AxnJxn

1 minute ago, Reacher said:

I'm on Central time. Anyone else can figure it out for themselves. 

32 minutes ago, btownqb said:

Trey is an EXCELLENT option to have in at that point. Excellent... he is strong, smart, etc... everything you need to close out a game, he has. Plus.. he can get back and you can switch with him on defense. His pro outweigh his cons probably 20 to 1. 

Trey Galloway is our smartest basketball player. 

I don't think KL is a better ball handler than TJD at all. Not when you factor in who they're handling the ball against. Kopp and KL... about equal. 

Trey played 12 mins because of foul trouble. 

Two points: (1) your assumption that he would knock down FTs is just that. The stats don't really back it up (I would call them inconclusive at best, but 65% on a small sample size isn't really ideal in that situation), and his shooting outside of 5 feet, and I think everyone would all agree on this, is painful to watch. (2) What's the one thing you don't want to do in those last 40 seconds last night? Foul. Trey did that not once, but twice last night, and that was on top of a pretty bad offensive foul that helped land him on the bench in the first place. I would agree that he's usually one of our smarter players, but he wasn't last night.

I don't think we even have to agree to disagree, and I think you know I respect your opinion, and I agree with most of what you are saying. This really all comes down to trust. You trust him completely (and clearly CMW does as well), I have some concerns about his recent play. In the end, we simply don't have a better option behind him.

2 minutes ago, btownqb said:

Because Lander is not a good ball handler? 

I have more confidence in TG making the right play at the end of the game then 95% of our roster. Hell 95% of the players we have had the last 5 years. 

He's a better ball handler than TJD or Kopp. I mean, I'm being hyperbolic here, but my point is you can't just say get the best ball handlers in the game, which is what both of you have been saying - there are other things that need to be considered, like FT shooting, bball IQ plays, etc. TBF, if we had this convo a week ago, I would likely agree with having TG in there. He just doesn't seem himself lately with respect to playing smart basketball (agree that it's highly uncharacteristic, but it is what it is), and I was concerned when he came in last night. He then proceeded to commit a really bad foul that could have been costly, and then fouled out right after that.

As for him only playing 12 minutes, you're really kind of proving my point here. IIRC, he was sitting because of foul trouble, and one of those fouls was an offensive foul that was, frankly, not a smart play. 

I will agree that we don't seem to have better options, which is also a bit problematic, but that ain't changing before tomorrow night.

1 minute ago, btownqb said:

I still don't understand the single minded thing. I think what you're saying is "think outside the box"? Honestly I don't know. 

 

You're only looking at ball handling at the end of the game - that's been your sole reason to have him in the game. When I note that he's at best an unknown at the line, you're making a pretty big assumption that he's going to knock down FTs, with really nothing to back that up other than a gut feeling, when his play on the court, especially his shooting, is contrary to that. You also want guys who are going to make smart plays in that situation, and you're not mentioning that at all. That's what I mean by single minded.

Let me put it like this - if the only thing we're considering is ball handling, why not put in Lander? 

2 minutes ago, FKIM01 said:

You're looking at one game and not the whole body of work there.  If you look at the season, Trey is one of the smartest basketball players IU has.  That doesn't mean he won't have any lapses of a bad game here and there, but overall, his body of work says play him.

It's not one game - I wouldn't have a problem if it was just one game - and no one has a problem with Race sitting. I agree that Trey is one of our smarter players, he just hasn't been showing that lately IMO, and we simply don't seem to have a better option, unlike Race/JG. 

5 minutes ago, BGleas said:

I think you nailed it with your last paragraph there about trust. 

I think as fans we overestimate in game performance from a specific game and underestimate how coaches view that in terms of trust. 

What I mean is, Woodson needed a ball handler and he trusts Galloway. When he looks down the bench for a ball handler, he's not thinking about two bad fouls and a couple missed shots earlier, he's thinking about who he trusts to be in the right spot in the press break and not make a dumb turnover in that situation and Galloway is a guy he trusts. 

