At the start of the season, when both Christian Watford and Maurice Creek were healthy, IU was never going to be a powerhouse in the Big Ten. When these two went down with season ending injuries, it was expected the Hoosiers would fall apart and barely compete.

However, this young team has displayed a new sense of enthusiasm on the court, and the results in the win column are following suit. Even without the 25.3 points per game from Watford and Creek, the team has pulled together and picked up wins against ranked opponents in Minnesota and Illinois for the first time in the Tom Crean era. In the six games since Creek went down, two players in particular have stepped up tremendously, Jordan Hulls and Tom Pritchard.

Here are some statistics from before and after the Maurice Creek injury.

Stats before Creek injury (18 games):

Hulls – 10 Points PG, 5.7 Field Goal Attempts PG, 28 Minutes PG

Pritchard – 1.5 Points PG, 3.44 Rebounds PG, 15 Minutes PG

Stats post Creek injury (6 games):

Hulls – 15 Points PG, 12 Field Goal Attempts PG, 35 Minutes PG

Pritchard – 3.7 PointsPG , 5.2 Rebounds PG, 25 Minutes PG

The numbers jump out from the post-game statistics. However things such as Hulls’ clutch shot capabilities as shown in both in the Illinois and Minnesota victories and his leadership ability, wanting to take the last shot have been invaluable. In addition, despite Pritchard’s lack of flair on the offensive end, forgetting this dunk for a minute, he has had a dramatic impact on the team’s defense and rebounding, finally being able to stay out of foul trouble and on the court.

There have been other players who have stepped up as well such as freshmen Will Sheehey and Victor Oladipo. These two freshmen have expanded their roles on the offensive end, encouraging developments for a team with question marks on offense outside of Watford and Creek. Verdell Jones III has also been a stabilizing force and leader on the floor, fighting through a knee injury that forces him to wear a brace.

A season-ending injury to such promising players like Watford and Creek is not a good thing. However, watching the team the play, it is definitely a great sign for the future of the program that these kids are developing the way they are. Hulls is developing into the leader that a championship caliber team always has. Oladipo and Sheehey are developing into perfect role players, capable of providing scoring punch and energy that can come off the bench and contribute when the starters are struggling.

When Watford and Creek come back next year, presumably healthy, along with the development of the current players and the addition of Cody Zeller, the Hoosiers should find themselves in a much better position to win both now and the long term.