Maedhros

Nothing like reading another team's message board to get some perspective. Didn't take long reading that 11W post to find fans complaining about the offense. Yet just a week ago, even after the loss to Minnesota, the Buckeyes had the top offense on both KenPom and Torvik. Holtmann has a young team, with a solid group of freshmen, and has another solid recruiting class on the way. They're in a great spot, and would be even better if first Malaki Branham and now Brice Sensabaugh weren't unexpectedly one and done. But one bad stretch and the message boards are casting about for someone new. Fans are a fickle bunch. And Indiana fans aren't immune.

Oh it's real good. Big and bold flavors without being a chore to get through. Some of these higher gravity stouts can be like drinking molasses. This one is smooth, and well balanced. Even the cherry just adds a touch a flavor and sweetness without overwhelming.

Exactly right. We had a bad stretch. Every season has them. Bob Knight teams had them. Not to go all IU Scott, but even the championship '81 team fell out of the polls after losing back to back games to Clemson and Texas Rio Grande Valley, a school I didn't know existed until just now while browsing Sports Reference. That school beat Isaih Thomas, Ray Tolbert & Randy Wittman. It's probably not the end of the world if a few Big Ten teams beat Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jalen Hood-Schifino I know, I'll hear 'it's not THAT we lost, it's WAY we lost'. Nah. Losing always feels bad in the moment. The team that gave up a big lead to Iowa is the same one that built that lead in the first place. The team that got down big against Northwestern fought to bring the final margin down to one. There was fight there, but the results will always leave you frustrated regardless. The wheels came off at Penn State, but what of it? Gonzaga just lost at home to Loyola Marymount. Sometimes the wheels come off. I'll readily admit we played poorly in those games. But a three game stretch in the Big Ten was never going to define our season unless we let it. It felt weird then to see so many ready to throw in the towel on the season, or this coach.

I paired last night's Indiana win with a brew from Avery called One Ping Only, which is just a fantastic name for a Russian Imperial Stout.

It doesn't require iTunes: https://www.spreaker.com/user/movingscreen/former-big-ten-mbb-head-rick-boyages-exp I use Podcast Addict app on my Android phone, you just need an RSS feed to subscribe.

I agree. The good news is most of the remaining games will be broadcast. Only two of the final ten games are relegated to BIG+.

I bought tickets for the Purdue game, it's the only weekend game we'll be able to get to Bloomington. I'm expecting another record to be set. It'll be Senior Day, against our rivals. It's a shame tickets are general admission. It gets unwieldy trying to find seats with that many people, as we learned during the NIT run a few years back. Already warning my wife we're going to have to leave early from Indy.

Free throws were an issue, made it close when thing didn't need to be, but the women hold on for a huge win. What a game. That's what I've been missing. We'll have more women's games that don't require BTN+ here coming the rest of the season. I've got them on my calendar. Makes me happy to get my college basketball fix.

Great to see CMM back on the court. She stepped up in a big way after Grace went down. Glad she won't be missing any time herself.

I mean, a lot of folks were wanting to hire Shrewsberry after last night, and while he's not an alum, he did serve multiple stints on Painter's staff. I just want the men to hire their Teri Moren, wherever from. What a program she's built.

Man, what a first half. This team defends, they move, they shoot, they're always active. Such a fun watch. Anyone looking for a pick me up should turn on BTN. This is what you want it to feel like when you watch the men play.

Top ten matchup tonight with #9 Maryland coming to town, and it's on BTN!

Dan Dakich calling someone else soft for fighting on social media is peak comedy.

It's also true that sometimes upsets happen. College Basketball is like that. We didn't play well and we got beat. So it goes. Arizona is one of the best teams in the country and they just got blasted at home by Washington St. I'm on board with thinking we should always be better than Northwestern, and especially at home, for all the reasons being argued above. But the result isn't always going to turn out that way. It doesn't mean the season is over or the program is ruined. It just means we need to be better the next time out.

