IUBB vs N Alabama game thread 11/12 @ 7 pm BTN

[mdn82 25,456]

Was about to post this as well. These are young guys but I’m liking what I’m seeing already. This roster is starting to fortify itself and hopefully it means consistency from here on out. Archie still needs to start sprinkling in some more shooters, a Nick Zeisloft or two would be perfect, but we have some good assets now that just need time to mature as a group. They looked like a team today that enjoys playing together, which we haven’t seen since 15-16. 

Most definitely progress. That’s all I asked for. If this continues throughout the season we are going to be a tourney team. Everybody has their own perception where we should be. That would make me happy.


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[RaceToTheTop 23,572]

12 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

Race Thompson had an extraordinary line:

5 points

4 rebounds

3 blocked shots

2 steals

1 assist

0 turnovers

So there!

 

[Old Friend 8,389]

I really have to laugh.

Indiana has scored 46, 43, and 47 points in respective first halves, allowed 25, 33, and 40 (total of 136-98, so a 38 point differential); and we have people saying they think the problems in the 1st half are due to bad game plans. We led by 21 at halftime of game one and allowed 25 points.  Were you complaining about a bad game plan, then?   

Other teams do scout Indiana.  And other teams also have very good basketball players (unless you believe getting to the D1 level is easy).   Here's a fact for you.  Only ~ 1,020 high school players every season go on to play division 1 basketball.   There are ~ 37,000 high schools in the US, which mean there are probably close to 155,000 high school senior basketball players.  We're talking about < 1%, boys and girls.  So if you think for one minute the kids playing at North Alabama or Portland State are bad players who can't execute and play well, you need to think again.  

This will be offensive to some, and I really don't care.  Do you guys have any idea at all what you're talking about?   I saw the Marquette game listed as an exception....so when WE make everything from the field (including the hated Evan Fitzner), it's a good game plan; but when we get a little lost on defense and leave shooters open; and THEY make shots...a couple of which were very well contested....it's a bad game plan?  Regardless of whether we're scoring over a point a minute and shooting over 50% from the floor on the season and have taken 26 more FT's than opponents in 3 games..but had some turnover problems tonight along with a couple of blown defensive assignments.....and some are blaming game planning for a couple of closer-than-desired halftime scores?

The reasons and depth of the problems (which are correctable and for the most part get corrected) seem to escape some guys in favor of the easiest possible answer, regardless of circumstances or bigger picture.  "Blame the coach....we should have hired someone else.  We suck. Archie isn't doing his job"   Blah, blah....Good grief.

For example, tonight, 3 starters are new to Indiana's program.  Indiana started the game with its two point guards on the bench...one in sweats.  NAU made some really tough shots, and good for them.  Last season and the one before that, Indiana struggled to score because there was little depth, lots of injury, and players playing out of position. Sometimes, fellas?  It's not all on the coach.  Sometimes, sports just happen.  Was Calipari's game plan a bad one tonight??   That's just WAY too simple.

No wonder so many people think all of our coaches should be fired.

 

[Old Friend 8,389]

Poor game planning??  Really, fellas?  

[Loaded Chicken Sandwich 8,182]

I really have to laugh.
Indiana has scored 46, 43, and 47 points in respective first halves, allowed 25, 33, and 40 (total of 136-98, so a 38 point differential); and we have people saying they think the problems in the 1st half are due to bad game plans. We led by 21 at halftime of game one and allowed 25 points.  Were you complaining about a bad game plan, then?   
Other teams do scout Indiana.  And other teams also have very good basketball players (unless you believe getting to the D1 level is easy).   Here's a fact for you.  Only ~ 1,020 high school players every season go on to play division 1 basketball.   There are ~ 37,000 high schools in the US, which mean there are probably close to 155,000 high school senior basketball players.  We're talking about This will be offensive to some, and I really don't care.  Do you guys have any idea at all what you're talking about?   I saw the Marquette game listed as an exception....so when WE make everything from the field (including the hated Evan Fitzner), it's a good game plan; but when we get a little lost on defense and leave shooters open; and THEY make shots...a couple of which were very well contested....it's a bad game plan?  Regardless of whether we're scoring over a point a minute and shooting over 50% from the floor on the season and have taken 26 more FT's than opponents in 3 games..but had some turnover problems tonight along with a couple of blown defensive assignments.....and some are blaming game planning for a couple of closer-than-desired halftime scores?
The reasons and depth of the problems (which are correctable and for the most part get corrected) seem to escape some guys in favor of the easiest possible answer, regardless of circumstances or bigger picture.  "Blame the coach....we should have hired someone else.  We suck. Archie isn't doing his job"   Blah, blah....Good grief.
For example, tonight, 3 starters are new to Indiana's program.  Indiana started the game with its two point guards on the bench...one in sweats.  NAU made some really tough shots, and good for them.  Last season and the one before that, Indiana struggled to score because there was little depth, lots of injury, and players playing out of position. Sometimes, fellas?  It's not all on the coach.  Sometimes, sports just happen.  Was Calipari's game plan a bad one tonight??   That's just WAY too simple.
No wonder so many people think all of our coaches should be fired.
 

