GnarlyNormEllenberger

Agreed. Michael Penix isn't the All Big-Ten QB we were hoping he would be right now. He's off. It's possible he'll eventually round into form and get to that point. But right now? He's out of sync for the most part. Save for a couple of nice throws he looked unimpressive against Idaho. Was it rust? Confidence? Offensive play-calling? A combination of all three? I don't know. I was hoping Idaho would be his "get right" game that would allow him round back into shape. 11/16 for 68 yards and 2 TDs in three quarters against an FCS team wasn't exactly putting the Big Ten on notice. Am I saying bench him? Not necessarily. But I guess I would say that if you trot Penix out there the next game and we have 3-4 series of unspectacular offense then I wouldn't hesitate to give Tuttle a shot for a change of pace. That's not to say Tuttle will be much better... but it at least looks like he has more confidence than Penix right now. Being QB1 in the spring probably played a role in that. He's made a couple of nice throws in limited playing time and it seemed like the offense ran a little more smoothly with Tuttle taking the snaps. And that doesn't mean if you bench Penix midway thorugh a game that he's no longer your starter. I just wouldn't force him if it seems like he doesn't have "it" for the day. I suppose the counter-argument is that he may need more snaps to get back into the rhythm of game play but as you said his current level of QB play probably gets you a 1-4 record over the next five games. Penix clearly has a higher ceiling, but if Tuttle is playing better right now... I don't see how we don't give him PT for the betterment of the team.

I will mention that The Daily Hoosier reported back in April that Rosemond trained Clowney before he took the IU assistant job. It's mentioned at the very end of the article linked below. https://www.thedailyhoosier.com/iu-basketball-recruiting-hoosiers-offer-emerging-2022-south-carolina-forward-noah-clowney/ So it seems there was a prior connection between the two parties before Clowney was offered by IU. But as you mentioned... who knows how long Rosemond trained him before then and how deep that connection is? That could make a difference. I've always kinda viewed Banks and Clowney as two guys we had a really good chance of landing in the end with the Rosemond connection and I still feel that way. I have no inside information but just reading the recruiting tea leaves I'd agree with you and say we're in a good spot with this one.

Plaid Stevens?

To say that Pete Thamel is an unbiased reporter for this particular story may be a bit of a stretch. Judging from what I have seen he seemed to have a pretty good relationship with Tom Crean. He's even hosted a podcast with Crean labeling him as a "premier college hoops coach." While his assertions about the IU Administration may be correct, I am not convinced he's unbiased in this situation. https://www.si.com/college/2017/03/21/tom-crean-indiana-hoosiers-fired https://puntjohnpunt.com/2017/03/20/urban-meyer-doesnt-know-who-tom-allen-is-and-other-pete-thamel-jokes/ https://twitter.com/petethamel/status/974306747656622080 https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-yahoo-sports-college-podcast/episode/tom-creans-football-life-56154389 Just seems to me Mr. Thamel is a bit partial to Tom Crean so it doesn't surprise me he views IU in a relatively negative light.

RE: The Age Issue I know we'd all love to hire a younger coach who could be successful here for the next 20-25 years but I'm honestly not sure how realistic that actually is? We tried that with Archie and it didn't work. We tried it with Crean and it didn't work. We tried it with Davis and it didn't work. I just want us to get the best coach for Indiana that we can possibly get... regardless of age. Just get a good coach. I understand the hesitation for someone like Beilein and that's fair. But we've missed the tournament so much in the last 20 years that we need to make sure we can get someone in here to right the ship and put us on the right course of success once again. I'm afraid that trying to pick the next hot coaching prospect is a bit of a crap shoot and presents a high risk of experiencing the same thing we have just experienced. I know some folks are reserved about picking a guy like Beilein or Matta for health/age reasons... but we know they can coach in the Big Ten. They have had MANY years of high-level success. Even if they were only here for 5-10 years they would most likely put us on the right track for success... at least becoming a perennial tournament team again. People seem intrigued by guys like Musselman and Oats. And they may end up great coaches. But each of them have had exactly ONE year of Power 5 success. That's risky.

