Euroclydon

I believe IU will add at least one more transfer but if they don't they still have a solid team. It will just be a different team than what we've become accustomed to since TJD arrived.

A front court that goes 6'9 235, 6'9 240. and 7'0 210 is a good start and my guess is those numbers will change by the time the season gets here. Yes, there are still lots of question about this group but they have the size to compete. Adding another big, at this point, would be gravy.

PG is under control if X is eligible and healthy. I trust X, Gabe and Trey to get the ball up the court and set the offense. Just switching out Tamar for Gabe is a huge upgrade in terms of ball handling and passing. That's not a knock on Tamar. He was never meant to be a PG and ball handling is a weakness he has to improve regardless of where he ends up. Bottom line - IU improved a great deal vs the press as the season went on and they'll be better next season. 

That leaves what I'll refer to as the wings, which is everyone else. I don't see a classic shooting guard right now. I do see several guys with a lot of potential and varying skills. Trey is the closest to being what is needed after knocking down 46% of his threes, cutting down his turnovers, and still playing good defense. He will be on the floor as much as possible. The guy that may be the breakout star is Kaleb Banks. At 6'7 200 with some bounce and a nice shot he could be a scoring option and a match up problem for opponents.  

I'm not counting out CJ Gunn being a scoring threat off the bench and if he fills out over the summer he's got the quickness and size to be a two way threat as the game slows down for him. Leal should get a chance to prove he needs more playing time. The freshman have skills and could provide much needed depth. 

The point is, whether they add anyone else or not this IU team has talent. A few weeks ago we were worried they'd have nothing inside. They addressed that in a big way. It may take them the majority of next season to figure it all out but overall it could be the most complete team they've had offensively and defensively in many seasons. 

The NCAA is desperate to appear they still have some semblance of control and remain relevant. They will agree to anything at this point. Eventually it will go so far they won't be able to do anything about it.  That leaves it up to the schools to end the madness. That won't happen until the elites get burned enough to make it not worth the effort.

Today we have schools in bidding wars with unreal dollar amounts in play.We are seeing cases of 'none and done' players. The portal is out of control. In some cases virtually entire teams are leaving when the season is over. Next step - no requirement to go to class? 

It's looking a lot like the beginning of the end for college sports.

Who's the primary scorer as it stands today? Adding Ware is a huge get but I'm not expecting him to put up 18-20 a game anytime soon. X? Malik? Trey? Not seeing it.

CMW better find a scorer he can count on or turn into the most dominate defensive team in the country and hope someone steps up.

All for adding someone who can shoot it from three and/or the ability to get their own shot type scorer. Any additional size added now is gravy.

Lets not overlook what they already have in development. If Banks, Gunn or Trey up their games they can be what IU needs. Leal could even break through. 

To quote legendary coach Bobby Finstock, "Let's play some ball here!"

If CL, or any player, decides to return home it would not be shocking. But if it's about which school has a better basketball program or better fan base, it's not close. It's IU 100%. Fan attendance as one example.

IU trades Tamar for Hunter Dickinson? That would be beyond surreal.

I hope JG finds success somewhere. Never turned the corner at IU and never had a true position. 

Tamar, JG, LD are good kids but ended up as bad fits for the team. My guess is none of the three land on a power conf winning team and that's ok. If this tourney has proven anything it's anybody can win.

It will be interesting to see how his game translates at a higher level. Does not look to be a shot blocker or someone who will out athlete the other team. More of a banger who can eat space and score close to the basket. They still need a rim protecting big who can rebound in space. 

Good start. Has the B1G body already. Not expecting him to be Trayce. Solid addition. 

Tamar leaving is not a surprise and feels about the same as when Rob P left last season. Sad he never figured it out and hopeful he lands at a place where he can succeed. Frankly, IU ran out of time to wait and see.

This weekend is a good example of teams with multiple guys who can not only shoot it at a high level but can get their own shots and easy shots for others. It's also a great example of athleticism and guys who can rebound out of their area.

If it's a foul at the start of the game it's a foul at the end. In this case it wasn't close. Foul.

