cthomas

I know. Passion for the program creates angst under our circumstances. I wonder sometimes what our reality does to our recruiting. Do kids who want success as a team embrace the challenge or do they go somewhere that the path is easier?

Jake is the the type player who I see on other teams and wonder where did he come from and why can't we get guys like that. We have foundational guys coming in next year and they have been recruited to fit CAM's system. This is a new path to success for our program and will not come to fruition overnight.

I think this is the source of the frustration. We play tough into the fourth quarter and then lose at the end because we lack the depth to keep the front line guys fresh. A little more depth, or a less demanding schedule, and we are at eight wins instead of six. That's a huge difference in bowl games and perception. I first started following IU football around 1960. The '67 team was the highpoint for me, although I thought Mallory might bring us back to those times. Don't get me wrong, it's been way worse than it is now. I remember Lee Corso talking about how good we were going to look in our new uniforms going into a season. When that's all you've got to promote, well.... You are correct on every point in your assessment of IU football. And, in some ways that also defines the problem. It's hard to build excitement about a program when most years five, six, or seven wins is the ceiling.

Well, with every minute that passes, we are that much closer to a new group of players. Seriously, I'm not sure this group will/can put it together this year. Based on the evidence so far, I doubt it.

I have no idea what the team will look like next year, but I expect it to be significantly different. CAM seems to want tighter rotations and expects playing time to be earned in practice. The most disturbing comment I have heard him make about Moore is that he is still learning the game. Given the kids coming in and those we are recruiting, it's hard for me to see a place for Moore going forward unless he makes a sudden and dramatic leap.

The thing about that is I can't think of a way to do it. Someone will always want, and find a way, to get an advantage. Those who are trying to play by the rules want a level playing field. Those who are dirty will always find a way to cheat. I'm not sure a level playing field exists anywhere in sports, and especially not in popular, money making sports.

It certainly suggests impropriety, especially with schools that normally aren't players for the top kids. However, I'm really reluctant to accuse without any substantial evidence. I think RL was a lock for Louisville until the FBI essentially slammed that door. At this point I don't think he's all that excited about any of the schools on his list.

Hard to tell how they will be once they get to college and I admit to having a soft spot for Watford because of the family history. But, if the talent is close, I think Brooks needs to be priority number one. Not only would he help with instate people, we would be taking him away from Izzo.

I'm not a ratings mean everything guy and I agree in principle with the points you are making and I have respected your viewpoint going way back. But, over time our results pretty much match what our recruiting says we will get. I know there is context to take into account. If we were in a different division or a different conference the program could be perceived in a completely different light. But we are where we are and our results are a matter of record. Admittedly, I'm an old guy and have been through the getting excited about incoming classes only to see the same season play out over and over. Sorry if this comes off as a rant but after three or four decades of mostly the same thing, it becomes hard to buy the hype of the next great class.

We just signed one of our better classes and it is still projected 10th best in conference. Not only that, but the past few have been in the same range. I don't see how we can expect better results as long as our recruiting stays at this level.

Which is fine as long as you get what you need.

Much better defensive effort tonight. The battle for the middle of the conference standings is going to be brutal. We'll see who wants it more. If McRoberts (I think he is in the rotation to stay) can get comfortable from three, our inside game will get easier.

This is my fear. The question for me is whether Coach Miller can/will he evolve his system in response to better competition vs. Dayton. I'm hoping that the answer is "yes"!

There will be a nonzero possibility of absolutely anything happening tonight. No possible outcome will surprise me.

I've read enough about quantum physics to know that the quantum world is even stranger than IU basketball....and that I don't understand either one!

Have had them my entire life and can say with certainty that kidney stones are way more painful than last night's loss. At least I didn't end up in emergency after the game, this time anyway.

I have no idea what the score will be, but I do believe that if we play like last night Coach Miller's head will explode!

Exactly! I saw that too and thought apparently Smith didn't get the effort memo. I don't know how many of these guys will be here next year and I don't care. McRoberts has played with more effort than anyone on this team. I saw him one time last night doing everything he could to get the team going and all he got in return was the 'Robert Johnson blank stare'. I don't know if these guys lost it or never had it, but I see little to no pride from this team.

This team will win or lose on the defensive end. We won't simply outscore many teams on our schedule. We have players recruited for a completely different system and they will likely never be great at what Coach Miller is asking them to do. This was going to be a down year no matter what. Everything that was wrong with last year's team is still there minus the three best players. The second half last night displayed all of our flaws, both mental and physical. We have enough of a sample now to conclude that we are probably what we appear to be. The one criticism that I have about coaches like Miller, Bennett, even Knight is that they are system coaches to the point that they live or die by what they think works with very little flexibility. With enough of the right kind of talent, that philosophy can be highly successful. Without it, you get what we are seeing.

So far, I think we have a pretty good idea where the ceiling and the floor is with this team. Honestly, we don't have as much talent as thought we did. We have virtually no outside game and our post game is Morgan and not much else. McRoberts might have been our best player tonight. Think about that for a moment. Davis is too slow to play the type of defense Coach Miller wants and is a poor rebounder for his size. We lack a point guard who knows how to organize and run this offense. We might get better as the season moves forward, but we are a flawed team that will only be fixed by an influx of new talent. Oh, and about that turd in the punch bowl....

We are who we are until we can upgrade the guard play. Our guards, all of them, are not good enough to compete consistently at this level. Better days are coming, just probably not this year.

This team....oh, never mind!

Terrible half!

Waiting for the D to show up.

Now there's a visual that's going to be hard to get out of my head this holiday season!