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The Report Card: Big victory helps soothe tensions at Indiana

Nick Zeisloft (Getty Images)
Nick Zeisloft (Getty Images)

DATE: Thursday, Nov. 20

A — Indiana

The negativity that once threatened to engulf Indiana coach Tom Crean has dissipated for the moment now that the Hoosiers are off to a solid start. Having already dismantled a pair of overmatched small-conference opponents in their first two games, they stepped up in weight class on Thursday night and delivered another victory, outlasting No. 22 SMU 74-68 in Bloomington.

High-scoring freshman James Blackmon spearheaded the Indiana victory, scoring a game-high 26 points and sinking five of the Hoosiers' 12 threes by himself. Indiana also turned the ball over a mere seven times compared to 19 for SMU, a stark contrast to the Hoosiers' problems in that area a year ago.

Exactly how significant Indiana's victory turns out to be will depend on whether SMU eventually lives up to its preseason hype, but regardless the win gives the Hoosiers a chance to build some early-season momentum and distance themselves from this month's off-court problems. Yes, Indiana lacks any semblance of a consistent frontcourt. Yes, Indiana is too reliant on the 3-point shot. But the Hoosiers have a 3-0 record, a big win on their resume and the crowd on their side, and that's more than they could say a week ago.

B+ — Texas

Texas appeared to be in jeopardy of a momentum-killing loss against Iowa on Thursday night until Jonathan Holmes came to his team's rescue. The senior forward scored 11 of his 19 points in the opening three minutes of the second half, fueling an impressive rally from a six-point halftime deficit that resulted in a 71-57 Longhorns win.

That comeback earns Texas a date with Cal in the 2K Classic title game after the Bears upset Syracuse in Thursday's second semifinal. The Longhorns already would have had their hands full with Cal's perimeter corps, but that challenge could become even tougher if Isaiah Taylor is unable to play.

Taylor, Texas' leading scorer so far this season, injured his wrist when he was fouled late in Thursday's game by Iowa's Gabriel Olaseni. The school issued a statement late Thursday night saying Taylor is still being evaluated.

D+ — New Mexico

Losing leading scorer Cullen Neal to a potentially serious foot injury wasn't the only damaging aspect of New Mexico's 69-65 loss to Boston College. It also relegated the Lobos to the loser's bracket of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off and all but guarantees they'll conclude non-league play without a marquee victory.

The Puerto Rico Tip-Off represented New Mexico's best chance to notch a noteworthy win because the rest of the Lobos' tissue-soft schedule doesn't include many quality opponents. The best foes New Mexico will face before Mountain West play are a New Mexico State team that is the favorite in the WAC and a USC team that has already lost to Portland State and Akron.

New Mexico's consolation bracket opponent on Friday will be a George Mason team expected to finish near the bottom of the Atlantic 10 this season. The Lobos may yet draw a decent Texas A&M team in their final game in Puerto Rico, but that's still a far cry from a winner's bracket that features UConn, Dayton and West Virginia.

F — USC 

When USC athletic Pat Haden hired Andy Enfield in March 2013, he hoped the former mayor of Dunk City could not only resuscitate the Trojans' long-struggling basketball program but also drum up interest in hoops at a football-first school. Enfield's high-flying Florida Gulf Coast team had just captivated the nation with its fearless, fast-paced play during a stunning Sweet 16 run.

Needless to say, Haden's vision hasn't materialized just yet. USC was too shorthanded to be competitive in Enfield's debut season and has floundered so far in year two, sandwiching listless losses to Portland State and Akron around a closer-than-expected victory over Tennessee State.

Nobody expected Enfield to turn things around quickly at USC given the threadbare roster he inherited from Kevin O'Neill, but the new staff brought in some quality young prospects in UNLV transfer Katin Reinhardt and freshmen Jordan McLaughlin and Elijah Stewart. That the talent influx hasn't yet resulted in an uptick in results is a bit disconcerting.

NOTES:

• How good is San Diego State's defense? Cal State Bakersfield endured a scoring drought of more than 12 minutes to start its 51-27 loss and finished shooting 21.4 percent from the field and 1 of 20 from behind the arc.

• How shaky is San Diego State's offense? The only player in double figures, forward Dwayne Polee, still shot 3 of 14 from the field. The return of highly touted freshman Malik Pope will probably eventually help, but he went 1 of 6 from the field off the bench in his first game action in about two years.

• Of all the marquee holiday tournaments this winter, the Charleston Classic has to be the most dull. Miami is probably the best of the four teams that won their quarterfinal games on Thursday. Akron, Charlotte and South Carolina also advanced.

• Tommy Amaker sent a message to his team by starting five new players instead of his typical lineup in Harvard's first game since losing to Holy Cross last week. The Crimson got the message, dismantling Florida Atlantic 71-49. 

• Michigan needed a furious finish to thwart the upset bid of a familiar name. Juwan Howard Jr., son of the Fab Five member who led the Wolverines to a pair of Final Fours, tallied 24 points and 8 rebounds against his dad's alma mater, but Michigan pulled away late for a 71-62 win.

• Thursday night's other notable result was Syracuse's loss to Cal. I wrote about that one in-depth here.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!