This storming the court thing got outta control on this blog. I pointed it out and really didn't like it when it went down. But I get it no biggie. Michigan did the same thing against UCONN.

It is undeniable the folks on here criticizing Crean are fans of his and diehard IU followers. I am VERY glad he's here. Last year it didn't seem to matter what he did. We were so bad it was hard to judge him. Now we are much better and are learning about him on the fly. We beat Michigan, Pitt and Minnesota. There is no denying things are better. Sometimes I just don't understand and share it on here.

Then you can all storm the court after beating Ball State or Eastern Michigan.

I've noticed this too with Hulls getting caught defending big men. It seems to me it's coming more in the man defense. For whatever reason he seems to be getting caught in a lot of switches that leave him on a post player and Elston or Watford guarding his man. On thing I've noticed from Hulls is that he's very good at recognizing this, communicating with his teammates and finding the right time to switch back.

As far as the zone, there was stretch (I believe in the first half) where we were in what looked like a 1-3-1 zone. Elston was in the middle at the high post and I believe VJIII was the runner on the baseline. Sometimes you'll put a big up top to disrupt entry passes against the zone, but I'm not a big fan of pulling one of your bigs that far from the defensive boards.

Not sure if there was a specific reason to play a 1-3-1 against Minny, or if CTC was trying to give a different look.

a) we put Pritchard or Watford up top say w Jones…………and then

b) we put Hulls, Moore, w Rivers or Dumes down low defending the basket. ???????????

Several times in the game Hulls ended up defending Sampson or Iverson down low and we saw how much trouble he had w Zach Novack in 2 games.

SInce this alignment was by design , ie on purpose, I am wondering what the thinking is. It scared the crap out of me during the game…..anybody know the answer ?

He'll get better at it. I'd worry a bit if these guys didn't seem to like each other so much.

Personally, I don't even clap after a made basket unless IU is beating UCLA or Kentucky (only teams with more banners than us) by at least 20.

Even though I was only 4 at the time, I have vague recollections of being disgusted at the ostentatious celebrations when IU won the title in '87. They only won by a single point, and if memory serves, they even lost some games that year. Not much to celebrate about if you ask me!

Maybe it's nothing though?

In this game, IU played tougher than they have in two years, and pulled out a game in overtime most of the faithful thought was over.

Never said Hulls couldn't play at IU just he shouldn't start or play a ton of minutes unless he is playing well and hitting shots. His transition D is bad but he has time to learn. He was overhyped coming to IU because he is from Bloomington but he is definitely improving as the year goes on.

But thats the point. If you watched him at Bloomington South or in AAU you would understand why he was hyped. He won the Mr. Basketball award playing the same way he does now. Anyone who understands basketball understands that its the small things he brings to the game that are what make him a valuable player. I.e. whenever he’s in the game the offense runs smoother. He has a higher basketball iq than anyone else on that court I promise you and its why he was recruited to Duke, Stanford, among others and why he plays now. I understand calling for Moore to not be on the floor or even why Dumes minutes should go up. But there is a reason Crean starts him and anyone who TRULY understands the game of basketball would get it to. The points will come trust me. This is exactly how his career at Bloomington South started and I promise you he will be the player he was “hyped” to be very soon.