Have you watched the 5 minutes of all 3 games? The first 10 minutes? That’s the start of the game. That’s what is being talked about.


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[Old Friend 8,389]

So plan clearly was getting the ball inside and getting TJD to the foul line.   All he did was get the whole NAU front line in foul trouble and shoot 15 FT's.  Poor game planning??    Really, fellas?

[Brass Cannon 24,064]

20 points on 4 shots. Gotta be close to a record. 

[Walking Boot of Doom 18,170]

So plan clearly was getting the ball inside and getting TJD to the foul line.   All he did was get the whole NAU front line in foul trouble and shoot 15 FT's.  Poor game planning??    Really, fellas?

Yeah, like I said earlier, Archie’s game plan is just a slow, burn you out approach. He’s going to wear you down defensively and foul you out by taking it inside. Our games will be won in the second half with that strategy.

[MoyeNeeded 3,073]

1 hour ago, Ranger78 said:

Smith didn’t have a good night. It didn’t appear that he got down. Still played some good defense in stretches and didn’t force it on offense. I was actually impressed that he still stayed engaged when it wasn’t going his way.


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Maturity knowing that he can help his team when scoring nights just aren't there. Being a contributor.

[MoyeNeeded 3,073]

1 hour ago, brumdog45 said:

 

 

36 minutes ago, Old Friend said:

I really have to laugh.

Indiana has scored 46, 43, and 47 points in respective first halves, allowed 25, 33, and 40 (total of 136-98, so a 38 point differential); and we have people saying they think the problems in the 1st half are due to bad game plans. We led by 21 at halftime of game one and allowed 25 points.  Were you complaining about a bad game plan, then?   

Other teams do scout Indiana.  And other teams also have very good basketball players (unless you believe getting to the D1 level is easy).   Here's a fact for you.  Only ~ 1,020 high school players every season go on to play division 1 basketball.   There are ~ 37,000 high schools in the US, which mean there are probably close to 155,000 high school senior basketball players.  We're talking about < 1%, boys and girls.  So if you think for one minute the kids playing at North Alabama or Portland State are bad players who can't execute and play well, you need to think again.  

This will be offensive to some, and I really don't care.  Do you guys have any idea at all what you're talking about?   I saw the Marquette game listed as an exception....so when WE make everything from the field (including the hated Evan Fitzner), it's a good game plan; but when we get a little lost on defense and leave shooters open; and THEY make shots...a couple of which were very well contested....it's a bad game plan?  Regardless of whether we're scoring over a point a minute and shooting over 50% from the floor on the season and have taken 26 more FT's than opponents in 3 games..but had some turnover problems tonight along with a couple of blown defensive assignments.....and some are blaming game planning for a couple of closer-than-desired halftime scores?

The reasons and depth of the problems (which are correctable and for the most part get corrected) seem to escape some guys in favor of the easiest possible answer, regardless of circumstances or bigger picture.  "Blame the coach....we should have hired someone else.  We suck. Archie isn't doing his job"   Blah, blah....Good grief.

For example, tonight, 3 starters are new to Indiana's program.  Indiana started the game with its two point guards on the bench...one in sweats.  NAU made some really tough shots, and good for them.  Last season and the one before that, Indiana struggled to score because there was little depth, lots of injury, and players playing out of position. Sometimes, fellas?  It's not all on the coach.  Sometimes, sports just happen.  Was Calipari's game plan a bad one tonight??   That's just WAY too simple.

No wonder so many people think all of our coaches should be fired.

 

This may turn out to be POY! Post of the year material. Thank you! Our offense hasn't been slow to start. It's taking these guys min on the floor at the start to get that defense going. And it's not all of them. 

