cthomas

I think it's important to remember that as talented as RL is, he is still just a piece of the puzzle. He would no doubt help us, but he has to fit and not disrupt the chemistry of the team. I think that is always the worry with one and dones.

This also makes me wonder if CAM thinks Blackmon may be able to play a little bit going forward. I still don't understand the terminology here. Transfers sit out a year and then continue their eligibility, I get that. But, I thought the red shirt was used to preserve a year of eligibility which doesn't seem an issue in the case of transfers. I'm either confused or dense, maybe both.

I didn't even know you could red shirt a walk on.

Looking at our current roster and the kids we have coming in, I wonder about who will stick it out and who will bail. Coach Miller doesn't just throw kids onto the court during games like our previous coach seemed to do and in today's culture kids don't want to wait their turn. Given CAM's propensity for tighter rotations, I would expect some unhappy guys on the bench. We aren't recruiting kids that can't play, and yet given the minutes available, some inevitably won't.

Based on the things I saw from him here in Indianapolis, I thought he was a good hire to run the IU athletic department. I haven't seen anything so far to make me think otherwise. Having an attorney as AD is probably a good thing. I like his connections to the university and I think he gets the culture. Overall, we could and have in the past, done a lot worse.

It looks to me like Coach Miller is using the bench to drive home the point that he is in charge. The days of the inmates running the asylum are over. Accountability is a great place to start to establish a program.

I'm ready to admit that I overestimated the talent level of our returning players.

We can't string together stops and scores.

Agree entirely with this. Coach Miller said in his post game presser that the guys who are playing well play and those that are not have to come out. I imagine that applies to practice as well. If someone is not practicing well, they aren't likely to see much game time whether we want them to or not. Honestly, I think we are still working through the buy in period.

I don't think Coach Crean was a good recruiter. And I think he did the best he could, but he just recruited players with no apparent regard to what we needed. I'm not a Coach Crean basher and I hope he is successful in whatever he chooses to do next, but his run here was over. I want a coach who does things that make sense and I hope that Coach Miller is that guy.

I can't believe anyone is judging Coach Miller this early in his tenure. That '93-94 team that was an injury away from another banner took its share of lumps their first two years. And that was with what was considered at the time the best basketball coach in the game. I know everyone wants everything now these days but give Coach Miller a chance to get his guys playing his system and then judge him. This is a poorly constructed team recruited for a different style of play. Like everyone else I hoped Coach Miller make them good, but maybe we just don't have enough talent to get the job done. If three years from now we look the same way, then I'm on board with making a change. But, I think we will be liking what we are seeing by then.

There is no doubt that a different culture is being created and, quite honestly, one needed to be. The hope is that kids will embrace it and step up, and toughen up, but that's not always the case. Coach Miller is so much different than Coach Crean that we should have known this wouldn't be an easy transition. He is recruiting different kids intended for a different style of play. The kids we have now can embrace the challenge or move on. It's that simple. I wish the best for them whichever they choose. But, make no mistake, things are going to be different in B-town.

We were slow and indecisive on both ends today and still somehow managed to play Michigan even after that horrible start. We were a team that looked mentally fatigued. Being home will help against Iowa but rest and practice time would really help.

Have been saying this from the start. Change in philosophy often requires a change in personnel.

I know that "hope springs eternal" but this is the same team that crashed and burned last year minus the two best offensive and best defensive players, plus three non-impact freshman. We are role players trying to make a good team. Everything will improve going forward, but there is just not enough talent to make much noise.

While I like the 'legacy' concept that Watford would bring, I think Coach Miller is approaching this the right way. I am a big fan of mining the local kids first and then working out. If he was anyone except Christians little brother, I wouldn't care.

I'm starting to know what to expect on game day. Last year I didn't have a clue. Might be a top five team, might not be able to beat the blind school. Against Duke, we scored 81 points on a night that we couldn't hit a three to save our a$$ and were sub par from the free throw line. All the while playing a lot of half court basketball. We did it by being efficient and not throwing the ball all over the gym. If we can continue to play that way, and I think we can, we will be in every game with a chance to win most nights. This is starting to feel like Indiana basketball again and it feels really good.

I don't think I can overstate the importance of being competitive this year to the recruiting effort. Last night showed an overmatched team playing smart composed basketball against a team they had no right being on the same floor as. It was also a glimpse of what Coach Miller might be able to do once the talent gap closes. Kids contemplating coming to IU will know Coach Miller will put them in position to win.

Best game I've seen from Davis. Need to convert better at the line but he won't see better Biggs the rest of the year. The way we are starting to play in the half court hasn't been seen since the Knight years. Proud of the way they competed.

Really need some threes to fall! We're getting some very good looks and were cutting up their man defense nicely.

For the home court to have an impact we will have to give the crowd something to be excited about. If Duke jumps out to a sizable lead early, the crowd will get quiet in a hurry. A good start is absolutely imperative.

While I would love for Langford to commit to IU, I don't think he moves the needle that much for us next year. I still think this is a three year deal. Now if he would stay for two years, then that team sets up nicely to be in the national conversation if this year's and next year's classes stay intact. We would have talent, experience, and, hopefully, impact freshman. I think in some circumstances one and done players can slow the development of a program more than advance it.

I get that, but I thought some effort was made to match teams based on how they were projected to finish in their league. We have been almost universally picked in the bottom third of our conference and Duke has been picked at the top of theirs. We have some name recognition and that's about it as far as this game this year is concerned. I can think up all kinds of scenarios where we get the upset as a Hoosiers fan, but if I'm being realistic and objective it doesn't look encouraging.

Whoever put this game together and thought it was a good idea needs serious psychological help. Three years from now? Maybe. We are just not ready for this type of game and, in my opinion, nothing good is likely to come from it. We are only beginning to define roles and gain some confidence in how Coach Miller wants to play. To me, this matchup is all risk with very little chance for reward. If the unlikely happens, I'll happily return and admit that I am clueless.

Roles are becoming defined and guys are starting to get comfortable in them. It felt like a deliberate game and yet we scored 87 points. We look so much better in the half court and against zone defenses.