Indiana head basketball coach Tom Crean was dead serious about a fresh piece of Dentyne Ice on Thursday night.  The five-second rule definitely applied.

Tom Crean is one intense guy.  He’s married to Joani Harbaugh, who is the sister of San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh and Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.  Tom Crean is a big competitor and an extremely intense guy just like the Harbaughs.

I’ve joked around on “The Noe Show” that Jim Harbaugh is so intense on the sidelines that I envision him doing everything with great intensity.  Washing the dishes, sending a fax, mowing the lawn, you name it.  Tom Crean is basically cut from the same cloth.

Crean showcased his intensity (while sacrificing good taste) when he shoved a piece of gum into his mouth after dropping it on the floor.  Indiana waxed Sam Houston State on Thursday night 99-45 during, what I’m referring to now as, gum-gate.

Crean tweeted after the game that the Assembly Hall is the cleanest and greatest court around.  Yeah, sweat and sneakers on hardwood is a totally clean combo, Tom.  I still love the guy.  Tom Crean has done a magnificent job turning around the Indiana Hoosiers and making them a force in college basketball again.  You can knock his questionable gum habits, but his credentials as a coach speak for themselves.

Brian Noe is the Brand Manager at 104.5 The Team, ESPN Radio in Albany, NY.  Brian also hosts “The Noe Show” weekdays from 1-3 pm ET on WTMM.

More From 104.5 THE TEAM