bronkonagurski

  I wouldn't think so either but on another board there is somebody who apparently speaks with one of these donors and allegedly that individual told him if they did decide to finance a change of coaches that they would want Fred's head on a pike too.  Granted it is the internet and you can't believe everything you read but...it is quite possible the donors do not necessarily care about anything but the basketball program even though you & me obviously can see and appreciate the work that Fred Glass has done with the athletic department as a whole.   

  Look, I grow weary of it too.  The negativity has infested every IU message board that I read.  I've honestly considered just taking a break from the boards.  But for whatever reason, I can't do it.  I keep coming back.  People are entitled to their opinions and I realize there is a lot of venting going on and that is fine, I'm not suggesting that I don't value their sense of frustration.  I understand it, I am frustrated with the team too.   Speaking of supporting the team, I never stop.  My buddy at work can vouch for me, I've always talked about IU basketball no matter the situation.  Those first three years under Crean, I'd discuss each game.  A lot of people where I work barely acknowledged IU hoops until Cody's freshman year.  Then suddenly hey, everyone is an IU hoops fan again!  Well, I never left that wagon and I'll never stop doing so.  Same with IU football, I talk about the team all the time.  Even though they pull the Charlie Brown/Lucy routine on me most of the time.    Getting back on point, no matter what anyone thinks Tom definitely will have the opportunity to get the train back on the tracks.  You can't tell me he isn't extremely frustrated too.  The guy cares and works hard.  We may not agree with everything he does but such is life.  It is a results oriented business.  Get the right result, people overlook your flaws.  Get the wrong result, every flaw is picked open like a festering scab.  Adversity can make you or break you.  I know that from personal experience.  I don't think Tom Crean is going to give up the fight easily.  One year from now, we'll have a much better idea about how our coach and our program has been able to handle and hopefully overcome a rough season.  Coach Crean's own season on the brink.  I'm definitely not giving up on him yet.

  I'm fully aware of that and it doesn't affect the point I was trying to make.  It isn't that Crean needs to make the Final Four every year, it is the need for an underlying baseline of consistency.  I witnessed RMK's final years in person. 

  UK did the same thing, won a title then went to the NIT.  But of course winning that ring buys a lot more breathing room.  ;)   If I'm playing the role of Crean's DA then obviously you point out what we lost including two early NBA departures.  In addition, Yogi & Will spending time overseas during the summer could have possibly cost us in terms of leadership back home in Bloomington to get the rest of the team whipped into shape.  '   As Crean's DA I would say look, this team isn't buying in and isn't working hard enough.  His weird sub patterns along with benching Hollowell are part of the process of correcting that.  Once the season is over, the strong shall stay and the weak shall leave.  Get these guys working hard over the summer and improving, add some shooters and you have a better team.  And if Noah stays, all the better.   Thus ends my attempt at complying with the premise of this thread.  :)

  I don't know but on another board somebody posted after the Purdue game well what did you expect and you cannot honestly tell me any fan on this green earth ever expected for Indiana to be 10th place in the Big Ten with a 4-8 conference record in mid-February.  Everyone knew this team would not be as good as the last two years and have some struggles but not to this extent.  My idea of struggling was being at least. 500 in the conference and 20 wins overall with a NCAA bid. 

  Looking up in the standings at teams like Nebraska, Northwestern and Purdue is really making me...eh depressed. 

  Well Bobby never had IU in the Final Four every year either.  But his teams ran in rather predictable cycles of building towards a championship every 5-6 years until Calbert graduated, after that it kind of fell apart.    Tom's problems are the following, not in any particular order: He isn't RMK. His first championship caliber team lost in the Sweet 16.  Upsets happen but I'm just speaking from the perspective of the collective fanbase in that the only times RMK had a great team and did not win it, there was at least one key injury.  Scott May in 1975, Alan Henderson in 1993.  The 1992 team got hosed by Ted Valentine but I digress.  The Movement turned into a bowl movement. Honestly as long as this IU team won 20 games and made the NCAA tournament, I don't think you would see as much criticism.  But here we are with a team that is perhaps not even a sure NIT bet at this point.  I think that is a shock to the senses and while it is true not every season can be a great one, to drop back down to this kind of a level after being "back" well people aren't going to handle that very well. 

  Crean may have not been his hire but by giving him that huge extension, it may as well have been.  "Hey I didn't hire this guy but I gave him a huge extension with an increased buyout, oops my bad.  Please help me pay for my mistake!"   If the donors get fired up enough to pay Crean's buyout, don't you think they might want Glass gone too?  Which he has been a great AD overall for IU and I do not want him gone.  But he has definitely tied his wagon to Crean's fate by giving him that extension. 

