lillurk

It would be nice to have Davis or similar but IU simply has zero dudes who can get a good shot for himself dependably

This is the part that keeps me up at night. It’s not JUST end of game execution but in several last minute losses every domino fell the wrong way. Flip like three 50/50 plays all year and I wouldn’t be losing sleep

IU didn’t even offer Ivey! How on earth do you not even sniff around some of these, I’ll never know. Just malpractice.

This would be 20-12 (10-10), 2-1 on neutral courts, 3 road wins, wins over PU, OSU, ND, Rutgers, plus probably another of the middle class of the league (e.g. Iowa/MSU/UM in BTT). Probably enough.

Not a bracketologist but if you win the next three, lost @ PU, you’re close. Think if you win the 8/9 BTT game you can sleep easily. If not you have to sweat bid thief tourney champs, and/or other bubble teams making a run.

Lol I’d love to hear this

Yeah this has seemed more and more apparent lately. Over 82 games water finds its level, and if you’re micromanaging too much you’ll get on nerves of pros. Obviously it’s possible to overmanage college players but when you’re in IUs spit it’s tourney or bust every night. Can’t take a loss because Durr plays too many minutes, or you sit Kopp when he’s awake for the first time in months, etc. in college. And you don’t have a roster of pros, from a talent or approach standpoint. Some players are almost literally still kids.

This makes some sense — gotta have the humility to listen to the guys with recent college experience. I was saying in this thread that everyone practices special situations, and thus the end-of-game execution issues fall at least some on players. But it’s also true that I’m the NBA you can (and should) trust players to have more awareness of those situations. One adjustment to in-game college coaching is probably being more strong-handed at the ends of games.

Yeah I said this up thread when the offense was terrible the first third of the game, but at some point it’s better to take off-the-dribble 3s early in the clock every possession than drive into sure turnovers or closer misses.

I told my wife that if I was watching a scripted basketball show that had this many stupid last minute losses, I’d call it unrealistic. Probably forgetting some: 1. Didn’t get a shot off in a tie vs. syracuse 2. blew a 22 point lead at WI 3. curfew suspensions lead to NW loss* 4 and 5. Back-to-back collapses vs. WI and @ OSU *might’ve been discussed but I wondered at the time (and still do) if half-game suspensions might’ve been better for first offenders.

Every organized team I was a part of from middle school on practiced a variety of common special situations, e.g. tie game, # seconds left, length of the court. Could’ve tried to get a TO but you also HAVE to trust the guys on the floor to know you just need one good, quick, push-it-up and one or zero passes, shot. A fourth year PG forgot that, moments after he forgot to guard his man and put a forward in rotation as a result

I’ve only seen the replay once (plus watching it live), but Race was on Liddell, saw X fell asleep as X's man drifted up to the 3-pt line, and started towards him to prevent a game-winner. That left Liddell open, not anything TJD did/didn’t do

It really does come back to perimeter play, everyone out there is either fatally flawed, one dimensional, and/or too green to be relied upon. And there’s no Liddellesque inside out threat among the forwards

I think XJ has faced some unfair criticism this year but the last two possessions of regulation his choices cost them a chance. On D he fell asleep as his man rotated to the top of the key. Race saw it, rotated up to help (leaving his man open for 2 as opposed to a potential game winner). Dunk. Then he…walked the ball up and heaved a 3?!?!?! In a tie game with five seconds left? I can’t see straight. You practice special situations like that from middle school up. Even if they hadn’t discussed it with a minute left, inexcusable. It made no sense

I like Liddell in general but between this, the hard foul on Trey at the end of the home game, and a hard foul on TJD…hmm

This is wayyy too long to ride with Durr. Need more Geronimo if TJD needs a breather

I see someone awoke Kopp from his months-long hibernation

Yeah at some point your offense is so poor that just taking off the dribble threes early in the clock is an improvement

I think Lander was in that neighborhood last year. Not sure he had that many attempts

I assume someone has said this to Tamar but he has GOT to start trying to take easy shots. This possession before the u12 was exhibit A, just two insanely high-difficulty shots for who knows why

Yeah I tried to say this after the Illinois game, perhaps not as well as you did. Doesn’t absolve the current staff but there’s only so much you can paper over in one offseason of development and recruitment.

He really needs to take fewer tough ones. So much of this is self-inflicted

Thought some of the substitution choices indicated CMW is prepared for the starters, maybe Kopp excepted, to go all 20 in the second half

Is the censored word “shotmaking”

Leal has been…okay in the Northwestern game and otherwise when pressed into duty. But those of you who come around here clamoring for more time for him are really wishcasting at this point. He cares about IU and tries hard, and someday he’ll be a more dependable contributor. But it ain’t today.