incrediboy

Hoosiers 73, Nittany Sweaters? 60

And he was assigned Coleman-Lands a good bit of the time, or at least that's who it appeared he was chasing mostly. Seems like a bad matchup decision, although it would be hard to make a good one in his case.

Remember 2016? The year Blackmon's backside rode the pine and we got much better without his lack of defense? I'd like to see more of that. Newkirk is a waste for the most part. He's not a PG. He's not a great shooter. I'd play Jones 10 minutes for every one of Newkirk's. Take Blackmon and Newkirk to minimum minutes and our turnovers will go down dramatically. His last game against Illinois aside, Juwan is our best bet at PG. I think we should play through him and Bryant for the most part. I'd start the two of them along with Davis, OG and RoJo. That makes us a tall-trees kind of team as opposed to the perimeter team we've been for as long as I can remember. But I think that's our best bet going forward.

Hoosiers 79 Turtleshells 73

I'm away from home and won't be able to see the game until I see the BTN replay on my DVR early next week. But Austin Peay brings a classic memory to me from my sports writing days in Bloomington years ago. I was assigned to cover the Terre Haute Regional for the IHSAA Tournament (back in the good old days before class delineation), and there were preliminary NCAA games (this was before the 64-team format) going on in TH also so I got double duty (without overtime pay, of course). One of the teams playing was Austin Peay, which had a star player named "Fly" Williams. I will never forget the cheering section shouting, "Let's go Peay" (sometimes I definitely agree with that, and as I get older, I seem to agree with it more than ever). Another cheer was, "The Fly is open, now let's go Peay." Also in that regional prelim was Marquette, which won (I can't remember who it beat right now), but Al McGuire after that game was the greatest interview I ever did (and I had a nice laundry list of big names during my time behind the typewriter--yes, typewriter). He was without a doubt the funniest guy I've ever interviewed, making fun of his team ("We're so weak we love playing on TV because we get extra time outs" was the funniest line; in those days, a team got 5 timeouts per game, no media breaks unless the game was televised).

Who were those guys playing defense wearing white shirts? Haven't seen them since last year! Holding NC to 67 (and less than 40% shooting) was IMO the biggest achievement of the night. And it was all virtually m2m, that 2-3 zone that got us back into the game at Ft. Wayne got shredded and scrapped quickly. Even Blackmon played decent D, although Crean was smart enough to get him out in the offense-defense subbing at the end of the game. RoJo, Morgan, OG and Bryant are just monsters on defense. Newkirk is usually quick enough to make up for his shortcomings. And OMG, Davis is going to be a monster. He's smooth, he's tough, and he's even-tempered. I wouldn't trade him for any other freshman big man. Yeah, our current reputation is built on the fact that we are a fast-paced scoring team. But I think the secret weapon we have is the Big D. I said after the Ft. Wayne game that we had a darn good team, and that the one loss didn't change that. With wins over NC and Kansas, our resume for a high seed come March is already pretty impressive. I am encouraged. But I'd like to suggest OG get a bionic ankle next off-season.

I'm not celebrating, nor am I happy. However, I think this was probably one of the best things that could have happened to this team. It was just too easy riding one excellent effort and two wins over creampuffs to a top-three ranking. Last year it was the hard times (beginning in Maui) that brought our team together. Games like this one are reminders that you don't throw your uniform on the floor and expect the other team to fall over. Humility builds character. Crean now has "jump on 'em" fodder. Blackmon's turnovers, the drives to nowhere (I thought when Troy went pro we might be rid of those), the horrible passes, the standing around on defense. Granted if we'd made the 3-point shots that normally go down we'd have won by 12, (or if we'd made a few free throws we'd have won by 4) and none of these things would have mattered. BUT we needed a shock-value game to remind us that those shots do NOT always go down. We are no worse than we were going into the game, and that's pretty darn good. Now let's become better because of it. Better to have this game against Ft. Wayne and not Rutgers or Illinois.

This was the first game I've seen this year. I was suitably impressed by our depth and interchangeable parts. We have a lot of talent, and it appears the chemistry hasn't suffered with the departure of Yogi, Nick and Max, all three of whom I thought were crucial to last year's team chemistry. Bryant is a monster, and OG was stunning in that he has filled out physically without negatively impacting his touch on the ball. Blackmon still has some miles to go defensively, but at crunch time that didn't impact the game, and he's certainly still the elite scorer he was before getting hurt. RoJo appeared out of place without Yogi at his side, but I think he'll find his way, and if he doesn't, Jones appears to be ready for prime time already. The fact that we weren't able to close it out in regulation was a bit disturbing, but the fact that we pulled it out with Bryant having fouled out makes me optimistic that we don't have a "close the deal" crisis. Bottom line: We beat a very good team. We have a very good team. We also have a very well-coached team. If we can stay healthy we're a contender to hang another banner.

Four of the last five on the road? That's a tough schedule, but at least we don't have to go to East Lansing.

