Indiana Basketball: Breaking Down the First Month of 2016-17

Nov 30, 2016; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers coach Tom Crean coaches on the sidelines against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Assembly Hall. Indiana defeats North Carolina 76-67. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Indiana Basketball team has found themselves in an interesting spot after an eventful month of November in the 2016-17 season.

The expectations of the 2016-17 Indiana Hoosiers have been elevated since the preseason rankings were rolled out where Indiana was ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll.

The Hoosiers started the season off surprising the nation with an overtime win against then No. 3 Kansas, 103-99. Basketball experts across the board were high on Indiana’s ability to dominate the perimeter and the depth of their roster. This game alone had experts talking about Indiana becoming the No. 1 team in the nation.

They followed the Kansas win with two more W’s before heading to Fort Wayne to take on the Mastodons. This is where things turned ugly, quick.

Many will still continue to blame the absence of star forward O.G. Anunoby who did not play due to illness. The Hoosiers came out flat from the moment the ball was tipped. Inconsistent shooting, no sense of urgency on defense and the inability to take command of the game resulted in a 71-68 overtime loss.

The city of Bloomington nearly collapsed, but surprisingly the social media faction calling for Tom Crean’s job was relatively quiet compared to years past.

Indiana went from being the No. 3 team in the AP Top 25 to No. 13.

Then the unthinkable happened. Indiana followed their disappointing loss with two straight wins, one of them coming against No. 3 North Carolina at Assembly Hall. The Big Ten/ACC Challenge once again had the Hoosiers in the national spotlight where they provided nothing less than a dominating performance.

The Tar Heels never even had a lead in the game. All five of Indiana’s starters ended up with double digit points in route to a 76-67 win.

So how can we evaluate the first month of the season for Indiana?

Nov 30, 2016; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard James Blackmon (1) leads the team onto the floor before the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Assembly Hall. Indiana defeats North Carolina 76-67. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Good

O.G. Anunoby

Plenty of skepticism has been placed on highly touted star O.G. Anunoby entering his sophomore season. Anunoby played a key role in the success the Hoosiers saw down the stretch last season.

The real surprise has been the offensive production that many people thought Anunoby would struggle with this season. Anunoby after the first month of play is the third leading scorer on the team, averaging 12.5 points per game. Through the first five games of the season, Anunoby has been lights out defensively locking down some of the best forwards in college basketball.

When on the floor, Anunoby has proven to be the difference maker that Indiana needs in order to preserve their top ten ranking. He has proven so far to NBA scouts, experts and the national media that he might just be worth of an NBA Lottery selection come summer 2017.

OG Anunoby with all the hops https://t.co/piZqVJX6Av

— The Cauldron (ICYMI) (@CauldronICYMI) December 1, 2016

James Blackmon Jr.

Coming off a torn meniscus in his left knee late in 2015, there was a bit of uncertainty for James Blackmon Jr. and how he would respond to the injury. The void that was left to fill in terms of

scoring from Yogi Ferrell loomed as one of the main concerns for this Indiana team. Who would be able to step up and replace the versatile scoring point guard?

James Blackmon Jr. has surprised many Indiana fans, transitioning smoothly into the number one scorer on the team so far in 2016. He put on quite the showing in the opener verse #3 Kansas, scoring 26 points complimented by 6 rebounds. He started the season with three straight 20 plus point games.

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Indiana will continue to need Blackmon to provide the three point threat and be able to take pressure shots down the stretch in games.

Two Top 5 Wins

Need I say more? These wins will come in handy when it comes down to determining seeds for March Madness. The two wins against Kansas and North Carolina essentially wipe away any lingering doubt that was brought on by the IPFW loss.

Wins in November might not mean the same as those in February, but it certainly can’t hurt. Most of college basketball expects both Kansas and North Carolina to hang in the top 10 for the majority of the year. These wins will provide a strong resume for Indiana moving into Big Ten play.

The Bad

Loss to IPFW

It goes without saying that losing a game of this magnitude hurts, a lot. While IPFW is no cupcake game, it was one that Indiana undoubtedly saw as a victory. The recent history of major struggles on the road for Indiana continued, dropping what should have been a pretty uneventful win.

What makes the loss hurt even more is the two wins against top 5 opponents that could have shot Indiana straight to a #1 ranking had they been able to corral a win in Fort Wayne.

IPFW ranks in the top 15 (#11) in scoring throughout all of Div. I Men’s Basketball. The Mastodons are averaging right around 89 points per game. IPFW’s Bryson Scott, who hung 16 points on the Hoosiers en route to the win, was a former player at Purdue who transferred after last season.

We continue to see Indiana play to the level of their competition, beating two top 5 ranked teams early and then flopping against lesser opponents. If Indiana wants to continue to be considered one of the toughest opponents in college basketball, losses like this one cannot continue.

Injury to O.G. Anunoby

The incredible performance of O.G. Anunoby in a 76-67 win over #3 North Carolina is masked by his non-contact injury suffered in the late portion of the second half. He was helped off the court, seemingly unable to put any weight on his left leg.

Coach Crean said during the post game ““It’s (a) high (sprain), so we’ll see.”

While many are reporting that Indiana will be without Anunoby for at least two weeks, it’s reassuring that there was no major damage in the initial reports. Indiana cannot afford to lose him for any extended period of time, as the Hoosiers are set to square off against two top 15 ranked teams (#11 Louisville, #16 Butler) at the end of December.

Nov 27, 2016; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Josh Newkirk (2) dribbles the ball in the first half of the game against the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils at Assembly Hall. Indiana defeated Mississippi Valley State 85-52. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Uncertain

Josh Newkirk

The former Pittsburgh transfer has seen his first action with Indiana this season. After agreeing to transfer, Newkirk had to sit out last season in order to maintain eligibility.

Surprisingly, Newkirk has been slotted into Tom Crean’s starting lineup in most of the games in November. While the offense has not all been there in the first few games, Newkirk provides another avenue as a three point threat.

Some weaknesses in Newkirk’s game have been identified early on though. A few mistakes with handling the ball late in games has many questioning what he can provide for IU moving forward. The most prevalent of the concerns comes with turning the ball over. Newkirk ranks second behind Thomas Bryant in turnovers with 18 coming into December.

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It will take time for Josh Newkirk to fully adjust to the way that Indiana plays, and still uncertain whether or not he can provide productive minutes late in games. If he wants to continue seeing starter minutes, he will need to find a way to limit the turnovers and create open opportunities for others to score.