When Trayce posts a hand-written letter mailed to him directly, it's impossible to claim the players only see negativity when they seek it out. I don't go looking for negativity, and yet I find it regularly in the replies to any tweet. Kopp was a regular target even early season when the team was undefeated, so it's not as simple as win and this all goes away. Fox College Hoops posted a highlight of a Kopp three from the Northwestern game on Twitter, and tagged him in it. Someone replied "As an IU fan, our season ended as soon as we lost 2 starters. I've given up hope on this team for good." Since Kopp was tagged he received a notification about it, didn't have to seek that comment out or anything. Mild as things go, but not much fun to read when you're one of the players out there still trying to win games. And the players see these comments constantly. Your review is mild as well, sure. But then why such a response? If I'm the store manager then I know my employees and I'm figuring there has to be more to the story. The image posted on Instagram was mild as well, but that wasn't the only comment made that led to this reaction, and we both know it. It's disingenuous to pretend the players don't see far more hateful stuff on a regular basis, and unreasonable to think they wouldn't dwell on it. These are young people with the same challenges, insecurities and self-doubts as anyone else. It's easy to say players should just avoid social media. For kids that have literally been around social media their whole life it's not that simple. I'm not going to be bothered when they occasionally lash out at the things said about them. Rather, I'm impressed it doesn't happen more often. I wouldn't have the same composure at their age (you can tell because I'm right here going back and forth with someone on a message board 😄.) So yeah, for me this whole thing is a non issue. It's just a normal human reaction.

Perhaps. But that example reads to me as a cautionary tale about the disposable way we treat that workforce. I certainly don't consider it to be a guideline for the empathy - or lack thereof - we should have for someone being dragged online.

Barstool accounts are trash. Unfortunately, Barstool is also a popular brand because a lot of sports fans don't have a problem with and even enjoy acting like trash on the internet. You can see some of that rationalization in this thread. On its face the image seems a harmless meme. When you're subjected to similar images day in and out, the impact compounds. Sure it'd be great if guys could stay off social media. Woody has said as much. But that's easier said for someone of his generation, and I'm guessing for most of you reading this board, than it is done by today's players. I'm 40, and was in college when Facebook was just kicking off. When I first met my wife we didn't exchange phone numbers, we traded friend requests. For someone in college today, social media has literally always been a part of how they interact with their peers. Yet whenever they log in, they see themselves tagged in any number of brutal comments from people they've never met, and who have no idea what goes in to being a Div I athlete. So let them be human. Let them have the same defensive reaction you or I would, especially at that age. I promise their time on Instagram isn't keeping them from practicing free throws, or any other nonsense complaint like that. If anything, I'm encouraged to see the team come together like this, and have each others' backs. Would that our fans could circle the wagons the same way.

Yes, and it's the same for rebounding. Malik stood out to me last night. He never had a chance at some of those balls, not because he wasn't trying, but because he wasn't in position and was trying to get around someone in a yellow jersey all night. In general, we use phrases like "out-toughed" too often. Usually it's not a matter of being tough, it's a failure to execute.

I just joined this thread with the Deadwood discussion, so I'll throw out a few binge shows that haven't been mentioned. Hilda on Netflix is a delight. Ostensibly a kids show, it's comfort food for just the two of us even at 40. It's similar to the joy I get from some Calvin & Hobbes or Hayao Miyazaki, that sense of wonder you had as a child that there's a great big magical world out there to be explored. I wish I could ride a water spirit, and my wife wishes she could keep knittens. Derry Girls is also a fun watch. The recently release third season is the final one, less than 20 episodes total, so it's a quick binge. Watch with subtitles on, at least the first time, because the Irish accents and slang are part of the fun but can be tricky to follow. On FX/Hulu, Welcome to Wrexham is an easy recommendation for any sports fan. Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds are the stars driving this thing, but the show is about more than them. It focuses on the people involved with the team and the community that supports it. The show is a great look at what sports can mean to a community, a family, and the way it can bring people together. Last one for now is Midnight Mass. It's a slow burn, that boils over into profound moments I just had to tell someone about. Watching it the first time I was comparing it to the best Stephen King, where the supernatural and horror elements are just the catalyst for interpersonal conflicts already present in a small town. It made sense, then, when I learned Mike Flanagan is a huge King fan, and will be making his own adaptation of the Dark Tower.