This is a very good point and needs to be remembered. IU struck gold with this line of thinking in the early 70's with Bob Knight and more recently IU Football did the same with Tom Allen. I think any successful institution would tell you that forward-thinking is essential. Past results do not get "grandfathered" into IU's success. We can look at Les Miles with Kansas Football. There are no guarantees for success. However, I believe an argument can be made that IU's attempts at hiring young "up and comers" (i.e. Crean, Archie... maybe even Davis) have only yielded mild success. We tried to project their success at IU and it just hasn't worked out the way we had hoped. The one time we attempted to hire an experienced, veteran coach with a lot of wins on their resume we saw immediate success. Had he had any desire to follow the rules and maintain any sort of control of the team from an academic and behavioral standpoint I have no doubts he'd still be the coach here today after winning many more games for the Hoosiers. A common saying I've often heard is that the best indicator of future performance is past performance. Someone like Thad Matta has had a lot of past success in Big Ten and in the state of Indiana. Is that a guarantee he'd succeed at IU? No, it's not. But I think it's more than reasonable he'd have as much chance for success at IU as another "up and comer" who has had one or two good seasons that we're trying to project into 15-20 years of success at IU. Of course, if Matta isn't healthy... he isn't healthy and the point is moot. But it seems like he has been linked to several job openings over the past few years like Alabama, Ole Miss and most recently Wichita State. That doesn't seem to indicate he's a guy who has retired from coaching high-level college basketball for the rest of his life. Sometimes I wonder if the severity of his back issues are based more on the speculation of the public as opposed to the reality of the situation. But I have no clue how he feels and I imagine there's only a few folks out there who really know that information. But this is all just my opinion. Nothing more, nothing less.

RE: Thad Matta I'll admit when I first heard his name I wasn't enthused. But then I looked at his resume... Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason Butler Bulldogs (Midwestern Collegiate Conference) (2000–2001) 2000–01 Butler 24–8 11–3 1st NCAA Division I Round of 32 Butler: 24–8 (.750) 11–3 (.786) Xavier Musketeers (Atlantic 10 Conference) (2001–2004) 2001–02 Xavier 26–6 14–2 1st NCAA Division I Round of 32 2002–03 Xavier 26–6 15–1 1st NCAA Division I Round of 32 2003–04 Xavier 26–11 10–6 T–4th NCAA Division I Elite Eight Xavier: 78–23 (.772) 39–9 (.813) Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten Conference) (2004–2017) 2004–05 Ohio State 20–12 8–8 6th Ineligible 2005–06 Ohio State 26–6 12–4 1st NCAA Division I Round of 32 2006–07 Ohio State 35–4 15–1 1st NCAA Division I Runner-up 2007–08 Ohio State 24–13 10–8 5th NIT Champion 2008–09 Ohio State 22–11 10–8 T–4th NCAA Division I Round of 64 2009–10 Ohio State 29–8 14–4 T–1st NCAA Division I Sweet 16 2010–11 Ohio State 34–3 16–2 1st NCAA Division I Sweet 16 2011–12 Ohio State 31–8 13–5 T–1st NCAA Division I Final Four 2012–13 Ohio State 29–8 13–5 T–2nd NCAA Division I Elite Eight 2013–14 Ohio State 25–10 10–8 5th NCAA Division I Round of 64 2014–15 Ohio State 24–11 11–7 6th NCAA Division I Round of 32 2015–16 Ohio State 21–14 11–7 7th NIT Second Round 2016–17 Ohio State 17–15 7–11 T–10th Ohio State: 337–123 (.733) 150–78 (.658) Total: 439–154 (.740) A few notes... - Ohio State's all-time leader in wins - Made the NCAA Tournament 13/16 eligible seasons. - 2 Final Fours, 2 Elite 8's, 3 Sweet 16's. - 8 conference championships, 7 conference tournament championships - In 17 years as coach, he had a losing conference record just ONE time... his last year. That looks like the pillar of sustained success and competitiveness in the Big Ten. He would instantly become one of the top coaches in the Big Ten with his resume. Players would be more apt to listen to him because he's actually been to the top of mountain... he'd know what he was talking about. I would have loved to have his results in the last 20 years. It's true he's been out of coaching for four years... but I sincerely doubt he has lost all of his connections. He's got strong connections in the Midwest and would be able to hire a strong staff. He has always been a great recruiter and raked in plenty of talent form the Midwest over the years. He's put a number of players in the NBA over the years. He's got a background in Indiana coaching at Butler. He'd be a great fit here. If he's healthy and wants to come... I think he's worth a shot. No buyout for him, right? That's a bonus. I think we'd be guaranteed some success with him. I think our administration keeps hoping to hire the next young Bob Knight... but I think hiring a proven guy like Matta would be more beneficial to this program right now. If you think Kelvin Sampson was a good coach... compare his resume to Matta's and you'll be pleased with what you see.

Let me say that I apologize if I contributed to needless bickering between two viewpoints. That was honestly not my intention and I regret making my original post if that's what it did. As I said before, I didn't get to watch the game. From what I read from the news outlets and heard on post-game shows it didn't seem like it was a well-played game, so I was (pleasantly) surprised to hear that Chris said Archie's coaching was masterful and as good as it gets. It doesn't exactly jive with what I've read or what I would expect against a not-so-good NW team... but I've watched enough games to know they aren't played on paper and there are a number of nuances and adjustments made in the game that never makes the headlines or the stat sheet. It sounds like there was a fair amount of that going on last night... and that's very good to hear. Anyway... sorry for any negative contribution. Serves me right for posting about a game I was unable to watch!

