KelleyHoosh

Good news: we will know for certain in about 11 hours. And I'll be asleep for probably 8 of them.   8am classes, never again

What did he say?    Also, Gtown looks like they're really giving it to Maryland. Anybody watching and notice what Maryland's deficiencies may be? 

We'll see....

IU- 74 Creighton- 67

The BB news, if he does ultimately decide on IU, provides serious momentum. If we have a good season, I can very realistically see us adding a guy like Thon/Rawle and being dynamite for a few years.    Would be great

Right. The timing is of interest to me after everyone said he would wait til the spring.    On one hand, IU adds Davis and Brown is convinced IU will be solid enough for him to join.    On the other, UMass was thought to be the primary competition here. How did Miami shoot up the ranks so quickly? Theres a lot of appeal in that school and if he feels comfortable with Larranaga, I could see him pulling the trigger.

Do you think Brown effectively ends our pursuit of Rawle? Personally I don't see how they fit on the court together but to be honest haven't watched much film 

How much of a threat is Miami here? 

Would be HUGE.

I'd like to see us go after a good bit of JUCO talent ala Kansas State. I'm interested to see what happens with Howard and whether he comes back & how QB shakes out next year. We will almost certainly take a step back offensively. Maybe we will see an IUFB that is led by its defense... Scary thought after this year. I do have to take issue with "more competent coaching systems" and then saying we are an average defense from a fringe top 25 team. I'd like you to elaborate on that a bit. Because IMO you can't say we are close to being top 25 while insulting our coaching staffs competency. Also, having an average defense makes this a drastically different team. It's a shame this is likely to have been our best year for the foreseeable future personnel wise and that we are 0-6 in conference. If a couple of things break right, we could be 5-1 in conference with 3 wins over top teams. But thems the breaks, I guess. They can still get to 6-6 and a bowl game. If they bring the same effort that they did against Michigan they should handle Maryland and Purdue. But this is another topic, rant over

I liked it from Bryant. That can give teams a huge boost, an outburst like that. As long as it's not after every good play, I'm all for it. It brings a mean streak and an attitude that this team needs. Guys pick themselves up when they're hyped. How many times did we complain last year that the team was soft?

I am particularly encouraged by the big men playing how they did inside. It was front court play I haven't seen from Indiana in a while. If Bryant can consistently get 10/10 and once Big 10 starts Bielfeldt could get 8/8, that would be fantastic. I'm interested to see how they do when the competition stiffens. We should find out soon, as you said with Creighton coming up.    Defense also looked impressive. Very active hands.   I liked seeing some growth in Blackmon's game.   They seemed to have a much more passionate demeanor this year.    You said it perfectly though, they did what they were supposed to do against a much weaker team

Get the ball in to Bryant more.    Hope the calls aren't this stingy the whole year.    We looked good against a team we were supposed to dominate. All in all you have to be happy IMO

What will it take for MSB to get in a game? My conspiracy theory would be fed if he doesn't get in today

Shameless self plug for my article on the keys for this game [emoji23] https://btownbanners.com/page/index.html/_/basketball/news-notes/what-to-watch-for-indiana-vs-eiu-r249

