Stuhoo

Yes! My favorite optimism-inducing takeaway is that it may be an early decision, which would allow for many options if it's not us.

It's pre-game poll time! ;) The number 1 incoming recruit in the nation is KU's Josh Jackson. He is also (currently) projected to be the #1 player in next year's NBA draft. The poll question - "Knowing that hot-commodity Jackson will be guarded by OG, makes me feel the following for Jackson": I feel sorry for him - he will be neutralized and will have to defer to teammates. I feel sorry for him - if he trash talks to OG, he will get nothing but silence, and a blocked shot or two. I feel sorry for him - he will learn that he shouldn't have signed with a team that has OG at his position in his first game. I feel sorry for him - national embarrassment is not deserved, even if that is the overwhelmingly likely result. All of the above Time to vote!

https://theringer.com/og-anunoby-hype-killer-a90bda92fced#.l8ihrg6oq Great article on OG! "Jamal Murray didn’t see OG Anunoby coming. Kentucky’s star freshman came into the second round of last year’s NCAA tournament on a tear...there’s no easy way to cover an elite shooter with a lightning-quick release and the ability to get around defenders off the dribble. When Kentucky put Murray in ball screens and forced a bigger and slower defender on him, the defense had two equally unappealing options: either play off him and concede the jumper, or press up on him and allow a driving lane to the basket. Indiana managed to upset Kentucky, 73–67, in large part because Anunoby, an unheralded Hoosiers freshman, gave them a third way. Indiana threw waves of defenders at Murray, holding him to 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting, and none made a bigger impression than Anunoby, who was able to block the sharpshooter from behind the arc not once, but twice. “I always come into the game confident,” Anunoby said about matching up with elite players. “I don’t care about recruiting rankings or any of that stuff. OG was long enough to contest Murray’s shot, and quick enough to stay in front of him. That was the difference between Anunoby and all the other big defenders during the season tasked with slowing down Kentucky’s lead guard: when Anunoby got down in a stance and chased Murray on the perimeter, he covered ground just as quickly as his much smaller counterpart. Murray was being covered by a defensive end–defensive back hybrid, a mobile tank who could eat up space in a matter of seconds while being able to blast his way through screens. It was like someone had slipped a create-a-player from a video game onto the Indiana roster and no one noticed. Anunoby was a superhero without an origin story. "

Since the Ticket Forum looks kinda dead, thought I'd throw this out there: I have three tickets for sale, Section G, row 37 for Delaware State on Monday, December 19th at 8:00 pm: $20 each AND Three tickets for Illinois, also Section G, row 37 on Saturday, January 7th at 5:00 pm: $90 each. PM me if any of y'all are interested! (Mods, feel free to move this to the ticket forum if needed, but there isn't any action there yet for this season)

IU 74 KU 68

Purdoo backup big Jaquil Taylor has ankle surgery, and may be out for season. He hadn't been an especially effective player yet, but that leaves them with only four players at 6'6" or more on their team, and one of them is currently on his weed-related suspension.

That was a pretty darn funny answer!

What about OG? 4.0 high school gpa. Great player. Hoosier.

Thought we ought to have a place for pre-game and in-game thoughts. Buckle up boys and girls; Bellarmine is much less of a cupcake than some of our in-season pastries!

You mean, like numerous IU players who have a similarly good attitude?

Advanced Prep in Dallas? No bueno.

Hey, I believe that Mellencamp was instrumental in the successful one year recruitment of Jonny Marlin. ;)

I'm not on board with turning down a 4/5 star that can help, BUT, I believe that Max Bielfeldt has clearly illustrated to CTC that the right grad transfer is a winning proposition.

"Wait, there's no NBA scouts at the game?" "They gave me the Anthony Davis-naked locker room treatment... exhausting!"

Ryan Cline and Basil Smotherman were his Uber drivers for the OV?

The number one freshman in the country? Jackson better not try to force the action too much; OG will turn him into a bad decision factory.

Five star recruit Lonnie Walker seven minutes into the game, sitting behind the bench at the UK exhibition blowout vs a bad NAIA team last night. Won't keep UK from getting Walker (or other recruits), but thought it was pretty funny:

I'm assuming he never made it to campus? Anyone? Anyone?

Purdoodoo vs West Virginia: played today in a 'secret scrimmage' 40 minute timed and referree-d game. The winner? West Virginia by 23.

On star power and rating service rankings alone, the superstar class that we had was the movement. That class stunk. Some of Crean's classes with much lower star power have been far far better.

Last year's class was not a glue class, it was a superstar class

WeirdOddStrangeConfusing

So... did he or didn't he visit?

The biggest positive of the night? For me, that is the best I have ever seen James Blackmon Jr play at IU without shooting the ball well. And that's huge.

Oooh... laughter is good medicine! A giraffe walks into a bar, and says to the bartender "The highballs are on me."