Tom Crean was asked what his message is to his Indiana Hoosiers team at this point.
It took a very long time for Crean to answer. There was a long uncomfortable silence in the press room (about 45 seconds but it seemed like ten minutes given what had just happened), following the at Bankers Life Fieldhouse; home of the NBA ‘s Indiana Pacers.
IU had just lost to their hated rival Illinois 64-54, and with it, very likely see their season end. With an RPI of 91, a KenPom of 65 and a Sagarin of 56, BEFORE the loss, a NIT berth does not seem in the cards at all for #IUBB.
When Tom Crean answered the query what is his message to his team right now he said
“bottom line is we can play better, you’ve got to match the toughness, the competitive spirit every time that we play, and we’ve got to quit making defensive mistakes.”
Indiana was a #1 seed last year, one of the predominant favorites to win it all heading into the NCAA Tournament. A team that had spent most of the year ranked #1 bowed out in the Sweet 16, and it’s all been downhill since. This year not as much was expected, but they were considered to be a top 25ish/NCAA Tourney team. at 17-15 overall, they didn’t come even remotely close to living up to those expectations.
IU doesn’t have the resume for the NIT, and they’re way too proud a program for the CBI. The Hoosiers have accomplished way too much over time to end up in a third tier tournament.
that he hopes he doesn’t have to define the year yet. He wants to keep playing.
When Tom Crean came out to meet the media and give his opening statement today, it was a total of just nine words. He simply congratulated the Illini. Of course, he famously gave a two word opening statement at DePaul back when he was leading Marquette.
The loss dropped Indiana to 10-17 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament. Why are they so bad in this event? When it’s so close to home in Indianapolis? I’m as speechless as Tom Crean in trying to answer that one.
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