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Stuhoo

IUBB vs UConn Game Thread 12/10 @ 9:00 pm ESPN

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The discussion's been had on here frequently that we need a point guard before we can judge what this team really is.  Last night, there were only glimpses.    I'd guess it'll start to look better and better the healthier Phinisee gets.  There were things I really liked last night, and things which are still painfully obvious.    We need shooters and we need scorers.  The nights Indiana makes shots, we'll be damned near unbeatable the way we guard and frankly the way we rebound most of the time.   The Big Ten is good at the top.   Indiana will lose some games.  But in the end, I think they'll win 21-23 games and get an NCAA berth and grow from there.

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5 minutes ago, Old Friend said:

Agree 100% and your reason is spot on.  There are WAY too many people who expect every player to be great as a freshman and as soon as they walk on campus, and it just doesn't work that way.

Indiana is by and large recruiting kids Archie expects to stay 3-4 years and develop.  Damezi is one of those kids, and as a sophomore, it's already paying small dividends.

 

And that's why I'm so pleased with how Armaan Franklin has looked. He has all the tools and the mindset to be a major contributor by the middle of next year, if not sooner.

 

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Yup - I thought that Justin Smith was quietly excellent last night. With very few exceptions, it seems as though the game summaries for him this year have been either 1) notably excellent, or 2) quietly excellent.
His defense is so consistently top shelf.
 

He’s been a terrific leader this year. His on court demeanor really did a 180. He’s a sure fire captain next year imo


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My primary concern is when nights where Green is off and the other team has a good big that can slow down TJD, where will our offense come from?

I get the criticism of Archies offense, so I’m curious what people think we should do? Personally, I need to see way more back cuts. I can’t stand Al / Rob / Armaan and especially Damezi handing the ball off to other guards on the wing and nearly every time the ball is almost intercepted


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We have at least 22 games remaining and we're 9-1. With a P5 schedule that will (even with the cupcake appetizers) be in the top 50, we probably need 20 or more wins for a tournament berth.That means we need to go 11-11 over those 22 games.

If ya count two against Nebraska, a home game against a terrible NW squad, and a home game against a really bad Minny team as all but sure wins, that means we need to go 7-11 against teams with a pulse.

Of those 18 games against teams with a pulse, two are in Indianapolis (ND and a B1G tourney game) and seven others are in Bloomington. One those games is a home game against Arky, whose toughest opponent so far has been against Western Kentucky (Kenpom 87). Arky lost to them at home in the game Bassey left with injury early in the second half.

Soooooo... if we can go win seven of 18 games that will be tests, half of which are either home or Indy games, we are a tourney team. FYI, so far we are 2-0 against likely tourney teams (FSU & UConn; I left out Wisky and La Tech even though they both have a legit shot).

Summary takeaway? We have put ourselves in a very good position.

 

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Dudes, I loved the ugly win. How many tourney runs come down to the team that can play in the dirt and win? I’ve seen enough ugly losses that I’m happy to see the ugly win. 
 
Hurley mentioned several times how physical we are, and I don’t think he was doing it as a shot to the refs. We are a big team, and I do hope that other teams know that when you play Indiana, you’re going to get beat up a little. It was likely frustration from the physical play that caused the ugly flagrant. 
 
DeRon. Ouchies. It is no exaggeration that 55 year olds at LAFitness move better. Couldn’t reach to gather that pass from Justin. Couldn’t dunk on an open goal. He’s got heart, but physical limitations. 
 
Personally, that was the best I’ve seen of Rob. His sticky defense has always been his best attribute, but to me he was a better PG than ever before. Surprised he only got 13 minutes, hope there wasn’t a setback. 
 
This win is very big later. I’d be more than happy with two more ugly non-con wins. There won’t be much for us to analyze here. I think about basketball in the same way you’ll hear coaches talk about football, three phases of the game. But rather than special teams in basketball, there’s this element of chaos that you have to control. Diving for a ball and making a pass from your butt, for example. Al did that (good) only to have Devonte dribble off his foot (bad). Or those tip offensive rebounds back out to a guard, who aggressively gets it. Open floor chaos. It may make for an ugly game, but it’s important to win those situations. No game is ever going to be just the Xs and Os on the whiteboard pregame. I don’t think we were great last night on our fast breaks and all, but ultimately we won a very chaotic game. 
 
