Myrmidon76

Coaches all have "that" guy. During lulls in play, Coach Miller was talking to Green or Newkirk on the court...mainly Green. Think back to Knight pulling Cheaney or Guyton out...those conversations (if any) were brief. Green is the player he can lean on. He allows Green to tell him what he is seeing. I'm telling you...as Green goes...so do we.

WayneFleekHoosier....Coach Miller was very detailed about the grab that was missed (I think it was Smith running across the middle portion of the lane). He let him know that "Hey, that's on you to watch those jerseys getting pulled". The official did the old "Sorry, Coach I didn't see it". Coach Miller then let him know that he shouldn't miss another one. I paid a lot of attention to it because Wisconsin comes to mind when dealing with Jersey pulling on cross lane runs.

Just my thoughts from row 7 behind the Indiana bench: 1. The staff is busting their butt to get Johnson out of his funk. I know a lot of guys here are hoping this is a one off thing, but after last night and the inconsistency at Hysteria...the concern about Johnson "fitting in" should be very real. 2. I will defer any comments about Green. His effort this year has been thoroughly discussed and I agree that he is going to be "the guy" going forward. 3. Newkirk is completely comfortable with his new role. He defended much better last night. He really wants to make Miller happy and has no ego about getting coached...a good thing to see from a Senior. 4. Davis isn't going pro. He is improved but he had defensive lapses inside....I hate to say it, but they still appeared to be fatigue related. He's has improved, but he made enough mistakes to get booted from the huddle during a timeout. 5. Freddie is the best athlete on the team, but is almost always a mental step behind. His screens were off on their timing more than once and would appear to be out of sorts pretty regularly on both the offensive side and defensive side. His athleticism allows him to correct his mistakes now, but he will get exploited going forward by quality teams. 6. Curtis Jones is a decent offensive player, but didn't play a lick of good defense in the first half. Shoddy closeouts. Hands down. Lots of chasing. When Miller was referencing the guards getting beat in the post game comments...Jones is the culprit. To be fair, his defense improved in the second half. 7. Justin Smith tried to do too much at times. His effort is admirable for a freshman, but needs to play more within the flow of the offense instead of unnecessarily pushing the offensive tempo in the half court. His defense is going to be good for us as he improves. He doesn't give up ground and wants to play hard on the defensive side. I will say that the staff wants him to rebound with more intensity. They really took him to task about it. 8. Morgan is Morgan. I will say he took a few ill-advised deep shots early that were unnecessary, but we all know what he brings. He fits. 9. I know quite a few want Moore to be a real nightmare weapon. That isn't going to happen. He will get better, but right now...he's lost.Especially on the defensive end. You'll see it in the Big Ten Network re-air. He should log the fewest minutes of all the freshman. He is very committed to rebounding well. He does have a chance to score on tips and outbacks. His defensive needs to improve drastically though. 10. McRoberts did some McRoberts things. Priller seemed genuinely pissed off about something and it showed in the fouls. The officials talked to him more than once about something. I will say that for all the Priller fans out there...after Priller scored and the crowd cheered, Coach Miller turned to his staff and clearly shook his head, shrugged his shoulders, and said "I don't get it guys...I just don't get it." 11. Now to Coach Miller. He's constantly coaching. Constantly. If a kid comes out (not named Green) he's coaching them. Kids that are about to check in, he's coaching them. Miller went after the officials on a couple of blown calls...one of them was a strong issue for him. During a timeout, he chewed the ref for quite a while. Everyone in our section loved it. It wasn't fake or a show. Regardless of this being an exhibition, Coach Miller really was a bit Izzo-like with the refs on blown calls. Miller has a few tricks up his sleeve. If the opposing teams ball handler gets close to our bench, Coach Miller gets real loud and animated imploring his defender to get up into him. Clearly, he's trying to disrupt the ball handler and aid his defender. You'll see it on the re-air. Coach Miller is definitely the leader of the team and staff. His staff knows the pecking order and they clearly respect those boundaries. The kids FULLY understand that mistakes have consequences. When a mistake is made, they immediately look over at the bench. The kids do not want to disappoint Coach Miller. He's very straightforward with them. He's also given this team to Green. He fully trusts him. Last point, Marian went into a zone defense, Coach Miller called out the adjustment on offense and we successfully executed a zone offense that resulted in Moore hitting a jumper from the free-throw line. There was no panic from the kids or the staff when they went into the zone and more importantly...they didn't settle...they executed what they wanted to execute and got a great look. So...there are my thoughts. I know it is a bit long, but details are important with all the unknowns right now. I imagine I missed something here or there, but I tried to hit the things that really stuck out. Set the DVR for 8 AM on Tuesday to the Big Ten Network to watch the game. I am pleased with what we are doing guys and gals. This team is a bit like a square peg in a round hole at times, but the future is bright.

Ugh...all the Laettner love here makes me want to barf. He could play college ball for sure, but somehow the fact that he played with Grant Hill (aka the walking wounded) and Bobby Hurley (you know you like him in the IU uni for Blue Chips) ALWAYS gets overlooked. All the complaining we do about the Kentucky players....LAETTNER WAS CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH!! Win with class...nope. Treat opponents with respect...nope. Gloat your ass off on national tv....yup. Laettner alone was the reason so many disliked Duke for years....and it was deserved. Pardon me if I pass on the lovefest. Hell of a player, but also a class A punk. Yes, I watched it...no it didn't change my view of him. I can edit anything to make anybody look better. Actions speak...words don't.