Deadwood is amazing. Back in my mid 20s, my roommate and I watched through the series, when Netflix still came to you on discs. Good times. There's a movie, too, which is a nice send off for our characters since the show was prematurely cancelled by HBO after just three seasons.

First time being able to watch this team in a while, with the game being on ESPN. Tough day from the field for everyone not named MacKenzie Holmes. Seemed like the looks were there, but the shots were rushed or went in and out. That overtime sure was fun, though. Hoping we get Grace back soon, and more games broadcast.

Sports don't matter in the grand scheme of things. What matters is those memories made along the way. I'll always cherish that day early in 2007 when my roommate and I showed up at Buffalo Wild Wings at noon for a Super Bowl that didn't begin until 6:30. The bar was already packed, so we grabbed a table to wait for my sister and her friend to drive up from Bloomington. The whole day was a party. Each sports season brings with it the hopes of another experience as good as that one, and some others I've had along the way. It's the only worthwhile reason for getting sad when a season falls short, because that opportunity is lost for another year.

Indiana Basketball Indianapolis Colts Atlanta Braves I've never seen an IUBB National Championship - I was 5 years old and living in California in 1987 - so that pushes it easily to the top of my list. I was a freshman on campus for the 2002 run, the closest I've been to a banner. It won't be the same in my 40's as it would if I was still a student, but I'd love to experience it all the same. Atlanta Braves baseball was the first sports team I ever loved. I've been fortunate enough to see two titles since I became a fan, the most recent just a year ago, and the window is still wide open. That lack of urgency keeps them at third on my list. I'm not nearly as emotionally engaged in football as I was a few years ago. Andrew Luck's miracle comeback against Kansas City feels like a lifetime ago. And this current version of the Colts is Archie levels of excruciating to watch. That said, when the team was good the whole city celebrated. It's the team I share the most among my friends and family. I'd love to experience another Super Bowl, for the memories and moments it would create along the way. Pacers would be fourth, for many of the same reasons as the Colts. It's just not a thing that feels like it could ever happen. The NBA feels divided into the haves and have nots, every bit if not more than MLB. We have some good young stars, but without lucking into a superstar I don't know that I will ever expect more than just consistent playoff appearances.

The context around the Elon game, and the ensuing discussion, sure changed after last night. All the caveats being made for the level of competition we were playing, then Iowa loses to an even worse Eastern Illinois team. The Panthers are currently 349 out of 363 on KenPom. I don't know what they were ranked going into the game, but I'm guessing it was worse than 349. Iowa was without Connor McCaffery & Kris Murray, sure, just as we were without Trayce and Xavier. The Hawkeyes still lost by 9 as a 31.5 point favorite. Along with the obvious schadenfreude, it's a good reminder as fans to never take anything for granted. It sure changes how I read this thread.

Why? College athletics are a billion dollar industry. What should a $50K write off matter at all? In the resistance to NIL, I've always wondered: is there an argument for players not receiving money that isn't just some variation of "that's how it's always been"? If we were building it all from scratch, would anyone actually suggest Trayce Jackson-Davis play for a coach making several millions of dollars, at an organization that signed a media rights deal for over a billion dollars, and think it fair that he be compensated only in tuition, room and board? Anyone judging that structure would think it corrupt as hell. But because that's how we started it'll take change to get to something better, and change is hard for some. For myself, I truly don't understand the problem some have with Trayce Jackson-Davis receiving the money other people want to give him. If the NCAA had never made it a rule, would there be an issue at all? We all know the NCAA sucks, and post about it often, except for in this one area. The only reason for such support seems to be because it's the status quo, and the status quo is comfortable.