Maedhros

I'm not thinking about Woodson with that post, but rather Hunter, Rosemand and Walsh. Presumably they still have careers in college basketball to think about, maybe even still with Indiana. Hunter and Walsh were here before Woodson, after all. Even if Woodson is stepping aside, I'd think at least one of them would want to continue the relationships with Sisley, Mullins, et al. Maybe you can stay on staff with the next guy by being the bridge between these targets and the next administration. Or maybe you can get hired at Michigan or Ohio State based on the relationships you've built. It's puzzling not to see any of the staff out seeing anyone at all, unless I missed it.

Even if Woodson knows he's done, I would still expect to see assistants out there, continuing to grow and build relationships on the trail. That's how you get hired for your next job.

I've truly enjoyed watching Kel'el Ware play this year. It's been a long time, if ever, that we've seen his combination of size and agility in and Indiana uniform. He's only scratching the surface, too. I'm adding some negativity to this thread, as we only have a few games left to appreciate him, but it's worth remarking what a special talent we have on hand. He's going to be drafted, likely in the first round pick, and should absolutely go pro. Just a shame we won't get to see what he could have become as an upperclassmen, like TJD. Enjoy nights like last night while he's here.

Some of you in this thread desperately need to touch grass. It's just basketball, a child's game, played for your entertainment. If you aren't entertained, so be it, but that's not reason to act with the emotional intelligence of a child. The failures of Indiana Basketball are not malevolent acts directed at you personally, nor should they be met with such vitriol and bile. If you can't handle seasons like this without coming apart at the seams, you're clearly not built for this. Find other interests you can emotionally handle, or grow the **** up.

Wait... there are snacks?

Hot damn. Don't have Peacock so had to watch via Twitter, but even that was exciting. I missed a great one, seemingly, and love the result. This team's still got everything ahead of it. What a performance.

This list is invalid without my favorite: the breakfast sandwich

I don't hate it. Unless Queen was comfortable coming off the bench - and likely he wasn't - he's not a great fit on a roster with Reneau. I'd love to have the talent, but Fland was the real miss. Better yet, I'd rather have high four star talent, less top fifteen kids that are looking to be one and done. Build a foundation. Missing on so many kids in '23 and '24 is disastrous considering all the resources and effort wasted on high end kids. Let this be a chance to rethink the strategy.

Isn't that just Anthony Leal?

Anyone been to Damsel brewing in Evansville? I go to Winterfest every year, and they've had some standout offerings. Last year it was Fran, an old ale. This year they were pouring Endora, a Gruit brewed with lion's mane mushrooms. Incredibly smooth with an umami flavor you don't often associate with beer. Strongly recommend to anyone in the area.

Completely agree. I'd been relying on metrics to show Stanford was a top five team, even if they didn't start the season ranked that way. Now I look up and see Ohio St, Stanford and Iowa are 2-3-4 in the AP. FWIW, we're up to 8th on Her Hoop Stats, 8th at Massey as well. I know we weren't competitive in two of those road losses, but I'm still thinking this team has Final Four potential until I'm proven otherwise.

I think it's very easy to make the case Woodson was showing steady progress until this year. I wouldn't call Woodson's first two years Great either, but they were better than what came before. Last season was about as good as we've had post-Knight, excepting only the Sampson years and Crean's two peaks. I had fun, warts and all. This is college, you're always going to have warts. I think what Woodson accomplished his first two years earned him a fourth, even as bad as the third has been. You make it clear this season can't happen again, and then - even if next year is another Good season - if you don't have clear and definitive reasons to think we're back on the track to contention I'm fine cutting loose at that time. Coaches have bad years, where the roster doesn't come together. Look at Painter's years 8-9. Look at Musselman this year. Or Mick Cronin. Like a player having a sophomore slump, you don't cut a coach loose after one bad season. Even at Indiana, allow coaches an opportunity to learn and grow on the job. Give him a chance to right the ship. If he can't, then you'll know. That all said, I actually don't think Woodson turns this around, and I don't think he ever delivers Great years. To me the big flashing warning sign is the recruiting. The five-stars are wonderful, but there hasn't been near enough four-star talent brought in to round out the roster and provide continuity. Some of that feels by design, which means it could be correctable, but time is vanishingly short. I want Woodson to succeed, because he's the head basketball coach at Indiana, and I want Indiana Basketball to succeed. If next year Indiana Basketball succeeds with someone else at the helm, that'll be more than fine by me.

Swear to god, make the charge signal something else that's less fun for the officials and watch the calls dry up overnight.

