Posts Tagged ‘Kyle Dunne’

A Closer Look at the Indiana Schedule, plus Predictions

Published by Source on November 9th, 2011

A Preview by Kyle Dunne, IU Contributor

Out of Conference Schedule

Although the Hoosiers’ out of conference schedule may be a bit stronger than the past few years, it is still relatively weak. The marquee matchups during the first 12 games of the regular season will be when the Hoosiers play Kentucky and Butler in Bloomington, Notre Dame in Indianapolis and North Carolina State in Raleigh. Kentucky, who boasts the consensus top recruiting class in the nation, will in all likelihood be one of the top three teams in the nation when they travel to Bloomington in December for the teams’ annual matchup. Unless there is some surprise that will be the only ranked opponent Indiana faces before Big Ten play begins. Like last year, Indiana will play a road game in the Big 10 ACC Challenge. This time the Hoosiers will play North Carolina State.  North Carolina State who finished 15-16 last year, lost their leading scorer, Tracy Smith. However, Indiana still needs to prove they can win a true road game, something they haven’t done for quite some time. At first glance, Notre Dame appears to be a winnable game for Indiana as well. The Irish lost Ben Hansbrough, Tyrone Nash and Carleton Scott to graduation, who combined for close to 40 points per game last year. Butler, who is coming off of back to back trips to the national championship game, also lost a lot of talent. Butler has only two seniors on the roster this year and Ronald Nored is the only one that saw significant playing time last year.

The Hoosiers should be at least 9-3 at the end of the out of conference schedule. I predict a loss against Kentucky and a win against Butler. The North Carolina State and Notre Dame games will provide an early test for Indiana and they should be close games but I’m not convinced they will be able to come away with a win in either of those games.

 

First Six Games of the B1G Schedule

Indiana will face Ohio State, the consensus pick to win the Big Ten title, twice in the first six games of league play. Ohio State returns Jared Sullinger, Aaron Craft and Deshaun Thomas, all of who played major roles on the team last year. During this stretch of games, Indiana also travels to East Lancing to play Michigan State. Although Michigan State is coming off of a disappointing season they have a solid freshman class coming in and also return Draymond Green, Keith Appling and Adreian Payne. Following the league opener at Michigan State and a home game against Ohio State, Indiana hosts Michigan and then travels to Penn State before another home game versus Minnesota. All should be winnable games but Indiana can’t get discouraged if they start 0-2 in the Big Ten. I think this is the year Indiana is finally able to overcome some adversity and they win the next three games to get to 3-2 in conference before losing to Ohio State to end this stretch at 3-3.

 

The Next Six

The middle stretch of the Big Ten schedule begins with a trip to Nebraska for Indiana. The Huskers were 19-13 overall last year and 7-9 in the Big 12. The team seems to lack a true superstar but returns almost all of their key players from last season. I predict a loss for the Hoosiers in this one.  The Hoosiers should alternate wins and losses the next three games: home against Penn State, at Wisconsin and then home against Iowa. Penn State should finish near the bottom of the conference as they lost Taylor Battle, Jeff Brooks, David Jackson and Andrew Jones to graduation. Wisconsin is always tough to beat, especially in Madison and the Hoosiers won’t do it this year. Even though Iowa  beat Indiana twice last year, I think the Hoosiers bounce back and get them this year in Assembly Hall. Indiana then travels to play Michigan and Purdue on the road for consecutive games. I think both of these will be losses and after 12 Big Ten games Indiana’s record is 5-7.

 

The Final Six

The final six B1G games for the Hoosiers are split up with Indiana taking a break from conference play to face off against North Carolina Central with just three conference games remaining on the schedule. This stretch of the schedule begins with Indiana’s lone matchup against Illinois at home. Indiana beat Illinois at home last year and should be able to do it again as Illinois is a relatively young team due to the graduation of Bill Cole, Demetri McCamey and Mike Tisdale. Indiana will follow that game up with another home victory, this time against Northwestern. An athletic Iowa team will get revenge against Indiana when the teams’ second matchup of the season takes place in Iowa City. Indiana will beat North Carolina Central before losing on the road to Minnesota. During the final week of the season, when IU hosts both Michigan State and Purdue, there is a good chance Indiana is fighting for a chance to advance to NCAA tournament. I think Indiana wins one; I’ll say Michigan State and ends the season with a record of 18-13 and a conference record of 8-10.

