cthomas

That's a trap 10 out of 10 times. Been there. Trust me on this one.

The only thing I'm concerned about is how we shoot in that barn of a gym. I'm really starting to believe in the defensive effort that the entire team brings. I think we have enough pieces and enough coaching on the bench to excise those demons once and for all. And doing it in their house makes it that much sweeter.

Basketball aside, those were classic fights. Two true warriors going at it. About as brutal as it gets.

We have not changed anything that we have always done throughout this pandemic. I refused to miss time with my grandchildren or not celebrate their birthdays as usual. I finally caught covid a few weeks ago from my vaccinated wife. I should have, but didn't, see that coming. This was our personal choice. Everyone else should, in my opinion, be free to make theirs. If masks, isolation, and/or vaccination is that choice then I support them. Just don't impose your choices on me.

I'm hoping it was that last one. Is that even against the rules anymore?

He is quite good.... in the booth.

You have hit on a major problem in our ability to get information. Big tech (YouTube, Google, Facebook, etc.) are trying to control what people are allowed to see, read, and hear. This is the opposite of what is supposed to happen in a free society. YouTube routinely de-platforms contributors or demonetizes them. And, it's not just crackpots that this happens to. Some widely respected people whose opinion differs from what has become the accepted narrative have been targeted as well. Universities have been censoring speakers for some time and now it has filtered down to tech platforms and mainstream media. I want to hear all sides of an argument. I will analyze the information and make my own decision. I don't need anyone to tell me how or what I should think.

The lockdowns that we had were a disaster for poor people. Amazon, Wal-Mart, the big box hardware stores, and the people invested in them flourished. People in the service industry, who often worked more than one job, saw their livelihood disappear. Add in the "us and them" mentality that permeates our society today and you have a confrontational, toxic environment. I haven't seen this country so divided along ideological lines since the Vietnam war. I watch physicist Brian Cox quite often. Brilliant man who frequently ends a talk about an issue with "of course I could be wrong". If we could recognize that we could be wrong, at least partiall in our opinions, maybe we could find common ground and better solutions more often. Convincing people to take an action is always better than forcing them.

I think Woodson's NBA pedigree plays a part in this. NBA guys generally have a pretty long leash and coaches let them play. I think he's trying to implement something similar here. A side benefit is that it takes pressure off players and builds confidence.

We continue to play with this intensity on the defensive end we'll be in a lot of games.

My wife and I are retired and have four adult children, one with a severe mental illness, and nine grandchildren. About half of them have been seriously impacted by our response to this virus. We have been giving both financial and child care aid to our family. The response from the government, both federal and local, has been abysmal. Too much bureaucracy, too much time between need and aid, and too little urgency to resolve the problems once identified. For all the talk and posturing, neither political party has done much to help. I see the problems firsthand and, as well meaning as people of means often are, most don't truly understand what being without food or shelter is like. So many have lost hope and given up. This is not only sad on a human level, it is also dangerous.

I'm always cautious to assign intent to an action. I thought it looked bad on the slow motion, close up replay. But in real time with to players going in different directions, I'm not sure he intended to pull Galloway down. Only he knows. I think it was the right call, just not sure if there was malicious intent.

No worries. I get a little carried away from time to time, just ask my wife. Part of being in a community is looking out for each other.

Man, I am with you on just about everything pertaining to this covid discussion. And, I'm no more enamored with the current administration than I was with the last one, but be careful here and stay with argument about the policy. Attacking the policy makers is, to me at least, the wrong path to take.

This is a multifaceted problem. The people who die, whether from the virus or virus and other issues, are the front page news and the lead story on the evening news. But the collateral damage is less obvious. Just as devastating to those who experience it, but never going to be talked about to a significant extent. We want a linear solution and we have decided that the lockdown and the vaccine is it. We ignore everything else. The path we have chosen is the most divisive of all possible options. Promote the vaccine and the risk/benefit analysis and let people take responsibility for their own lives. The damage we have done to people on the margins of society is unconscionable. It doesn't have to be this way. I'm in the high risk age group, had covid, and recovered fairly quickly without lingering effects. Not everyone will have the same outcome, I understand that. I tell whoever asks that they should make the best, most comfortable decision for themselves. However, to lose sight of the suffering of the people who lost jobs, housing, and any chance to come out of this whole is just plain wrong.

I agree with most of what you said there. I think the biggest difference going forward is the personality of CMW. I don't think you can underestimate the difference that can make when things don't go well on the court. CMW seems to have a better understanding of how to handle the team and that will lead to the culture change we have needed. Of course, as always, I could be completely wrong.

Hate this for Trey. He is undervalued in my opinion. However, this ceates an opportunity for someone else to show they belong on the court. May make us better by the end of the season.

Absolutely. We are way beyond where we were last year. The vibe of this team is better in every way. Nobody panicked when we lost the lead. They just went back to work and made game winning plays. I'll take that every time.

At this point, I take everything with a huge grain of salt. I recently read "Bad Pharma" by Ben Goldacre. He documents the shady things that go on in the pharmaceutical industry. It's important to remember that drugs are an industry meant to make a profit. If there is no money in a rare disease there won't likely be research in a treatment. Pfizer has been caught and fined for doing what is alleged in this article. Are they guilty this time? Who knows, but the possibility shouldn't be dismissed without further investigation. I doubt that we will hear anything from official sources concerning issues that would undermine the vaccine in the public eye. I am not anti-vaccine. I believe everyone who wants it should get it. I am against mandates and taking the choice away from the individual. I want to know everything that was found during the trials so that I can make my decision with everything on the table. I don't think we currently have that quality of information.

From what I have seen so, as much as it pains me to say it, Purdue looks like the team to be in conference. Hard to find a weakness with them. I am feeling better about our chances to crack the top three or four spots.

Transparency is the only way people can make informed decisions. That went out the window once covid was politicized. Politicians across the board have worked in the gray area of integrity for so long I doubt they are capable of putting the public interest ahead of their own. On a side note, I truly appreciate this thread and the adult conversation that takes place here. This is one of the few places where differing opinions can be shared and discussed in a civil manner. Thank you everyone!

We human beings are so smart we will eventually kill ourselves.

This team needs a complete reset. Find out who wants to be here and send everyone else packing. We need some coaching changes and to hit the portal hard in the off season. Emphasis should be on both lines. It starts up front and if we can't win there, nothing else will matter much. Next year should be a referendum on whether or not CTA is the guy to lead this program. I'm not saying we should be competing for conference championships, but we should be as good as Iowa or MSU.

I don't want to pile on but something went seriously wrong this season. Given what we have seen, I have to believe there are some internal problems that LEO won't fix. There was momentum to build on and now that appears to be completely gone. Accountability starts at the top. We are about to find out what kind of leader CTA is.

Man, you are on to something there! It was really sad to me that Green and Laskowski missed getting a championship. They were a big part of the foundation that kick started the program during the Knight years.