INDIANAPOLIS -- Sometimes it's about toughness.
It's just that simple.
Play smart, play tough and take your chances with everything else.
Yes, it doesn't hurt to have a record-breaking dose of Juwan Morgan, get a clutch three-point stunner from Robert Phinisee and deliver enough difference-making defense to make even Butler, as gritty a basketball program as the sport has seen over the last 20 years, blink.
Under NCAA tourney-like conditions -- high stakes, packed house, neutral court (Bankers Life Fieldhouse), national TV broadcast -- Indiana unleashed all its program-on-the-rise potential. Its 71-68 Crossroads Classic victory over Butler on Saturday -- thanks to a 21-9 closing run -- was another crucial NCAA tourney resume booster.