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Hoosier Hysteria 2011 RECAP

Published by Source on October 16th, 2011

By: Kyle Dunne

Assembly Hall was absolutely electric on Saturday night. So much so that it wouldn’t have been hard to imagine that the Hoosiers were celebrating a season that ended in a trip to the final four last year.  Clearly that wasn’t the case however; a reported crowd of over 16,000 were still on hand to get a firsthand look at the 2011-2012 Hoosiers. The men’s team took the floor at 8:00pm and the crowd was immediately treated to Victor Oladipo singing his version of “You Got It Bad” by Usher. The current players were then introduced individually with former players Eric Gordon and DJ White getting loud ovations as well afterward.

The evening continued with guest host Bill Raftery announcing a 3-point contest as well as a slam dunk contest, which not surprisingly became a showdown between Oladipo and Will Sheehey.  With as much talent that was on the court, just as much attention seemed to be focused on the talent sitting courtside in the stands.  It seemed that with every silent moment between events, a “Gary Harris” chant would ring throughout Assembly Hall. Harris was just one of many talented prospects that were reportedly at Hoosier Hysteria tonight, including all 7 of Indiana’s current commits for 2012 and 2013.

The night concluded with an inter-squad scrimmage. Cody Zeller, Jordan Hulls and Sheehey were the three standout players from the scrimmage. Zeller looked exactly how every IU fan hoped he would. He ran the floor extremely well, finished at the rim and possesses a back to the basket game that Indiana hasn’t seen in at least 3 years. Sheehey was much more aggressive and looked like he put a lot of work in on his jump shot this off season. Jordan Hulls was Jordan Hulls. He needs to be the leader in order for this team to take the next step. He knocked down numerous threes and made some very nice passes.

All in all the night was an absolute success. There was a perfect mix of on court action and Tom Crean talking directly to the crowd and indirectly to all the recruits in attendance. It’s impossible to say what will be the direct effect of Saturday night recruiting wise, but it will certainly leave a lasting impression on recruits and fans alike.

 

**Dunk Contest Highlight Video: IUAthletics YouTube

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2011-12 Hoosier Expectations

Published by Source on October 10th, 2011

By: Kyle Dunne

 

With the Indiana football season officially over (okay not officially) and Hoosier Hysteria less than one week away, it seems that all of Indiana has already shifted their attention to the rapidly approaching basketball season. While the optimism surrounding the basketball season appears to be overflowing in Bloomington, I can’t bring myself to that level. Not yet, anyway.

Maybe I’m just tempering my expectations. Maybe I’m just a pessimist. Maybe my memory is too vivid. I remember having to go to overtime to win an exhibition game against Ferris State, a division II school, last year. I remember losing five of the last six games against Iowa. Most of all I remember being disappointed. I can’t buy into the hype right now. This is mostly due to the fact that much of the optimism is a result of the hot recruiting streak the Hoosiers have been on throughout the past months and not necessarily on court progress. Asked if they would have expected a NCAA tournament berth by Tom Crean’s fourth year at the helm, most Indiana fans surely would have said yes. As of right now, that seems far from a certainty.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not calling this season a bust before it even begins. I just need to see some development on the hardwood before I completely buy into the hype. The truth is with a Big 10 conference that is considered much weaker than recent years and finally a core group of veteran leaders on the team, the Hoosiers should be capable of finishing in the middle of the conference. But before that can happen the team needs to learn how to win. They need to learn to compete game after game throughout the Big 10 schedule. Is it possible for this to happen this season? Absolutely, I just won’t be setting my hopes too high.

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Gary Harris and Indiana’s scholarship situation

Published by Source on September 2nd, 2011

By: Kyle Dunne, Indiana contributor

Gary Harris is one of the few highly ranked, unsigned recruits remaining from the state of Indiana for the class of 2012. By numerous accounts, the 6’6’’ shooting guard’s top three schools consist of Indiana, Purdue and Michigan State. With many of his friends already committed to play for the Hoosiers, as well as Bloomington’s close proximity to his hometown of Fishers, it may be very hard for Harris to turn down the opportunity to play for Tom Crean. However, because of the already clouded scholarship situation, a Harris commitment to Indiana could make things complicated in Bloomington.

