Class of '66 Old Fart

` 10.29.16 Game W/L Min. Pts. FG's 3's FT's Reb Asst Stls Blks TO's PF + / - Season W/L Houston Gordon No Game Oklahoma Oladipo No Game Portland VonLeh W 7 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 4 0 0 0 0 0 -0- 2-1 Memphis Williams L 8 3 1-2 1-2 0-2 0 1 2 0 0 1 +10 1-1 Charlotte Zeller L 21 7 2-4 0-0 3-6 9 1 0 2 1 3 -13 2-1

Zach Osterman - Indianapolis Star Insider: OG Anunoby certainly doesn't look like one-March wonder BLOOMINGTON — OG Anunoby has popped up on All-America teams, best-100-players-in-America rankings and preseason watch lists, lending the distinct impression that this is all coming a bit too fast for IU's sophomore forward. But what if it isn’t? Anunoby was one of the stars — if we’re allowed to use that term after a preseason scrimmage — of Indiana’s annual Haunted Hall of Hoops on Friday night. IU doesn’t typically keep official stats for the event, but unofficially, Anunoby finished with 16 points, as well as a not-insignificant number of offensive rebounds and plenty of good defense. The way the points came was more important than the points themselves, because it reflected the best parts of his offensive game. As a freshman, Anunoby's efficiency from the bench proved critical to IU's Big Ten title run. He shot 60.9 percent on 2-pointers and 44.8 percent from behind the 3-point line. Beyond a need to improve at the free-throw line, Anunoby wasted little offensively. Friday night, he shot 6-of-7, missing one 3-pointer but hitting three more. The rest of his points came on dunks and free throws. “I think it keeps defenders and defenses honest,” assistant coach Chuck Martin said. “If we can get OG to shoot the 3-ball at a very high rate, clearly, it opens up driving lanes.” He’s gotten stronger with the ball, as illustrated by a ball fake and drive around Tim Priller that prompted coach Tom Crean to shout that "a cone could have guarded (Anunoby) better." Turnovers were a problem for Anunoby as a freshman — his turnover rate last season hit 19.7 percent, though it’s important to remember that number fell to 13 percent in conference games alone. “That’s one improvement he’s really made from last year, that handle on a lane-line drive,” Judson said. “When he drives it, he draws the pre-bonus foul. The sooner you can get to the bonus, the better it is for your team.” And his defense is still daunting. Even James Blackmon Jr., who also finished with 16 points unofficially, struggled to deal with Anunoby on Friday night. That preseason attention is probably still a little bit overblown (though what preseason attention isn’t?). Famously soft-spoken, Anunoby has at no point looked particularly affected by any of it during the preseason. Anunoby’s ceiling this year will probably be determined by the extent of that efficiency. It will be more important for him to be smart offensively and sturdy defensively than to hunt shots. His worst moment Friday came on his lone miss, a contested, bad-decision 3-pointer. Crean stepped out onto the floor, reminding Anunoby not to fall away as he shot. Anunoby nodded as he jogged back down the floor. He didn’t do it again.

Brett Dawson - The Oklahoman Oladipo settles in, scores 21 for Thunder It felt different this time for Victor Oladipo. Maybe it was the home fans who had his back, the kind of friendly, fiery crowd the Thunder guard says he hasn’t experienced “for a while,” maybe since his college days at Indiana. "Kinda reminded me of them students at Assembly Hall," at Indiana, said Oladipo, who came to the Thunder this summer in a trade with the Orlando Magic. Maybe it was just having a game under his belt. Whatever the reason, Oladipo said his mindset was better in Friday’s 113-110 overtime win at Chesapeake Energy Arena against the Phoenix Suns. And it showed. Oladipo scored 21 points on 7-of-17 shooting and grabbed five rebounds, an improvement on a 10-point, 4-for-16 shooting performance in his first game with the Thunder, a season-opening Wednesday win in Philadelphia. “I mean, I was ready to play last game, but I was even more so today,” Oladipo said after Friday’s game. “I just got to consistently have that mindset throughout the year. I feel like I stop myself from being a great basketball player. When my mind is on the same page as my body, then I perform at a high level.” He looked particularly in sync in the first half, scoring 15 of his 21 points. “Your mind is kinda like a sponge,” Oladipo said. “You got to teach yourself and talk to yourself before the game and in the course of a game, just reminding yourself what the goal is. You have to be great in order to help your team win. That’s what I tried to do today, and it helped.”

