Indiana Hoosiers Cement Themselves as Big Ten Contenders After Win vs. Maryland

Before the 2014-15 college basketball season, many predicted that the Indiana Hoosiers would be near the bottom of the Big Ten standings.

Now, after a convincing 89-70 win over the No. 13 Maryland Terrapins, the Hoosiers have put themselves back on the map.

Currently tied with the Wisconsin Badgers at the top of the Big Ten, the Hoosiers are 15-4 with a 5-1 conference record. The reason? Their high-powered offense, which ranks ninth in the nation with 81.9 points per game while shooting 40.6 percent from behind the arc (10th in the country).

Thursday's win against Maryland showed just how dangerous this Hoosiers team can be. They caught fire offensively, shooting 60 percent from the field while going 15-for-22 from behind the arc thanks to big games from Yogi Ferrell, James Blackmon and Collin Hartman.

Those 15 three-pointers represented a season high for the Hoosiers.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

After a somewhat lengthy cold spell, Ferrell caught fire, scoring 24 points and making seven of his eight three-point attempts. The junior point guard also added five assists while not recording a single turnover. Ferrell's ridiculous shot chart shows just how locked in he was:

The biggest strength for the Hoosiers in conference play will be their backcourt. Along with Ferrell running the point, Indiana has two promising freshmen in Blackmon and Robert Johnson on the wings.

The key for the Hoosiers offensively will be for Blackmon to stay hot. After a rough start to conference play, the freshman has gotten more comfortable the past two games, scoring 43 points on 15-for-26 shooting, including 7-for-11 from downtown.

Blackmon has started to understand that he can be a more versatile scorer, relying less on the three-point ball and no longer hesitating to drive to the rim when he has an opening.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Down low, the Hoosiers are starting to put it together despite the absence of Hanner Mosquera-Perea (knee injury).

Troy Williams has made strides in his sophomore season, averaging 13.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while shooting a very impressive 58.3 percent from the floor. His athleticism has provided a spark on both sides of the ball.

But the biggest surprise of all for the Hoosiers has been Hartman.

After tearing his ACL last March, Hartman has come in replacing Mosquera-Perea down low and been a huge asset, playing stingy defense, fighting for loose balls, taking charges and doing whatever he can to help his team.

Since Hartman took over as the starting center, the Hoosiers have gone 3-0, with the sophomore controlling the paint and even shutting down Illinois center Nnanna Egwu, holding him scoreless before he fouled out in just 27 minutes of play.

	Per Game	B1G Rank	Nation Rank
Points	81.9	1st	9th
FG%	48.3%	3rd	23rd
3P%	40.6%	1st	10th

This starting five, along with key role players like Nick Zeisloft, Emmitt Holt and Max Hoetzel, has made the Hoosiers one of the most entertaining teams to watch in college basketball due to their high-powered offense.

According to kenpom.com, the Hoosiers have the seventh-best adjusted offense in the nation. Meanwhile, ESPN.com's RPI rankings have the Hoosiers at 30th overall and fourth in offensive quotient.

Of course, the big question for this Hoosiers team in conference play will be its lack of size and defensive struggles. Hartman is just 6'6'' at center, and no one who sees consistent minutes is taller than 6'9''—and that's the injured Mosquera-Perea.

Because of that lack of size, it will be very hard to take on teams like the Wisconsin Badgers, who have plenty of size.

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Still, the resume is building for the Hoosiers. They now have four wins over Top 25 teams, a share of the lead in the Big Ten and an offense that can heat up at any given moment. A team that dealt with arrests and suspensions before the start of the season has come together with the effort and hustle that was absent last year.

Williams spoke with reporters about the team's approach:

"

We just stayed together through everything. We just know that at the end of the day it's still us [who are] the only ones in the gym … it's still us that's still together as a team. So we didn't let none of the outside get to us. We just stayed together and you see the results are coming out well for us.

"

They're young. They're inexperienced. They're still learning. But above all else, the Hoosiers have been a ton of fun to watch and made a statement on Thursday night: Indiana basketball is back.

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