NCAA 2012: Can Indiana Win the Big Ten Tournament?

On senior night in Assembly Hall after a big win over hated rival Purdue, Tom Pritchard said the words every Hoosier—fan or player—had been dying to hear: "IU basketball is back."

But just how close are they to returning to the hierarchy of college basketball?

Indiana is back in the top 25 for the first time since Kelvin Sampson left the program in shambles and have recently had huge wins at home against Kentucky, Ohio State, and Michigan State. However, can an unseasoned team whose star is a Freshman and is led by seniors who have never played in a NCAA tournament game—let alone won a Big Ten Tournament game—win away from the friendly confines of Assembly Hall?

The Big Ten tournament will be a big measuring stick in determining just how good this team can be for years to come. Next year, Bloomington will be graced with their biggest recruiting class in years, and the second largest in the nation.

Dubbed "The Movement" by anxious Hoosier fans, next year appears to be the year where Indiana can really return to the elite ranks of college basketball that earned them those five red banners on the back wall of Assembly Hall.

However, Tom Crean has never been in it for the moral victory. He wasn't against Kentucky, and he almost assuredly isn't now. Playing in Banker's Life Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers, the Hoosiers have a legitimate home court advantage now that they pose a real threat in the tournament. Not to mention, IU has beaten three of the top four seeds in the tournament.

They begin with Penn State, who they should beat handily, though they gave them a good contest in State College. Then they move on to face Wisconsin, a team they marginally lost to in Wisconsin's building—one of the toughest places to play in the country.

From there they would most likely face Michigan State to earn a berth in the tournament final. Michigan State has the best player in the conference this year in Draymond Green, and has a deep, well-coached team. However, Indiana is just as deep and has the size in Cody Zeller, Christian Watford and Derek Elston to play against a good Spartans squad.

The real challenge would be facing Jared Sullinger and the Ohio State Buckeyes in the tournament final. Indiana used their raucous fans to take down OSU at home, but were trounced in Columbus later on. Zeller matches up well physically with Sullinger, but isn't as experienced—especially in big games. Furthermore, OSU is one of the most experienced teams in the country. Beating OSU would easily be the Hoosiers' toughest test.

However, Indiana has beaten this team once, and if they get Sullinger in early foul trouble like they did in the last game, Banker's Life Fieldhouse might provide this team with enough spark to shock the conference.

Indiana has the depth and athleticism to beat any team in the conference—they've shown that to be true. But, for this team, it's what is between the ears that counts. They need to believe in themselves and learn how to beat teams on the road in order to win the Big Ten Tournament and truly make a run in the NCAA tournament. If the Hoosiers can manage to focus and play smart, they could very well do both.