Indiana University Athletics
IU Looks To Keep Same Focus And Mindset At Iowa
3/1/2016 4:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By: Tori Ziege, IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana has captured at least share of its 22nd Big Ten title.
But much remains on the line as the Hoosiers enter the final week of their regular season.
In order to secure a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament and win the conference outright, Indiana must win one of its next two, with the first opportunity coming tonight in Iowa City.
Through the ups and downs of the season, head coach Tom Crean said the last thing he wanted his players to do was doubt in their ability to improvement.
Now, he doesn't want them feel as though they've arrived.
"We are proud to have won a share of the (Big Ten) title but there is still so much more to play for," senior guard Kevin Yogi Ferrell said. "Our focus and mindset doesn't change. It's get better every day."
No. 12 Indiana got some help from the Hawkeyes in securing its second Big Ten title in four years.
Iowa fell over the weekend to Ohio State along with Maryland to Purdue, thus clinching Indiana's championship stake, up two games in the loss column over Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State and Wisconsin with two games remaining.
However, a scenario still exists in which Indiana could finish fifth in a five-way tie for the conference title, leaving the Hoosiers on the outside looking in of the valuable double-bye position in the Big Ten Tournament.
In Indiana's turnaround from a 5-3 start to 22-6 record and a championship share, Crean has kept the focus on day-to-day improvement. He said this team has responded better to that mentality than any he's had.
Now, the Hoosiers must sustain that attitude through one more week to complete their 180 on the season.
"I hate the word journey, but that's what it's been," Crean said. "They had all those expectations, and those expectations went out the window when they were 5-3 and it wasn't good. The negativity was not good. The key was we're not buying into any of that. I don't believe it. So let's get this thing right day by day. Eventually they started to believe."
Those early season-experiences taught Indiana a lesson in mental toughness, Crean said, that paid off during a trap week at Illinois.
Caught between a win over then-No. 17 Purdue and two ranked opponents in No. 16 Iowa and No. 14 Maryland ahead, Indiana ran away in Champaign, Illinois 74-47 in the absence of sophomore guard Robert Johnson. Now fresh off a bye weekend, the Hoosiers have won four of their last five and are 17-3 since falling to then-No. 7 Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Iowa, meanwhile, has been trending in the opposite direction since the teams met on Feb. 12. Including the Hawkeyes' 85-78 loss in Assembly Hall, they have lost four of their last five, including their last three consecutive games.
But recent history doesn't change the Hoosiers' sense of urgency to lock up an outright championship.
"We are not going to look at it and say they haven't done this or they haven't done that," Crean said. "They are capable of doing anything they want."
The Hawkeyes are still playing for the same stakes as Indiana, as a win keeps them alive for a double-bye and a chance to add their name to the conference cup. They'll also have the added motivation as many players on the veteran-led team — including four of five starters — take the court for the final time in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
"It's Senior Night there," Crean said. "It's going to be like the Fourth of July, Christmas and New Year's all wrapped into one."
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana has captured at least share of its 22nd Big Ten title.
But much remains on the line as the Hoosiers enter the final week of their regular season.
In order to secure a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament and win the conference outright, Indiana must win one of its next two, with the first opportunity coming tonight in Iowa City.
Through the ups and downs of the season, head coach Tom Crean said the last thing he wanted his players to do was doubt in their ability to improvement.
Now, he doesn't want them feel as though they've arrived.
"We are proud to have won a share of the (Big Ten) title but there is still so much more to play for," senior guard Kevin Yogi Ferrell said. "Our focus and mindset doesn't change. It's get better every day."
No. 12 Indiana got some help from the Hawkeyes in securing its second Big Ten title in four years.
Iowa fell over the weekend to Ohio State along with Maryland to Purdue, thus clinching Indiana's championship stake, up two games in the loss column over Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State and Wisconsin with two games remaining.
However, a scenario still exists in which Indiana could finish fifth in a five-way tie for the conference title, leaving the Hoosiers on the outside looking in of the valuable double-bye position in the Big Ten Tournament.
In Indiana's turnaround from a 5-3 start to 22-6 record and a championship share, Crean has kept the focus on day-to-day improvement. He said this team has responded better to that mentality than any he's had.
Now, the Hoosiers must sustain that attitude through one more week to complete their 180 on the season.
"I hate the word journey, but that's what it's been," Crean said. "They had all those expectations, and those expectations went out the window when they were 5-3 and it wasn't good. The negativity was not good. The key was we're not buying into any of that. I don't believe it. So let's get this thing right day by day. Eventually they started to believe."
Those early season-experiences taught Indiana a lesson in mental toughness, Crean said, that paid off during a trap week at Illinois.
Caught between a win over then-No. 17 Purdue and two ranked opponents in No. 16 Iowa and No. 14 Maryland ahead, Indiana ran away in Champaign, Illinois 74-47 in the absence of sophomore guard Robert Johnson. Now fresh off a bye weekend, the Hoosiers have won four of their last five and are 17-3 since falling to then-No. 7 Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Iowa, meanwhile, has been trending in the opposite direction since the teams met on Feb. 12. Including the Hawkeyes' 85-78 loss in Assembly Hall, they have lost four of their last five, including their last three consecutive games.
But recent history doesn't change the Hoosiers' sense of urgency to lock up an outright championship.
"We are not going to look at it and say they haven't done this or they haven't done that," Crean said. "They are capable of doing anything they want."
The Hawkeyes are still playing for the same stakes as Indiana, as a win keeps them alive for a double-bye and a chance to add their name to the conference cup. They'll also have the added motivation as many players on the veteran-led team — including four of five starters — take the court for the final time in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
"It's Senior Night there," Crean said. "It's going to be like the Fourth of July, Christmas and New Year's all wrapped into one."
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's BasketballFB: Nico Radicic - Spring Practice No. 11
Tuesday, April 21
FB: Drew Evans - Spring Practice No. 11
Tuesday, April 21
FB: Bray Lynch - Spring Practice No. 11
Tuesday, April 21
FB: Spring Practice - Curt Cignetti Press Conference
Thursday, April 16