BGleas

We got real stagnant the first 10 minutes of the second half. Lost the game then. The problem with being a transition team is that you need stops to get out and run, and we just couldn't do it. Between the turnovers and not getting stops', it completely took us out of our flow. The encouraging thing was that with just a few stops down the stretch, we were still in the game.

Even before he got hurt, Boheim made some public comments about knowing McCullough was probably going to leave after one year, but that he really was nowhere near ready to actually go to the NBA.

I'd probably have to go: 1. UK 2. OSU 3. Michigan 4. Louisville 5. UNC 6. Illinois 7. Wisconsin 8. MSU 9. Maryland 10. Iowa   I just realized as I was searching for a 10th team, that I didn't have Purdue. They honestly didn't even enter my mind as I was making the list, they really just don't matter that much to me. I don't view them as real competition.    I'd also add that this list changes as teams get better/worse. Around the Hummel year, Purdue would probably have been near the top. 

I agree that Yogi gets under-appreciated, I'm not sure where this team would be without him this year. If he gets his shooting stroke back, we could be a lot better than we even currently are.    With that said, the way you get appreciated at a school like IU, especially when you're a McDonald's AA point guard, is by winning. Unfortunately for Yogi, while he was a key player on the 12/13 team, that will always be the "Zeller/VO/Hulls/Watford team", and Yogi will be judged on his final 2-3 years at IU.    I'm not saying the losing last year is his fault by any means, but people at IU's level are judged by winning and the face of the program is Crean/Yogi right now. Finish this year out strong (top 2-4 in conference) and make a small run in the tourney, then come back strong next year and compete for a conference title, and Yogi's legacy at IU will be just fine.    If they falter down the stretch here, then a bunch of guys bolt and we struggle again next year, Yogi will be the talented AA point guard that couldn't make his teams better.    It's not really fair to him, but at a school like IU "it is what it is". 

Not really. It's apple-to-oranges. A college coach recruits and builds his own team, Stevens is beholden to how Ainge builds the team, and in the NBA you have salary cap restraints, etc. that all go into it. Nobody thought Stevens would go to a rebuilding Celtics team and have them competing a year in.

In the conversation, absolutely. I think you'd have to say Turgeon has the clear edge at the moment though. Crean can put a big dent in that lead Thursday though. 

Agree on Russell. Trimble is 5th in the country in FTA.

Just heard a stat in the ISU/KU game. iSU's point guard leads the country in assist/to ratio, but the stat is that he hasn't had consecutive games with more than 1 turnover the last two years.

I'd put Robert Johnson right in there with McIntosh. Their numbers are pretty close. RoJo also validates your rankings point too.

I kind of had this scenario, at a lower scale. When I was coming out of high school I had some low major D1 looks and then mainly D2 schools recruiting me. I decided early on that I wanted to play D2 and potentially start as a freshmen, as opposed to probably sitting the bench for 2-3 years in D1 and hoping to be in the rotation as an upperclassmen.    Who knows what would have happened the other way, but I ended up going D2, starting and playing 30mpg for 4 years. With that said, there's always been a little part of me that wonders what it would have been like to go to IU and try and be a walk-on. 

At the time of his recruitment, I thought Cody was going to be Tom Crean's "Tyler Hansbrough". I know they're different players, but in terms of a guy that stayed 4 years, just loved college basketball and eventually delivered a title.

Vonleh and Zeller are forwards in the NBA. While he's injured now, Al Jefferson is the Hornets center.

We've always done well under Tom Crean against ranked opponents, especially at home. So to me, the games that worry me are the games against teams like Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, NW, Purdue, etc. Those middle of the pack games are going to decide the difference between finishing 2-5 in the conference and 6-8.    We've got to hold home court/split against the OSU's, Maryland's and MSU's of the world, and then steal some road wins against the Illinois, Purdue's and NW's of the world. I feel like it's the middle of the pack teams we've struggled against in the past. The Nebraska road win was a great start. 

I've been critical of Troy, and hate the Oladipo comparisons, because I think what separated VO wasn't his athleticism (which is great) or skill but his intangibles (work ethic, character and commitment). With that said, Troy's fast-break dunk and then sprint back on defense for the block was very Oladipo-esque. There's no doubt that Troy is this teams X-factor, as he goes the team will go. Not saying he's the leader, but his performance will most likely dictate the teams performance.

Hartman was fantastic in this game, and has been very good this year. My only concern with him is that he's gone into a bit of an "Ethrington mode" offensively of late. His hustle, instincts, rebounding and defense have been great. I also like how he moves the ball quickly on offense, but at the same time I'd like to see him keep the defense honest and pull trigger when he's open. He's passed up several open looks recently IMO. If he's not starting, Holt should be splitting time with Hanner at minimum.

When I was in school, my coaches policy was that all freshmen had to call our assistant coach in his office before our first class of the day and tell him we were leaving for class. Certainly not fool proof, as some guys would place the call and then go right back to sleep, but it was something. They'd also do pop-in's to make sure you were in class, but those weren't that often and usually just for guys that had questionable grades. 

This is why I hate when current players (Troy) and recruits (OG and others) get compared to Vic. Similar athletes? Sure. Do Vic and Williams share some stats and areas that needed improvement as sophomores? Sure. The problem comes in when you're comparing people to a guy in VO that has an unmatched work ethic and tenacity. Playing hard or working hard was never an issue with VO. His intangibles are what set him apart and make comparisons to him very difficult.

It's weird. He's WAY more aggressive and shows way more confidence/passion in that video than we've ever seen at IU.granted it's a highlight video, but there's plays in there that are not from a "raw" player. He makes some catches in that video and some moves that we haven't seen in 2+ years at IU.

Completely agree. My point in bringing up Henderson/Williams was more that it's easier to get away with an undersized Center (Nover/Hanner) when you have a true PF. Williams is fine at the 4 because of our system and his length/athleticism, but it would be more ideal to have him paired with a 6'11 C. Think Watford/Zeller. Watford was a "perimeter 4" like Williams, though not as athletic, but also good on the boards. It worked better because he was paired with a 6'11" Center in Zeller, while Williams is paired with Hanner who is more a 4 himself.

Williams is a good rebounder, I was more referencing being an interior presence on both ends, which Williams really isn't. Both Henderson and Nover were interior presences on both ends. While both could knock down the mid-range jumper, they could both score from the block too (more Henderson than Nover). Both were good post defenders and Henderson was a decent shot blocker at the collegiate level. Williams scores in the paint, but it's mainly done in transition and through penetration. He's a "perimeter 4", where Henderson was 6'9"-10" and a more "traditional 4".

I believe I'm remembering correctly, but I think one difference is that Nover played alongside Alan Henderson, so it was a true C/PF combo, where in our current system we have a 6'8" "center" playing in a 4-out/1- in system. Even defensively, Troy Williams is more of a "wing" in that he's not a paint protector or presence defensively in the paint.

It definitely looked like he tweaked something on that first fast break layup he had. He played well after it, but the takeoff was really awkward and he was definitely wincing and limping a tad on the replay running back on defensive.

I'm with you on Crean, but just to touch on this post, I live in Maryland and fans here were to run Turgeon out after this season. His seat was/is just as hot Crean's.

Not too take this thread off track, but if the plan is for Devin to play next year, I hope he's cleared by March/April so he can have a full offseason of regular work.

Just my opinion, but I hate that we're in this. I think two days with more schools would make it worse. I hate it even more now with ITH confirming we had to pass on the thing with UCLA, UK and I think it was Duke or UNC because we're in the Crossroads thing. They ended up taking OSU instead of IU.