ESPN's Jeff Goodman: Hoosiers hoping for return to NCAAs

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Tom Crean spent much of the 2014 offseason studying. Watching tape is far from the norm for Indiana’s coach, but the subject matter was atypical.

He studied Villanova’s small-ball style from the mid-2000s that Jay Wright made famous back when 6-foot-3 Randy Foye was essentially manning the power forward spot.

He watched tape of UConn’s national title run last season, featuring a perimeter-oriented team led by Shabazz Napier, Ryan Boatright and DeAndre Daniels.

And he examined overseas clubs that move and reverse the ball.

I’m not completely sold that Indiana will make the NCAA tournament this season (they went to the Sweet 16 the last time I said this), but I can guarantee this group will be more exciting to watch than the one that couldn’t make shots -- and didn’t even make the NIT -- last season.

Not that long ago, it looked so promising in Bloomington. Crean had brought the storied Indiana Hoosiers back to where the program was being talked about for a Final Four appearance, even a national championship.

Heading into the 2012-13 season, the Hoosiers were coming off a surprising Sweet 16 appearance, returned every player of note, and had added one of the top freshmen point guards in the country, Yogi Ferrell.

However, a 29-win campaign quickly turned sour after the Hoosiers were knocked out of the 2013 NCAA tournament by Syracuse in the Sweet 16.

Then came the mass exodus. Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller left early for the NBA, and Jordan Hulls and Christian Watford graduated.

“We took a step back,” Crean admitted. “But we lost 6,900 points and the second and fourth pick of the NBA draft. It is what it is.”

What it wound up being, though, was a disappointing campaign when the core group led by Ferrell, senior Will Sheehey and talented freshman Noah Vonleh finished 7-11 in Big Ten competition and didn’t play in a postseason contest of any kind after the league tourney.

On the surface, it looks worse for the Hoosiers heading into 2014-15. Vonleh, the team’s only proven interior presence, is off to the NBA. Sheehey graduated, and Luke Fischer, Jeremy Hollowell, Austin Etherington and Peter Jurkin all transferred out of the program.

Will this Hoosiers team compete for a national title -- or even push the likes of Wisconsin for a Big Ten crown?

Hardly, but Indiana should still have a chance to get back to the NCAA tournament.

The Hoosiers will be small, but they will have a talented perimeter and no shortage of shooters. Let’s also factor into the equation that this club won’t exactly be overwhelmed by most league teams in what could wind up being a down year for the Big Ten.

Ferrell is the leader and will have to continue to improve his overall floor game and decision-making. Troy Williams was thrown into the fire as a freshman, and he should be more consistent this season, and more able to take advantage of mismatches while spending much of the time as an undersized power forward.

But the difference from last season to 2014-15?

“We have guys who can make shots,” Crean said.

With improved ball movement, Ferrell won’t have to launch as many contested jumpers, and shooters such as freshmen James Blackmon Jr. and Robert Johnson as well as Illinois State transfer Nick Zeisloft will help a great deal.

Sure, the frontcourt is a complete question mark. Hanner Mosquera-Perea has done virtually nothing to justify his high ranking coming out of high school. The Hoosiers were so desperate that they made a run at Ray Kasongo, who didn’t get admitted to Oregon, before grabbing Vermont Academy-bound Emmitt Holt, a 6-foot-7, hard-playing New Yorker.

These guys will have challenges on the glass, but Crean will have to play small ball. He may have to do what Ben Howland did at UCLA in his final season in Westwood: loosen the reigns and just let these guys go.

That’s this group’s best chance to succeed. Let them get up and down the floor and get points in transition.

“We’re going to play fast,” Crean admitted. “I don’t know how conventional we’ll be.”

The advantage Crean will have over most of his Big Ten counterparts this season is that the Hoosiers got 10 additional practices and also played five games in Canada in August.

Blackmon led the team in scoring (18.8 PPG, 38 percent on 3s), Williams was a close second (18.4) and Johnson and Zeisloft were both impressive -- especially with their ability to shoot the ball from deep. Zeisloft shot 55 percent during the trip while Johnson made 44 percent. Crean praised Blackmon’s consistency on the offensive end, Johnson’s maturity, and Williams’ increased effort on the defensive side of the ball. The Hoosiers overall shot 42 percent during those five contests.

He also said the trip was beneficial for a variety of reasons, the least of which was that they played with a 24-second shot clock, which will help adjust to the quicker pace they intend to implement this season.

This Indiana team is a question mark, even to Crean. He knows the Hoosiers will make shots, but he’s not sure whether they will be able to defend at a high enough level, hold their own on the glass and win enough close games.

Last season, there were 17 wins and 15 losses, four more setbacks in Big Ten play. A repeat performance certainly won’t silence the critics in Bloomington.

“I don’t feel any of that,” Crean said of the pressure. “I really don’t.”

If there’s one aspect that Crean has realized over the past few years, it’s how quickly it can all change.

This season he’s hoping to switch gears again -- unconventionally.

[FriscoPMG]

Some nice words from Crean towards LB on his birthday yesterday:

Tom Crean @TomCrean · 24h

One of the greatest to ever coach and to REALLY WORK at making players and coaches consistently better is having a Birthday. @LarryBrownSMU