Fundamentals

Regardless of outcome, I will die on this hill: 1. Woodson, not it 2. Miller Kopp is awful 3. Tamar Bates, begging you to transfer We are an awful basketball team.

Absolutely

Trayce laughing on the bench down 23? Bullshit.

More inconsistent than a 16 yr old girl’s emotions. Every time they pull me back in they follow it up with a throat punch. It’s so old and tired.

EXACTLY what I was thinking

Xavier is going to limp out of the locker a-la Willis Reed, old school Knicks, and lead us to the improbable win.

Bingo. It will drop them from 18 to 30.

Wasn’t all the chatter from our head coach the last 2 years that everything starts with defense? This is the most gutless effort defensively I remember since maybe IPFW to kick of Archie’s career. Absolutely getting curb stomped on our home floor. Inexcusable.

How do you surrender a 21 point lead there, their dullard coach rushes our bench, and you sleepwalk the first half? Extremely disappointing first half.

I was so wired with joy/surprise/pride, stayed up to watch the replay on FS1 at 2am. Needless to say, I have a raging headache this morning and still giddy. Ballsiest win since 2013 clinch in Ann Arbor. To all them boys: SUPER PROUD OF YOUR ROAD GRIT! Go HOOSIERS!!! Side note: IU WOMEN are to be featured on gameday, today, from the home of certified nut job, Francis McCaffery. 11-12 this morning, Eastern, on ESPN

Anyone seen the visitor list Rabby teased for today from behind paywall? Two reasons we win today. Players will be hungry after a tough loss. 2) No Shannon who scored 30+ at Illinois when we won by 15. Jump ‘em early and keep the foot on the neck. Get to 10 conference wins. LFG HOOSIERS

Any word on when X may sneak back on the court? He tweeted out “8.” earlier this week. On the day he tweeted it was 8 weeks from surgery/injury. This is not an easy game, but our guys are rolling and can win this game. Go Hoosiers!

BIG TIME W!!!

Jordan Geronimo has regressed dramatically. Looks both completely lost and scared. If he gets minutes today we are playing 4 on 5.

Tamar Bates has gone for zero points in 3 of last 4. He did have a terrific shooting game against Sparty. That said, well into his sophomore year he has been inconsistent and a poor defender. Seems to be ready at home, scared on the road. He would benefit greatly to get some fire on defense and consistency all the way around to even come close to his “5 star” ranking.

RE: Coach Ya One easy mistake to make when filling in as he did last night, is to scramble to do too much. I have a completely different take on his job last night. One, Woodson wanted Ya to lead because he was responsible for the advance scout. Kenya and Walsh were responsible for substitutes. IU had a 47-40 lead, which Minny rapidly tied. Ya called a timeout wisely. Later, I believe in the last 2 min A PERFECT out-of-bounds play led to the JHS to Trayce one-handed lob punch by TJD. Other factors that were of note: Jamison Battle was 3 of his last 21 from 3. Many of his makes last night were of the deep fadeaway, low percentage variety. He was just on last night. JHS on ball D last night was very poor, particularly the 2nd half. Cooper was able to penetrate way too easily on him. That, and his offensive game was offensive 🙂 Several other lesser knowns were having the same out of body experience that allowed them to beat Ohio State in Columbus a few weeks ago. This is a game that has been lost consistently for numerous years. Trayce, and at the very end, “Gallo”, were not going to let that happen. The one personnel matter: Race is coming back from a hobbled knee. Completely get and support him starting back in his home state, the last time, before graduating. That said, it’s clear he is not yet mobile enough to be laterally effective as a defender. Related, I felt Malik Reneau played well, and should have gotten the lions share of the minutes. Malik’s confidence, strength and effectiveness on the offensive were blatantly clear. His getting a ziggy in the 2nd half: BULLSHIT.

Since December 3: L: at Rutgers, -15 W: Nebraska, +16 L: Arizona (neutral), -14 L: at Kansas, -22 W: Elon, +24 (#318 Kenpom at the time) W: Kennesaw State, +14 (#221 Kenpom at that time) L: at Iowa, -2 L: Northwestern, -1 So much here to consider. Early in the season as both regional and national reporters saw IU practice more than a few described IU as having the depth for TWO starting 5’s. Yet, it is being conveyed the overall and particularly defensive drop-off is due to X and Race “on the bench” with injuries. Make no mistake, losing 2 Senior starters is significant. That said, it seems Chris Collins just won a road game with far, far less that Indiana has available even WITH injuries. As a passionate fan, I am concerned not only about what unfolds from here this season, but future seasons. 1. Line substitutions, NBA style, are neither necessary or practiced by long-term successful programs 2. Losing a 21-point lead? 3. Xavier aside, will Indiana win any conference road games? 4. Losing at home to Northwestern, after Iowa loss? 5. Big early holes, no visible urgency 6. Something feels off. Is it team chemistry?

To me, while Harper is worth investing time, this one feels like a long shot. Would really love to see us get on a roll of getting a commitment or 2. Go Hoosiers.

The long layoff could go numerous directions related to team and rest of season. 1. Could be the chance to get healthy before the conference season really kicks off 2. Could be a time for them to make tweaks and improve some areas (offensive movement, half court D, rebounding) 3. In my opinion, the Iowa game is a perfect place to get rolling. Iowa is mid-low tier this year in conference. 4. Lose here and they are 0-2 on the road before playing any conference-ranked foes away from home.

I find comfort in the expressed frustration of some who are steady and tenured posters over the recent struggles of this team. I grew up on Bob Knight basketball. Woodson has made no secret of his honor and respect for BK, which I do appreciate. That said, Woody, be like your mentor and find a Ricky Calloway, Luke Recker, Jason Collier-sized dog house, and put some upperclassmen/underachievers on the bench. Race and Kopp? They are what they are. AND SO, let’s not waste an entire year. GIVE ME A HEAVY DOSE OF: Trayce JHS Malik Bates Galloway Banks Gunn Take those seven guys. Prioritize their development. Faze the minutes of 2 seniors, who’ve had more than enough time to make their case. Practice would get lively, if guys knew they had a chance to help make this team better moving forward.

We have an NBA head coach, with a week to prepare? Inexcusable effort.

A loss of this kind is never as bad as it seems. Sure, as a fan there were areas of concern, but they have the next 2 Saturdays to prove they are legit. Also, getting ones ass kicked causes players to listen much better for a few days. Start a new winning streak. Go Hoosiers.

So, if TJD and Bates return, and by the way players were utilized in exhb 1, it appears the 2nd unit could be: Reneau Bates Geronimo Galloway CJ Gunn If so, that will be a fun group to watch. Gunn looked ready and confident.

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/recruiting-rumor-mill-visits-in-full-swing-across-the-country