After suffering a 90-60 annihilation Thursday night at Michigan, the Indiana Hoosiers are at a bit of a crossroads. The loss was Indiana’s 6th in its previous 12 games, as it fell to 14-7 overall, 4-4 in the Big 10, and right to the cusp of the NCAA Tournament bubble. Making matters worse is the fact that sophomore forward and Naismith Award candidate OG Anunoby was recently ruled out for the rest of the season after a January 18 foot injury.
The current state of the Hoosier basketball program is a far cry from what it appeared to be back in mid-November when a thrilling 103-99 opening game overtime win over Kansas at the Armed Forces Classic in Hawaii propelled Indiana to the hearts of media members and others alike. Narratives and praise were flowing like wine. It was a great time to be an IU fan. Let’s take a look at some tweets from right after that game…
Not concerned abt @KUHoops but that win for @IndianaMBB means everything for them & their confidence. IU = better than advertized. @ESPNCBB
— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) November 12, 2016
Indiana fans should be fired up. Speed, skill, depth, versatility. Great big man, nation's top defender, and a slew of good shooters. Yikes.
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) November 12, 2016
Feeling pretty good about my Final Four "sleeper" pick this morning – Indiana https://t.co/ZBAcQUScBP
— Adam Finkelstein (@AdamFinkelstein) November 12, 2016
Hoosiers open with statement: We're for real: https://t.co/OlPQBLhBRA via @indystar #iubb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) November 12, 2016
Indiana-Kansas was a Final Four-type game. Even without Yogi and Troy Williams, IU looks better than last year. Everyone improved.
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) November 12, 2016
https://twitter.com/jasonrmcintyre/status/797301490754863106
Amazing how much difference one year has made for Tom Crean. Indiana was near purgatory. Now? Prospering at an elite level. #IUBB
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) November 12, 2016
Just re-watched Kansas-Indiana. Hoosiers truly don't have labels on positions. Interchangeable pieces. Like a Queen on a chessboard. #iubb
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) November 12, 2016
Nice win @TomCrean & @IndianaMBB ! getting ahead of myself like #iubb fans do but Hope @NCAA remembers in march 2 put us #close2home please?
— Alan Henderson (@44AlanHenderson) November 12, 2016
Indiana was pretty impressive last night. Props where deserved. Crean has himself a team.
— Justin Rowland (@RowlandRIVALS) November 12, 2016
Also the Hoosiers’ oft-criticized head coach Tom Crean, who seemed to give himself some breathing room after IU reached Sweet 16 in last year’s NCAA tournament by beating Kentucky in the second round, appeared to further distance himself from the proverbial “hot seat”….
Tom Crean 1, Haters 0 #IUBB #Hoosiers
— Jevin Redman (@Jevin_13) November 12, 2016
A few years ago people had Tom Crean on a scorching seat
— Jack Crosby (@JCrosbyCBS) November 12, 2016
Now? Probably not so much…
That's it. I've waffled (knowing it was wrong) on Crean – but now I'm done. I'm done. I'm done. #done. #IUBB
— Damon Bruce (@DamonBruce) January 27, 2017
This will make those fire Tom Crean critics louder and rightfully so too. This could be a loss that forces IU to make changes soon
— Eric Smith (@Eric_INDYCAR) January 27, 2017
Nobody in college basketball does less with more than Tom Crean. Somebody has to explain what he brings to Indiana. What a disappointment.
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) January 27, 2017
The season certainly isn’t lost for Indiana just yet. Plenty of time remains for the Hoosiers to make another run. However, it’s safe to say that at this point, they look like another underachieving IU squad.
