Golfman25

The problem with that is MSU. Had they won last night, MSU would have been a gravy game. Now it’s closer to a must win. They may have to steal one on the road. Probably comes down to OSU. Nothing like living on the edge. :)

That’s just it. There’s a smart 28 footer and a not so smart 28 footer. We tend to take a lot of not so smart 28 footers. We are successful when we move the ball, make the extra pass, and take a good shot. Less successful when we chuck and duck. Last night as the game came down, we didn’t play all that smart. Could have and should have won that game.

They were 10/35 from 3 last night -- 28.5%. That is 25 missed shots. If half were early shot clock misses, that's essentially 12 "turnovers." If 1/4 were early misses, that's 6 turnovers. The shots weren't "in rhythm" and a "couple of steps" back can make a big difference (turning a 22.2 foot shot into a 25+ foot shot). Plus we suck at rebounding, so zero chance we can keep possession. That's 6-12 extra possessions in a 2-3 possession game. It is a great play if you're up and going for a dagger shot. It's a bad play, at the end of the game, when you're behind, shots aren't falling, and you need points. We can either look cool or we can win. Take your pick.

As I said above, sure it’s early, but so what. Discussing firing coaches is an American pastime. But frankly, if he doesn’t fix it, yes firing should be considered. It’s part of his job and if he’s not doing his job, there should be consequences. Do you get several years to fix mistakes at your job? :)

Here's the thing. We have seen the flashes of good. Lots of movement. Making the extra, extra, and even extra, pass to get a great shot. Tough, stingy defense. But then something happens and the bad comes out. Mainly taking early 3s from well beyond the arch. That's basically turned into a quick turnover. So why is that? What is being done about it?

Back to the chuck and duck.

That's why they schedule the games on the west coast (and east cost if you're west coast team) in groups -- so they can stay several days and eliminate the travel back and fourth. Really beneficial for LA as two teams are a short drive from each other.

Stop being so soft. Coaches are hired to get fired. :)

I have zero problem being patient as long as I see a positive trajectory. First positive move I saw was going to Alexis as a starter. Next we'll see if Conerway continues to come off the bench and Dorn starts. Looks like CDD is willing to adapt, which is a good sign. Got to finish strong, though.

Doesn't matter. The BEST coaches adapt to their talent.

The conversation was about the first 5 games of his first season. Goodman thought it would be a tremendous turnaround to go 3-2. Cig had other plans. :) Go look at Aidan Fisher's comments about deciding to come to IU. Cig went thru the schedule with him and told him why they would win each game. The point is Cig expects to win every game, period. Kind of like the old IU basketball days -- winning was expected. None of this, ebb, flow, and bubble BS.

I don't want recruits who "think" they will turn things around. I want guys who know they will and will run thru walls to get the job done. I can guarantee Cig's pitch isn't "you'll be able to turn IU around." :)

Right, but nothing wrong with trying to get back to the "good old days." I listened to Goodman tell a story when he first met Coach Cig. Goodman was telling him that if he started the season 3-2 after the first five game he would be a hero at IU. He said Cig gave him the devil's eye and said no freaking way am I going 3-2. That's what we want -- guys who refuse to lose.

My opinion is much of next season hinges on us getting into the tournament this season. That's an upward trajectory you can sell to recruits -- portal and HS. If we fail to do that, things become A LOT harder.

I guess I am from back in the day when IU didn't have "bad 2-week stretches." Sure a game here or there -- even getting bounced from the tournament first game. But long stretches of bad, nope.

Flawed roster or not, we should have been able to beat Minny and Iowa. We should have been able to close out Nebraska and steal a win from a team way better than us. We stole one from Purdue, but then almost choked it up at UCLA. But in any event, we seem to have it rolling at the moment. Take care of USC and get home and finish strong.

Right, but the question is how often. Sure, any given game can go south, and you strap up and play the next one. But that isn't IU basketball of the recent past. It hasn't been ebbs and flows. It has been tsunamis of bad, followed by some good, just to us to the edge of the tournament.

Squarely? We have a crap load of work to do, startIng with USC on Tuesday.

Lighten up Francis. The thread was started as a “joke” during the Iowa debacle, I think. Nobody is getting fired, but do need to vent a little.

Or the two fouls on Sisley — one on the shot and one to face on the rebound. Terrible officiating

Darn near snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Need to clean that up. Giant win for us regardless of how it happened. Beat USC Tuesday and we are really back in business and control our destiny. BTW, UCLA is pathetic. Half empty stadium and a tiny leprechaun in a bad suit on the sideline. :)

Head out on the highway.

No they’ll fire the current one and continue to polish the turd. :)

They still have to win games.

Or the tallest midget. :)