CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – This game was bound to be a learning experience, in more ways than one. Although the end result wasn’t what they hoped for, as Indiana dropped an 88-76 decision to Boston College, the Hoosiers certainly walked out of Conte Forum Wednesday night with something to learn from, something Tom Crean emphasized several times.
“We’ll learn from this,” the Indiana mentor said. “When do we learn? I don’t know. We may learn by the next game, it may take three weeks.”
The Hoosiers came into the game with a 6-0 mark, but it was a little deceiving. All six games took place in Bloomington, and the toughest opponents had been Wright State or Evansville, neither of which is a bad team, but they aren’t ACC teams. So the Hoosiers were playing the best team they’ve played against to this point, and also had to go on the road.
Certainly, Indiana has some young talent. Christian Watford showed what he’s capable of, going for 23 points on 7-12 shooting. Classmate Maurice Creek, who missed much of last season with a knee injury, had 15 points and is the team’s third-leading scorer while shooting over 40 percent from behind the arc on the young season. Jordan Hulls has taken over the point guard spot in his sophomore season.
But there is still lots of growth to be had for this team. Watford had just two rebounds, and Crean noted that he needs to get more. Creek isn’t as experienced as he would be if he didn’t get hurt early on last season. And this team doesn’t have a senior on the roster, as Crean took over a team with a very depleted roster at first.
Crean also noticed the difference between his team and the veteran Eagles. While Boston College isn’t exactly loaded with talent, they are a veteran team and are playing like one. They showed it by responding to the early second-half charge the Hoosiers put on, as they got within one possession a couple of times before the Eagles responded.
“They were nothing short of what we expected them to be,” Crean said. “I think Steve has done an excellent job of taking what he wants to do and what he has done as a coach and incorporating what they do very well.”
One area Crean highlighted was the backboards. Boston College had a 32-27 edge there, which at first glance might not seem like much. But the Eagles had 14 offensive rebounds and the Hoosiers had 13 defensive boards, and it led to 21 second-chance points for the Eagles. While Indiana had 14 offensive boards as well, they turned those into just 12 second-chance points.
“We’ve got to do a much better job on the glass,” Crean said. “I thought one of the big stories of the game was the 21-12 (B.C. advantage) in second-chance points.”
In the first half, the Hoosiers looked like they weren’t even on the court. Boston College gave the better effort by a wide margin, and Crean noted that just about every 50-50 ball went to the Eagles. They were playing harder and carrying the play, while the Hoosiers were at best in a reactionary mode. That changed in the second half, as they scored the first eight points and put the pressure on the Eagles, but they didn’t have enough left in the tank to complete a comeback as the Eagles always had answers.
“They out-played us in the first half and we tried to come back in the second half, it just wasn’t enough,” said junior guard Verdell Jones III.
Crean emphasized the physicality of the game, especially as concerned rebounding, as well as how they guarded the dribble. Boston College guard Reggie Jackson certainly made a lot happen with his 27 points on 9-14 shooting to go with four assists. The Eagles had 17 assists with just six turnovers, so they were able to move the ball well and not just through passes.
The youth of the team wasn’t lost on Crean as well, especially with the slow start they got off to. Holding a 14-10 lead, Boston College broke the game open with 11 unanswered points, and that was where the Hoosiers started to look listless for the half. There was clearly a sense of urgency after the intermission, but that needed to come sooner.
“It’s a long game, and I think sometimes we are not mature enough or experienced enough to understand that all the time,” Crean said.
Indiana leaves town with a loss, but more importantly, things they have learned and will learn. They have a better feel for where they stand, with their record looking a little more deceptive now that they have played a road game, one that also comes against a team of a similar talent and/or experience level. They also can see what they need to do going forward, one of which they did on this night as they entered with more turnovers than assists but had 15 assists with 10 turnovers. Most of all, they have a better idea of what they will go up against regularly in about a month.
“The level of play went way up tonight, to prove that to us, and that will be good for us,” Crean said.