[Hoosierfan2017 19,886]

1 hour ago, Old Friend said:

I really have to laugh.

Indiana has scored 46, 43, and 47 points in respective first halves, allowed 25, 33, and 40 (total of 136-98, so a 38 point differential); and we have people saying they think the problems in the 1st half are due to bad game plans. We led by 21 at halftime of game one and allowed 25 points.  Were you complaining about a bad game plan, then?   

Other teams do scout Indiana.  And other teams also have very good basketball players (unless you believe getting to the D1 level is easy).   Here's a fact for you.  Only ~ 1,020 high school players every season go on to play division 1 basketball.   There are ~ 37,000 high schools in the US, which mean there are probably close to 155,000 high school senior basketball players.  We're talking about < 1%, boys and girls.  So if you think for one minute the kids playing at North Alabama or Portland State are bad players who can't execute and play well, you need to think again.  

This will be offensive to some, and I really don't care.  Do you guys have any idea at all what you're talking about?   I saw the Marquette game listed as an exception....so when WE make everything from the field (including the hated Evan Fitzner), it's a good game plan; but when we get a little lost on defense and leave shooters open; and THEY make shots...a couple of which were very well contested....it's a bad game plan?  Regardless of whether we're scoring over a point a minute and shooting over 50% from the floor on the season and have taken 26 more FT's than opponents in 3 games..but had some turnover problems tonight along with a couple of blown defensive assignments.....and some are blaming game planning for a couple of closer-than-desired halftime scores?

The reasons and depth of the problems (which are correctable and for the most part get corrected) seem to escape some guys in favor of the easiest possible answer, regardless of circumstances or bigger picture.  "Blame the coach....we should have hired someone else.  We suck. Archie isn't doing his job"   Blah, blah....Good grief.

For example, tonight, 3 starters are new to Indiana's program.  Indiana started the game with its two point guards on the bench...one in sweats.  NAU made some really tough shots, and good for them.  Last season and the one before that, Indiana struggled to score because there was little depth, lots of injury, and players playing out of position. Sometimes, fellas?  It's not all on the coach.  Sometimes, sports just happen.  Was Calipari's game plan a bad one tonight??   That's just WAY too simple.

No wonder so many people think all of our coaches should be fired.

 

We have gotten off to slow starts in all three games this season. We got off to slow starts in a bunch of games last season. A 'slow start' doesn't encompass the entire first half. Last year against Purdue we scored 2 points in the first 5 minutes of the game. Last year against Michigan we scored 0 points in the first 7 minutes of the game. In the other Michigan game we scored 13 points in the first 11 minutes of the game. Last year against Ohio State we scored 2 points in the first 6 minutes of the game, and then in the conference tournament we scored 3 points in the first 5 minutes of the game against Ohio State. Last year against Nebraska we scored 7 points in the first 12 minutes of the game. Last year against UC Davis we scored 6 points in the first 10.5 minutes of the game. Those are all slow starts.

So sure, it would be unreasonable to want Archie fired at this point. I am a huge Archie fan and hope he is here for the next 30 years, but when I see some of the same issues we saw last year early in games it is a little concerning. Maybe this is the result of having new pieces on the court. If that's the case then great, they will work it out. But maybe it is deeper than that. It's not a problem against a crappy team like North Alabama, but when you get off to a slow start against a Big 10 team they are going to bury you in a hole that you will spend the next 30-35 minutes digging out of. 

[Bobman1 2,909]

Agree with your first point; we had a few games last year with slow offensive production at the start and it killed us. But tonight’s game was different. We scored ten points over the first 5:02 minutes, but a hot 3 point shooter kept em in it. Too early to worry in my opinion that it’s the same as last year.


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[HinnyHoosier 4,336]

Yeah. There are no perfect games. And there are REALLY no perfect games in November. For those who are concerned about slow starts and can cite some scoring rates from a totally different team last year, we are putting up the points in the final box score. The offensive “start” probably isn’t as much of a factor as you think.

Look, this team responds to adjustments, something last year’s group couldn’t/wouldn’t do. The fact that adjustments are even being made should be something we’re thankful for (unless you guys really miss the ‘play faster’ tactic all game/every game). Archie has a better group this year. This group has a better aura with each other. They’re only going to continue to play better together and with more consistency.