http://www.hoosiersportsreport.com/2016/10/morgan-shows-versatility-in-haunted-hall-scrimmage/ https://indiana.rivals.com/news/haunted-hall-of-hoops-notebook-juwan-morgan-back-to-full-contact-work

The list will only get longer. Darius Garland ‏@dariusgarland22 Blessed to receive an offer from Duke University

But I also saw a tweet that immediately after he hit one bucket, he let RoJo blow right by him on the other end.

Jon Rothstein: 20 Under-the-Radar College Basketball Transfers 2016-2017 http://www.todaysu.com/rothstein-files/20-radar-college-basketball-transfers-2016-17/ Stanford Robinson, Rhode Island: Indiana transfer will be the Rams’ “sixth starter” this season. A shifty guard that can play multiple positions, the 6-4 Robinson will ensure that Dan Hurley won’t miss a beat this season when he puts in his first reserve. Max Hoetzel, San Diego State: Steve Fisher told me that Hoetzel developed into the Aztecs’ best offensive rebounder during his redshirt year. The 6-8 wing never got regular playing time at Indiana, but he’ll be a welcome addition to Viejas Arena.

Victor on Westbrook:

10.28.16 W/L Min. Pts. FG's 3's FT's Reb Asst Stls Blks TO's PF + / - Houston Gordon W 33 18 4-9 3-6 7-8 4 6 0 0 2 2 +18 Oklahoma Oladipo W 44 21 7-17 1-4 6-7 5 2 2 1 4 2 -12 Portland VonLeh No Game Memphis Williams No Game Charlotte Zeller W 23 10 4-8 0-0 2-3 3 1 2 1 1 2 +10

Hey, Hey! Holy Cow! Whatever you did worked. Thanks much Dalton

Teri Moren on today's B1G teleconference: http://www.hoosiersportsreport.com/2016/10/iuwbb-teri-moren-on-big-ten-teleconference/

Maybe there's more to this kid than we've thought and he willingly played in Collin Sexton's shadow this summer on the AAU circuit. Al Durham w/ 35pts, MVP Honors, and more @ #TSFMadness last night.

10.27.16 W/L Min. Pts. FG's 3's FT's Reb Asst Stls Blks TO's PF + / - Houston Gordon No Game Oklahoma Oladipo No Game Portland VonLeh L 10 1-3 0-1 4-5 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 -12 Memphis Williams No Game Charlotte Zeller No Game

Sadly, you see the same situation where there is spousal abuse yet the victim won't let go of the abuser.

Jordan Wilson - Indianapolis Star: http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2016/10/27/peyton-hendershots-unique-blend-size-athleticism-big-tri-west-now-iu-next/92783956/ Bit of a fluff piece but interesting nonetheless.

