Indiana Basketball: Each Starter's Biggest Area of Improvement in 2014-2015

The past two months have seen Indiana transform from an afterthought into a contender in the Big Ten.

Considering head coach Tom Crean was on the hot seat at the start of the season, this has to be surprising for just about everyone outside of the locker room.

While there are many reasons for the turnaround, a lot of the credit has to go to the players themselves. The competitors have put in the work to improve both from last season and from the start of this one.

The Hoosiers still have a lot to prove this season, but here is a look at how each starter has enhanced his own game in recent weeks.

Yogi Ferrell: Distributing the Ball

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A year ago, Yogi Ferrell was a quality scorer for a mediocre team. This season, he is a complete point guard for a contender in the Big Ten.

The individual success and team success are entirely related.

Ferrell is shooting less this season, but his assists per game have jumped from 3.9 as a sophomore to 4.9 as a junior. His assist-to-turnover ratio has also grown to 2.3, up from 1.5 a year ago.

The Hoosiers have the No. 7 most-efficient offense in the nation, according to KenPom.com, and a lot of that is thanks to Ferrell's ability to spread the ball around and give his teammates open looks. Of course, he can still score when needed, putting up 50 points combined in the last two games.

Indiana will go as far as Ferrell takes it this year, which right now seems like it will be a long way.

Robert Johnson: On-Ball Defense

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Although Robert Johnson sometimes seems like an afterthought in the Indiana lineup, the team might realize how important he is after the guard sustained a fluke injury against Ohio State.

According to Chip Patterson of CBS Sports, the freshman is questionable for the upcoming game against Purdue after slipping on a cheerleader's sign.

If Johnson is unable to play, Indiana will certainly miss the player's defensive ability on the perimeter. He is a tough player who uses his quickness and athleticism to keep opponents from getting easy looks at the basket.

He earned playing time early in his career with the ability to fill up the stat sheet, but his defense has been very noticeable as of late. The Hoosiers better hope his current knee injury doesn't turn out to be a bigger issue.

James Blackmon: Attacking the Rim

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James Blackmon exceeded expectations earlier in the year thanks to his lights-out shooting, becoming one of the top-scoring freshmen in the nation during the nonconference season.

While he is still hitting 41.7 percent of his shots from beyond the arc, he has turned himself into a more complete offensive player thanks to his ability to drive into the lane and finish in the paint.

Blackmon only averaged 6.2 two-point attempts per game in November, but that number rose to 7.1 in December and 7.7 in January. This aggressiveness has turned him into a more complete offensive player and a much tougher person to defend.

Opponents are still forced to respect the outside shot, but his penetration and finishing ability could make him unstoppable.

Collin Hartman: Outside Shooting

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With Hanner Mosquera-Perea sidelined with a knee injury, Indiana turned to Collin Hartman to fill his spot in the starting lineup. Although he does give up size inside, he makes up for it with his ability to spread the floor offensively.

Hartman has been red-hot in the last four games, making 10 of his 15 shots from three-point range. While he has always had the ability to shoot from deep, he has never been such a big part of the offense. His ability to improve with the pressure on him is something Indiana has to value in a major way.

Additionally, his presence gives the team four or five shooters on the floor at all times, opening things up for more penetration.

The big question is whether Hartman will be able to hold up on the defensive end. He has been effective in the post, but he is clearly not the rim-protector Mosquera-Perea has been at times. Still, his three blocks against Maryland showed that he has plenty of upside in this area.

Troy Williams: Aggressiveness

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The maturation of Troy Williams has to be one of the more encouraging factors of Indiana's season.

Although the highly touted recruit got a lot of playing time as a freshman, he was usually a non-factor on the court and took way too many jump shots.

This has not been the case this season, as Williams turned himself into a dangerous playmaker offensively. He is using his athleticism to his advantage by driving to the basket and finishing at or above the rim.

Additionally, he has been much more aggressive overall, taking shots on 23.5 percent of the team's possessions when he is on the floor to rank second on the squad, via KenPom.com.

Williams has turned himself into a force when slashing to the basket and has provided Indiana some balance in the frontcourt. As long as this continues, the Hoosiers should be in great shape.

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