cthomas

I don't like the sound of that. Wish the young man nothing but the best.

If Cupps beats out X for the starting point guard spot, we are going to be very good.

So, are we in the 'roll with what we got' mode now?

I think a lot of people are sleeping on this kid because of his rating. That can't measure how competitive he is or how smart he is with the basketball. I'm calling him the surprise of this class. Or possibly Newton. Either way, I think we are going to be really happy with what we have.

This is going to be fun. There is some serious potential on this team. The first month or two might be a little rough, but when these guys figure it out, bad news for the rest of the conference. This is possibly the best front court we have had in a very long time. Our backcourt will be good enough to keep everyone honest. I'm going to try to be patient and wait for everything to click, kinda like '81. Not saying we can be that good, but........

I think CMW has the attention of the top kids based on his resume and the nil available at IU. The combination may pay off. But, the highest bidder will usually have the advantage. Not what I grew up loving about college basketball or maybe I was just clueless.

I feel like I'm anticipating a big boom and I'm going to end up with a fizzle.

I love Stand Pat. I think he could take this team to the next level. We are always looking for the next great thing, but Pat is pretty good. Maybe we should give him a chance.

I loved the Woodson hire because he clearly understands IU basketball. That alone is a big deal. I seen growth over past two seasons in terms of what works at the college level and what doesn't. To me, CMW is the right coach at the right time.

Obviously it's impossible to say at this point, but I expect Cupps to be better than RP at just about everything, and I liked Rob a lot. Every time I have seen Cupps play he has played with much more pace and moves the ball very quickly. Phinisee seemed to be trying to decide what to do next quite a bit. I don't see any of that with Cupps. Of course, everything I just said remains to be seen.

It's also not what wins games in March.

Probably end up at Nebraska and light us up when we play them.

I wanted IUPUI to become University of Indianapolis back in the day. It seemed like the perfect fit. Give what IU has invested there, I never realistically thought it would happen. Don't mind kicking the Purdue part out though.

I see no reason to be optimistic, but as the season approaches, I probably will be. I'm taking the over on four wins.

After which he took full responsibility for the results and redirected his recurring philosophy. Since then, they have been better than we are.... and I hate that. Purdue and Kentucky have been 1a and1b on my most hated rivals list forever. That said, Coach Painter is a very likeable guy and one of the classiest coaches in the conference. His press conferences after games, win or lose, are among my favorites. Honestly, I wish he would go somewhere else and Purdue would hire someone I could really dislike.

I really like this young man and if he is putting in the work, I hope he fills that last spot in the starting lineup. He has the size and athleticism to be that guy that we need. We don't necessarily need a portal guy to make this team better. For whatever reason, we seem to discount the guys we already have.

Edey or no Edey, Purdue will still be good and a tough out. Every time I they will suck, Painter pulls a rabbit out of his hat and they are better than expected.

I get that we haven't done anything yet. And, given our recent history, there is a lot of room for doubt. But, Tom Crean and Archie Miller aren't coaching these guys. And full disclosure, I liked both of our previous coaches at different points in time. I don't know how many people saw where college basketball was heading when Coach Woodson was hired, I certainly didn't, but he is perfect for this new landscape. He knows how to integrate new pieces and he knows basketball. It may take a while to get it worked out, but I see this team getting better and better as they go along. And, if I'm right, March and April could get very interesting.

It's kinda nice for me that the Purdue rivalry has that Knight/Keady vibe going again. Former players at their school who played for legendary coaches going at it. Feels kinda right.

I'm going to be aggressive and take the over on number of wins.

My job required me to visit most of the post offices on a regular basis. Merrillville was an easy visit. Some of the others, not so much. Still, a lot of good people in those places no matter the socioeconomic status.

I keep going back and forth on this. In my opinion, Galloway has earned the spot. But, Galloway seems like the consummate team guy who just wants to win. If we can find a clearly better player, and I mean checks all the boxes better, then we have to add them. In the current environment, there really is no next year. You have to win now.

Plus, speaks a foreign language would be nice.

Just based on what I have seen so far, CMW probably has a short list for that last position. Wouldn't surprise me if it is someone he is waiting on to finish the roster. Coach Woodson doesn't seem like the scrambling type.

Now there's a name I haven't heard in a while. Classic!