http://indiana.247sports.com/Article/Freshman-forward-DeRon-Davis-having-to-adjust-quickly-at-Indiana-48545391 Alex McCarthy - Davis Having To Adjust Quickly As the case usually is with incoming freshmen, the transition to being his team’s go-to player to being just one of the guys was a bit jarring at first for De’Ron Davis. “I’ve never had a team like this before,” Davis said. “I’ve always been the man, so coming here and playing with all these highly talented players, it’s a blessing, first off. It’s a great opportunity for me to get better.” Davis, the highest rated player in this recruiting class according to the 247Sports Composite, has even more to get used to than the usual incoming freshman. Davis missed summer workouts when he was back home in Colorado finishing up academic requirements. He arrived just the day before classes began, and is doing what he can to catch up. He said he talks every day with strength and conditioning coach Lyonel Anderson and spends extra time doing conditioning drills whenever he can. He dealt with a bit of Achilles soreness (after an injury this summer) when he first arrived, but said he’s back to feeling 100 percent. Not only were the workouts immediately challenging, but his daily matchup in practice got much tougher. Davis, who stands 6-foot-10 and 240 pounds, goes up against sophomore center Thomas Bryant in practices. Davis said the daily challenge of facing one of the top big men in the Big Ten has been fun so far. “It’s crazy,” Davis said, his eyes widening. “I’ve never played against a highly talented big man like that every day. On the circuit you do, but not every day in practice. He’s pushing me and I’m pushing him, hopefully.” Bryant and other teammates such as sophomore forward OG Anunoby have been impressed thus far with the incoming players. Davis, along with incoming freshmen Grant Gelon, Devonte Green and Curtis Jones have apparently been asking numerous questions to coaches and players throughout practice, and junior college transfer Freddie McSwain has been doing the same. Anunoby said he spends more time with Jones and Davis than anyone else, and that he’s always willing to talk to them about issues on or off the court. His one message to them has been to play hard on the court, and they’ve apparently taken to that. “They’ve come along really well,” Anunoby said. “They all listen really well and work hard, so that helps.” Davis, the all-time Colorado leader in blocked shots, immediately made an impact in the scrimmage at Hoosier Hysteria this past weekend. Fellow newcomer Zach McRoberts drove to the basket on the first possession of the game, and Davis shifted over and blocked his shot. He kept the ball in bounds as well, allowing for his teammate to grab the loose ball and get the offense moving. Apart from that, Davis was mostly quiet in the scrimmage, especially on offense. Davis has had very little time to adjust to IU head coach Tom Crean’s offense and the speed of the players around him. Throughout his senior season at Aurora (Colorado) Overland High School, Davis was working to expand his game away from the basket. Ball-handling and perimeter shooting were large focuses for him. Now, those skills are becoming even more important, as Crean likes his players to be able to play any position, regardless of height. “Guards play the bigs’ positions, bigs play the guards’ positions,” Davis said. “Coach has it so we’re all interchangeable. Wherever coach wants me to be, I’m going to do it and do it to the best of my ability.”

Zach Osterman - Indianapolis Star IU's Collin Hartman 'doing everything possible' to play senior year http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/indiana/2016/10/27/ius-collin-hartman-doing-everything-possible-play-senior-year/92825860/

UConn as pre-season #1 - what are these crazy voters smokin'? LOL

Josh Eastern - Indiana Daily Student Defense will be important for IU women’s basketball’s progression Last season the IU women’s basketball program took a major step forward. The Hoosiers won over 20 games, thanks in large part to its undefeated, 14-0 record in Assembly Hall. Now, in IU Coach Teri Moren’s third season in Bloomington, the Hoosiers will look to keep that success going. This time, the stress will be on the defensive end of the floor. Moren and company will try to take that a step forward and are honing in on their defense to take them there. “The consistency factor we’re always looking for,” Moren said. “Having a veteran team helps with that area, especially with those young kids that are still getting used to our system defensively.” The Hoosiers are coming off a season in which they were fifth in the conference in scoring defense, giving up 68.0 points per game. Coming into this season, the team is picked to finish third by both the news media and the coaches. Not a whole lot has changed.The team lost just one player from last season and the way it goes about things on the floor shouldn’t drastically change. The Hoosiers play at a fast pace on offense and stress defense. “It’s not going to be any different than anything we’ve done in the past,” Moren said. “We just have to understand that every night is going to be a grind to win a game in the Big Ten and in our non-conference.” From the player’s point of view, junior guard Tyra Buss said she knows Moren stresses defense. The offense could look to improve after finishing ninth in the conference with 71.5 points per game. Defense is what will help IU take the next step. Buss said getting comfortable with what Coach Moren wants out of them will help the Hoosiers progress. “That’s one of Coach Moren’s biggest things is on the defensive end,” Buss said. “We’ve really done that in practices, kind of mixed up defenses a lot. Getting to know what we want from the defensive end and what she wants from us is what we’ve been trying to do.” Moren came into the program two seasons ago and changed the mentality. They went through growing pains in the first season finishing 15-16, but saw a significant improvement a season ago. What will help this team in 2016-17 is that there hasn’t been a whole lot of change. There hasn’t been much change on the floor nor with the philosophy. “Our mentality has always been, we said this when we got here, we were going to hang our hats on the defensive end and rebounding,” Moren said. “That philosophy hasn’t changed at all since we got here.”