I've had this idea kicking around in my head for years, and I'm hoping someone here has the right contacts to get this into consideration. I think the NCAA should offer a professional basketball division (NCAA-Pro) which would be open ONLY to those who have exhausted their NCAA collegiate eligibility AND have completed a four-year degree. Former NBA players would also be eligible if and only if they had completed those requirements (sorry to the one-and-dones; this might be an incentive to a few not to go pro before completing their collegiate eligibility). This pro league would be played with college rules (we all know the college game is superior to the pros anyway). All players would receive the same salary plus a bonus based on minutes played. Those who play below the median number of minutes in the league could sign with another team to keep a reasonable degree of parity. If the NCAA wants to experiment with a rule, try it in the pro league first. This allows a chance to play pro basketball to those who aren't good enough for the NBA without going overseas. It also gives us a different kind of pro league to watch. The NBA game is inferior to the college game in my opinion; besides, the foreign players have so infiltrated the league I don't recognize half the players from their college days. I feel pretty sure the league could get a TV contract. Indiana, Kentucky and North Carolina would be natural places to locate teams. A draft that favors hometown heroes (similar to the old ABA concept) could keep guys like Christian Watford or Jordan Hulls in Indiana. Just an idea, but I think it's a good one.

Actually Morgan was a much higher-regarded recruit than OG (4-star vs. 3-star), not that stars make or break the player. But Juwan sort of got pushed into the background by his classmates. Bryant developed into the star big man, and OG showed he was highly underrated at 3 stars and made us giddy with his steals, his dunks and his 3-pointers. Before it's over, Morgan will show his stuff. He has really good basketball instincts and has showed himself to be so intelligent on the court that Crean was using him as a reserve PG. He can hit the 3, he can rebound and he's as good on defense as anyone we put on the floor...he needs to put on a few pounds but that might be another year away. Let that shoulder heal before going full-out in the weight room.

I will say this: we will not have to worry about getting Good Troy or Bad Troy now. It's kind of like losing Hanner last year. It's a quantitative and a qualitative loss, but it takes away a lot of concerns and means we won't be seeing him driving to nowhere. Don't get me wrong...I admire Williams' talent, and there were times he carried us on the court. But without consistency, he was often a liability.

Troy's departure means nobody gets Creaned unless we get a late signee.

Happy that Devin has landed somewhere. Doubly happy that rumor that he was considering Purdue is now dead.

I could probably start at Rutgers, and I'm 65

With all the depth we have, why would a JuCo guy come to IU this season? I don't see much PT available, and isn't that why he went to JuCo...to get experience and make waves to get playing time with a four-year program? If I was this kid, I'd be looking for a school where I could be in the top 7 or 8 rotation. We can always use another quality player, but I don't get why he wants to come here to ride the pine.

I wonder if this guy is "The OG" of this class. Davis and Jones get a lot of hoopla, and Gelon is mentioned as the heir apparent to the Roth-Zeisloft-off-the-bench-3-shooter. But Green gets little mention from ESPN and others when analyzing this IU recruiting class. The fact that Shaka Smart offered him a scholarship at Texas makes me think he might be better than those 3 stars on his resume.

How very Troy Williams...one foot in Heaven, one foot in the world, knock-knock-knocking on Heaven's door (apologies to Clapton). Preachers tell us people like that don't make Heaven. My advice, Troy, is to spend some time on your knees asking for guidance, put both feet on the same step, and give it your all or come back and become the second coming of Victor Oladipo you were supposed to be last year. Then Heaven will knock on your door.

Sorry to see you go, Mr. N., but you deserve to play more and with RoJo, Blackmon, Jones, Newkirk, Green and Gelon (not to mention Morgan's work at the point and Troy possibly returning too) your playing time as a Hoosier would have required a lot of issues/injuries. So if you want playing time and a scholarship -- both of which you proved you deserved in your freshman year -- moving on makes sense. Hoosier Nation loved you when you were here, and we'll be cheering for you wherever you go (at least until we meet up with you in the NCAA Tournament).

Hello eliteness! If Blackmon learns to play defense and we can stay healthy, we're potentially a Final Four team. I can't wait!

As long as OG and Juwan stay, we will have a solid core of players with or without Troy and Bryant. I was stunned to read Thon Maker is entering the draft, I was hoping if we lost Bryant we had a shot at him. But it doesn't matter, with Deron Davis, Hartman and OG we have a decent front line. Bryant staying makes it a great front line. McSwain and Morgan give us some more talented guys in that 6-6 to 6-8 range. Morgan has shown he can play guard as well, but with some time in the weight room, he could be a force on the front line. He positions well. We have such a quantity of guards I have no worries there. RoJo, Blackmon and Newkirk are all experienced. Gelon can hopefully fit where NZ and Roth did -- as the guy who can come off the bench and hit a few 3's. I think our main issue is keeping injury-prone guys healthy. If we can do that and Crean is able to bring this group along as he did in 2015-16, we'll be just fine.

Since it's all about $$$ and recruiting, why not play the game at Madison Square Garden? Big stage, big early-season game, maybe even make it a traditional season opener for both teams? (Yes I'm being sarcastic, I know the fan bases don't want to go to NYC every year)

He's the guy on BTN who keeps telling us about Minnesota's bright future coming off a 13th-place finish and the 7th-best recruiting class in the conference according to ESPN. Ergo, I suspect he is a relative of the Pitinos.

Correct, but I was referring to which team was more "on" from the field. North Carolina can be deadly or horribly cold, but they always seem to be able to get shots. Had our defense not done what it was supposed to do against Kentucky, our shooting would have done us in. For example, NZ missed a couple that he had all day to line up, six points we might have had, something that never happens. We can't afford not to make those against NC. Not picking on Nick...but we have to make the open ones.

All the usual hustle factors aside...   I believe my prediction about imposing defensive will on the other team turning out to be the factor in the Kentucky game proved correct.   What will be the difference in this one? Who makes the shots and who doesn't! If we have our shooting shoes on, we will win.