The drama that is the 2016-17 basketball season for Indiana may have had its final act on Sunday.
The Hoosiers weren't competitive, nor interested, in a lopsided home loss to fellow bubble-dweller Michigan yesterday. IU fell to 5-8 in Big Ten play, and with an RPI hovering around 80, it's likely over for their NCAA Tournament at-large hopes.
Tom Crean wasn't happy with his team's performance, and let them have it in the postgame press conference:
You can understand Crean's frustration, but he's the one who picks these players, and this team has way too much talent to be in eleventh-place in the conference. Instead of maximizing what IU still has, and overcoming some tough injury luck, Crean's team has completely folded. Even without OG Anunoby and Colin Hartman, a 5-8 mark in this year's supremely mediocre Big Ten and a 6-10 record against the RPI Top 100 is embarrassing.
Coaches are allowed to call out their team after a performance like yesterday, but as Indiana spirals toward their third disappointing season in four years (and missing the NCAAs in year nine), Crean should probably take some time yell in the mirror, too.