College Basketball Insider: Hoosiers are back from the Big Ten brink

Each time the Indiana Hoosiers tried to extinguish one eruption this offseason, another one followed.

Last season's 17-15 record made the Indiana boosters squirm, and damage control was needed throughout an even rockier summer. First, All-America power forward Noah Vonleh declared for the NBA draft, seemingly before clueing in coach Tom Crean, a signal of disconnect. Then, there was the actual eruption — a bizarre car crash in which one player (freshman Emmitt Holt) ran over another (sophomore Devin Davis). Two other players — Troy Williams and Stanford Robinson — were suspended for failing drug tests. Amid the drama, the voices calling for Crean's job got louder and louder.

Flash-forward 3½ months into the season, and while the havoc of the offseason isn't entirely forgotten, the earlier happenings certainly have been spun in a new light. Thursday, Indiana just missed an opportunity to boost what already is almost certainly an NCAA tournament campaign when point guard Yogi Ferrell's last-possession shots didn't fall and the Hoosiers lost 68-66 at Maryland.

Still, the résumé looks strong for a team that failed to even get an NIT invite last season. The Hoosiers (17-8, 7-5 Big Ten) have conference home victories over ranked teams Maryland (then No. 13) and Ohio State (then No. 22), and nonconference victories over then-No. 22 SMU (home) and then-No. 23 Butler (neutral court). They have a favorable schedule lying ahead as well — four of six at home — with the two road trips coming at bottom-dwellers Northwestern and Rutgers. The Hoosiers, briefly ranked in weeks 11 and 12, seem Big-Dance bound.

It's a position that seemed unlikely in October, when Big Ten media ranked Indiana ninth in its preseason poll.

"I don't think you can have some of the things we've had to deal with this year and not go one of two ways," Crean told the Washington Post recently. "I think this team has continued to grow up."

It's done so with one of the more dynamic offenses in the nation, and despite one of the nation's worst defenses. The Hoosiers score the most points in the Big Ten, with an average of 79.2 per game (13th nationally), using a small-ball attack with plenty of weapons.

Smooth-shooting James Blackmon Jr. (15.9 points per game) is one of the most highly touted freshmen in the conference, and his scoring trails only Ferrell (16.3 points, 4.8 assists), the junior set-up specialist with the soft touch. A deep bench allows the Hoosiers' up-tempo game to work well.

But Indiana also allows by far the most points in the league, with opponents putting up 72. 4 per game — nearly seven more than the next-worst scoring defense (Penn State with 65.5).

That's led to a lot of close games, something last year's Indiana team was accustomed to playing. The difference? Last year's Hoosiers went 3-6 in such games. This year, Indiana is mostly winning: In seven two-possession Big Ten games, Thursday night was Indiana's first loss.

"The biggest thing ... is making more simple plays, not trying to make the home-run play," Ferrell told reporters.

There weren't any home runs that could overcome the mess made in Indiana over the span of a year — from the start of last season, to the start of this one — but one single at a time, the Hoosiers have put that firmly in the past.

BIG TEN POWER POLL

1. Wisconsin (22-2, 10-1): The Badgers roll on behind the nation's most efficient offense, according to kenpom.com.

2. Ohio State (19-6, 8-4): Sam Thompson is showing signs of breaking out of a slump for the Buckeyes.

3. Illinois (17-8, 7-5): An insane 21-0 run pushed the Illini first to overtime and then to a victory vs. Michigan.

4. Maryland (20-5, 8-4): The Terrapins' good start is being threatened by road woes: They have lost their past three games away from home.

5. Purdue (16-9, 8-4): The Boilermakers have given up more than 63 points just once in the past six games.

6. Iowa (15-9, 6-5): Beat Maryland on Sunday, but the Hawkeyes have lost four of six.

7. Indiana (17-8, 7-5): Hanner Mosquera Perea is back but it still lost a potential résumé-capper vs. Maryland.

8. Michigan State (16-8, 7-4): The Spartans still are searching for that run that will net them an NCAA berth.

9. Gophers (16-9, 5-7): They are trying to change its luck with four wins in five games.

10. Michigan (13-12, 6-7): The Wolverines looked like they would break their three-game skid Thursday but after Illinois' resurgence, it's been an 0-4 slide.

11. Nebraska (13-11, 5-7): Slow starts have sunk the Cornhuskers all year long.

12. Penn State (15-10, 3-9): Splitting the past six is a positive considering the Nittany Lions' start.

13. Rutgers (10-16, 2-11): It's been a nine-game losing streak for the Scarlett Knights.

14. Northwestern (10-14, 1-10): The Wildcats' victory came even longer ago: Northwestern has lost 10 in a row, going back to its opener vs. Rutgers.

WEEKEND THREE-POINTER: WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND

The final stretch: Has Ohio State really finally hit its stride? The Buckeyes, who have struggled to win the big games all year, will have sophomore forward Marc Loving (above) — who missed three games because of a team suspension following an unspecified off-the-court incident — back against Michigan State (11 a.m. Saturday, ESPN).

Golden opportunity: Illinois, which has never been ranked, has won five of its past six games. The Illini have put together a pretty solid NCAA tournament résumé with victories over Purdue, Maryland and Michigan State. Now the Illini, who brought back Rayvonte Rice from suspension Thursday, have the chance to nab a victory at Wisconsin (noon Sunday, Ch. 4).

Home security: Coming off a tough 68-66 loss at No. 19 Maryland on Wednesday night, Indiana has four of its six remaining regular-season games at Assembly Hall, and the Hoosiers haven't lost a conference game at home all season. Still, the Hoosiers still figure to be tested down the stretch by the Gophers, Purdue, Iowa and Michigan State.

'BIG THREE' WATCH

A weekly update on Minnesotans Tyus Jones (Apple Valley, Duke), Reid Travis (DeLa­Salle, Stanford) and Rashad Vaughn (Cooper, UNLV):

Vaughn (above) could be done for the season after tearing the meniscus in his left knee in a victory over Fresno State on Tuesday. UNLV's leading scorer landed awkwardly after driving to the basket and getting fouled with 59 seconds left in the 73-61 victory. He could return in time for the Mountain West conference tournament in March. … Jones had his second double-double and recorded a new career-high with 12 assists to go along with 16 points as Duke pushed past Florida State 73-70 on the road Monday.