On Wednesday night, IU fans witnessed the Hoosiers battle back through adversity to pull out a momentous victory against a tough NC State team. Despite a hot start and jumping out to an early lead, the Hoosiers found themselves down by one at halftime and being harrassed by a solid NC State defense. However, the Hoosiers showed something that has been unseen in the past few years, resilency. Cody Zeller and Jordan Hulls led the Hoosiers and both looked impressive. Hulls led the team with 20 points followed by Zeller's 19 points and 7 boards. The Hoosiers fell down by 7 to NC State with just under 8 minutes to play in the second half. However, unlike recent years, the Hoosiers didn't lay down and give up.
From that point, the Hoosiers proceeded to go on a 28-12 run to pull out an 86-75 victory of the Wolfpack. This was a big win for the Hoosiers and the team showed that they are for real and indeed maturing into a solid program. With 7 straight wins and two straight against quality opponents in Butler and NC State, the Hoosiers appear to be on the brink of what could be an NCAA tournament push this season. Tom Crean is utilizing his depth and showing that the Hoosiers can play well on both the offense and defense end of the floor. Led by freshman Cody Zeller, the Hoosiers have been relatively balanced in scoring with three or more players finishing in double figures for most of the games. Also, turnovers generated by IU's defense has played a major role in their success.
The Hoosiers hope to carry their success on to Sunday night's game when they take on Stetson. The Hoosiers hope to pull out the win and go into their next game undefeated as they will take on what is now the #1 team in the nation, the Kentucky Wildcats. The Wildcats have been dominate as of late, but the Hoosiers have looked very solid as well. This will be the first true test for the Hoosiers, but in the comeback victory against NC State, Tom Crean and company have showed their resilency and how they will not lay down a challenge this season.
Great optimism is beiing shown for the Hoosiers due to their recent success. However, it's not just the undefeated part that makes the Hoosiers season look so promising in the eyes of fans, but just the overall image and level of play that the team has been performing at which is the likes of which fans haven't seen in recent years. Win or lose against Kentucky, this program has showed that they are poised to make a run at the NCAA tournament this year and a 20 win season is not out of the question.
If you have not had the chance to watch the Hoosiers play this year, I encourage you to attend the game against Stetson on Sunday afternoon at 4:30 in Assembly Hall to see why the Hoosiers are on the brink of such success. IU fans can only hope that the team continues to perform at the level they are now. Be there to support the Hoosiers against Stetson as a win in this game will give the team all the more confidence going into the showdown against their rival in the Kentucky Wildcats. Be sure to make the trip to Assembly Hall and witness the Hoosiers as they could be on the brink of a great season, one that Hoosier fans have waited a long time for.
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