This is good to hear... and I mean that with all sincerity. It makes me feel better. I didn't get to watch the game due to prior obligations. But what I have read is that it took us 5 minutes to score a point and managed only 54 points in regulation to one of the least-effective defenses in the Big Ten while we were trailing the vast majority of the game. Our best player looks to have been held in-check most of the night. If Archie was smacking Collins on the sideline... how bad was Collins? If Archie coached a masterful game and we could barely escape with a 3-point double-OT win against the 13th place team in the Big Ten... then it probably means the talent level on our team is only on par or below Northwestern. From a logical standpoint I would think if we were more talented than Northwestern, then that fact plus masterful coaching would equal more than a 3 point victory. So then it would lead me to believe we are at a talent disadvantage... and that would be another issue. But as you said, I never sat on a bench before. And there are many people who know a lot more about the game of basketball than I do. I guess when I think of in-game coaching that is as good as it gets, I think of something more along the lines of what Matt Painter did to us earlier this year. Or at any point in time over the last five years. But I am very glad they came away with the victory and that it seems like Archie has found a groove. Hopefully that propels this team into many more wins as the season draws to a close. I do believe Archie has the potential to be a successful coach in the Big Ten.

I believe Dakich's assertion is correct in that IU wanted de-emphasize the basketball program so that it would not overshadow the university. There have been a number of stories, articles and books over the last 20 years that have chronicled the end of the Bob Knight era that have pointed to this assertion. I believe Myles Brand (IU's president at the time) was even quoted saying as much. Coach Knight had so much success at IU that allowed him to do pretty much whatever he desired. When IU was winning and the headlines were positive this was okay. But when the wins were fewer and the controversies were more frequent it was apparent the university didn't want such negative attention, especially over non-academic endeavors. Thus, they wanted to "de-emphasize" Indiana Basketball so that IU's academics and research would be the focus of the public when they thought about IU. How that has fared for IU is debated to this day. Of course, this was 20 years ago and most of the administrators have since moved on. Is it different now? I don't know. But I believe it was like this for sure in 2000. Dakich is most certainly brash and he clearly enjoys attention. But I have no doubts that he's correct in that IU (at least 20 years ago) chose to de-emphasize basketball and hiring big-name coaches. It's clear they wouldn't want someone who could have so much power that Bob Knight possessed. The thing is... I don't believe there's a coach out there who EVEN COULD command as much attention as Knight did. So the point is moot as far as I am concerned.

I'll give this a shot so I can look back at it in the spring and remind myself how little I actually know... Non-conference Record: I'll say 5-2. That shouldn't be an optimistic prediction... so why does a part of me feel that it is? We've got enough talent/experience on the team to say that we're at least good enough to go 5-2. But the Maui Invitational has at least 5-6 teams who are all NCAA tournament-caliber and I have a feeling we'll be matched with Virginia for the ACC game which scares me. Conference Record: 11-9. It would have really helped Archie if this was a down year for the conference and more guys would've went pro from Iowa and Illinois. Instead, there are a lot of pretty good teams in the conference. IU is one of them. But I see teams beating up on each other again this season. I'll guess the winner may only have something like a 14-6 record. Conference Finish: Around 7th. But I see everyone being bunched up together like last year. There could be a tie for second place with a 13-7 record and a tie for 10th place with a 9-11 record. I see the Hoosiers being lumped right in the middle of it. Biggest Positive Surprise Player: Khristian Lander. Everyone is talking about how he's still very young and that's true. They say he's needs more work in the weight room and that's true. But he's probably the second most-talented basketball player on the team. Sometimes you're either a good basketball player or you aren't. And when you're a good player you can kinda toss the height/weight/age aside and just play. He's a 5-star for a reason. I think you'll see that out of Lander and he'll be our clear #2 option and floor leader by the end of the year. Not a one-and-done type of season but maybe something like 11 PPG and 4 APG. Not as Confident in the Advancement of These Players: Rob Phinisee and Jerome Hunter. And boy I hope I am dead wrong on this because I really like both players. They've both had injuries to deal with so I feel bad for them. It's just that for every good game that I see of Phinisee, I see three or four games where he seems pedestrian and not much of a factor. His shooting percentages have been below average and his A/T ratio is nothing overly special. With Hunter... he seemed so one-dimensional last year as a spot-up shooter. And he wasn't GREAT at that... just solid. Can he handle the ball? Can he defend well? Can he be more of a factor in the paint? These are all questions that were answered "no" last season. Again, I like both Phinisee and Hunter and hope that full health allows them to realize their full potential. But a fair amount is being expected from these two guys and they have a ways to go to live up to some of the expectations placed upon them. I'm not confident in major statistical gains from either of them. That being said... I'm not counting them out! Random Thoughts: - I'm concerned that anything less than a 2-1 record in Maui/Asheville will upset a lot of fans who will become more vocal asking "Is Archie the right man for the job?" The funny thing is... I could see us going 3-0 and winning the thing. But I can't say I'd be absolutely shocked if we didn't win a game down there. - I'm thinking (hoping) this may be the year where our defense takes a leap forward and we're Top 20 in that category. We've got a number of players who should be pretty familiar with the pack-line by now. If we aren't a Top 20 defense by this season, I think it's fair to ask if we'll ever be one under Archie. - If it wasn't for Garza and Dosunmu, I'd think TJD would have a shot at Big Ten Player of the Year. I believe we're gonna see something like a 17/9 season out of him with good defense. Unfortunately, those other two guys (particularly Garza) have received so much preseason hype that they would have to really struggle to not win it. - Our offense will probably be rated higher, but as Wayne said above I still see it being a bit clunky, stagnant and generally unspectacular. It always worries me anytime a coach says they are changing their offense in the off-season. Kinda makes me feel like they are unsure of what to do. I think our shooting will only be marginally improved. Thus, how successful we'll become will probably be determined by our defense. - I think the writing will be on the wall at the end of the year. And by that, I mean that I think we'll know who we are with Archie as the head coach at IU. I think it will be apparent that he'll be the head coach for quite some time or that his days are numbered. I'll leave that statement in a bit of ambiguity...