Assuming Matt Roth does not use his 5th year of eligibility at Indiana, two additional current Indiana players or committed players through the class of 2012 would need to vacate their scholarships for the 2012-2013 season. This could be accomplished through transfers, early entries into the NBA draft, a player offering to give up their scholarship and pay for their school or a player in the 2012 class reclassifying.

If Harris does commit to Indiana, only five of the Hoosiers’ 2012 recruiting class would be able to sign their letters of intent in November. While it is not my intention to speculate on which current players will or will not be with the team at this point next year, it is intriguing to look at the different scenarios. (more…)

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Indiana commitment profiles – 2012 Frontcourt

Published by Source on August 19th, 2011

By: Kyle Dunne

On Monday, we looked at three of Tom Crean’s incoming Hoosier players. That backcourt preview featured Indianapolis products Yogi Ferrell, Jeremy Hollowell and Ron Patterson. Today we head to the front court as we profile the two remaining members of Indiana’s 2012 class. Both are foreign-born players but have deep Indiana connections as products of the A-HOPE program and Indiana Elite.

 Hanner Perea

6-8 * 210 * PF

La Lumiere (La Porte, IN)

Rivals (5* #15) – Scout (4* #37)- ESPN (4* #48)

 

6’8’’ Colombia-native Hanner Perea has unbelievable raw athletic ability. At any given moment he has the potential to electrify his team and the crowd with any of a ridiculous array of dunks. While his back to the basket game needs some development, once Hanner is around the rim he knows how to finish. On the defensive side of the ball, Hanner is a tremendous shot blocker and alters numerous other shots that he isn’t able to get to. His leaping ability contributes to his exceptional rebounding. His post up defense does have room for improvement but Hanner should be an immediate upgrade to the Hoosiers on both sides of the court. Hanner currently attends La Lumiere High School in La Porte, Indiana. (more…)

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Indiana commitment profiles – 2012 Backcourt

Published by Source on August 15th, 2011

By: Kyle Dunne, IU contributor

In the past year, Indiana head coach Tom Crean went on a recruiting run unparalleled by any other coach in the country. What made his recruiting success more amazing was the way he locked down the state of Indiana, receiving in-state commitments for the classes of 2011 through 2014. Crean’s five-man 2012 group is currently the consensus number one class among the major scouting services. The class, dubbed by some as a modern-day Fab Five, features one player at each position. Today, we will take a look at the three Indianapolis frontcourt prospects that are less than a year away from hitting Bloomington.

Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell

5-11 * 165 * PG

Park Tudor (Indianapolis, IN)

Rivals (5* #23) – Scout (4* #28) – ESPN (4* #34)

 

Yogi Ferrell may just be the true point guard that the Hoosiers have been lacking. The 5’11’’ point man from Park Tudor High School in Indianapolis knows how to control a basketball game. He has an extraordinary handle that allows him to relentlessly attack the basket, as well as get his teammates involved through precision passing. Yogi also has the ability to knock down the midrange jumper, which forces the defenders to remain honest throughout the course of the game. As a junior he led the Panthers to the 2A state title. He committed to Indiana on November 24, 2010, just prior to his first high school game of this past season. Ferrell was strongly influenced by the commitments of freshmen Austin Etherington and Cody Zeller, with whom he played AAU ball with in the summer of 2010. (more…)

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Indiana Incoming Freshman rundown

Published by Source on August 12th, 2011

By: Kyle Dunne, IU contributor

Indiana fans have highly anticipated the arrival of Cody Zeller to Bloomington. Now his Hoosier debut is mere months away. Here is a quick rundown of Zeller, and the two other incoming freshman Hoosiers:

Austin Etherington #13

Austin Etherington, a 6’6’’ small forward from Cicero, Indiana, was the first commitment of the class of 2011 for Indiana. Etherington was the leading scorer on his Hamilton Heights High School team his senior season, scoring over 18 points per game. Like many players from the state of Indiana, Etherington has a great basketball IQ. He is a great spot up shooter and is able to find holes in the defense and set himself up for shots. Austin will need to improve his ability to put the ball on the floor to attack the basket and his lateral movements to play better on the ball defense. He may struggle to see significant minutes his freshman year due to the numerous other wing players on the Indiana roster, but Etherington will benefit significantly from practicing with the veteran Hoosiers.

(more…)

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