Dave from Dayton

Still top of the second. IU with two outs. 5 - 0 IU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OSU changing pitchers. LOLOL

Wednesday, May 22nd Game 3: No. 1 Illinois vs. No. 8 Penn State – 10 a.m. on BTN Game 4: No. 4 Michigan vs. No. 5 Iowa – 2 p.m. on BTN Game 5: Purdue vs. Nebraska – 7 p.m. on BTN Thursday, May 23rd Game 6: Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 – 10 a.m. on BTN Game 7: Indiana vs. Ohio State – 2 p.m. on BTN Game 8: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 – 7 p.m. on BTN

IU wins 8 - 6!

IU 8 - 3. Homerun by the losers in the 9th.

IU homerun! 1 to 3 IU!!!!!!

Purdue 1 zip, in the 5th. Indiana 1 out one on.

Sides retired...bottom of 2nd. IU at bat.

Purdue with bases loaded, two outs. Top of 2nd. Ugh... Score 0 - 0

Game on! BTN live. Purdue with a runner on first. No outs. Top of first.

Really laugh about the way you put a stake in the ground. Guess that they will win some and lose some. And... Most likely, the sun will come up tomorrow.

As best as I can tell, it is to be on at 5 PM on BTN. Or so the BTN schedule shows. POTFB! I bet that IU does great right off the bat.

Yes, there is that. Goes without saying. I tried to imply that in my post this morning. There is a catch, however. Show us the player that you have in mind that is an athlete with upside and wants to come to IU. Hatton is a perfect example of that. Now, do it again? Heck, a wing...even. How about a sharpshooter that also is quick on both offense and defense? Looks around...just filling the position is not the way. Waiting to catch lightening in a bottle...not sure about that. Tis a conundrum. I'd wait. But not without starters and backups already signed.

There are a huge number of issues to take into consideration when awarding a 'last' scholarship for basketball. Some are compelling. It is kind of eye opening to attempt to think about it from the perspectives of the coach, staff, compliance, recruit, walk on, fan, donor, media... If the Student Bill of Rights is always to be considered...then a multi-year eligible player is promised a multi-year scholarship, right? Grades and turnover...compliance with the APR... A really good player leaves a program because of a last second coaching change and is interested and a fit... Someone on our team leaves unexpectedly... Just fill the position with a bench sitter or cannon fodder..I actually do not like this. Mark Cuban's long-lost son who kind of plays some basketball....now we're talkin'!

8.5 wins this year! For sure! Trust me. And do not forget to the select bowl game: Refrigerator Bowl (Evansville IN); Glass Bowl (Toledo OH); Duluth Trading Cure Bowl (Frostbite Falls MN); Galleryfurniture.com Bowl, (Rockytop TN or Cumberland Gap take your pick); MagicJack Bowl, (St. Petersburg Fl I kid you not); Beef O'Brady Bowl, (the powers that be in St. Petersburg once again search for a sponsor and there are others there too numerous to count); The Boca Raton Wet The Beak Ponzi Scheme Awareness Bowl Presented by Pardon My Take Presented by Barstool Sports...Trust me!

Yeah, you are probably right. I remember about forever ago, wife and I went to Bowling Green State (Ohio) and watched a 'good' IU football team lose to that MAC team. The defense did not pursue. And the line did the matador fast step. The highlights were the BGSU falcon cheer and the vuvuzuelas. Our best defensive linebacker was injured IIRC. Waaaaay back, I remember Lee Corso. A tip of the ole toupee to him. He most definitely could ****** defeat from the jaws of victory. But he would put a positive spin on it. Whataguy! However, preseason is about pumping sunshine, right? If not then...then when?