I was already nervous about this recruitment with the speculation by several journalists that he could skip college and go straight to the G-League. The frequent deference to his guardian in this interview when asked about several key recruiting questions doesn't make me feel any better.

You're darn right. :)

RE: Justin Smith's Transfer... If there's one word I would use to describe my feelings towards this... it's disappointment. Smith wanted to be a "3". That's what he thought he was. He made that clear to the media several times (see: Wichita State NIT postgame from 2019.) The inference was that his first couple of years he played out of position which hampered his ability to truly succeed as an individual and help the team. I'm also sure he felt that's what his NBA position would be. So, with the addition of Brunk and TJD, Archie gave Smith a chance to play the "3" quite a bit during the 2019-2020 season. What were the results? From a defensive standpoint, he showed he had the ability to hamper his opponent... particularly on the ball. When he was dialed-in, his play made him a candidate for the Big Ten All-Defensive Team. There were a number of occasions where he used his size and athleticism to shut down his man. However, there were multiple occasions during the year where his motor was questioned which limited his effectiveness as a defensive-stopper. That being said, he still proved that he could be an effective Big Ten "3" on defense. From an offensive standpoint, we saw problems. His most effective areas were definitely in transition and near the basket where, once again, he could use his athleticism to his advantage. I would go as far to say he was well above-average in this regard considering what seemed to be the majority of his points came in these situations and he ended up averaging double-figures. Outside of that, he struggled. At no point during the season was he able to find any consistency on his jump shot. And he had opportunities. He shot 26.3% from 3FG (10/38) which allowed defenses to sag off of him and pack the paint... which made life all the more difficult for TJD. (InsideTheHall had a feature on how OSU defended him in 2019 which proves this point.) His ball-handling and passing were suspect as evidenced by his 0.6 A/T ratio. His FT% was an unspectacular 67.3%. For a team that already lacked consistent offensive firepower from the "1" and "2" positions, you really need to have more efficient offensive production from the "3"to be anything above mediocre. I think it's clear that by bringing in four new players this offseason who were slated to play the 1-3 positions, Smith was going to be pushed back to the "4". To most observers, this would be the best move in order to maximize the strengths and potential of the team as a whole... and even put Smith in better positions where he isn't asked to do things he has shown he is unable to do. However, I think Smith was very much against that. In my opinion, he wanted to be an NBA player and in order to do that he was going to need to showcase certain skills. I figure that Archie was relatively unwilling to allow that because slotting Smith at the "3" for next season would limit the overall effectiveness of the team considering Smith's proven limitations on offense. So, Smith leaves because he wants to be an NBA player but thinks he won't get the opportunities at IU next year to prove it. I don't blame Smith for wanting to play in the NBA. Most Big Ten players do. But the fact is this... few actually ever will. I believe what Matt Painter recently said on the Dan Dakich Show holds true in this situation. Smith showed he could be a good college player. Not great, just good. He was never All-Conference. And he hasn't shown he has an NBA game. And he's had plenty of opportunity to do so. Is that Archie's fault? Is it the system's fault? At some point, I would think a player and his family would understand that the NBA is probably not in the cards. Instead, relish in the opportunity to be a senior leader on what could be a pretty good IU team in 2020-2021. However, Smith has the right to make the decision that is best for him. I wish the best for him and his future endeavors and hope that he finds what he's looking for in basketball and in life. To be honest, I'm surprised he didn't transfer last year considering all of the unflattering things his father said about Archie on Twitter in 2019. But in the end, I'm a Hoosier fan. And he's no longer on the team, so I look for the next man up. We have two guys in Race Thompson and Jerome Hunter who are oozing potential to be really good college players. Thompson's per-minute stats show he can be a very active and effective player at this level, while Hunter's raw abilities show that he can become a high-level player if/when healthy. This is not to mention any of the Leal/Galloway/Geronimo combo. My point? While there is a void left with Smith's absence, we have several guys who are capable of filling it either on their own or by committee. My opinion of this team being Top 25 caliber for most of the season remains unchanged with Smith's departure. As always, this is nothing but conjecture and one fan's opinion that doesn't mean anything. Who knows... this could all be about simply wanting to play close to home... showing that I have no idea what I'm talking about. :)