When the Indiana Hoosiers open their 2015-2016 men’s basketball season they will host the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Friday the 13th of November. Friday the 13th has become synonymous with bad luck and it would take an awful lot of that for them to drop this game. If IU simply plays its style it should start head coach Tom Crean’s eighth season in Bloomington with a victory. The No. 15 ranked team in college basketball will almost undoubtedly be overwhelming for an EIU team that has been projected to finish in middle of the Ohio Valley Conference. The Panthers have some talent in Cornell Johnston, the 5’7” sophomore guard who was last year’s OVC Freshman of the Year and senior wing Trae Anderson who averaged 13.2 points per game last season, but on paper this EIU team is outmatched across the board by a team that features a number of excellent players. Eastern Illinois is a mid major with a roster that has very little college basketball experience. IU is a group led by a battletested backcourt that has big aspirations to play well into March Madness. This game will serve the Hoosiers as another opportunity to tune up before their Maui Invitational appearance later this month. Through two exhibition games it is pretty clear that there is plenty of room for improvement on this team. While the team will look to grow in all categories, these are the key areas to watch for in Indiana’s season opener: 1. Can the frontcourt dominate an inferior opponent? Freshman center Thomas Bryant has taken the court at Assembly Hall four times in front of fans- at Hoosier Hysteria, Haunted Hall of Hoops, vs. Ottawa, and vs. Bellarmine. In each of his four performances, fans have seen the good and the bad of his game. While Bryant is certainly an upgrade from what fans saw in last year’s frontcourt, he is only a freshman. Michigan transfer Max Bielfeldt has joined the team, but as a career reserve, he never put up too great of numbers in the Big 10, so how much can fans realistically expect him to add? The team will obviously progress as the season goes on – if they peak now this will be a very disappointing campaign – but it would go a long way in making fans feel better if the front court could have a similar performance to Ottawa where they outrebounded the Gee-Gees 46 to 34. If Indiana is going to have the type of year fans hope for, their big men have to play well enough against much higher levels of competition than EIU. 2. Is decision making in the backcourt improved? Indiana turned the ball over 19 times against Ottawa. They can get away with that against a Canadian team, but stiffer competition will take advantage of that. The Hoosiers improved that figure against Bellarmine and only turned it over 13 times. That is a lot better, but IU also looked pretty poor in the second half of that exhibition. Senior Yogi Ferrell will likely split ball-handling duties with James Blackmon Jr. and Troy Williams this season. The decision making of Indiana’s new ball handlers will be key in the success of this year’s squad. No team can afford to squander possessions, especially not one with a questionable defensive identity. Which leads to the next key... 3. Which defense shows up? It was the storyline all of last season. How good would Indiana be if they played a lick of defense? The 42 point second half they allowed to Division II Bellarmine isn’t exactly confidence inspiring for Hoosier fans. But there has been stretches this preseason where the team showed an awful lot of improvement on the defensive end, even forcing a shot clock violation - something last year’s team may have never heard about. Crean has said his lineups will vary this year based on matchups- lets see how effectively Indiana can exploit them. As far as keys to this game, Indiana must simply do what they do well. That will likely be enough for them to win on Friday. These specific areas are where there is a lot of doubt and plenty of room for improvement based on what we’ve seen to date. It’s inevitable that the Indiana men’s basketball team we see come March will be a lot different than the one that trots out onto McCracken court in Assembly Hall on Friday.

