly of Morehead State late Friday afternoon. The Eagles have won four games in a row after their only loss of the season to Illinois State team that gave No. 1 Kentucky a scare earlier this week.
"They're playing extremely well right now," Crean said. "They bring relentless pressure defensively. They can swtich all five positions, they can shoot, they can run the dribble-drive offense and they run it really, really well. It's like the dribble drive on steroids."
Already 16th in the nation in turnovers forced and 17th in offensive rebounding, Morehead State's ability to create offense off the dribble-drive should once again challenge Indiana's guards similarly to Duke on Wednesday.
Crean held true to his word that he didn't see anything in IU's loss to Duke that needed to be immediately corrected from a schematic or fundamental standpoint. Even last year, the Hoosiers experimented with switching man-to-man/zone defenses in the middle of possessions and at times took advantage of it.
The problem, Crean said, was when the switching led to confusion as a result of lacking communication. One month into the season, he said he still trusts the defensive strategy Indiana has been using will work long-term as long as the Hoosiers commit to being better playing the way they try to play.
"I don't know if it's a matter of simplifying," Crean said. "It's a matter of being better and what we're doing."
Morehead State has outscored opponents 202-114 in the paint and hasn't been outscored there in a single game this season. They're effectiveness around the rim, coupled with being the nation's best scoring defense, has gone a long way toward helping the Eagles to their first 5-1 start since 1990-91.
It's still early in the season, which makes early slipups easier to accept. But Crean made it clear the Hoosiers can't afford to continue to keep playing the way they've been playing without showing constant improvement.
That's not limited to one side of the floor or one fundamental idea, either Crean said. It's a team-wide responsibility that will be tested once again tonight at Assembly Hall.
"These guys are ready to play again," Crean said. "Everything we do right now is to make sure that we're getting better. We're focused on getting better defensively, offensively, protecting each other on defense with our personal awareness and better connectivity, talking to one another and taking away confusion.
"Those are the things we have to get better at. There's no question."
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Tom Crean isn't about to make drastic changes.
Indiana's head coach hasn't hit the reset button. He's not implementing new strategies or schemes in the wake of three early-season losses. He doesn't believe that's the answer to IU's problems.
The solution, Crean said preview tonight's 7 p.m. game against Morehead State, is for Indiana to do what it already does better.
"I think we just have to work to get better and work to improve in every area of what we're doing," Crean said. "It starts in practice and we need to carry it over."
This isn't new for Indiana. Crean's players were saying nearly the exact same thing after beating Alcorn State on Monday before Wednesday's loss to Duke.
The Hoosiers (5-3) have emphasized playing as they do in practice during games. They've pinned losses on an apparent drop-off between the two and credited wins to being consistent in the way they've played.
That being said, the only thing that affects a team is its results in games. IU knows that.
It's why Crean spent time speaking highly of Morehead State late Friday afternoon. The Eagles have won four games in a row after their only loss of the season to Illinois State team that gave No. 1 Kentucky a scare earlier this week.
"They're playing extremely well right now," Crean said. "They bring relentless pressure defensively. They can swtich all five positions, they can shoot, they can run the dribble-drive offense and they run it really, really well. It's like the dribble drive on steroids."
Already 16th in the nation in turnovers forced and 17th in offensive rebounding, Morehead State's ability to create offense off the dribble-drive should once again challenge Indiana's guards similarly to Duke on Wednesday.
Crean held true to his word that he didn't see anything in IU's loss to Duke that needed to be immediately corrected from a schematic or fundamental standpoint. Even last year, the Hoosiers experimented with switching man-to-man/zone defenses in the middle of possessions and at times took advantage of it.
The problem, Crean said, was when the switching led to confusion as a result of lacking communication. One month into the season, he said he still trusts the defensive strategy Indiana has been using will work long-term as long as the Hoosiers commit to being better playing the way they try to play.
"I don't know if it's a matter of simplifying," Crean said. "It's a matter of being better and what we're doing."
Morehead State has outscored opponents 202-114 in the paint and hasn't been outscored there in a single game this season. They're effectiveness around the rim, coupled with being the nation's best scoring defense, has gone a long way toward helping the Eagles to their first 5-1 start since 1990-91.
It's still early in the season, which makes early slipups easier to accept. But Crean made it clear the Hoosiers can't afford to continue to keep playing the way they've been playing without showing constant improvement.
That's not limited to one side of the floor or one fundamental idea, either Crean said. It's a team-wide responsibility that will be tested once again tonight at Assembly Hall.
"These guys are ready to play again," Crean said. "Everything we do right now is to make sure that we're getting better. We're focused on getting better defensively, offensively, protecting each other on defense with our personal awareness and better connectivity, talking to one another and taking away confusion.
"Those are the things we have to get better at. There's no question."
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