Anytime I read the "Indiana guy" line I just think back to the fact that the most successful coach in our history was not an Indiana guy.  We hired a freaking Ohio guy with a degree from that detestable Ohio State University and well, he turned out okay. 

The thing I will always remember the most about Pat is him ripping on Damon Bailey during a brief presentation to Student Athletic Board while I was at IU.  He was talking about our incoming recruits (that RMK never ended up getting to coach) and when he spoke of Kyle Hornsby, he said he was like Damon Bailey except he had a work ethic.  Never really understood that jab, still don't get it to this day. 

I think he needs to find his true calling in life because coaching certainly is not it. 

  As a fan, the safe assumption is that he will go pro and then be pleasantly surprised if he stays.  Every case is different.  Maybe Noah has his reasons that would lead him to stay another year.  Nobody expected Marcus Smart to play another year.  Would Cody have returned for another year if he had not had a relationship with the class of 2012?  Who knows.    Having shooters will help.  I'd agree putting it all on JB2 isn't fair.  But overall anytime you have outside shooting threats it helps spread the floor and keep the defense honest.  Plus our returning players can certainly become better shooters.  Look at Vic.  He could not hit the broad side of a barn as a freshman and by the time he was a junior, he was hitting 45% or so from downtown.  Imagine Stanford and Troy becoming viable 3 point threats, just as an example.  That is why I believe next season's fate rests just as much on the work the returning players put in.  

  Being ready is over-rated.  If a kid is a lock for the lottery, the sooner he gets drafted the sooner he gets to work with pro coaches and also the sooner his transition from that initial rookie contract to his first free agent season occurs.  NBA has a rookie salary structure in place so that moving up or down in the lottery isn't that significant of a financial impact.  How much more ready was Cody by staying in school for another year?  I'd argue not that much.  He did happen to get drafted much higher than expected but going to the Bobcats is probably more of a curse than a blessing and I don't think his being drafted that high had anything to do with being at IU an extra year.

Help is on the way!  :ninja:   Sorry could not help myself.  Adding shooters is a very good thing.  I'm still concerned about how the remainder of the roster will take shape.  And expecting James, Robert and Max to solve everything...I welcome these additions but you still have to allow some room for freshmen to be freshmen.    The biggest key in my mind is about the existing roster.  Who stays?  Who leaves?  Who busts their ass the entire summer to get better?  The answers to those questions has a lot more to do with our fate next season then our incoming class of 3 fine young men who I cannot wait to watch play for Indiana.  Nothing but full support for every kid in the INDIANA uniform. 

  In fairness, I'd rate an outright Big Ten title with a 14-4 record a lot higher than sharing the Big Ten title with 3 other teams at 11-5. 

  We should be happy to just field a basketball team!  ;)

We need at least two more regular season wins to preserve a .500 record.  So say we finish 6-12, 16-15 then go one and done in the B1G tourney, at 16-16 we would still meet the minimum qualification for the NIT.  Given our remaining schedule, I can't feel that finishing 2-4 is a slam dunk.    Not even being NIT eligible would just be more salt in the wound. 

I wasn't the least bit fired up for the game today.  My brother came over to watch the game with me and so I busted out the IU jersey and candystriped pants but still...I just felt like we were going to lose this game before it even started.  The way the first half ended, I told my bro that we were going to get blown out in the second half and the sad thing is, as the deficit started to inevitably mount I wasn't mad or upset.  I actually was accepting of it, because at this point I don't expect anything more from this team.  It was just like, oh okay, another loss.  Might not even be NIT eligible.  My apathy level as a fan has not been this high in a while.  *sigh*   Next season needs to be better than this one, man oh man.  :(

Getting behind the wheel was poor judgment and I think Coach Crean will deal with the issue fairly.  Hanner will hopefully learn from this. 

Absolutely not.  Ask me again one year from now, I might have a different answer.  But for now, nope.  I will admit my confidence level in CTC is wavering a bit.  I know, just a bit?  I have learned to keep an even keel with my teams.  I'm disappointed in this season but I'm not losing my mind about it.  Winning the Big Ten outright last season earns him enough leeway for now that firing him is not on my radar.  Another season like this will definitely move my needle in a different direction.

I always pick the worst times to stop drinking.  Horrible loss.  I'll leave it at that for now. 

  Unless the throw back part is going back to the nuthugger shorts!  ;)

  I love it!  Can't wait for Titanfall!  I signed up for a shot at the beta that is going on over the weekend.  Been playing Tomb Raider Definitive Edition recently, sweet game. 

  I just hope the throw backs don't look like throw up!    Noah is being shown warming up right now and I don't notice any difference in the uniform?

Going to get warmed up with a quick bit of XBOX One gaming before tipoff!