College Basketball: Indiana Hoosiers Fall to Boilermakers In West Lafayette

It's become a simple explanation for an Indiana fan that the Hoosiers just don't win certain types of games. 

When it came down to it, IU's biggest weakness showed itself. The current squad lacks a go-to scorer. Every basketball team needs someone that can take over a game, tell everyone else to get on his back and virtually carry a team to victory.

Jordan Hulls was the guy in the Illinois game and Verdell Jones played well in tangent with Hulls against Minnesotta, both games which the Hoosiers were able to eke out. 

However against a much more athletic and matured Purdue team, the Hoosiers seemed unable to get over the hump. Give them credit though.

They hung around with one of the better teams in the country and certainly in the Big 10. Poise was shown in not allowing the game to get out of hand. Defensive intensity was again integral in preventing the Hoosiers from being embarrassed by a team whose record and basketball savvy is far superior to their own. And once again it seemed that if a few other bounces had gone the Hoosiers way a they might have had a better chance to win this rivalry game.

The fact remains that Purdue played poorly and was unable to pull away from an undermanned Indiana team. However, E'Twaun Moore was able to step up and expose the Hoosiers, frustrating Jeremiah Rivers for much of the game with his ability to get into the lane and score. The Boilermakers showed the confidence which comes with winning many of these close games and were able to slowly suffocate the Hoosiers by answering everything thrown at them. Indiana has been consistent for the most part in losing these close games and in West Lafayette it was no different.

With the loss Indiana falls below .500 once again in the Tom Crean era. Injuries have certainly been critical with the loss of their two best players arguably in Christian Watford and Maurice Creek. This along with the youth of the team is certainly something which can be pointed to as a reason for the teams struggles. 

Fans of the program cannot forget the fact that when Crean took over he had nothing to work with and sanctions to deal with. This limited the players he was able to target and it would still seem he has put a team on the court which has played with but not above the competition. Crean needs more time and it would appear that his much lauded 2012 class has earned him tenure until that year.

Hoosier nation has had to deal with some suffocating losses over the past few seasons and once again Indiana was tantalizingly close to pulling off an improbable upset against a superior opponent. Crean's boys next face a gritty Wolverine team looking to avenge the Hoosiers victory in Bloomington on January 15.

Another loss has made the Hoosiers numb as the best they can hope for at this point is a birth in the NIT if they are able to get their record above .500, a task which should be difficult with remaining games against Purdue, Ohio State, and Wisconsin.