Tom Crean hopes for lesson from close loss
Zach Osterman
zach.osterman@indystar.com
NEW YORK -- Tom Crean wouldn't call Friday's loss a good one, but he saw it as productive, at least.
In the Hoosiers' back-and-forth 59-58 defeat to No. 18 UConn, Crean said he saw a team that is learning how to play in tight games and how to play at a slow pace that's totally opposite to IU's preferred offensive style.
He also saw one he hopes is learning just how slim the line between a win and a loss can be.
"When you play great teams, the margin for error ... is so small. You can't give them easy baskets," Crean said." We've got to grow mentally as fast as we can."
Friday's game felt more like a tournament final played in March than in November. Crean compared it to the tight Big Ten games his team will face through in January and February.
2K Sports Classic tournament organizers surely got the title game they wanted, played between the local powerhouse (UConn) and the rabid fanbase (Indiana), and Madison Square Garden sounded cut right down the middle between the two all night.
Indiana struggled without freshman forward Noah Vonleh, its offense stunted in his foul-driven absence. The Hoosiers shot just 40.8 percent from the floor, reached the free-throw line only 22 times and struggled to find the scoring rhythm that had them averaging 94 points per game through their first five.
But IU's' first loss of the season included eight ties and 13 lead changes, with Indiana answering UConn basket for basket until the game's final minute.
"We were always there, still fighting, still trying to take the lead," said sophomore point guard Yogi Ferrell, who led Indiana with 19 points. "This loss is going to help us down the road."
Ferrell's belief was one shared by Crean, who said he was impressed with his team's composure through most of Friday's game. Indiana, Crean said, leaves New York with plenty to work on, but he added that he was pleased with the way the Hoosiers handled themselves against UConn.
"I thought our guys did a fantastic job, because there were a couple of times where we could have let the elements, let the adversity, let the fact that the game wasn't going real fast affect us, and they never did," Crean said. "When it comes to maturity and growing up, there's no question that we did that over the last two days."