8.5 wins and POTFB. FIU - W WIU - W UCLA - L Charlotte - W Maryland - W Northwestern - W Nebraska - L Washington - L MSU - W Michigan - W OSU - L IU will be ahead at the half. So this counts as 0.5; it's important. Sometimes one must just declare victory. Purdue - W I will be at the OSU game. That place is weird. It's like a cult. Kind if a melding of Stepford Wives and Tremors. I go just to see if I can get motivated enough to projectile vomit on over 100 from the nosebleed seats. Reminds me of Wisconsin's Camp Randall football stadium...except without the cheese curds and that purple elixir we called the George Foreman Punch. Up there they tear out the benches and throw them over the back of the stadium. Keggers on rooftops of homes near the stadium. Nice. Fans exhibiting CTE. It's like over half of the OSU fans are bottle-bleach blonde U. S. Congress escapees from the beltway Cuckoo's Nest. Can't wait. Post regular season, IU gets an invite to the Roman Coliseum. Turns it down for a bigger venue...Rungrado 1st of May Stadium: Largest Football Stadium in the World. Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, located in Pyongyang, North Korea, is the largest stadium in the world with a staggering capacity of 114,000. Not really sure about the venue...post season. Might be an issue about cable rights and referees.

Gee. Thought Woodson's coaching record in the Big Ten was 44 - 33. His teams were in the NCAAT two years out of three. Last year was a bust...and that is on him for sure. That seems like maybe bottom of the top half over the last 3 years at worst. Am I a Coach Woodson supporter? I guess...for me the jury is still out. But he is not yet proven to be a good coach. Just slightly above average in the Big Ten. That is not good enough. But, I wouldn't fire him unless I had a blue-chip coach waiting. And there are other things that I don't understand why he does them. But he kept the players he wanted from last year and did really well in the portal.

I really want IU basketball to compete successfully at the highest levels. It would be great entertainment. I appreciate the sharing of information and opinions on this and other sites. I learn a lot from people. This thread has been a bummer, though. I do not mind people criticizing Coach Woodson's recruiting, on-court decisions, his focus, other related performances and communications. It does bother me when people repeat themselves ad nauseum. So I skip those postings, mostly. But what I do not appreciate is the trend towards personal attacks. The discontent pre-season in what just might be a great year is driving me to drinking. Believe it or not. Well, this and the oligarchy that the USA has become, and politics, and lack of empathy, and that damn rabbit that ate my just planted veggies, and... Let's all be civil. Otherwise, I will personally stalk you and paint Purdoo Lover on your garage door. Then two weeks later I will paint UK Lover on your house. Be forewarned. By the way, what is the best brewery near Nashville IN? And how was the Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival this year?

This is how I felt every single time IU did something about the head coaching position since last century until Archie Miller...I just didn't know if he could recruit. And I took a wait and see about Woodson. I still am waiting to see. I mean last season...going into it without a sure thing PG...jeez. And no shooter?

Looking at the players, individually. And looking at the spots that they fill... Point Guard: During Woodson's time at Indiana, he has not had consistent top-notch play from the guards. He has apparently gotten some good ones now. Very likely it is a huge upgrade. Shooters/Wings: Seems to be an upgrade. Most likely it is a good upgrade. Absolutely thrilled with the core IU players that stayed this year. Mgbako, Reneau, Galloway, Cupps, Newton... Front Line: TJD and Ware are hard acts to follow. Ballo was the best available in the portal. Most likely not an upgrade on offense. Possibly an upgrade on defense. Offense: Huge upgrades overall because of the abilities of the guards to get the ball into play quickly, threaten and score from outside FROM ALL POSITIONS. Sharing and distributing the ball better and not putting so much stress on the middle will pay huge dividends. If they can shoot and hit from outside. And if they can improve at the line. Defense: Ballo is going to be a hoot. Our guards are more mobile. If they try then this could be it. Coaching: I have no idea. Coach has not had the distributors and outside shooters to do well. His defenses are much better than average so I am not concerned on defense if the players jell and try. And they will. Offense is the question. Coach will start by shuffling the players and getting a lot of them some game-time experience preconference. Will they get better throughout the year? Yes. Will the coaching improve: Oh my. If the players try...then the coach will put the best on the floor. Is the coach an X's and O's coach? I have no idea. I think that he is no RMK. He is not a Sampson. He is not a Tom Crean. He is not an Archie Miller. We have not really seen him with his team. This team is his. He really can't fail unless the team does really stupid stuff off court, in the locker room or there are injuries. Does Woodson take advantage of matchups? Does Woodson improve players and teach them? Mostly...yes. Does Woodson have on his staff the right tacticians? I have no idea. But they can certainly sell certain players that IU is the right place at the right time. It is a wonder what $6 million NIL can buy today. I wonder about sustaining that level of NIL year in and year out. IU will compete for the top of the Big Ten. IU will get into the Sweet Sixteen. After that it is who makes the shots and plays. I just do not know about our outside shooting...and the free throws. Let me look into the crystal ball. Hmmm..... Elite 8 here we come. Is this pumping sunshine? Sky is blue today.