I know this has been discussed before and it doesn't really matter, but if he's only the 97th recruit in 2021 then that class must be stacked with talent. I've had the opportunity to watch him play multiple times. The improvement from his sophomore to junior seasons was very impressive. Reminded me a little of TJD's rise (albeit playing a different style.) Kaufman can do so many things well... especially at his size. I think he's an instant impact guy and would help Archie open up the floor so much as a stretch-4. He reminds me a little bit of when Jared Jeffries played at Bloomington North. Maybe not quite as athletic, but still quite versatile. He's been my #1 hope for the 2021 class for a while (even over Lander.) I'm not a scout, but from what I've seen he has all the traits of someone who could be an McDonald's All-American. At worst, he is Top 50. The good news is that his ranking probably prevents Duke, UNC, Kansas, etc. from sniffing around too much. If he would have played AAU this year, I firmly believe we would be fighting Duke and/or UNC for his services as opposed to Louisville, Xavier and Purdue.

A few thoughts on this one... and how it relates to the whole. - By no means am I trying to tell someone how they should feel after this loss. Losing to Purdue stinks and we've done a lot of that the last few years. As a fan, it's frustrating. No two ways around it. So if you're ticked off that we lost last night... I hear you. Those are valid feelings. - I'm not sure you can win a Big Ten game shooting 25% from the field. Purdue can really clamp down on you defensively and take away your strengths. They did it to us. They double-teamed our bigs often. Our guys didn't respond well. But all the same, when someone is double-teamed, someone else is open. That's when our back-court HAS to step up. They didn't last night. They went 7-29. This has happened before this year and as we have seen, that's not gonna get it done. - I've seen some say that they felt we were thoroughly out worked in this game. Not completely sure on that. We were beaten, no doubt. But look at rebounds...40-37, Purdue. They only had us by three. We had them 16-12 in offensive boards (an effort stat.) Turnovers? 11-13 in favor of Purdue. Not a HUGE difference there. Steals? 8-7, Purdue. Again, just one more than us. Blocks? 4-3 IU. We had them there. Free throw attempts 21-18 Hoosiers... even with the fouls at the end. Purdue only shot 37% (11% from 3.) Did we execute well? No. Did we at least compete? I think so. Not sure it was an effort deal last night. We just stunk offensively. When we played Purdue in Bloomington, THAT was an effort deal. Just my opinion. - I've really tried to focus my feelings from a season-wide perspective as opposed to game to game. Because the fact is... we're not that good. We're not that bad, either. We're just limited. We're capable of beating good teams. We're capable of being blown out. When you look at the composition of the roster, you knew this would be a possibility. In the Season Predictions Thread I guessed 18-13 (9-11)... so we're actually a little ahead of where I thought we'd be. We're still in good shape to make the tournament... which for me, was the barometer THIS season. It would show progress. We're still on our way. Win 2/3 in these last three conference games and I feel we're a lock. Probably still in good position if we only win one more (and another win vs. NEB or NW and the tourney would put us at 20 wins... that would most likely get us in. If you look at our resume, it's relatively strong for a bubble team.) So as a whole, I'm content. - Now if you're upset from a MACRO standpoint that our offense can still look like this in late FEB in Year 3... I get it. That we haven't beaten Purdue since 2016? I get it. That we question effort in Year 3? I get it. I don't necessarily disagree. But that's a different lens and I feel it's absolutely imperative to recognize that. THIS YEAR'S team was going to be prone to offensive struggles. When the "leadership" of THIS team has been criticized for poor effort in year's past, you knew it could still be an issue this season. In my opinion, I think you have to have two separate grades for how THIS team is performing vs. how the Archie tenure has gone as a whole. For what we have on the team THIS year, I think we're doing okay. If you're upset that this this is what we have in Year 3, I hear you. But that's a different issue. Therefore, I believe it's possible to be upset with this loss (along with other losses) and still be optimistic/content about how THIS year has turned out. But again, I'm just a dude who types on a keyboard.