If IU simply plays its style it should start head coach Tom Crean’s eighth season in Bloomington with a thevictory. When the Indiana Hoosiers open their 2015-2016 men’s basketball season they will host the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Friday the 13th of November. Friday the 13th has become synonymous with bad luck and it would take an awful lot of that for them to drop this game. If IU simply plays its style it should start head coach Tom Crean’s eighth season in Bloomington with a victory.   The No. 15 ranked team in college basketball will almost undoubtedly be overwhelming for an EIU team that has been projected to finish in middle of the Ohio Valley Conference. The Panthers have some talent in Cornell Johnston, the 5’7” sophomore guard who was last year’s OVC Freshman of the Year and senior wing Trae Anderson who averaged 13.2 points per game last season, but on paper this EIU team is outmatched across the board by a team that features a number of excellent players.   Eastern Illinois is a mid major with a roster that has very little college basketball experience. IU is a group led by a battletested backcourt that has big aspirations to play well into March Madness. This game will serve the Hoosiers as another opportunity to tune up before their Maui Invitational appearance later this month. Through two exhibition games it is pretty clear that there is plenty of room for improvement on this team. While the team will look to grow in all categories, these are the key areas to watch for in Indiana’s season opener:   1. Can the frontcourt dominate an inferior opponent?   Freshman center Thomas Bryant has taken the court at Assembly Hall four times in front of fans- at Hoosier Hysteria, Haunted Hall of Hoops, vs. Ottawa, and vs. Bellarmine. In each of his four performances, fans have seen the good and the bad of his game. While Bryant is certainly an upgrade from what fans saw in last year’s frontcourt, he is only a freshman. Michigan transfer Max Bielfeldt has joined the team, but as a career reserve, he never put up too great of numbers in the Big 10, so how much can fans realistically expect him to add? The team will obviously progress as the season goes on – if they peak now this will be a very disappointing campaign – but it would go a long way in making fans feel better if the front court could have a similar performance to Ottawa where they outrebounded the Gee-Gees 46 to 34. If Indiana is going to have the type of year fans hope for, their big men have to play well enough against much higher levels of competition than EIU.   2. Is decision making in the backcourt improved?   Indiana turned the ball over 19 times against Ottawa. They can get away with that against a Canadian team, but stiffer competition will take advantage of that. The Hoosiers improved that figure against Bellarmine and only turned it over 13 times. That is a lot better, but IU also looked pretty poor in the second half of that exhibition. Senior Yogi Ferrell will likely split ball-handling duties with James Blackmon Jr. and Troy Williams this season. The decision making of Indiana’s new ball handlers will be key in the success of this year’s squad. No team can afford to squander possessions, especially not one with a questionable defensive identity. Which leads to the next key...   3. Which defense shows up?   It was the storyline all of last season. How good would Indiana be if they played a lick of defense? The 42 point second half they allowed to Division II Bellarmine isn’t exactly confidence inspiring for Hoosier fans. But there has been stretches this preseason where the team showed an awful lot of improvement on the defensive end, even forcing a shot clock violation - something last year’s team may have never heard about. Crean has said his lineups will vary this year based on matchups- lets see how effectively Indiana can exploit them.   As far as keys to this game, Indiana must simply do what they do well. That will likely be enough for them to win on Friday. These specific areas are where there is a lot of doubt and plenty of room for improvement based on what we’ve seen to date.   It’s inevitable that the Indiana men’s basketball team we see come March will be a lot different than the one that trots out onto McCracken court in Assembly Hall on Friday. [url=https://btownbanners.com/page/index.html/_/basketball/news-notes/what-to-watch-for-indiana-vs-eiu-r249]Click here to view the article[/url]

Yeah I'm in the camp of all in for Brown and Diallo. I think any extra energy should be put into Thon and 2017

I didn't count that because he didn't finish the game and had 1 touchdown. But I can see the argument to be made

This is Sudfeld's last chance at a signature win during his collegiate career. Let that sink in.    I fully expect Michigan to roll, Harbaugh is on another level

The logic behind AK's post is that Thon doesn't want to be a traditional big. By adding a second legitimate front court player, Thon can play more on the perimeter

This may be an interesting point to credit Crean's theory of offer first, ask questions later philosophy. By offering early and often,are you more likely to be considered to have been "there from the beginning," with more recruits? That is a big factor for a lot of kids. Of course, there also has to be open communication after and before the offer, certainly more of a time commitment than our coaches have. But maybe this approach does have some merit to it.    Just food for thought...