Okay, I will defend Archie Miller. Kind of... At the University of Dayton, Archie Miller's teams performances were arguably the best ever at that mid major. The teams performed as a team. Teammates bought into his tactics and strategies. They helped. The teams were much better on the court than one estimated by pre-season statistics. He came in and the cupboard was bare. Brian Gregory would have been cut loose if he didn't go elsewhere. Archie got the teams to win at least 24 games and into the NCAAT his 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th years with UD. He had the support of the team, the fans and the University. At Indiana University Archie Miller's teams struggled to be mediocre. They did not get into the top half of the conference in wins. His teams went 67-58 overall and 33-44 in the Big Ten. No NCAAT and pathetic against Purdue. His recruiting and on-court performance was what stuck a pin in his coaching at IU. I was surprised when IU hired Archie Miller. He was about my 6th or 7th choice. Wondered at the time whether his success would transfer. I have stated on this site my thoughts on why he did not have more success at IU. Suffice it to say that he seemed to not be supported by the AD as much as Coach Woodson has been. Locker room issues and the lack of a consistent Big Ten caliber point guard...and the team not buying into his defense, stuck a pin in each and every season...except maybe one Covid interrupted year. And the administration seemed to tie his hands...but I am not entirely sure about the latter. Reflecting on whether Miller was the right choice at IU...obviously...no. He had a defense-first state of mind. The coach and the team at IU before him was just the opposite. Archie could not and did not get the team to buy in. I blame the AD for hiring the wrong guy with the wrong strategies for following Tom Crean's 'play faster' on offense scheme. Archie should have gotten rid of certain members of the team. But could he have recruited his way out of that mess? Yeah, right. His teams have not jelled at Rhode Island either. Why? It is because he cannot sell NBA success stories. He cannot sell today's offense over defense mindset. In spite of his understanding of X's and O's...he just can't and doesn't recruit well. He has nothing to sell. Too bad. He was great at Dayton. Now he cannot get out of the crappy sack that IU put him in.

I'll be there by 4:30...

Carnac the Magnificient...Thank you for your divining our future. Now should I invest in cryptocurrency or get a Subway franchise in Floyds Knob?

Well, we're big bike lovers, we're not a bunch of cutters And we're loved everywhere we go (that sounds like us) We race around B-town and we never breakdown, And we flex our muscles for show. We take all kinda spills and get all kinda thrills But the thrill that's better than hers Is the thrill that'll getcha when you get your picture On the cover of Btown Banners! Dr Hook and the Medicine Show ~ "Cover of the Rolling Stone" (youtube.com)

"Crean talking ball'...yeah, there is that. Yeah, talked like a machine gun. He could sell corn to the Amish. Typical Tom Crean: 'For us, we have to learn how to compete in games like this for longer periods of time and we have to learn to take things from a game like this. You can look at the glass as half full or you can look at the glass half empty. I choose to look at it half full as much as possible.' 'They got into the depth with us a little bit and we weren''t nearly as good getting our hands up on shots. We can''t be a step off, we have to get up into people and force them to make the next pass. Wisconsin is as confident at the end of the shot clock as they are at the beginning, that''s one of their strengths. You can''t relax.' Tom Crean was a go faster and play harder coach. He was not a tactician or a strategist. He was like that in Marquette and Indiana... Once in a while he could build a fire. But he would not stack the logs.