Flip perspective: fast starts with bad finishes. THAT would be a problem.


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[Feathery 3,919]

The offense was fine to start the game. This is not an example of a slow start offensively. I was more concerned with poor defense at times. They were also hitting contested 3’s. 2nd half the defense was better and the score bears that out. 

[coonhounds 8,690]

Poor coon had the right score and changed it.


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First time I changed my original prediction. I suck lol

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[Loaded Chicken Sandwich 8,182]

The offense was fine to start the game. This is not an example of a slow start offensively. I was more concerned with poor defense at times. They were also hitting contested 3’s. 2nd half the defense was better and the score bears that out. 

Defense was part of the slow start yesterday. Defense and enthusiasm. Offense isn’t always part of a slow start. But it has seemed like these teams under Archie have had an issue with getting into the game early on. And this season it’s resulted in a rough first 5-10 minutes of each game. They hit some tough shots last night but they also got plenty of good looks as well.


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[Josh 12,360]

6 hours ago, Old Friend said:

I really have to laugh.

Indiana has scored 46, 43, and 47 points in respective first halves, allowed 25, 33, and 40 (total of 136-98, so a 38 point differential); and we have people saying they think the problems in the 1st half are due to bad game plans. We led by 21 at halftime of game one and allowed 25 points.  Were you complaining about a bad game plan, then?   

Other teams do scout Indiana.  And other teams also have very good basketball players (unless you believe getting to the D1 level is easy).   Here's a fact for you.  Only ~ 1,020 high school players every season go on to play division 1 basketball.   There are ~ 37,000 high schools in the US, which mean there are probably close to 155,000 high school senior basketball players.  We're talking about < 1%, boys and girls.  So if you think for one minute the kids playing at North Alabama or Portland State are bad players who can't execute and play well, you need to think again.  

This will be offensive to some, and I really don't care.  Do you guys have any idea at all what you're talking about?   I saw the Marquette game listed as an exception....so when WE make everything from the field (including the hated Evan Fitzner), it's a good game plan; but when we get a little lost on defense and leave shooters open; and THEY make shots...a couple of which were very well contested....it's a bad game plan?  Regardless of whether we're scoring over a point a minute and shooting over 50% from the floor on the season and have taken 26 more FT's than opponents in 3 games..but had some turnover problems tonight along with a couple of blown defensive assignments.....and some are blaming game planning for a couple of closer-than-desired halftime scores?

The reasons and depth of the problems (which are correctable and for the most part get corrected) seem to escape some guys in favor of the easiest possible answer, regardless of circumstances or bigger picture.  "Blame the coach....we should have hired someone else.  We suck. Archie isn't doing his job"   Blah, blah....Good grief.

For example, tonight, 3 starters are new to Indiana's program.  Indiana started the game with its two point guards on the bench...one in sweats.  NAU made some really tough shots, and good for them.  Last season and the one before that, Indiana struggled to score because there was little depth, lots of injury, and players playing out of position. Sometimes, fellas?  It's not all on the coach.  Sometimes, sports just happen.  Was Calipari's game plan a bad one tonight??   That's just WAY too simple.

No wonder so many people think all of our coaches should be fired.

 

When you disagree with the opinion of some, start lobbing insults.  Bravo gocolts, you're so much smarter than everybody else!

[JHoosier914 1,187]

5 minutes ago, Iugradman said:

IU’s first three opponents were trash. Struggling defensively against that level of competition is ominous for the rest of the season. They can’t start slow against real teams and expect to win, especially on the road. 

Agreed with the defensive struggles.  We need to get that fixed.  And soon.  Can Green give us a spark on defense once he gets back?

And on a positive note (in no way connected to your post, just wanting to say it), I have been very pleased with the halftime adjustments of this squad in its first three games.  Archie & Co. has shown an ability to do that better so far this season.

[Walking Boot of Doom 18,170]

IU’s first three opponents were trash. Struggling defensively against that level of competition is ominous for the rest of the season. They can’t start slow against real teams and expect to win, especially on the road. 

UK is effed then!

Key words: “first three games”

This team is playing with their leading scorer injured, PG coming off the bench in reserve minutes, and the guy who may be the X-factor playing basketball for the first time in a year.

This team has a lot of opportunity to improve.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,940]

No. AL shoots 50% on 3s and we hit 38%.  Help an old man out.  Didn't they move the 3-point line out?