Another week, another loss for Indiana football. It is a familiar story for a program that has struggled to compete for as long as fans can remember. Maybe this season, the sting is a bit more intense because of the optimism that seemed well founded based on a perfect out of conference start. After a five game skid, things are back to how they used to be for the Hoosier football team. Did anybody ever really expect different? After all, like senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld said after their loss to Iowa, “It’s Indiana.” Basketball coach Tom Crean used the phrase at his introductory press conference and it’s still referenced by fans today. “It’s Indiana,” is a standard on the hardwood while for football, it’s more of an explanation for poor play. This team was supposed to be the one that changed that. This wasn’t going to be the same old IU football team. It’s Sudfeld’s senior year. They added a talented running back transfer in Jordan Howard. It’s the second year of a new defensive system. The players know the expectations they had for this year. And they know they face coming up short of those goals if something doesn’t change. “We still have goals to achieve,” senior tackle Jason Spriggs said. “You’re playing for your brothers, for your teammates.” One of those goals has to bowling. To be fair, there is still reason for optimism about this season. In every game except for Penn State, the Hoosiers have entered the fourth quarter with a chance to win. That includes games against undefeated teams like Ohio State and Iowa as well as Michigan State. It also includes a historic defensive collapse at home against Rutgers. At this level of football, moral victories are nice but they’re just that- nice. Not the objective. The objective for this squad is to be the first IU football team to go bowling since 2007. The team has put themselves in position to do that with only one more win thanks to their APR score, but the easiest road to a bowl is to win two of their next three games against Michigan, Maryland and Purdue. “It’s frustrating because we know what we are capable of and we get the loss then watch film and realize one or two mistakes and (if they were avoided) it’s a completely different game,” Spriggs said. “It comes down to a series or a play where we didn’t focus or whatever it is and the momentum changes.” The momentum for the last five games has been shifted against Indiana whereas in the first four games, the breaks went their way. Linebacker Marcus Oliver said after the Iowa loss that the first four games of the season the team expected to win and that is something they are trying to get back to. Does that mean Indiana players thought they would lose once Big Ten play began? Probably not. But in the face of adversity, the team has folded in the last five games. Nobody bats an eye because “it’s Indiana,” may as well be a self-fulfilling prophecy at this point. That is probably only the case for someone who sees scores on an ESPN ticker. Those watching the product on the field know this Indiana team has competed with top 10 teams. In their most recent game against No. 8 Iowa, the team did a few things well. “It gave us some confidence,” Spriggs said of the offensive line’s run blocking. “We finally got to the point where we were running the ball and blocking like we know we can.” Spriggs and his unit knows they are capable of getting the best of one of the nation’s best run defenses. If the passing game fell a bit more in Indiana’s favor, the outcome of that game may have been different. The challenge is consistently bringing that performance through four quarters over an entire season. This team has to finish a ball game the way they start. The Hoosiers’ next chance to do so is against No. 15 Michigan when they come to Memorial Stadium on November 14th. “They’re going to play hard, they’re very physical, a lot like Iowa,” Spriggs said. “They’re going to try to play upfield, we’ve seen quite a bit (of film) and we’ve got our gameplan.” This is the last chance for IU to get a signature win this season. Spriggs said it would be a statement win. At this point of the season, as long as they bring a complete effort against Maryland and Purdue, this Indiana team has shown they have the talent to win and get to 6-6. That is in itself a huge feat for this program. The fact is, Indiana may or may not beat Michigan. If it does, fans may decide that this five game losing streak wasn’t as bad as it seemed. If it doesn't, well, it’s Indiana.

Honestly, we have traded punches with Iowa and OSU. Michigan State thoroughly overwhelmed us, for a number of reasons. Those teams are superior.    In my very uneducated opinion, it seems to me that IU is a team that always plays to the level of its competition. It doesn't have the killer instinct yet. Thats not something they've embodied to this point. The defense that kept IU in the game against OSU isn't the same defense that collapsed in the fourth quarter against Rutgers.   I think its mostly a mental issue. Maybe thats why the coaches have harped so hard this year on preparation. They aren't consistent and thats a momentum killer. Those lapses are easier to overcome against the likes of Wake Forest than Iowa.    My real point of intrigue at this rate is whether the team, knowing the season and possibly their coaches jobs are on the line, will find the ability to dig deep and compete with Michigan and beat Purdue and Maryland. Lets see them bring the intensity/mental fortitude necessary.   I don't think this team has given up. I do think they have to get over the idea that they don't belong on the same field as elite teams. They need to focus on playing the guy across the line from them and not worry about "its Indiana vs PSU/OSU/MSU/Iowa, we don't stand a chance"   ...Sorry if that doesn't really answer you or is really vague. Its been a long day