Yep, and I think I've been pretty clear that this is just my opinion only, and it's coming from my couch. I'm just concerned with Trey's play, and that certainly seemed to be valid last night - that foul on an easy layup could have cost us the game, and he fouled out right after that. Both of those were terrible plays in that situation. 

5 minutes ago, btownqb said:

Yeah, that lineup hasn't been healthy to close out the games lol. We beat UM, ILL, won a tourney game, beat Purdue, and beat OSU with that lineup to close a game.  It's literally been our best lineup by A LOT all year long... from nearly every single statistically category. 

Trey was excellent against Michigan and ILL. 

He didn't go to the FT line though. That's what we are saying... he wasn't in there to shoot FTs, he was in there to handle the ball. 

This is what I mean by single minded. I mean, you agree that Wyoming had to foul there, right? If he's one of the primary ball handlers, he's likely to be shooting FTs, so ball handling isn't the only consideration in that situation. I also don't get why you keep saying he's a good FT shooter when he's 13-20 this year - at best, it's an unknown. I could also add that he can't hit anything outside of 5 feet, and it certainly seems like the pressure of the tournaments may be getting to him a bit. 'Course, that observation is from my couch, so there's that.

I didn't see excellent play against UM and ILL. I thought he was solid in the latter, not so good in the former, and he was pretty bad against Iowa as well as last night.

12 minutes ago, btownqb said:

What does this mean? 

We end almost every game with that lineup!!!! basically 

With one min to go in the game the lineup was XJ, PS, TG, MK, and TJD. 

5 minutes ago, BGleas said:

Sounds like that was the lineup (XJ, TG, PS, MK, TJD), so not sure what we're even talking about or why there would be any issue in having Galloway in the game there?

You've got ball handlers (XJ and TG), free throw shooters (XJ and Kopp) and guys you trust (really all 5 of them).

I didn't realize Kopp was already in the game there, so my bad. I really like TG and love his game when he is playing well, I simply don't trust him to do that right now. He was pretty bad in the BTT, he didn't play well earlier in this game, and he can't throw it in the ocean from outside right now, so I'd be very concerned about him going to the FT line at the end of the game. As for using that lineup at the end of every game, our Achilles' heel all year has been closing out games, so there's that.

In the end, it doesn't matter - CMW obviously trusts him, and that's all that really counts. 

7 minutes ago, BGleas said:

Committing two bad fouls has nothing to do with being a good ball handler in breaking the press. We needed ball handlers, and despite two bad fouls Galloway is a player that can handle the ball (much better then Kopp or Stewart) and the coaching staff trusts. 

You can't afford to be that single minded at the end of the game, though. You also need good foul shooters, and guys who are going to make smart plays. I never said I wanted Kopp handling the ball, but I would have preferred to see him in the game in some capacity, because they have to foul there - he's a leader on the court, a good FT shooter, and generally a smart player. What's stopping us from having XJ, Rob, PS/Trey, Kopp, and TJD in the game? You have at least 3 ball handlers, your best FT shooter, and generally our higher IQ players in there. 

6 minutes ago, btownqb said:

Ok, but this isn't relevant for handling the basketball/being strong with the ball. RP has been a complete non factor since he has been back from injury. 

I have no idea how you can say his poor play isn’t relevant when handling the ball, when he has a really bad offensive foul earlier in the game while handing the ball. 

5 minutes ago, BGleas said:

In that situation the top concern is to not have a live ball turnover. Free throws are absolutely important, but second to not turning it over. Galloway needed to be in there so that XJ wasn't on an island against the press.  

Though I'm pretty sure Galloway came in for Geronimo, not Stewart, which was the right move. 

Yah, that was mentioned before, i just don’t agree. Rob is a better option for handling the ball IMO, Kopp is normally a great FT shooter, and Trey is simply not playing smart ball - he had two bad fouls in the 40 seconds or whatever he was in at the end. 