I actually remain optimistic about next year precisely because of the fork in the road this season represents. Coming from the NBA - where you are what your record says you are - it's easy to get back to the playoffs in year one, get a better seed and advance another round in year two, and say "my shit is working". A season like this forces some hard truths and introspection. I do think Dolson should have that conversation. Make it clear this season is unacceptable, and discuss what changes Woodson is willing and able to make to be successful at this level. If Woodson decides he's an old dog and doesn't want to learn new tricks, so be it. But it's not hard to squint and see a way it can come together as quickly as next year. Reneau, Mgbako and McNeeley is a dynamic frontcourt that provides excellent spacing. Change your portal strategy to go all out for guards. Recognize that instant impact Boogie Fland's are nice, but you can win by supplementing your five stars even with guys who won't sniff the NBA. Many have responded to this season by saying Woodson should be fired. My response is to ask what changes will we see to ensure a season like this never happens again. Woodson has earned the opportunity to answer that question. Mike Woodson is the Indiana coach until he isn't. Woodson's age shouldn't matter to anyone except Woodson. You judge him on his ability to effectively coach and lead this program and that's that. I get wanting to build something you know will last, but sports success is so fleeting, I'll take joy where I can get it. If it's a few great years from Woodson before he retires, so be it. I'll have fun for a time, and the program will be a better place when he hands it off to the next guy. That's why I'm content giving Woodson more time to turn this around, until it becomes clear he can't or won't.

That's just a common blarge. Thomas Bryant and Caleb Swanigan can tell you all about it. 😅

I don't have any insider information, but if he wants to stay local there's Hoosier Land Pizza & Wings right down the road from the high school, offering 8, 16, or 25 wings with a over 20 different sauces. That's where I'd go!

Those are great things Knight accomplished! That's why he's one of the best to ever do it. Not challenging that, only this impression some have that Indiana Basketball was better and more consistent than it was during his time. I want the next Knight, I want a coach to hang multiple banners. I don't think we get there by setting standards higher than what even one of the very best coaches ever was able to achieve at this program, and then tossing aside a coach at the first sign of struggling to meet them.

It never was. Even in Bob Knight's 29 years at Indiana: We finished the year unranked entirely 11 times. Six of those seasons started out ranked in the top 12. We finished outside the top three in the Big Ten 8 times. We made only 14 Sweet Sixteens, just less than half the time. We made 8 Elite Eights. In a 29 year stint, only 13 seasons met all three of the measurable criteria you provided. And that's with a HOF coach, one of the five or so best ever to do it. I often see charges of "accepting mediocrity" thrown around on this board, but some fans need to adjust their thinking of the good old days. There were some amazing highs in there, no doubt, but there were lows as well. If we stop inflating the past, maybe we'll provide a better environment for someone to build a program in the present.

Granting the premise that #1 on our need list is a PG that can shoot and create shots... what's #2? Or 3 or 4? It's a one man class right now, lots of spots to fill.

I didn't immediately find a good scouting report on Davis, but this writeup from Rob Cassidy in September - before Davis decommitted from Providence - sure sounds like a player we can use: It’s starting to feel as though Providence may be getting a steal in the 6-foot-point guard, from whom it landed a verbal pledge back in June. Davis, who boasts a wing span much longer than his 6-foot frame, is a legitimate two-way guard that does a little bit of everything, not the least of which is scoring from all over the floor. He held offers from Villanova, Maryland, Illinois and others when he made his decision, but his developing skill set suggests he may have attracted even more opportunities had he waited a couple months to make the call. https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/i-ve-got-five-on-it-under-the-radar-commitments Making the perfect the enemy of the good is arguably the reason Woodson ended up with the roster he has. Lots of guys lacking NBA skills can still contribute to winning at the college level. There's a red flag here in that we haven't seen those additional schools jump in after his decommitment. But I really hope the reason we're slow playing this is not because we're holding out for another JHS.

Back to Braylon, he got to hang with a couple Hoosiers last night.

Holmes with 28 tonight. By my count that means she needs 17 to pass Tyra Buss and become the leading scorer in program history. Her big night tonight means it could happen as early as the next game, against Purdue in Assembly Hall! In most cases I'd say it's not the same, since Mackenzie got a fifth year due to Covid, but Tyra married Brad Davison so I'm happy with Mack taking her place in the record book.

Damn. I missed a real good one, it seems. They're going to get me to pay for Peacock next year, unfortunately.

Starting to think about Tickets for the 2024 Indy 500. We usually do general admission, but my buddy wants to do reserved seating this year. Buying directly from the IMS website isn't a great experience. You're stuck with whatever their algorithm decides is "best available", and can't pick out your own spot. Anyone know of a good place to buy tickets on the secondary market? Feel free to also share your favorite spots. We're usually on the backstretch so I'm looking for something on the homestretch this year. Though there's always action on Turn 2, and being up in those stands might be fun too.