IUDan93

We need shooters big time.

Well, we are playing ourselves right on to the tournament bubble. This is progress because we used to say this when we won a game this time if year.

I think we win this.

It looks like our players think it's over too.

We are being outclassed right now. My optimism about this team might be ahead of reality.

Xavier with the "hero ball" pass to Geronimo.

Game is getting quickly away from us.

TJD needs to be a rim run and make Kofi tired.

One of these days TJD has to have a monster game against a really good big, or maybe even just a decent game.

No TJD, lead at half, I will take it.

Great defense. We gotta make Kofi work so maybe he gets annoyed.

Durr, Bates, Galloway, all Geronimo is a pretty good bench.

We have played very well without TJD against the two conference teams with monsters in the post. As Woodson said in the pre-game presser, Durr better be ready for some serious minutes. So far, so good.

That is some home cooking right there.

Durr is man-handling Kofi....or at least holding his own.

Seems like we have kicked the slow start issues we were having earlier in the season.

Yeah, that was a pretty good team. I do think we were not really a top level team, though. Top 10, yes, but probably not top 5. I also think we are a top 20 team this year. I think we are every bit as good, if not better than, LSU, Marquette, Iowa State, Xavier, et al. MSU has been a much better team than us and yet we seem to have been a match up problem for them. I think in 2012-13 teams like Syracuse and Louisville were going to beat us most nights because of match ups. Truthfully, BGleas, you have forgotten more basketball than I would ever know, and I certainly don't watch the game through the same lens as you and some others on this site do. So, I concede that you guys are probably right.

It could be that I just want to be better now than we were than because I don't really look fondly on the last 20 years of IU basketball.

Cody's 2nd year, but either is fine.

I guess we will never know, I just think our defense, and even culture, would be the difference. Neither Cody nor Trayce shoot much from outside of 5 feet, and I think our current post defense would pose a problem for Zeller. I do give the big edge in shooting to that team. I like this team better because of coaching and culture. Clearly Cody and Vic were extremely athletic, but I have to give a big edge to this team. Galloway negates Sheehey and is better at getting the offense moving. Who on that team deals with Race and Geronimo? Again, my premise really relies on this team starting to shoot the ball better. I remember a few years back there was a discussion on here about an "unofficial poll" from other Big Ten coaches about CAM, which was not complementary of him. Crean was appreciated, but we mostly all thought there was something strange about him. Coach Woodson, I think, beats these two all day every day. With the toughest match up being that team with Cody and Vic.

My optimism is based mostly on the play of Xavier Johnson. We are lacking the kinda player like a Jaden Ivey or Johnny Davis, but I really think we have an interesting 6 weeks ahead of us. The culture feels really good for the first time in forever, and this team seems to have a little bit of that "It Factor". I have this feeling that we are going to do something special, laying the foundation for this program moving forward. I can't see us winning at Purdue, but all other games are ones I give us a chance to win. If we can get on a shooting streak going into the tournament, I think we can go deeper than any of us have cared to dream of since Cody and Vic were here. BTW- I think this team would beat that team 6/10 times.

I tend to agree with this. I will say that RMK seemed to take a great deal of pleasure beating UM. I recall him being very animated when Alford hit that shot in the lane to beat UM in 1987. His reaction was 100 times more excited than when Smart hit the shot against Syracuse.

Really???? Wow!!! Another "streak" broken by Woodson. Really wish we had gotten that win in Madison.

I guess coaching matters. We had some good teams under Crean, but I feel like this is better and more sustainable basketball. It is nice to really enjoy watching IU basketball again.

We have played this well, but not for this many minutes.