8 minutes ago, btownqb said:

Trey is a better FT shooter then Parker. Yeah, I mean you're right that TG has struggled, some.... but that doesn't just negate TG's entire career and season. 

i didn’t say anything like that - we don’t have any issues sitting Race because we have a better option right now. Is that negating his career and season? I just didn’t think Trey was a good option there. 

8 minutes ago, btownqb said:

@AxnJxn

TG shoots a better % from the FT line then PS does. 

TG 65.0%

PS 64.3%

I mean, technically you are correct, but I wouldn't exactly call that a great point on such a small sample size for both (PS 28 FTs, TG 20).

3 minutes ago, btownqb said:

PS isn't a ball handler though. Or at least not a very good one. Trey is a good FT shooter. We got lucky PS didn't turn it over when we put him in that position. Once that happened, Trey was coming in no matter what. 

Agreed on PS, but Trey has not shown that he's a good FT shooter this year, or a good shooter in any way, shape, or form. I guess it's a pick your poison sort of thing - Trey might be able to handle the ball better than PS, but he also had two really dumb fouls in the last 40 seconds, and hasn't been playing smart basketball for a few games now, for whatever reason. 'Course, PS also had at least one dumb foul, too. 

I've no idea what's going on with Trey and Race, but I hope they figure it out quickly.

1 minute ago, Euroclydon said:

Ugly Ugly Ugly but I'll take it. Survive and advance was never more accurate of a statement.

Frankly, I'm not sure IU could have beaten any other team in the tournament last night. They set basketball offense back 70 years. They never seem to get a good squared up shot from outside. Everything looked rushed by Parker, Miller, and anyone else attempting a perimeter shot. I'm done hoping it will magically change. Time to accept the fact this team can't hit water from a boat.

Fortunately Wyoming really only has two players on the team that you have to guard and those two shot 30 of their 46 shots last night. They only hit six three pointers and turned it over like crazy. They basically forced IU to win the game.

Coming off their best play of the year in the B1G tourney it's disheartening to see them take such a big step back. That said, nothing surprises me with this team. If they come out and play a great game again St Mary's I wouldn't be shocked and if they lost by 30 I wouldn't be shocked.

Note: Not sure how the refs could not see the Wyoming flops. They were determined to fall on any IU drive and they were just as determined to flop when shooting threes. Some of them weren't really that close but I guess the refs didn't see it.

Completely agree. I try not to be negative, but if we weren't playing in that game last night, I would have turned it off in the first half. I could rationalize that it was great defense, but it was just bad basketball by both teams. 

3 minutes ago, btownqb said:

You have to have ball handlers in at the end of games.  

You have XJ and PS in the game (I think - I don't remember exactly who was in at that time, but I remember PS getting caught in a double team, which was almost another costly mistake), and they have to foul as soon as someone touches the ball. Ball handlers aren't as important as good FT shooters in that situation, and I don't want Trey shooting FTs for a number of reasons. He's simply not playing smart basketball for whatever reason, and it showed down the stretch last night.

TBF, I'm not sure I trust anyone on this team down the stretch other than possibly XJ or TJD.

1 hour ago, btownqb said:

We absolutely had to have Trey on the floor and was getting worried it took so long to put him in. 

He wasn't in there to make FTs. He was in there to handle pressure. Parker Stewart does not handle pressure well, at all. 

I disagree. At that point in time, you just want to maintain the lead, and you know they are going to foul. This was with something like 40 seconds left, btw, and we were up 8. Trey also, for some reason, fouled the guy on a layup, and created a 3 point play. You've got a guy who is simply not playing smart basketball lately and isn't all that good from the line in the game in that situation. I'd rather have Kopp in there, and just contest the perimeter. 