Um. Some concerns on offense for sure. You know I consider the long 2 a lazy, selfish shot. There were plenty of them. It comes down to off ball movement and passes to get in position for better shots, and that’s a team initiative, not just the player. 
 
Lastly. Some of you all are just too emotional. Like maybe add some self reflection into your life and find center, because your coping techniques aren’t good. These NCAA basketball games are entirely arbitrary. Be a fan because it’s something that enriches your life. Not a release valve for negativity. 
 
I’m Stromboli, thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. 

We should definitely put muscle everyone in the Big Ten. Hopefully that Wisconsin game was just a fluke and this team is ready to go to war every game now.

And I don’t think that flagrant was frustration. Looked like an accident. I don’t think he would have helped him up if it were intentional. But you still have to call it a flagrant even if it is accidental.


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@Stromboli as always is a person of great wisdom.

I was listening to Ken Beikoff this morning and he was saying how Indiana doesn't have an identity. I think our identity is that we are a hard nosed team who thrives off contact. I think we are still missing a few pieces to compliment this style of play, but this is one of the toughest teams I have seen from IU in a while. They are not pretty, but they aren't lazy and avoid contact (aside from Saturday), which I like. I think they are their best when they start off throwing the punches and you saw that last night.

There are some finesse issues that need to be ironed out, which means this team can be ugly at times, but hopefully Rob will help address some of those problems. All in all, I think we are projecting the right direction. I was frankly shocked when Dicky V and the other guy said they didn't know if either team was a tournament team. The field is completely wide open and frankly IU has more good wins and less losses than other teams people have higher up than us. We played a weaker schedule, but we have beat two good teams and have only lost to one decient team at a place we haven't won at in over twenty years. 

We still have a lot of season left, but I feel more comfortable than I did this time last year.

 

33 minutes ago, Stromboli said:

Lastly. Some of you all are just too emotional. Like maybe add some self reflection into your life and find center, because your coping techniques aren’t good. These NCAA basketball games are entirely arbitrary. Be a fan because it’s something that enriches your life. Not a release valve for negativity. 

I can't believe people get this bent out of shape about a bunch of teenagers playing a game. I am fan and I want IU (and my other teams) to win just like everyone else, but dear lord don't let it ruin your day if they don't. Life is full of other enriching things. 

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In Btown for work today, eating at Mother Bears, have to say despite the late game overall a good morning at the office in Louisville when I got to work. The U of 6 fans were silent, and the pUKe fans were harassing the U of 6 fans and complimenting us for gutting out a win!

 

 

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I can't believe people get this bent out of shape about a bunch of teenagers playing a game. I am fan and I want IU (and my other teams) to win just like everyone else, but dear lord don't let it ruin your day if they don't. Life is full of other enriching things. 


I 100% agree. I used to be one of these fans. Finally after some real life experiences happened, it showed me that in the end, these are just games and mean little in day to day life.
That doesn't mean I don't want my teams to win and criticism isn't warranted. But it seems some fans(all over) take everything to heart and let it disrupt what is truly important.

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DeRon. Ouchies. It is no exaggeration that 55 year olds at LAFitness move better. Couldn’t reach to gather that pass from Justin. Couldn’t dunk on an open goal. He’s got heart, but physical

De’Ron tried to dribble that pass from Smith instead of catching, taking one step, and going up strong. De’Ron needs to go into shot blockers as he goes up. He’s big enough to knock players off balance as he’s going up and finish. He is extremely limited physically but that doesn’t mean he can’t contribute. I didn’t care for his missed bunnies but I liked his fight.


