MoyeCowbell

Don't forget the change of uniforms.

We absolutely do. Even if he does recover, that's a lot of pressure and expectation for someone (unproved at this level) coming off injury.

Many people feel that the development jump between a player's freshman and sophomore year is the biggest. That said, does Mgbako come back? He seems to be gaining confidence and comfort in his game at this level; a solid second year could really move his draft prospect needle.

I think the big nuance that many outside observers fail to recognize is the way things get communicated and the way those communications get received. There are brilliant people that understand concepts and are able to implement them themselves (players that can play at an elite level) but are unable to transfer that knowledge to others in a constructive way. Style, fit, personality... so much goes into that connection between coach and player. It's why some coach/player relationships 'click' while others don't. It doesn't necessarily mean one coach is better than the other (of course, there are many other factors that DO play into this comparison), but it can suggest why some concepts stick, while others don't. I believe it was last year, but when IU was playing OSU, Jimmy Jackson was on the call and he was talking about RMK. Said that he was being recruited to IU, but he had no desire to come to Bloomington because of Knight's style and personality. Jackson was a damn-fine player, but he knew that he wouldn't vibe with Coach's approach. Now, all that to say: it's not an exact science to know how those relationships will work out. They do take time. What can be projected in the recruiting stage doesn't always play out in the playing stage. And yet, CMW does need to figure out how to adjust his messaging, so that his players understand. He is the constant -- regardless how long they're at IU, the players are fluid and he needs to adapt.

I would love to see -- just as an experiment for one game -- what our defense would look like if our guards didn't sag and double the post. Just humor me and let the bigs play it straight up, 1v1, and make the guards stay on their men. Just one game. See what happens.

COUNT YA DAYS

I don’t consider myself either an optimist or a pessimist, just a realist… What silver linings are there? Anyone who’s good can’t possibly want to stay, and anyone who does is probably doing it for the wrong reasons *ahem* NIL $$ *ahem*.

It’s astonishing… every single @&$! time.

If this team were a race car, we'd have two really good rear tires, another rear tire incorrectly placed in the front, an accelerator that doesn't touch the floor, a brake that doesn't, and a steering wheel that's prone to randomly popping off. There's also a random seatbelt that sorta works, a turbo boost that operates 10% of the time and a gearbox that is partially stripped. I don't think people are suggesting bad parts over quality 5 parts, but rather the correct parts in the right places.

As great as Vic, Cody, Isiah and Damon looked on the cover, Tyra definitely has them beat.

On the bright side, at least the football team has won in Madison in the last 20 years!

I'm not trying to be antagonistic, just genuinely curious. Is your relative excitement of May because he learned under RMK or for another reason? Would it be the same if he was a Boeheim or Calipari disciple?

Of all the above average/move-the-needle coaches out there, is May pushed to the front of the line strictly because of his IU connection? I would have to believe that is a large component to the interest in him, all other factors being equal. Aren't we as a program trying to find the best coach, rather than just one familiar with the brand? I don't know enough about him, but outside of last year, May hasn't dominated like other candidates. Maybe he **is** the guy, but I think due diligence must be taken, and I hope this isn't a foregone conclusion at this point in time.

I won’t put this on Woodson, but if he were in an IU jersey, he’d shoot 37% from the FT line.

It's really unfortunate that we don't have a tried and true leader on the court. With Johnson, I feel like we all bought into his years of experience, thinking that would equate to leadership. But the truth is, it hasn't. He hasn't proven to be someone you can count on. And so the team at large has suffered. Galloway is the closest, but he still doesn't possess the requisite mindset to demand excellence at all times -- the single most important leadership quality. When the going gets tough, this team gets lost in a hurry. There is no rudder. There is no safety valve or calming force. Not sure who -- or where -- we get that.

The silver lining to not making the tourney is that we can't get blamed for contributing to the Big Ten's March Madness futility.

At least nobody died.

Um, probably because we didn't play smart or with adequate energy in the first half. Dug our own grave.

Dawg Bawls has spoken.

He doesn't need to be who he isn't, but damn, I would love to see him go ballistic on either the refs or his team once.

oh, but they can

PU - 103 IU - 54

Das Not Good

I'm sensing... agitation.

My humble and unsolicited opinion on Mgbako -- since he's already making a nice bit of coin in college now, the impetus to jump into the professional waters might not be as certain as it could've been for a similar player in years past. If he goes pro, he will no doubt become a better basketball player, but I don't think he gets drafted high enough to have the right/requisite attention to help him long term. Fair or not, being in the G-league will make it a bit more challenging to make the bump because of the inherent perceptions that are placed on certain players. Not impossible, but trickier. And who knows what the salary comparison will be like... If he stays at IU, he might not become a "better" basketball player (than he would become by turning professional) in this next year, but he could be good enough and progress enough to have even more notoriety and exposure, which could help him in the long term by getting drafted higher. I'm pulling numbers out my ass here, but hypothetically if he's "rated" a, say 83 as a first year player with the Grand Rapids Gold vs a 80 as an IU Sophomore, I believe he'll have better long term prospects staying in college. So much of a player's value can come from their story as much as their inherent skill and abilities; JHS is a great example... you could argue that there are many players just as good as him playing G League ball, but their story didn't have the same spotlight as his, and that's likely what launched him to his final draft position.