Magnanimous

The last time I looked forward to something as much as this season only to be as disappointed as I am now in the actual product was when Spiderman 3 came out. Or the How I Met Your Mother finale. Can't decide. 

How does Thomas Bryant have 0 rebounds?

I hope that every one of our fans is smarter/classier than that. I realize it only takes one idiot, but this guy is losing basketball games. His family shouldn't feel threatened because of it. 

Win and we're in. Where we end up depends largely on the Minnesota/Wisconsin, Iowa/Nebraska and Illinois/NW games since all four teams are 5-6. Of those, I think we're the only favorite and we also have the easiest opponent. Hopefully (and most likely scenario) is we end up in the Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium against an ACC team. I really really really don't want to play Washington St.

I wish we had Nate for one more year. Feels like he's been here forever, but really only had the chance for one season as the full-time starter. He obviously had the build and the arm, but I always felt he was way too methodical. He really came into his own this season as both a player and a leader and it would be an awesome sendoff to cap this season with a bowl win.

Is Rod Carey our #1? Maybe we throw some money at a washed up coach with some success like Cincy did with Tuberville. 

Yes. Excactly. And keep doing it.

We're never going to out-recruit most of the teams in this division. It didn't pan out with Jeremy Finch, but there are dozens of guys every year from Power 5 schools looking for a new start because of a lack of playing time. Obviously I'm not saying we become Ole Miss and take kids who get kicked out of everywhere else, but we can get the occasional four and maybe even five star recruit to come here ala Georgia State basketball. Plus, guys who have spent a year or two in more competent coaching systems can bring that knowledge to our locker room. I honestly believe this team is an average defense away from a fringe Top 25 team more years than not. This is the best and possibly only way to get there.  

Maryland can't pass the ball. As long as we don't have a letdown mentality from last week I like our chances.

  Is our defensive system working? Can our secondary maintain position or even turn their heads when the ball is in the air? I'm not insulting their entire coaching competency but the defense needs work (again)...CKW is an offensive minded coach who even when he was a position coach has never coached on the defensive side of the ball. Our offense greatly improved when Wilson came from a program known for good offenses. I'd have to imagine that some kids who have gone through practices with Kirby Smart, Jeremy Pruitt or Kevin Steele have picked up a thing or two that would rub off on some of the guys on our team. 

  Which is why you pick your spots in who you take in. I'm not saying it should be the foundation of our roster, but bringing in 2 or 3 guys a year would make a huge difference on the defense side of the ball. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwrstxuicZk

Here's a condensed 10 minute version of Hoosiers. Does the trick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajXr-nEjxqM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWXyn8SpS9A

This is a top 5-10 team that is rightly ranked 15th due to the defensive question marks leftover from last year. My expectations are they should contend for the championship. Senior PG, one of the best shooting teams in the country, and four potential NBA players in the starting lineup. Not too much hype going into the season, which is a good thing, but the team needs to believe in itself that this could (should) be a special season. 

At the end of August Crean made the team write 220 apology letters to former players for disgracing the program's name over the last year. Though may come across as a little gimmicky, I think Crean did a good thing with this. Story here. 

  Most competent coaches get it done within a few years provided they have the pieces in place. Wilson built this team from scratch, so he was given the benefit of the doubt for an extended period (similar to Crean), but now that the team is in place, the same coaching deficiencies we pinned on a young team can't be brushed aside anymore (like Crean again). We know who we have at this point with Wilson and he isn't going to cut it. This is the season we can definitively say it. It may have been last year but that got scratched after Nate got hurt, and the Missouri win bought him some time.    Going back to what I said about most great coaches getting it done within a few years provided the pieces are in place, over the last 15 or so years the national championships came within a a few years of a new coach taking over: Urban Meyer won his first UF NC in year 2 and his first OSU NC in year 3 (though he went undefeated his first season at OSU at well) Jimbo Fisher won his first FSU NC in year 4 Nick Saban won his first LSU NC in year 4 and his first Bama NC in year 3 Les Miles won his first LSU NC in year 3 Pete Carroll won his first USC NC in year 3 Larry Coker won his first Miami NC in year 1 Bob Stoops won his first OU NC in year 2 Lloyd Carr won his first UM NC in year 3 Not that IU should have the same expectations as these other programs right now, but Wilson likely won't make a bowl game in year 5 and the momentum/recruiting he built up the last few years is plateauing at best. There will be a better foundation for the next coach than what Wilson inherited, but unless he pulls something big out of his ass in the latter half of this season, he's done. I wouldn't even keep him if we go 6-6 and bowling. 

This job would kill him. Bring in Lane Kiffin. 

First time I'm saying this, but Kevin Wilson is not HC material. I was willing to give him time to get his players in place and all....but he can't manage a game to save his life. I think he's done now. Go get Rod Carey.

The game has been moved from ESPN2 to ESPN. After getting people's attention last week, we reall really need a statement win here.

A video featuring an ATO member being hazed has gone viral and they are officially done at IU. ATO was previously kicked off about 5 years ago for hazing and drug related activities. Story here.   Someone's about to luck into an awesome house.

This is a direct correlation between ATO being off-campus and our men's basektball team staying out of trouble.

Some comments made by Adarius Rayner about Hackenberg are coming to the surface this week. As physical as last week's game was, I think that our front seven are drooling over the thought of this game. 20 points should beat Penn State.

I was watching the game in a bar and they had the Alabama game going on the speakers. Looks like Nate sprained his ankle and Howard was a little more serious? Any update on probability for next week?

  No. As prominent as Georgia has been, they're historically 5th fiddle at best in their own conference. Definitely behind Alabama, Tennessee, and now Florida, and have been passed by LSU and Auburn as well. Indiana is supposed to be the face of Big10 basketball. Georgia is just another piece of SEC football.