Basketball coach Tom Crean used the phrase at his introductory press conference and it’s still referenced by fans today. “It’s Indiana,” is a standard on the hardwood while for football, it’s more of an explanation for poor play. Another week, another loss for Indiana football.   It is a familiar story for a program that has struggled to compete for as long as fans can remember. Maybe this season, the sting is a bit more intense because of the optimism that seemed well founded based on a perfect out of conference start. After a five game skid, things are back to how they used to be for the Hoosier football team. Did anybody ever really expect different? After all, like senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld said after their loss to Iowa, “It’s Indiana.”   Basketball coach Tom Crean used the phrase at his introductory press conference and it’s still referenced by fans today. “It’s Indiana,” is a standard on the hardwood while for football, it’s more of an explanation for poor play.   This team was supposed to be the one that changed that. This wasn’t going to be the same old IU football team. It’s Sudfeld’s senior year. They added a talented running back transfer in Jordan Howard. It’s the second year of a new defensive system. The players know the expectations they had for this year. And they know they face coming up short of those goals if something doesn’t change.   “We still have goals to achieve,” senior tackle Jason Spriggs said. “You’re playing for your brothers, for your teammates.”   One of those goals has to bowling. To be fair, there is still reason for optimism about this season. In every game except for Penn State, the Hoosiers have entered the fourth quarter with a chance to win. That includes games against undefeated teams like Ohio State and Iowa as well as Michigan State. It also includes a historic defensive collapse at home against Rutgers.   At this level of football, moral victories are nice but they’re just that- nice. Not the objective. The objective for this squad is to be the first IU football team to go bowling since 2007. The team has put themselves in position to do that with only one more win thanks to their APR score, but the easiest road to a bowl is to win two of their next three games against Michigan, Maryland and Purdue.   “It’s frustrating because we know what we are capable of and we get the loss then watch film and realize one or two mistakes and (if they were avoided) it’s a completely different game,” Spriggs said. “It comes down to a series or a play where we didn’t focus or whatever it is and the momentum changes.”   The momentum for the last five games has been shifted against Indiana whereas in the first four games, the breaks went their way. Linebacker Marcus Oliver said after the Iowa loss that the first four games of the season the team expected to win and that is something they are trying to get back to.   Does that mean Indiana players thought they would lose once Big Ten play began? Probably not. But in the face of adversity, the team has folded in the last five games. Nobody bats an eye because “it’s Indiana,” may as well be a self-fulfilling prophecy at this point.   That is probably only the case for someone who sees scores on an ESPN ticker. Those watching the product on the field know this Indiana team has competed with top 10 teams. In their most recent game against No. 8 Iowa, the team did a few things well.   “It gave us some confidence,” Spriggs said of the offensive line’s run blocking. “We finally got to the point where we were running the ball and blocking like we know we can.”   Spriggs and his unit knows they are capable of getting the best of one of the nation’s best run defenses. If the passing game fell a bit more in Indiana’s favor, the outcome of that game may have been different. The challenge is consistently bringing that performance through four quarters over an entire season. This team has to finish a ball game the way they start.   The Hoosiers’ next chance to do so is against No. 15 Michigan when they come to Memorial Stadium on November 14th.   “They’re going to play hard, they’re very physical, a lot like Iowa,” Spriggs said. “They’re going to try to play upfield, we’ve seen quite a bit (of film) and we’ve got our gameplan.”   This is the last chance for IU to get a signature win this season. Spriggs said it would be a statement win. At this point of the season, as long as they bring a complete effort against Maryland and Purdue, this Indiana team has shown they have the talent to win and get to 6-6. That is in itself a huge feat for this program.   The fact is, Indiana may or may not beat Michigan. If it does, fans may decide that this five game losing streak wasn’t as bad as it seemed.   If it doesn't, well, it’s Indiana. [url=https://btownbanners.com/page/index.html/_/football/news-notes/breaking-the-mold-of-iu-football-r248]Click here to view the article[/url]