Tom Crean, Hoosiers Notch Biggest Win in Post-Jackass Era

December 9, 2009 By 2 Comments

I simply cannot move on to any other topics this morning before congratulating Tom Crean and his young, scrappy Indiana Hoosiers for their terrific victory last night over Pittsburgh in the Jimmy V Classic.

No, this was not a win over a Top 25 team, nor was it a true road win as the game was played in New York, nor was it a conference victory.

However, for a team that had only won nine games over the past two seasons, all of them in the friendly confines of Assembly Hall, this was the type of victory that can build momentum for the future.

crean-knightSo you’ll have to forgive Hoosier players, coaches, and fans for being a little giddy this morning.

Yes, we understand that beating a barely-receiving-votes Pitt team is not like knocking off Michigan State in East Lansing, but for about 24 hours or so it sure as hell is going to feel like it.

Next up for the Hoosiers is a home battle with Kentucky on Saturday (at noon on CBS). Kentucky has more talent by leaps and bounds than Pittsburgh does, led by John Wall and Patrick Patterson. To say that this will be a stiff test and a great barometer of this year’s Hoosier team would be an understatement.

But heading this three game stretch of Maryland, Pittsburgh, and Kentucky, I would have gladly taken a 1-2 record. With a team filled with freshman and sophomores and a coach still trying to build of a foundation in a program that had been rocked to its core, expectations much be kept in check.

Coach Crean – who won his 200th career game last night – and the Hoosiers fell below my expectations against Maryland in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge but rebounded to exceed my expectations last night.

Hopefully expectations can be exceeded again this Saturday and, win or lose, we can build some positive momentum as we get closer to conference play.

Great win last night Hoosiers. Even the most optimistic coach, the most motivated players, and the most dedicated fans need some reinforcement every once in a while. We got it last night.

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Filed Under: CBB Tagged With: CBB, indiana hoosiers, tom crean
About Jerod Morris

A proud graduate of Indiana University, Jerod Morris founded Midwest Sports Fans in August of 2008 and has been its Managing Editor every day since. Follow him on Twitter (@JerodMorris) for MSF updates, sports discussion, and a compelling daily assortment of funny and interesting links.
In addition to his work at MSF, Jerod hosts the fast-growing Indiana basketball postgame show The Assembly Call and provides regular music recommendations at IndieChristmas.com. He also helped develop the Synthesis Managed WordPress Hosting platform on which MSF and all of his other sites are run.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/tylerj TylerJ

    I also shared your excitement about the Hoosier's HUGE win against Pitt. It was really a step in the right direction and gave me hope that they could win another big one against Kentucky Saturday.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/JerodMSF JerodMSF

    I'm much more optimistic about our chances Saturday, although it's hard to envision us having any type of answer for John Wall. My fear is that his penetration and Patrick Patterson's size and skill will get us in early foul trouble that will kill us in the second half if we are able to keep it close early. Hope I'm wrong. We definitely need huge days from Mo Creek and Christian Watford to have a shot…but that will be true all year.