I'm more concerned about the precedent being set with NIL. If Miami wins the title you'll see more deals like Pack's. 800k to buy a title is not a bad investment but my guess is this is just the beginning. Why not just set up an auction site to bid on all players? 

15 minutes ago, Indykev said:

Duncomb in the potral

No surprise. Thought he could help but was rarely avaliable. His mom should be happy now. 

Recruiting has changed a lot over the years and now NIL comes into play. 

At this point, after many visits and discussions with interested programs, is there anything left to learn about an offer/program/coaching staff/NIL opportunities? Probably not. My guess is some will want to wait until all the transfer portal activity is done but that window is open until May 11. It could be a long time before anything happens.

Multiple guys did not do enough on the glass. I called out Tamar several times for being a spectator when shots go up. At his size he can do more, but I can say the same for Miller. Race's injury didn't help. His rebounding fell off the table compared to the prior season.

During the Miami game it seemed a combination of low effort, lack of fundamentals in blocking out, but also just a lack of speed and athleticism. Whatever the reasons, it is clear the team needs to address rebounding going forward.  

If Banks and Gunn make significant  jumps in their games, which is possible, then its not a bad roster.  But the lack of size means they are bottom third of the conf and no chance at another big dance.

49 minutes ago, IU Scott said:

The only thing is they lose most of their top players at PSU so this might be the time to go.

Agreed. You lose that many senior guards who dominated your scoring and the odds are you can't replace them. Time to go because next season you're probably not matching the success of this season.

34 minutes ago, Zuckerkorn said:

Nothing but respect to TJD.  He made significant improvement every season he played - something we've not seen from our team in recent years.  Probably maxed out his development as a CBB player.  Hopefully he can carve out a role at the next level and continue to be a great representative of the program.

Great player but I cannot say he maxed out. The lack of a jump shot, even a FT length jumper, over four seasons is a mystery that may never be solved. 

Kopp feet set, i'll take it. Kopp running into a three in transition has missed virtually every time he tried it in two seasons. 

Trayce will be considered one of the all-time greats at IU and rightfully so. The way he played and how he conducted himself was more than could be expected. Much appreciation for his time and effort at IU.

I will always wonder what might have been if he had developed a jump shot during his career.

Fans who watched this team all season saw the flaws and hoped they could somehow figure it out or get the right match-up that would not expose them. Unfortunately, they were exposed in the worst ways.

Reality - the team has more concerns than just one or two players. IU needs size (legit - can play now - hold their own type size - and more than one), a significant speed upgrade, ball handling, shooting/shooting/shooting, athleticism, etc.

X and Race's injuries exposed players with severe limitations when it forced them to be key contributors. CMW will need to make an honest assessment of who can and cannot help the team. Unfortunately, they lose so much it may not be possible to add enough for this team to be in the running next season. Hope I'm wrong.

We don't know if X will qualify to be back. We don't know if JHS is coming back. We don't know who else is leaving. The next several months are going to be a roller coaster for this program. CMW and his coaching staff will need an incredible effort to give this team a chance next season. 

Turning point was them getting offensive rebounds and a tie up possession arrow on about five straight possessions and knocking down multiple threes. That blew it open. 

A 4 losing to a 5 is not shocking. The lack of effort on the boards is very disappointing. Sadly, the seniors go out on a sour note in both tournaments again.

This was a pace game. IU had to know rebounding and getting good shots were key to preventing them running out. At no point did it look like IU was willing to change how they would play this one and it worked to Miami's advantage.

My hope is CMW, two seasons in, sees the disparity in talent (speed, size, shooting  ball handling, etc.) they played with most of the season and makes it a priority. But also, you have to coach what is a good shot vs bad shot. He gave JHS freedom and, as expected, there was some really good and some really bad. The bad cost them multiple games. 

Finally, if your player development results in only being able to trust seven players to play any significant minutes, you need to figure out why that is.

Thank you to all the Seniors for what you brought to IU. Best of luck in whatever your future holds.

CMW gets credit for a good season and another tourney run. However, if he doesn't see the need to add more talent he's not going any farther.

More speed. More size. More scorers. More shooters. More.