Hoosiers look to patch things up after Iowa loss

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Updated: March 23, 2012 8:20AM

With another disappointing road loss in Indiana’s rearview mirror, the Hoosiers get a chance to regain some much-needed momentum with a rare nonconference game tonight.

The Hoosiers would have had a week off between games if the game against North Carolina Central (14-12) hadn’t been moved to tonight.

Instead, the Hoosiers (20-7) can try to regroup on the court after a 78-66 loss at Iowa on Sunday.

While the loss to the Hawkeyes featured some bright spots — 15 points and 13 rebounds for Cody Zeller, Matt Roth shooting 4-of-4 on 3-pointers — the glaring numbers come from junior starters Christian Watford and Jordan Hulls.

Watford scored one point and was 0-for-5 from the field. Hulls was 1-for-5 for two points.

Since a 12-point game at Wisconsin on Jan. 26, Watford has a total of 13 points in three road games. And Hulls is 1-for-8 from the field in Indiana’s last two games.

Indiana coach Tom Crean was asked about his team’s energy on his Monday night radio show.

“Every team is tired,” Crean said. “Every team has got issues. Every team has got frustrations in dealing with successes or adversities and all of those different things. The most important thing is to make sure that you’re getting your work done.”

Crean was also asked about leadership among the Hoosiers.

“Would you like to have somebody that rallies the team? Yes,” he said. “I think you can try to create that, but it’s never as good as when it’s natural.”

And Crean said he’s willing to use the bench as a motivational tool if need be.

Maybe facing the Eagles will help boost Watford and Hulls. Last season, Watford led the Hoosiers with 17 points and Hulls scored 15 in a 72-56 win over N.C. Central.

This year’s Eagles have a different look, though, spearheaded by senior Kansas State transfer Dominique Sutton. The 6-5 forward leads the Eagles in scoring (16.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.6 rpg) after sitting out last season due to transfer rules.

“He’s a lot more than a prospect for the NBA,” Crean said.