lillurk

Feel like we’ve gone around and around about player comps for Gabe and I don’t recall anyone saying this, but apologies if I’m inadvertently stealing someone’s idea: he reminds me of a Jay Wright Villanova point guard. Won’t floor you with measurables but he’s quick, shoots it, makes the right play, defends like heck, gonna seem like he’s been here forever before too long.

great hire IMO

Yeah I mean in the post game presser he said we need shooting and wing defense. If you had to distill it to two things that’s probably as good as you can do. Archie was both unlucky (Garland, Phinisee and Hunter’s injuries) and bad (Eric Hunter, Tony Perkins, and Jaden Ivey didn’t get offers, backed off Blake Wesley, picked Damezi over Aaron Henry) at recruiting those players. CMW and co. hit a HR with X, had a spot for Kopp, and he had his worst season in 4. It happens.

The only other game IU was never really close in — home vs. UM — their opponent hit 11/17 3s. UM and St. Mary’s are both a bit better than IU this year, I think. But to this team’s credit, they basically always defended well enough to give themselves a chance.

There is no excuse in the post I made

Yes, and in: re: transfer rumors a page back, that would surprise me, though of course I can’t refute it. By Ortg Bates was worse than the upperclassmen who played lots of frustrating minutes this year. More potential, sure. He seems to really like Woody — part of the reason I’d be surprised is based in things he’s said on the podcast he does with Jerod from Assembly Call. If he leaves I’d guess it’s to be closer to family. Here’s hoping he stays.

I think there’s a categorical difference between boilerplate “they had a tough night/didn’t hit shots” stuff and specifically saying they had absurd travel arrangements and were exhausted.

From his presser yesterday it sounds like he’s just used to it from insane 1980s and 90s NBA travel lol

I felt this way about the BTT semifinal, too

Here’s a guy who’s been awake almost nonstop from 8 am eastern Tuesday until this photo, at about 8 pm eastern Wednesday

Did he just prefer to stay home?

Well it’s really Ryan

Payne gives UL some juice, I think, I’m interested to watch that. If Ya goes, I wish him the best. Some modest staff turnover is normal, he’s been all in here.

Who’ve you got in ND/Rutgers?

I’m glad he stayed, grateful for his leadership and attitude. The way he’s played the last week…remarkable, a new level for him. Hats off, Trayce.

If IU plays about this well, BUT hits more than two jump shots, and avoids stupid fouls, I like the Hoosiers.

To the extent it’s possible I think you’re both right. The good thing about a team with IU’s profile is you tend to keep every game close. The bad news is unless you get some uncharacteristically hot 3 point shooting, you don’t run away with it. If — big if — IU can adequately guard Maldonado, I think it’s possible they chop wood and win by 7-10.

This is a good point, and yet conference tournaments lend really valuable neutral court info, so ignoring them to have Duke a 2, Tennessee a 3, and IU a 12, among others things, is just ignoring some valuable info about those teams

To be fair to the committee — in a backhanded way — they make a case that the college football playoff field should be larger. Hoops tourney is large enough that the marginal decisions don’t directly determine the champ. Most teams on the outside simply could’ve performed better. Conversely a 4 team football tourney is clearly too small and usually leaves out teams with a legitimate complaint AND genuine ability to win the title.

I don’t mean this rudely but I don’t have any confidence the committee really gets this

Also opponent- and location-adjusted efficiency measures like NET, Kenpom, etc. ALREADY factor in SOS, so they’re double counting it instead of meaningful team performance measures.

This all gets to my “selective application of their own stated criteria” thing, and additionally the lack of internal logic. Who cares if UM gets a NCSOS bump for playing @UCF: they lost there!

My concern with the selection committee is that despite having an established criteria, it’s selectively applied case-by-case. This is an old saw but to use IU as an example this year: if you look at the S-curve, I can’t really fathom a blend of résumé and predictive metrics that have IU lower than 40th (I’d drop Miami below IU and move Loyola up). And yet somehow the committee finds a way.

I think it’s a pretty good matchup for IU, tbh. Wyoming’s good, but TJD, Race, and Geronimo (if healthy) can guard Ike. They don’t really have a big wing/versatile 4-type that’s given IU trouble this year. Need X not to get into foul trouble vs. Maldonado, and for Rob and Trey not to send him to the line. Kopp and Stewart, for all their faults, are okay at chasing “just a shooter” types. Offensively, I think IU’s bigs should do alright, and I like what I’ve seen from X lately. The swing issue is what they get from guys other than TJD, Race, X

They’re a fun watch, I think. They don’t play fast, they’re about equally good on O and D. They don’t force TOs but their D is good at the other four factors (opponent shooting %, defensive rebounding, avoiding fouls). They’re good at 2s offensively, don’t hit the offensive glass much. Best players: Hunter Maldonado is a good, tall, lead guard. Gets to the line a bunch. Graham Ike a pretty quick, slightly small 5, a la TJD; athletic but not as much as Trayce. Neither shoots the three much or well, they’re combined 22/89. Their next best guy, Drake Jeffries, is a 40% shooter on over 200 tries this year (and I think someone mentioned he played HSBB in IN).