A few thoughts on the current state of IU basketball... After the Wisconsin game in December, I made a post defending the team against all of the outrage that was directed by some fans against the team. At the time, it was the first loss of the season and I felt it was appropriate to give THIS YEAR'S team a chance to right the ship. There have been a number of disappointing losses since then. But I still held on to hope. I'm a fan. I follow IU basketball for a leisurely activity. I want to think the best. I try to be fair. I don't want to be miserable. However, the effort displayed by the team against Purdue was among the most disappointed I have ever been as a fan of IU basketball. The Purdue game was huge for about a hundred different reasons... and then the team played like they did. It has become clear that this isn't working. We were told at the beginning of the era that we would push the pace on offense. We don't. We were told there would be variations of the motion to the offense. The offense stands still for multiple possessions in a row. My understanding is that our defense is predicated on packing the lane and forcing play away from the basket. Instead, we see guys driving into the lane without much resistance. (Anyone see Nojel Eastern's drive to the basket on the first play of the 2nd half? Unbelievable.) If by chance we do stop them in the lane, our rotations have shown to be poor in that we often leave guys WIDE open for outside shots. We were also told that every possession is important and there would be an emphasis on ball-security. Yet, we're among the worst in the league in turnover percentage. Add in the fact we are a poor shooting team. Again. To put it simply, we're not executing. I've come to a point where I'm searching to find hope that this will get turned around. And I'm struggling to find answers. Can I put my hope in the players? I can with TJD... but who else? Right now, we have one "good" player and a bunch of random pieces. Some of which don't fit. Can I put my hope with the coaches? Not from their experience at IU. You have to look at Dayton success and it's fair to question if that translates to IU. You HAVE to make the tournament at IU. You HAVE to. That's the minimum. It shouldn't be THAT hard. Just be one of the Top 68 teams in the nation. That's all. Unless we get this thing turned around in a hurry, this coaching staff will have gone 0 for 3 in that regard. And that just can't happen. I really think the Purdue game turned a lot of fans against Archie. That's not good. It would be nearly impossible to get them back. Once Crean lost them, he lost them. Didn't matter that he won another Big Ten championship. Support was gone. If the same has happened to Archie, it's over (barring a Final Four appearance... and even THEN, I'm still not sure.) So does IU let him go this year? Unlikely considering the buyout, new AD, etc. So we let this toxic environment play out for another year (at least.) How fun. Plenty of excitement, there. I really want to believe we have bright days in our immediate future... but my fear is that we're about to re-live the end of the Crean tenure all over again. And that's not even getting into the mess that could be finding the right candidate to be the next head coach...

Outrage is all the rage! Catch the fever! Friends, our guys were embarrassed today. No two ways around it. Fans deserve to be frustrated at this loss because of the uninspired effort displayed for about 80% of the game. From a defensive standpoint, we took a step back today. WAY too many open looks. We were playing catch up much of the day and when we weren't, we were just getting out-physicaled and had silly defensive lapses. Now the offense wasn't good today, but 64 points can beat a Wisconsin sometimes. The defense was extremely disappointing. I'm not surprised we lost. I am surprised we didn't compete. That being said, this is the first time this year we have witnessed the team play like that. True we've played some cupcakes but you can show positioning, physicality and effort against anyone. By and large we showed that until today. Therefore I'm not ready to jump on the "more of the same" bus that people seem to be flocking to. This game only counts as one loss. It's a road game in a tough venue. We weren't ready. They did similar to Marquette a few weeks ago. If this carries over and this becomes common place for the season, then the overwhelming negativity is justified in my opinion. Until then, THIS team deserves a chance to rebound and bounce back. It was just four days ago that Leonard Hamilton was gushing about how good of a team we have and how good we can be. One embarrassing loss doesn't necessarily change the potential we have for the future. Or... You know... We stink... Fire the coach... Shut down the program... :) Happy Holidays! -GnarlyTimG

A few thoughts here... Remember that Fred Glass mentioned before the season started that he had some money held back in anticipation of a Tom Allen raise (don't have the link, I think it was an Osterman article). This was before our best season in 26 years. I would say a raise for him is a near certainty. As in like 99.9% certainty How much should/will he get? Not sure, but I'd be surprised if his salary wasn't doubled. He's proved he can compete in the Big Ten and deserves a competitive Big Ten salary. That's fair. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see him around 4 million a year. And that still only puts him in the middle of the Big Ten. Does he deserve that pay? Well, we've gone 8-4 this year. Can we honestly expect much better? Of course we'll keep pushing but IU football has had a ceiling for a long time. We darn near reached it this year. Historically speaking this was easily one of the ten best seasons in IU history. He's 18-19 at IU. Historically speaking that's pretty good for us. Allen has done something here few coaches have ever done. I think IU is fortunate that Allen seems like he wants to be here because IU doesn't have much football leverage. We have very little draw. We are not going to attract great coaches. If we ever found a GREAT coach, we'd have him a year before leaving to a bigger school. We're not the type of program that can switch coaches and have immediate success. My opinion? We should be appreciative of what we have. Allen isn't a GREAT coach. But he's pretty solid. We've got momentum with him. If you're wanting back to back 8-4 seasons at IU before giving him a raise, I'm afraid we'll lose him because another school will take him from us. Is it a risk that we could slide back to 5-7? You bet. But again, what leverage does IU football have? Considering the market, it's a risk worth taking.

