cthomas

The body can be great, but if the head isn't right you really don't have anything useful. Being respectful doesn't take a whole lot of effort. I truly hope he matures and understands what his potential is and can realize it. If he doesn't...well we know how that usually goes.

Let us have our fantasies.

Of course, you are right about where we are. But I really don't understand why we would think that this would be different given that we have essentially the same players. Look, I support these guys because they committed to suit up for my team. We haven't been really good for a long time. That's not on the kids. It's on the program. I will believe that we are headed in the right direction until I'm proven wrong. Until then, I'm all in with these kids.

Maybe that's why we are recruiting multiple guards. I think the staff recognizes what we need going forward and are trying to address it.

It kinda is. And it is your opinion which you are entirely entitled to. I just see it differently. I'm not going to get into a back and forth on this. You have your take and I have mine. The variety of opinion makes this fun. I tend to come down on the side of the kids unless they do something completely indefensible. For me, this is more than wins and losses. I didn't always feel that way. As I've gotten older and spend most weekends with grandkids, I look at everything differently.

At this point in the season we have a pretty good handle on who and what this team is. All we can do is ride it out. I like what I'm seeing from CMW. If the Northwestern game costs us a tournament bid, then so be it. CMW is about more than the record this season. He's about a program of sustainable success. As hard as it is at this point to say, patience is our friend.

Anomalies or not they still count. Be happy for what we have and move on.

It's just the people who want coach Knight 2.0. The administration at the time didn't want a coach who was bigger than the university. If you think about it, that's a reasonable position. I was there before and after CBK. I appreciated everything he did for IU basketball, but his time and style was and is past. It's hard to embrace the future while constantly looking at the past.

You can complain about our players all you want, but they are what we have this year. It seems, to me, a little unfair to constantly heap criticism on kids without knowing what goes on in the program on and off the court. It's the coaches job to make this work with who we have. If we are not good enough then that will be addressed or we will be looking for a new coach. Until then, I will not disparage the kids who suit up for the team I support.

Trying to picture a guy that big in a car that small.

C.J. Gunn and his family, from what I've read, is the prototype of kids I enjoy watching and want at IU.

Bigger question. Can we have the type of program with integrity that we want in today's college game? Will the kids that we need to compete at the highest level play for a coach who holds then accountable? As much as I want a clean and respectable program, I'm not sure that is possible at the top of college basketball. I want to believe that it is but given what we see I'm not so sure. I don't want to see IU become just another cess pool just to compete. But, maybe that's the only way. If so, I might have to find something else to do.

I would like to see our bigs learn the difference between a good shot and a prayer. Some of the shots they throw at the basket make no sense.

Winning this game sends a big time message to those who think they are entitled.

Adversity brings out either the best in people or the worst. Character will always rise to the top. This year is about building a culture moving forward. CMW knows what he wants and he will get it, one way or another. Those who don't want to be a part of what he is building are welcome to move on. CMW has seen the best basketball players in the world for most of his professional life. I doubt that a few whiney college kids are going to worry him too much.

Rules, no matter how dumb some think they are, are still rules and must be respected. This type of accountability has been missing for quite a while. I'm happy to see CMW bringing it back.

Given the quality of opponents still to come, I would say yes. If we want to do anything more than limp into the tournament, then we have to beat this team. I don't ever want to see IU get into the tourney and just be happy to be there. I want to go into it trying to win it.

This could very well tell us the direction we are going down the stretch. Northwestern to me is better than their record and capable of beating anyone. We need this win!

Didn't get to watch today, have the grandkids. Saw the score a few times and, well, it got really disappointing. Flush this and move on to the next one. No gimmes in the Big.

For me: Kentucky = Pure hatred with no redeeming qualities. Purdue = Pure hatred but with a modicum of respect. Illinois = Hatred when we play them, otherwise ignore them. Don't really have a feel for how this game goes. I generally hate noon games and have a hard time jumping in that early. May have something to do with drinking habits. A win would be a great way to kick off the rest of the stretch run.

Agree that commitment to the program is incredibly important. A disgruntled coach would be pure poison. The team should be more important than any coach or recruit. CTA will succeed or not, but right now gets the final word.

We can talk about assistants all day long, but CMW is the big dog here and he runs the show. The people around him help him navigate the college game, but I believe he makes all the calls. The Maryland game was to me the first time that I have seen this team composed for a full game. They never looked rattled or unsure of what they were supposed to do. That's coaching and the team learning to trust the process. Hopefully, that continues.

When you listen to him in pre/post game interviews, he just sounds like a guy who is confident and completely in control of what he is doing. Given his background and experience, no one is going to rattle or intimidate or get under his skin. I like that in a coach.

Coach Woodson is making a real difference with these guys.

I think we can win, just not sure that we will. Rob's absence worries me.