NBCSports - College Basketball's Best Wings Forwards: http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2016/10/27/554157/ 6. O.G. Anunoby, Indiana: Anunoby is a tough player to rank on a list like this for a couple reasons. He’s a potential breakout star that didn’t post great numbers last season. His value lies in his ability to play a role more than his ability to score 20 in the Big Ten. He may be a better NBA prospect than a college player. But he’s also a 6-foot-8 defensive menace that can guard four positions, hit threes, get to the offensive glass and beat people off the dribble.

Ryan Corazza - 2016-2017 Player Profile: James Blackmon Jr. James Blackmon Jr. enters his junior campaign with a clean bill of health and a chip on his shoulder. “When you hear stuff like that, you want to show your best and I feel like I will do that this season,” Blackmon Jr. said at Big Ten media day about his response to the criticism he received for his defense in 2015-2016. That criticism was valid. Before a late December season-ending knee injury cut Blackmon Jr.’s sophomore campaign short, he struggled with positioning and awareness. Indiana’s overall defense was rough in the non-conference and Blackmon Jr. was one but one piece of its larger puzzle. And his exit from the lineup wasn’t the sole factor for Indiana’s turnaround on the defensive end of the court once the Hoosiers hit the thick of their Big Ten season. Still, Blackmon Jr. has something to prove. But he definitely seems aware of this and is up for the challenge. Where Blackmon Jr. doesn’t need to show marked improvement? His shooting. In the 13 games he played in last season, he made 50 percent of his 2s (36-of-72), 46.3 percent of his 3-pointers (37-of-80) and 85.2 percent of his free throws (23-of-27). Those high efficiency numbers on his 2s and 3s were good for an effective field goal percentage of 60.2, nearly 10 percent better than his freshman campaign (51.2). Blackmon Jr. came to Bloomington as a prolific scorer and he’s made good on that in his one and a half seasons of play. But with Yogi Ferrell gone and Indiana entering 2016-2017 looking for a playmaker by committee backcourt, Blackmon Jr. is going to be relied upon to evolve his offense game. He’ll need to make plays for others and himself, play on and off the ball and be a threat to score in transition both at the basket and beyond the 3-point line. And perhaps most importantly, when the shot clock is winding down and Indiana hasn’t found an advantage over the defense, can Blackmon Jr. create his own shot and bail the Hoosiers out,? Bottom Line: The keys for Blackmon Jr.’s junior campaign: make good on improving his defense and staying healthy. The offense should be there. After testing the NBA draft waters earlier this year, it’s possible this will be his last season in Bloomington—no matter what the draft boards say about his potential to get selected or not. Quotable: “Making the game simple, him getting better at moving without the ball, him being ready to shoot. Not everybody coming out and trying to show how much better they are at the things that they’ve worked at because they are. I mean, we have added some real skill. I have no doubt. But now we’ve got to transfer it to live, right, and the best way to do that is to make it as simple as possible.” – Tom Crean on Sept. 30.

Rick Pitino Isn’t Worried About Future NCAA Penalties So are those $100 bills in his jacket pocket for the NCAA or for Katina Powell's girls?

10.26.16 W / L Min. Pts. FG's 3's FT's Reb Asst Stls Blks TO's PF + / - Houston Gordon L 34 19 7-15 2-8 3-4 5 0 1 0 1 1 -14 Oklahoma Oladipo W 26 10 4-16 0-5 2-3 5 1 0 1 3 2 -5 Portland VonLeh No Game Memphis Williams W DNP Charlotte Zeller W 14 16 5-6 0-0 5-6 3 1 0 2 1 5 -3

CTC and son in Cleveland for game 2.

Vic and the OK Thunder open their season at Philly; game to be televised on ESPN at 8:00 ET