After watching some Media Day coverage, I'll finally throw in my opinion... just a gut feeling. 1) Before the postseason 18-13 (9-11 in the Big Ten). I believe we'll be squarely on the bubble. I truly think it'll be 50/50 NCAA or NIT. A win or two in the Big Ten Tournament would probably be enough. 2) Starting Five By January: Phinisee, Durham, Hunter, Jackson-Davis, Brunk. 3) Top Five Scorers: Jackson-Davis 12.6, Hunter 12.1, Phinisee 10.3, Green 9.3, Durham 8.2. Hot Take#1- Green and Smith begin the season in the starting lineup, but are passed by more effective players. Hot Take#2- Jackson-Davis and Hunter clearly become our top options on offense by January. A few additional thoughts... - I've got to watch TJD some over the last three years. When he's "on", he's a LOAD. Sorta reminds me of a more advanced Jeff Newton at his age. He'll have his struggles as a freshman, but he's got A LOT of talent. His talent will make up for his youth in many games. - People are cautious on Hunter and I get it. But I'm very optimistic about him. I think he's the perfect "3" for us. He may start the first 7-8 games slowly, but I think he'll become a consistent scorer for us and be on the floor more often than not. Let me be clear, this is a prediction. Not my expectation. If he falls short of this, I won't hold it against him as a fan. - I have trouble seeing this year as a breakout year for Green. He can light it up for sure. And he will several times this year. But after watching three years of sample size... my expectations are low. If he's leading us in scoring this year... I don't see us making the tournament. I may not even see us with a winning record overall. - My opinion is that Phinisee, Durham and Brunk will be the team leaders and it will be evident. - I was a bit disappointed (maybe even a little embarrassed?) with how a few of our players handled the media day press conference. This is just my opinion, I'm probably looking into it too much and I know these are college kids. But some of the responses by a few kids seemed a bit snarky, mocking and disrespectful. I understand that not everyone is great at a podium answering questions, but some of the responses seemed a little uncalled for. Again, I'm sure the life of an IU player is difficult. And I know dealing with the media isn't always fun. But I know a simple respectful reply isn't too much to ask because the majority of the team did that. - I think IU will be considered a team on the rise at the end of the season. TJD, Hunter and Phinisee will be on "Player Watch" lists for the next year and guys like Durham and Brunk will be hailed as great senior leaders to-be. The mood around here will be significantly brighter. Although a few posters will still be making knee-jerk reactions to everything... as per tradition. :) As always, just my opinion. Nothing more, nothing less.

Regarding Matt Cross... According to the following article from Xavier's 247 site... https://247sports.com/college/xavier/Article/Xavier-Musketeers-Basketball-Recruiting-Matt-Cross-2020-Forward-Massachusetts-BABC-Travis-Steele--132210096/ "In addition to Xavier, Cross added offers from Miami, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, South Carolina, Creighton, Georgia Tech, Illinois, and Butler already this spring. Those schools have been the ones most involved in his recruitment lately." Definitely has a lot of high-majors interested in him, so I'm not sure I put too much stock in his current ranking. The same article also says we're rumored to be the early leader in his recruitment.

Watched this guy pour in an Edgewood school-record 48 points against Eastern Greene a couple of years ago. It was an absolutely amazing offensive display. Scored from all over the court. Not sure if his game will translate to minutes at IU (probably not) but he was a pretty good high school player. Thought this was cool, too... https://usatodayhss.com/2017/video-indianas-cooper-bybee-hits-two-crazy-buzzer-beaters-in-same-game

I've watched him probably a half dozen times or so for Bloomington South the past two years. I'm not a scout or an expert. I do support South, though. I think some folks see his ranking and can't understand why Archie hasn't offered Leal yet. I think you saw why. He can look very pedestrian at times and fade into the game. Personally I have never seen him dominate a game (although I know he has in other games.) I may be bad luck because I witnessed probably some of his worst games. You accurately described how he has played a few times. The Edgewood game at the beginning of the year was low point. Outhustled in that one, too. As a whole though, he has potential. Currently a good shooter. Nowhere near a Hulls or Roth or Zeisloft at this moment, in my opinion. But still good. Has the potential to be an above average offensive player at the next level. Solid size for his position. Can defend well when healthy and engaged. Is well coached. Intelligent individual. Good teammate. Evidently lights it up in AAU. I believe he has strong ties to IU... But I won't dive into that for privacy purposes. As I have said in the past, I'd be happy for him to become a Hoosier. I think we get him if we want him. But he can't be the centerpiece of the class. He's a support piece, in my opinion. If you liked the addition of guys like Damezi Anderson and Armaan Franklin, I think you'll like Leal. I'd guess his impact will be somewhere around there. What's funny is the amount of negativity you see against Jalen Windham but love Leal. My opinion is that their about the same.

