Hopes high for IU hoops

Expectations color our experiences in all aspects of life.
That’s especially true in sports.
An average season can seem like either a massive success or a huge failure depending on expectations.
If fans expected excellence, finishing around .500 seems utterly disappointing. If they expected failure, winning half of the season’s games is a thrill.
It’s truly all about perspective.
This month’s questions focus on expectations, for the Major League Baseball season, the NBA playoffs and college basketball in the Hoosier state.
••••••••••
Two weeks into the MLB season, which three teams are you impressed by and which three teams are you disappointed in?
—Nathan Miller,
Wanamaker

Let’s start with the good news:
Chicago Cubs — After a 1-2 start, Chicago won three in a row. The Cubs, who finished in last place a year ago, have been .500 or better since then.
Detroit Tigers — To no one’s surprise, Detroit is leading the American League’s Central Division. The Tigers have been especially strong on the road, where they are 6-1 thus far.
New York Mets — No team has been better thus far, especially during their 10-game winning streak. In six of those games, the Mets held opponents to two or fewer runs.
And now, the bad news:
Cleveland Indians — Based on an 85-win effort last season, I expected more from my favorite team. But the Indians currently stand as the worst team in the American League, including a 1-5 record at Progressive Field.
Milwaukee Brewers — Indians fans appreciate the work Milwaukee is doing, as it is the only team with a more depressing record. At 4-16, and with an MLB-worst 111 runs allowed, the Brewers’ season is going nowhere.
Kansas City Royals — Unlike the others, my opinion of Kansas City has nothing to do with its record. The Royals have been involved in brawl after brawl, with nine players ejected from games in the last week. Maybe it’s time to grow up.
••••••••••
With Kevin Love out for at least two weeks, will the Cleveland Cavaliers still escape Chicago?
—Josh Gibson, Portland

First things first. While Cleveland swept Boston in its opening-round playoff series and has advanced to the second round, Chicago has yet to do so. The Bulls missed a chance to finish off Milwaukee with a 94-88 loss Monday. So, they still have some work to do before worrying about LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and the rest of the Cavaliers.
That said, let’s assume Cleveland and Chicago meet in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
It’s hard to glean much from the regular season, but the Cavaliers led the series 3-1. However, that lone loss came Feb. 12 when Kevin Love did not play.
Now Love has been declared out for the upcoming playoff series, and J.R. Smith has been suspended (and rightfully so) for two games.
Certainly those losses will make life much more difficult for Cleveland. I think the series will go seven games, but the Cavaliers will survive.
••••••••••
With the news that pretty much everybody is coming back to the Indiana University men’s basketball team and the recruits they have coming in, how do you see them performing next season?
—Chris Snow, Portland

IU’s good news came Sunday when point guard Yogi Ferrell announced he will return to the Hoosiers next season rather than entering the NBA draft.
So, here’s what we know:
•Wisconsin is losing its top two scorers, including National Player of the Year Frank Kaminsky.
•Ohio State is losing D’Angelo Russell, who was Kaminsky’s top competition to the honor of being named the best player in college basketball.
•Michigan State is losing leading scorer Travis Trice to graduation.
Several of the other top squads in the conference lose important pieces as well, leaving Maryland, Michigan and Indiana as likely top contenders for the conference crown.
Maryland, which brings back two of its top three scorers and adds highly-rated recruits Diamond Stone and Georgios Papgiannis, and Michigan, which returns all of its top six scorers and adds five-star recruit Jaylen Brown, may have the edge.
But Indiana should expect to be in the mix with Ferrell, now the Big Ten’s active career leader in scoring (1,379 points), assists (438) and 3-pointers (193), returning to the fold.
All of the other important pieces are back as well, and Indiana will add big man Thomas Bryant.
Everything seems to point to a happy 2015-16 hoop season for the Hoosiers.