Doesn't Tyus Jones kind of look like a pre-steroid Carrot Top? I know it's the hair and all, but there's no way I can take that dude serious....no way. I pull for Big Ten teams that aren't Purdue...so...there you are.

If you could only hear my laughing....just YouTube Mark Hamill Joker laughing.....just...do...it.! Bahahaha....wooohoooo...Bahahaha.

I would rather Troy improve his basketball IQ (know when to drive and when to dish) first and then the jumpshot. His lack of a jumpshot didn't cost us games....his bball IQ did.

Assembly Hall is just as intimidating as it ever was. The home team playing there....not so much.

Ahh yes...the ole "We're lucky to have him" approach. Public relations 101. Did anyone else think that when you read the part about the "source" saying that there's "no question" Crean would be back that the "source" was Crean himself? I mean, NOBODY uses "no question" to respond to questions more than Crean. Bleacher report fodder.

Let it begin...

I could care less who wants to leave. If you don't want to be a Hoosier just to be a Hoosier....hit the road. IF they stay...learn defense or don't waste my time.

Committee was a bit generous to us and a bit too critical of Wichita State. Glad we made it in. Hate the draw. Either way....lets go play.

I like our body of work, but we created too much doubt down the stretch. We fade in March. For reasons I can't explain, this era of the program fades late and we drop like rocks. Compare that to the early 2000s. We got stronger in March (21-10 from 2000-2006). That was with questionable coaching as well...so I am not sure why this stuff happens. I don't like our road record in the Big Ten, nor our late February/March output. The selection process has changed soo much that fading late usually has more of an impact that home wins against ranked opponents. No, I am not cheering against playing in the tournament. It's just frustrating as hell to see this group fade. Ohh and it looks like Duke is getting a 1 seed....another kick in the balls.

When you have to rely on others to determine your tournament eligibility, you don't deserve to play in said tournament. We don't deserve it. We didn't play like it down the stretch. Let's make IU a powerhouse again. Let's never accept the notion that needing help to play in the tournament is something we subscribe to. Take care of business in the regular season (on the road) and leave no doubts. Back to back years no tournament....heads roll. Ok, rant over.

The title for this team is incomplete "The greatest 3 point shooting team that couldn't defend if lives depended on it". This would be a great honor to be remembered as the best 3 squad that finished top 3 in the Big Ten...we didn't so I don't see the need to respect the title. Yes, I am a defensive minded player/coach. Defense creates offense. I don't care if you have the best 3 point shooters...if you don't defend...you finish 7th...like we did.

Trimble sells the calls very well. He initiates the contact, he dislodges the defensive player. It will catch up with him. I like his aggressive desire to get to the rim, but what I can't stand is that getting to the rim isn't his goal....it's just to get a call. Sack up and play.

I would like to believe that the only thing missing from our program is size. I really, really would. However, I will submit that you could add all the size in the world and if the defensive awareness doesn't DRAMATICALLY change....it will not matter at all. Changes need to be made. Some of them are coaching, some are scheme, and some are all about accountability. I have yet to see any meaningful changes in this era of our program so I won't hold my breath. It great to be hopeful, but it sucks when egos trample on that hope.

I think that Crean should look to overachieve at a football school instead of underachieving at a basketball school.

This is not an NCAA team. Period. This team imploded a few games back. They surprised us early and failed us late.....seems like I have lived this before somehow.

Yes. Probably the worst defensive era in the program to be honest.

I would like to say some explanations are in order, but frankly I am tired of hearing how this player didn't do this or that player needs to make more of a commitment. Tired of it. Queue the "I'll have to watch the film..." in 3...2...1...

Can't defend without Hartman. Can't defeat a simple zone...against subpar opponents. Just to the point of shaking my head now. Is what it is and that's how it's going to be. Your concern about the timeout is valid. What you witnessed was the arrogance/stubbornness of Coach Crean. Both are not virtues for him.

So...when the trustees met after all the off-season "activity" occurred...not a single one of them entertained the notion of Crean shown the exit. That is laughable. Of course the discussion of his removal was made, hence the reasoning for the meeting to begin with.I.E. "Straighten them up, or else." For Glass to make a statement like that is just idiotic. I think it's fine to support "your guy", but to suggest that everybody (except the fans) is pleased with how things have gone both on-court and off is beyond tone deaf. I support the program. I always have and I always will, but if Glass is choosing to tie his success to Crean....so be it.

When Yogi moves on, I see Johnson taking control. As far as Max goes, he needs some weight and some time, but I think he should round out nicely. Hopefully, we can keep him in a more natural position on the court next year. As I count it, I see 3 scholarships opening up....let's go get that Center we need.

96% graduation rate. In an age where coaches are weighed and measured more by recruiting classes than retention and graduation, you really get a sense just how far down the path that success is measured more by dollars than an education. Of course, that was well before the whole fake classes thing that Roy "had no clue about". 2 men. Same number of titles at UNC. One made a huge impact and the other is trying to make excuses.