The Curious Case of Tom Crean

It's all over in Bloomington for Tom Crean. Probably. There's a chance he gets his Hoosiers rolling and this post looks dumb in 5 months but I doubt it. Talented and experienced, this should be one of his better teams. Last nights game shows this team is the same team it was last year.  It'll score at times and defend at none.

Duke put up its most efficienct offensive performance of the KenPom era against the Hoosiers. Duke is wildly talented but no one thinks this team at this moment this team is that good.  Yet, there they were eviscerating a Hoosier team with a senior point guard. Big man frosh Thomas Bryant was expected to be the inside presence they needed to shore up the interior defense. Maybe he will be but at this moment he is struggling.

Crean inherited a mess at Indiana and did an admirable job rebuilding. He did likewise at Marquette. Truth is, he hasn't shown capable of taking a program to a championship level. He rode a once in a lifetime talent to a Final Four and hasn't sniffed one since.

Look at the coaches of the Big Ten. Izzo can win in a variety of ways. Build and grow a roster or win young. Bo Ryan wins with 3 and 4 stars. John Beilein wins the same way and can win with one and two year types. Same with Thad Matta. Indiana was arguably the most talented team in the B1G in 2012-13. Bo Ryan and Wisconsin schooled them in the B1G Tournament. John Beilein went to the Final 4 and Indiana lost in the Sweet 16 in embarrassing fashion to a dysfunctional Syracuse team.

Indiana has been wondering the wilderness for far too long. Indiana is still Indiana. They shouldn't settle for mediocrity and as long as they employ Tom Crean, that's what they are.