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[mention=6224]Stromboli[/mention] as always is a person of great wisdom.
I was listening to Ken Beikoff this morning and he was saying how Indiana doesn't have an identity. I think our identity is that we are a hard nosed team who thrives off contact. I think we are still missing a few pieces to compliment this style of play, but this is one of the toughest teams I have seen from IU in a while. They are not pretty, but they aren't lazy and avoid contact (aside from Saturday), which I like. I think they are their best when they start off throwing the punches and you saw that last night.
There are some finesse issues that need to be ironed out, which means this team can be ugly at times, but hopefully Rob will help address some of those problems. All in all, I think we are projecting the right direction. I was frankly shocked when Dicky V and the other guy said they didn't know if either team was a tournament team. The field is completely wide open and frankly IU has more good wins and less losses than other teams people have higher up than us. We played a weaker schedule, but we have beat two good teams and have only lost to one decient team at a place we haven't won at in over twenty years. 
We still have a lot of season left, but I feel more comfortable than I did this time last year.
 
I can't believe people get this bent out of shape about a bunch of teenagers playing a game. I am fan and I want IU (and my other teams) to win just like everyone else, but dear lord don't let it ruin your day if they don't. Life is full of other enriching things. 

Well this team really doesn’t have an identity. Or at least hasn’t fully embraced it yet. They seemed to against FSU and then fell back against Wisconsin. And last night was just ugly period with not much of an identity to the win. Unless you consider “ugly” and identity for a basketball team.
And in a technicality, I think only TJD and Franklin were the only “teenagers” that played last night. They are all adults at a major basketball program, and taking some heat is part of that. If you think it’s bad at Indiana, then you have no clue what it’s like from UK or just about any SEC football team.


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4 minutes ago, Loaded Chicken Sandwich said:


Well this team really doesn’t have an identity. Or at least hasn’t fully embraced it yet. They seemed to against FSU and then fell back against Wisconsin. And last night was just ugly period with not much of an identity to the win. Unless you consider “ugly” and identity for a basketball team.
And in a technicality, I think only TJD and Franklin were the only “teenagers” that played last night. They are all adults at a major basketball program, and taking some heat is part of that. If you think it’s bad at Indiana, then you have no clue what it’s like from UK or just about any SEC football team.


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First, last night was ugly but it was a physical game. All year (aside from Wisconsin) we have been the more physical team and won. That is our identity. Some nights will look better than others, but when we are the aggressor physically, we set ourselves up for success.

Second, a 21 or 22 year old and a 19 year old are not too far off. It is a pedantic argument and doesn't change the principle of what I said, especially since the same idea applies to professional teams. If you are going to let the outcome of a NFL or NBA game affect you that much, that is great and all, but I think it is silly. I say this as a dumb 29 year old. 

Third, you can criticize a team and not let it ruin your day. I don't really care about the criticism but I think people on here lack perspective (and value their own opinions over others and the experts) and it shows in their criticism and comments.

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First, last night was ugly but it was a physical game. All year (aside from Wisconsin) we have been the more physical team and won. That is our identity. Some nights will look better than others, but when we are the aggressor physically, we set ourselves up for success.
Second, a 21 or 22 year old and a 19 year old are not too far off. It is a pedantic argument and doesn't change the principle of what I said, especially since the same idea applies to professional teams. If you are going to let the outcome of a NFL or NBA game affect you that much, that is great and all, but I think it is silly. I say this as a dumb 29 year old. 
Third, you can criticize a team and not let it ruin your day. I don't really care about the criticism but I think people on here lack perspective (and value their own opinions over others and the experts) and it shows in their criticism and comments.

Do you remember who we played before FSU? Not much of an identity builder there.


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Was wondering at the time why Jackson-Davis took a seat for so long in the second half.  I would have thought he would be on the floor more.  Then this morning it hit me.  IU is struggling through a scoring drought in the second half and points are really hard to find.  Then IU puts the ball up and Jackson-Davis get called for offensive goal tending on a ball that was already inside the hoop and on the way down, thus taking two points off the board.  It was an incredible bone headed play.  Moments later Jackson-Davis is on the pine.  Think Miller might have been sending a message?   I don't care who you are, get your head in the game kid!  Anyone else notice this?

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