A win is a win in the tournament, and it’s nice to check off another thing that we haven’t done in what seems like forever, but man, that was some pretty bad basketball overall. Race is playing like he has covid, and Trey is making a lot of really dumb mistakes recently. Some head scratching lineups, too, like putting Trey in at the end of the game when they were fouling us. Kid was something like 13-20 coming into the game. 

Anyway, on the plus side … did I mention that a win is a win yet? TJD was great, XJ was solid, and it looks like we’re going to ride or die based on JG’s energy.  
 

Here’s hoping we clean some of this up before Thursday. 

A win is a win in the tournament, and it’s nice to check off another thing that we haven’t done in what seems like forever, but man, that was some pretty bad basketball overall. Race is playing like he has covid, and Trey is making a lot of really dumb mistakes recently. Some head scratching lineups, too, like putting Trey in at the end of the game when they were fouling us. Kid was something like 13-20 coming into the game. 

Anyway, on the plus side … did I mention that a win is a win yet? TJD was great, XJ was solid, and it looks like we’re going to ride or die based on JG’s energy.  
 

Here’s hoping we clean some of this up before Thursday. 

A win is a win in the tournament, and it’s nice to check off another thing that we haven’t done in what seems like forever, but man, that was some pretty bad basketball overall. Race is playing like he has covid, and Trey is making a lot of really dumb mistakes recently. Some head scratching lineups, too, like putting Trey in at the end of the game when they were fouling us. Kid was something like 13-20 coming into the game. 

Anyway, on the plus side … did I mention that a win is a win yet? TJD was great, XJ was solid, and it looks like we’re going to ride or die based on JG’s energy.  
 

Here’s hoping we clean some of this up before Thursday. 

Just now, John S said:

Why shooting 3s

He’s been hitting them at a pretty good clip in the last dozen or so games. 

I love Race, but he somehow looks exhausted 2 minutes into the half and is playing like garbage. Just give JG minutes instead. 

Correct me if I’m wrong, but is there a single player on our team that has played in an NCAAT game? Hoping that first half was a lot of jitters, because it sure wasn’t good basketball. 

47 minutes ago, Artesian_86 said:

Blast from the past.....

I was born in 1968. I loved watching cartoons with Janie when I got home from school school, Sammy Terry's scary movies on Friday night, cartoons with Cowboy Bob on Saturday mornings. Those were some good times, good memories!!!

Was telling my wife about Milton the Monster last night, and she had no idea what I was referencing. Needless to say, I decided it wasn't worth the time to go into Tom Slick.

42 minutes ago, 13th&Jackson said:

“It's been a roller coaster ride for him,” Woodson said. “I've watched him. Really, as of a month ago it was so intense, you could see it in his face. I mean, if these guys would stay the hell away from social media, life might be a little bit better. …

While I totally get what CMW is saying here, I think some understanding of how social media plays a part in a college athlete's success would help, too. With the ability to earn NIL money now, social media, branding, "influencing", and all of that is becoming more and more a way to earn some dough, even in the less profitable sports. For example:

Trent Howell, head of marketing at SmartyStreets, said female athletes who use their social media channels to share information about the company, attend and promote company events, appear as talent in marketing materials, and wear “SmartyStreets swag” will receive payment per activity, earning up to $3,000 per semester. 

I'm guessing someone as known as TJD can make a significant amount more with similar activity. I've personally moved away from social media a great deal myself, because it definitely has a toxic side to it, but it can be profitable to college athletes if used correctly. I think the key is to figure out how to promote while ignoring the really extreme negative things that will be thrown at you at the same time. 

It's a very different world out there these days.

On 1/10/2022 at 5:16 PM, IowaHoosierFan said:

 I guess i am a little surprised AF isn't doing as well as he did last year shooting the ball.

I'm very surprised at Franklin this year. I really thought he was going to blow up based on what he was showing last year. I haven't watched much of UVa to know if it's a system thing, or he just hasn't put in the work to take that next step, or something else.