Tom Crean Delivering Coaching Masterpiece with Indiana After Big Maryland Win

Hoosiers. The living (albeit bitter) ghost of Bob Knight. Indiana's history often seems more pleasant than a look forward, unless it's toward the anticipation of replacing Tom Crean.

Life can’t be easy as the Hoosiers head coach, having to face a constant stream of blue-blood expectations and real-time (and quite local) pessimism.

November losses to Wake Forest and UNLV at the Maui Invitational showcased a nonexistent defense and a coach who seemed like he might get run out of Bloomington before conference play. But those storylines seem about as ancient as Hickory and Jimmy Chitwood or that 1976 undefeated squad of Knight’s.

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The Big Ten champions put the icing on the regular-season cake Sunday with an all-around 80-62 throttling of visiting Maryland—which was once presumed to be the top team in the league.

IU heads into the Big Ten tournament as the top seed and on a five-game winning streak.

“We want to make the game go,” Crean told CBS’ Tracy Wolfson at halftime, when IU led by 13 points after showing plenty of exciting pace.

Things have gone quite well since that rough nonconference run, which included a 20-point loss on Dec. 2 at Duke that figured to doom Crean, who took over a gutted program in 2008. He hasn’t exactly been celebrated in recent years, and all types—from media to boosters—figured him a goner.

There’s even a website called TomCreanBuyout.com.

How many coaches who have made a pair of Sweet 16 appearances (plus another at-large bid) since 2012 are on the verge of losing their job? Or being considered a fool?

We’re not ready to call this a Final Four team. Or even call Crean the National Coach of the Year.

The truth is: This is a team that has benefited from an unbalanced league schedule.

The Hoosiers capped an undefeated home season for the first time since 2007 on Sunday, but their NCAA tournament seeding and big-game reputation deservedly has been at stake in recent weeks.

A blowout loss to Michigan State (its last defeat), an awful loss to Penn State and an overtime defeat at Wisconsin on Jan. 26—the Badgers were just starting to find their footing then—had us questioning IU’s long-term potential.

The eye test right now, however, is popping.

Indiana's resurgence has been built on an effective field-goal percentage that ranks No. 2 nationally, per KenPom.com, and players who know their roles. It's been a while since anyone said "Indiana is just plain fun to watch."

But even the most red-faced Crean critic would have to agree it is.

Yogi Ferrell, IU’s career leader in assists and games started, has all the callouses and scars of a star player who has seen it all. His words and actions show it's a tighter-knit group than anyone on the outside would give it credit for.

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This team is at its best when Troy Williams is in attack mode, like he was against the on-their-heels Terrapins. Crean has found a way to make him click more consistently—as the junior's reached double digits in scoring in four of his last five games.

Indiana survived the early-season loss of its second-best scorer, James Blackmon Jr., to knee surgery because the bench shooting of Max Bielfeldt and Nick Zeisloft can find rhythm and find it quickly. The Hoosiers play fast and free, and Crean doesn't let criticism and speculation about him get in his players' way.

IU has three players—Ferrell, Zeisloft and Robert Johnson, who missed the Maryland game with an ankle injury—who rank in the top 100 nationally in three-point percentage, per KenPom.com. No other team can say that.

Nor can any opponent say it's been as battle-scarred as the Hoosiers, who have found a way to stick together and tune out so much negativity.

It was just one year ago when Crean’s own kid was booed at a high school game.

“It’s a different Indiana team,” CBS broadcaster Ian Eagle said during the Maryland game, over the din of a rollicking home crowd. “This Hoosiers squad has gained confidence throughout the year.”

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There was no more telling sign of Indiana’s relentlessness than the one that came nearly four minutes into the second half. The Terrapins had just scored. The Assembly Hall crowd was silent, but Maryland coach Mark Turgeon was a few feet onto the playing floor and screaming at his team.

It needed to get back fast to play defense. It didn’t. Williams quickly earned a three-point play at the rim to run the lead back to 12—one it would never relinquish.

Forever looking forward, going about its business—Indiana would be the top-ranked team if that were the key metric.

And the Hoosiers have inherited that tunnel vision from Crean—who would win Coach of the Year if the most important factor were not worrying about what other people think.