A few thoughts, some of which have already been stated by others: - There are many things I like about Archie. His emphasis on defense. His emphasis on recruiting the state. I like how he doesn't speak in platitudes like his successor. He has the "look" of a basketball coach... for whatever that matters. That being said... he's 35-31 with no NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure. That includes embarrassing blowout losses at home to Indiana State and Fort Wayne and losing 12 of 13 games. That's not going to cut it, long term. Similar numbers ended the Davis and Crean eras. I don't want Archie fired, I want him to turn this thing around. Plus, I have little confidence in our administration to find someone better. - Normally, I am a fan of building up a roster and limiting attrition. I think that's Archie's style. However, I am not sure that several players are good "fits" for what Archie is trying to build here. Is it a lack of effort? Are they too okay with losing? I'm not sure... although one of my lasting memories for the season will be watching multiple players laughing and smiling on TV while coming from the locker room after halftime vs. Ohio State in Big Ten Tournament after being out-played in the first half of what was their most important game of the year. I'm not saying their lives should be a living nightmare, but I know I wasn't smiling at that moment. - Who steps up this off-season? The past two off-seasons we were greeted with rave reviews of the improvements of two players in particular. They had many opportunities to step up this season, but could not attain that consistency we so desperately needed. I haven't given up on those players, but I think it would be somewhat foolish to count on them as leaders for next season. However, someone needs to step up with the departures of Morgan and (likely) Langford. Is the leader on the roster right now? Many people point to Phinisee (and I love the guy) but look at these numbers below... - Here are our shooting numbers for our returning backcourt... Phinisee 36.1% FG, 31.0% 3FG, 66.0% FT... Durham 40.3% FG, 34.8% 3FG, 74.0% FT... Green 40.2% FG, 41.0 3FG, 73.6 FT. That won't win many games. I fully expect improvement from all of them next year, but we need some capable shooters in the worst way possible. None of those guys provided us with a consistent shooting threat this season. - Our post game has potential. Davis can provide offense. However, he has never played more than 18.8 minutes per game in his career. It may be wishful thinking to expect anything more than 20-22 minutes per game (if that.) This is not to mention his lack of rebounding that will need to be improved upon. He'll have help with Trayce Jackson-Davis, but I don't see them playing on the floor together much. I have failed to see either be able to hit a jump shot with any sort of regularity and we'll need to space the floor. - What will come of our highly-touted 2018 class? Langford is likely gone. Hunter never played and considering how cautious IU seems to be with their athletic health guidelines, I have concerns about his athletic future at IU. Anderson failed to score a point in the 2019 calendar year. Forrester logged 56 minutes. Thompson played 63 minutes. That means Phinisee will be the only returner from that class with any sort of real experience to draw upon. Need a lot more production from this group. Remember, they are all "Archie's Guys". Hopefully a year in the program helps them improve. - Hopefully Archie can find a couple more players this off-season who will help us win games. Whether that's Watford, grad transfers, I don't know. I do know that the current roster projection for next year screams a 9th-10th place finish in the conference, at-best. Again, that won't cut it. Just my opinion.

I'm far from a scout, but I've had the opportunity to watch Leal multiple times over the last couple of years... My feelings on him is something of a mixed bag, to be honest. You look at his #77 ranking composite at a position we'll need and combine that with the fact that he's a hometown kid who (at the very least) had an interest in the Hoosiers growing up and you think it's a no-brainer... he should definitely receive an offer. But then I actually watch him play a whole game instead of select 3 minute highlight clips and then it becomes a bit more complicated. Again, that 3-minute video on the first page of this thread is impressive and really shows you the "Best of Anthony Leal". He has a wide variety of capabilities on the offensive end. His shooting can allow him to get hot at any point in time. He has good size for a guard at 6'5 and can find ways to use it to his advantage. He has the ability to drive through the lane and finish through contact. If that video is representative of his play over the summer and why he is ranked #77, I can understand why. However, watching Leal in-person, I can see why Archie is waiting. Again, judging by that video you would think Leal would be a dominant player. I'll say that he has maybe been dominant in a few games this year. On the contrary, there have been a few games this season when he has really struggled. For example, he had a bad game vs. 3A Edgewood (As Chris007 pointed out earlier in this thread.) While Edgewood has a pretty good team this year they aren't a team I would expect Leal to struggle against. But he was visibly off his game in that one. His shot didn't look good, his handle was loose and his opponents just seemed to play harder. I watched him play a handful of times as a sophomore and again... it was a mixed bag. There were some games when you look at him and feel he's going to be a high-level player in college while there were other games when you wouldn't be so sure. But this is just my opinion. I definitely think he has potential to be a good player in college. But I also have similar feelings about guys like Armaan Franklin and Damezi Anderson. I think they are similar "impact" type players. May take him a year or two before making much of an impact. So if you liked the pickup of guys like Anderson and Franklin, I think you'll definitely like/want Leal. But if you are expecting a McDonald's All-American type of player... I don't believe he's at that level. But then again, if he could become more consistent... look out! He seems to be a likable guy and great student. If we're adding 3 guys in 2020, I'd definitely be cool with Leal as one of the members.