Myrmidon76

If he does go there I wish him the best of luck trying to raise his stock in that situation. Today was a moment for Vandy to shine and they absolutely did not do that. As for the second part of your comment, I have no idea what you mean....so....yeah.

I'd take my foul mouthed, hard nosed 4th-5th grade coach over that clown. Ya know, clown is the wrong word....fraud is more accurate.

Not sure anybody really won in all that. It goes in the books as a W for Vandy in a forgettable season, but other than that.... queue the Price is Right fail horn.

That game reminds me of the game show host at the end of Billy Madison "We are all now dumber because of that. I award you no points and may God have mercy on your soul." Truly an exercise of futility.

That huddle audio is the worst. Might as well have said "When you shoot, make sure you're shooting to score." God that's awful.

I thought that the "it will be cool to play with Darius" sounded like he was going to play some pickup ball while he was there. I imagine that playing/practicing at competition level (especially in this state) is a big chore for those kids and I know I would jump at the chance to just play for fun with my buddies... probably for the last time. I didn't see it anything more than that. No sunshine pumping, but I never got the vibe that the comments were pro anyone.

So if I heard Langford correctly...he said that Vandys pitch to him is that he would be the best player to ever play at Vandy (that's gotta sting Darius) and that he would help them return to prominence. Thats a bit rich for me...to return to prominence, you've had to have had success. Measurable, tangible, significant success. The only thing I have ever known about Vandy is that they might knock off a big school now and then...maybe go deep in a preseason tournament, but never..ever sustained success to even remotely challenge SEC schools year in and out. Nice pitch Drew...maybe ground it in reality next time. A side note: if THAT is what Langford honestly believes and chooses to go there, they can have him.

To hell with that guy. Hopefully, it's his last time in Assembly Hall.

I gotta ask. If bigs (as a group) aren't a concern, then at least the 5 has to be. There's no guarantee that Davis will even be ready to go in October and even if he was, his foul troubles really hinder our defense inside. I agree that guards are the priority next year, but we must shore up the 5 or outright find a better option via transfer or juco. I like Davis, but the future is more physical and demanding...I'm not sure how he'll cope.

The packline defense is only as good as the ball pressure. When Seniors allow easy passing lanes on the perimeter its going to fall apart and 2 guys follow 1, it's all chasing at that point. Only Green and Durham have executed the defensive ball pressure that's needed. I'll be honest, it should concern fans more that we have upperclassmen who still define their effort on the offensive side of the ball. If they don't hit shots early, they fold. Archie is dead-on when he said we're soft. Specifically, the majority of our back court is soft. Archie was looking down the bench for players who are not there. It's really not on Archie and it's really not on Crean....it's on the players who shrink and define themselves by early offense. Sickening..absolutely sickening. If anyone still has the IPFW game on DVR, go back and take a peek....you'll see the same offenses performed by the same players in a completely different defensive scheme. Sit the senior guards to start on Sunday and seriously reduce Jones' minutes if he just wants to let a guy drive right by him uncontested. I need a drink....

In regards to Johnson, the missed shots don't bother me as much as the lack of awareness or desire to feed the post. When the ball went inside...things went very well for us. Of all the guards....Johnson SEEMED miss the post feed the most. Jones was bad about it to begin with but settled in. That is a problem going forward. He likes to drive...you can see that a mile away, but the new offense almost demands a post insertion early in the possession to really let us do what we want to do. That is my sincere concern for Johnson going forward.

Dead on with the nerves for the beginning of the game. I was a little concerned, but I will say that the defense never really panicked. There was also a vibe that you just knew the offense would begin to settle down and execute. There were certainly lineup combinations that didn't work well. I think the starting lineup will "evolve" as the kids jockey in the scheme.

Bingo on the breakout. Should've given the ball back to the big running the floor. I hope he comes out of it, but right now he looks very uncomfortable.

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.

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

Great read. Thanks for the share.   To let that kid get away is beyond me. I told my wife that if I knew that Fischer wasn't hanging out with his team and that he was staying in his dorm...as a Coach...I have a responsibility to get to the bottom of the problem and see if I can help. Maybe Crean did that, maybe he didn't, but from everything that's been relayed up to this point...it seems as though the staff just let a freshman twist in the wind and put their hopes on his less than responsible teammates. BE THE ADULT! Do not expect teammates to know how best to handle personality differences....that's where the REAL coaching comes in. Don't hold his hand, but find a way to bridge the gap. I guess the real reason I am frustrated is that we have all been painted this spectacular picture of how things are done now. The approach to team/personal responsibility. The understanding of what it means to play here. The approach towards the community. All the things from last year and early this year have painted a picture quite the opposite. I feel duped.

I will say this about Marquette as well...I have always felt bad for Carlino. The kids dad was/is a complete nutjob. For Matt to finally look comfortable and moderately happy..good for him. Marquette still has little discipline from the 2-4, but I do expect Wojo to get that sorted out in a season or two. I am not saying they are/will be a Final Four caliber team, but I do think they can work their way up as this season progresses. Yes, its one game with Fischer in the lineup, but I would say he changes their team completely and Wojo isn't a guy to overlook that. Never was a Duke or a Wojo fan, but I was impressed with his team and his approach last night.

Watching this just pisses me off. Glad to see Luke do well, but.....to think...

Kid looks really good. Hungry. Decisive.

  Not to derail AJ's deserved admiration for being honored, but AJ's critcism were rather biased but accurate...my opinion of course, but certainly accurate in my mind.

The late season turnaround is comforting for sure, but it doesnt exactly erase the glaring issues that came to the top this year. I stand by my gut and my gut says Crean is a great recruiter and a decent coach, but not one who is capable of winning the big one. Only a Final Four (at least) will change my mind about that. He's a nice guy and a great voice for not only the program, but for the entire university, but if we want to win big we need more than nice guys and promoters. I sincerely hope he proves everyone wrong, but man...he sure proved a lot of people right this year...in all the wrong ways.