BGleas

Were never even in it with any of them either. Not a single one where the decision wasn't well known that it wasn't IU for a long time before the kid officially announced.

There's a lot of hand wringing over offense on this board, and I'm not claiming to love our half court offense, but watching a lot of college basketball over the last couple weeks has made me want a new coach even more, but I think the focus on offense is almost misguided. Could of half court offense be better? Absolutely! But we're not really terrible. But, I watch a game like Butler vs. Xavier and I see both half-court offenses looking pretty similar to ours, even with turnovers (IU's problem is ridiculous unforced turnovers) , the difference is the defense turnovers. Both coaches use pressure and defensive adjustments to impact the game. I left the game thinking either coach would make our current team vastly better than it is.

Just watched the play a couple more times. JBJ and OG definitely set up WAY too extended, but doesn't look like the defense had anything to do with it. It was all OG and JBJ, that's just where they started. Too bad, was a good concept if executed correctly.

Poor execution happens like that all the time. Guys don't wait long enough for screens, screeners leave too early, plays get too extended, etc. When there's real defense on you and it's a pressure situation you quite often go too fast and attention to detail slips. JBJ and OG for whatever reason (maybe the defense forced, maybe they were just going to fast) got too extended and it messed up that option. Happens all the time. We got a great look from RoJo and just missed. I actually think it was a really good play. But out as we've all agreed, never should have been in that spot in the first place.

It was clearly poor execution. The play itself was drawn up really well. I don't see what the play being flipped would have anything to do with it? They set the screen too wide, so it didn't work, and as someone else said we got a great look on the second option. How is RoJo the wrong guy in the wrong place? Our best 3-pt shooter was option one and it didn't work out, our second best 3-pt shooter was option two and got a great look. In that situation you can't ask for much more. The ball just didn't go in, it happens. Now if we want to discuss that we never should have even been in that situation to begin with, as Wayne said, then I fully agree and could come up with 100 reasons why that's Crean's fault.

Yes, it was for JBJ. The first option was OG setting a flare screen for JBJ to flare to the corner for a 3. It's actually not a bad play, it was just poorly executed. JBJ and OG started the play too wide causing there to be no passing lane for Newkirk. If they had started the play closer to high elbow then Newkirk would have had a lane to get it there. When end that option was taken away they had the Morgan screen action for RoJo as the second option. It was actually a pretty good play, that got a fairly open 3, but JBJ and OG poorly executed the first option.

To be fair, if Blackmon stayed for his senior year (which I don't think he will) he would probably be right around the Top 10 all-time on the scoring list, and that's with missing half a season.

He said it's paint by numbers...

I thought the entire time that you couldn't tell if Cline's finger tips were on the ball. There really wasn't a good angle on it.

Think they'll overturn, but hard to tell if it tipped Clines hand there.

Really bad possession there for Iowa. Up 1 with 40ish seconds left and looked really out of synch. Fran should have called a timeout to reset. Ended in a turnover.

He may have, I don't remember specifically. I'm 99% sure Forde said it in his column on Crean's hire.

I have no idea whether Crean said it or not, but I do vividly remember Pat Forde posting an article about Crean's hire and he definitely said nobody would outwork Crean in recruiting and some thing to the effect of how Crean was going to lock-up Indiana and the coaches who have been poaching players from Indiana better enjoy it while they can.

The play for JBJ was on the right side. They ran a flare screen for him to fade to the right corner for an open 3, but it appeared JBJ was too wide to start so the entire thing got clogged up along the sideline leaving Newkirk no room to make the pass. That's when he swung the ball to the left side for the RoJo option.

JBJ was the first option on the play, but it didn't work out, RoJo was the second option.

It would be 3 out of 4 years that we're fishing for wins to get into the tourney. 4 years ago we didn't even get in, 3 years ago we were on the bubble but got in and lost in the first round, last year solidly in, and now this year hoping again.

And that's the problem with Tom Crean. He's an above average recruiter and an average at best coach. He's not great at any one thing, except maybe PR but that doesn't impact anything on the floor. I think we'd all prefer a great X's and O's coach, but I could live with an average game coach if he was an exceptional recruiter (no, I'm not saying I want to be UK), Crean is neither.

This!

I think McRoberts is a better defender. Hes played some really good defense at times. He's just a smarter player, and he's a basketball player that plays with his head, whereas Freddie is an athlete trying to play basketball. Im im not saying I really want either in the rotation, but I'd take McRoberts over Freddie in a heartbeat right now.

I was focusing on JBJ defensively against Illinois and it was pretty bad. There were literally times where his man ran from one side to another, unbeknownst to him, and he'd just randomly start guarding someone else's man, completely throwing the defense off and hanging his teammates out to dry.

I don't know, IMO Freddie is high risk. He's not a basketball player, he's an athlete masquerading a basketball player. McRoberts isn't great, but the kid plays hard, moves the ball super fast (which is a big thing), isn't going to take bad shots or turn it over, plays good D and has had some hustle loose ball pick ups. Id take McRoberts. I'm not really sure what Freddie does to add while he's out there.

Agree. IMO CTC needs to pick between McRoberts and McSwain (which should be obvious) and bench one of Green, Newkirk and CuJo (probably CuJo or Newkirk). Again just for continuity, there's no reason to split minutes between McRoberts and McSwain and same with the guard rotation.

I don't have a problem with McRoberts play so much, I think his passing/willingness to make the extra pass has really helped the offense at times. But, say McRoberts plays 10 minutes in a game, I'd still rather Juwan and OG each get 5 extra minutes than McRoberts get 10. I guess to me it's just more about a tighter rotation for continuity than anything McRoberts does wrong.

Actually the NBA wants to push the age limit to 20 years and two years out of high school, players union won't let them though. I think ink the real issue is your point about players leaving early that really have no business leaving and aren't ever going to be NBA players.

I see no reason, outside of fouls or injuries, that anyone other than RoJo, JBJ, Bryant, OG, Morgan, Davis, Green and then pick one between CuJo and Newkirk, should play. I really think between Green, CuJo and Newkirk one them should not be in the rotation, it's just too much shuffling between the guards. Then McRoberts and McSwain should not be in the rotation either, no reason their minutes can't be covered by Morgan and OG. Again, it's just too much shuffling, substitutions and lineups that don't make sense.