The Assembly Call Indiana Basketball Podcast

IOn the latest episode of The Assembly Call we break down today's game, briefly (because is there to say about it that hasn't been said?), and then look ahead to the NCAA Tournament. Most compellingly, Andy Bottoms provides four teams to watch for during tomorrow's Selection Show that you do NOT want to see in Indiana's bracket, because they a play a style resembling Wisconsin's that could give the Hoosiers fits.

Indiana's victory over Michigan gave the Hoosiers the outright Big Ten title in one of the toughest Big Ten seasons I can ever remember. It was a strange game, a game that ebbed and flowed, that featured runs and comebacks and great plays and sloppy ones ... and ultimately it featured two of the nation's best players strapping their team onto their backs and leading it to victory. Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo were magnificent today, as they have been all season.

It was a night of mixed emotions in Assembly Hall. The first emotions were not good ones, as the Hoosiers were out-toughed and out-hustled by a visiting Ohio State team clearly intent on exacting revenge for the Columbus beatdown IU delivered last month. Vengeance attained. But the disappointment of the loss was soon replaced by immense pride for all IU fans, as Derek Elston, Jordan Hulls, and Christian Watford were honored on Senior Night.

Ari Kaufman and Jon Washburn dissect the topsy-turvy terrain of college basketball with a special edition episode of The Assembly Call. They discuss the Hoosiers, of course, while also touching on the Big Ten as a whole, Butler, the systemic overrating of Duke, and much more.

I hate the damn Barn ... where weird things always seem to happen, and where IU teams just so often seem to play their worst games. And that's exactly what happened tonight.

Victor Oladipo's rebound putback, breakaway dunk, and two free throws iced the win...the first win for Indiana at the Breslin Center since 1991, which is what made this one of the most satisfying Indiana wins in recent memory. We start the latest victorious episode of The Assembly Call talking about Victor's superlative play and end it the same way. In between, we talk about everything else. One of the more fun shows we've ever done.

Purdue entered today's game in Bloomington averaging 64.8 points per game. Once this afternoon's tilt was over, Indiana had beaten Purdue by a combined 65 points in their two meetings this year. That stat pretty much sums up the dominance of IU over Purdue this season. We break down the game, plus discuss why Purdue just doesn't look like Purdue anymore, and look ahead to the big game next week in the Breslin Center.

Coming on the heels of perhaps the most impressive performance a Tom Crean IU team has had, the Hoosiers came out a little sluggish tonight. It's understandable. But an early second half explosion, keyed by Victor Oladipo hustle (go figure), got the Hoosiers going. They ultimately took care of business at home over Nebraska, 76-47. Cody Zeller had a strong second half and led the team in scoring, but balance was again the theme as six Hoosiers scored 8 or more points. We broke down tonight's game, then looked ahead to the Michigan State game (oh yeah, and Purdue), on another victorious episode of The Assembly Call.

It was another milestone victory for the Tom Crean era at Indiana. Crean's Hoosiers have made amazing strides since he took over, but no Crean team - and no IU team at all since 1993 - had beaten a top 10 team on the road. That came to an emphatic end today in Columbus, Ohio. Victor Oladipo, Cody Zeller, and Christian Watford all played like NBA players today, each scoring over 20 points and doing so with breathtaking efficiency. The Hoosiers also played terrific team defense, all en route to a convincing 81-68 win over the Buckeyes. On the latest episode of The Assembly Call, we discuss the superlative performances of Oladipo, Zeller, and Watford, and discuss whether this win erases the bad taste of the Illinois loss.

Well that sucked. Yes, I'm talking about the last play, where Illinois got the easiest buzzer-beater in basketball history. But I'm also talking, generally, about the final 4-5 minutes. The Hoosiers controlled this game for 35 minutes, but simply could not maintain focus and put Illinois away. We broke it all down on tonight's show, with some great insight from Andy and Ryan in particular. We also look ahead to Sunday's battle against Ohio State.

Now that was dominance. Indiana put together one of its most complete games of the season in a 97-60 demolition of Purdue that was over before the first half even ended. Cody Zeller set the tone early and finished with 17 points, and all four other starters made it into double-figures. The Hoosiers turned the ball over only 8 times and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds. They also made 19-20 free throws. And the bench even stepped up with some scoring! It was Indiana's fourth Big Ten road win this season, matching the total Tom Crean amassed in his previous seasons as IU's coach. It was also the largest beatdown Purdue has ever experienced at home. Simply put, it was the best performance IU fans could hope for with Saturday's tilt with Michigan now just around the corner.

Indiana never let Michigan State get control of the game, kept its composure late, and won a tough 75-70 battle to stay tied atop the conference. Indiana needed to take care of business at home against a really good team, and they did just that.

Indiana took care of business at home last night, upending the Penn State Nittany Lions and holding them under 50 points. Most impressive was Indiana's ability to jump out early in both halves, as the 2nd half especially has been problematic for Indiana in recent games. However, this win was not without its question marks. Cody Zeller turned in perhaps the worst offensive performance of his career, scoring just two points and going 0-4 from the field. And many IU fans were questioning Tom Crean's decision to leave his starters on the floor late in the game despite Indiana being firmly in control. We talked about all the pluses and minuses on last night's victorious edition of The Assembly Call.

Indiana improved to 16-2 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten - with three road victories - by defeating Northwestern yesterday afternoon in Evanston. The Hoosiers jumped out to a big early lead, thanks to aggressive play from Christian Watford and a solid all-around performance from Cody Zeller, but once again second half woes plagued the Hoosiers. Northwestern was able to make it something of a game late before the Hoosiers finally pulled away. In addition to the second half struggles that are becoming all too common for Indiana, the bench continued to provide little production. Andy and Zach discussed these issues and more on the latest edition of The Assembly Call.

11 in a row. That's how many straight times Wisconsin and Bo Ryan have beaten Indiana, including five in a row at Assembly Hall. And tonight, while there is plenty of blame to pass around for the guys in Cream and Crimson, it would be unwise to simply think of this as Indiana losing tonight. Wisconsin came into Assembly Hall, undeterred and unintimidated, and took this game. As they always seem to nowadays. It needs to stop. But it sure didn't tonight. Cody Zeller had a great first half but struggled in the second half. Will Sheehey put up his second straight donut in the scoring department. Yogi Ferrell took five threes while the rest of the team took seven. Jordan Hulls was out of sorts all night. We break it all down on tonight's frustrated episode of The Assembly Call.