Old Friend

Indiana gets lucky bounces and figures it out Indiana 33 Turtles 27

UM 45 IU 7

That's fun. I love when schools like Norwell get on a run. Chatard is a dioscese school and doesn't recruit like Cathedral or Brebeuf. Just a bunch of CYO kids who are well coached. This team is very beatable.....but by 9 days from now will also have played 3 top 100 teams in the country (Cathedral, Christian Brothers, Elder). If strength of schedule helps, they'll be a tough out. Lost their tailback 3 weeks ago, though.

I love that and good for Norwell. Chatard has played an incredible schedule and ends the season with Cincinnati Elder. If Norwell can throw it, they have a legit chance to win. Chatard's DB's have struggled. They (Chatard) will be much better next season than they are now. If that game is played and at your place, I think it'll be close.

Michigan 47 Indiana 13

Where are Norwell's strengths? Weaknesses? Will you have anything for Bishop Chatard in the semi state? Sagarin shows Norwell's SOS @ 147 right now, Chatard's at 19.

Tom Allen has not had his team ready to play to start a game since about week 8 of 2020. He's just not a good college head coach. Rah Rah and a catch phrase aren't enough.

Indiana 34 Nebraska 20

Indiana 27 WKU 23

Indiana 44 Idaho 13

Illinois 27 Indiana 17 I hope I'm wrong, but Tom Allen has to prove he can coach. Illinois won 38-0 last week....and Indiana has a relatively inexperienced offense. I hope I'm wrong.

Bates doesn't even look like the same kid

Is that true? Has he really been compared to Durant?? This kid isn't even close to Jaren Jackson, let alone Durant. Lots of hype, some obvious potential; but jeesh?? Kevin Durant?? No. Not even a relevant comparison except for the way they are physically built. I'm built like Quentin Nelson. But......

Have been close enough to him on the floor and in the community to say this with comfort. My stance on him has softened to be sure. A year ago, I was hard in the "we do not need or want this kid" camp. I didn't think he had any ability to help a Big Ten basketball program until at least 2-3 years down the road and I thought he was a soft player. I think he's improved since then, and I guess I'd say he's an okay addition, but I also still believe Indiana will be just fine if he goes somewhere else.

Although my stance on him has softened, I still say he's not a kid we'll miss if he chooses to go to school elsewhere.

Like I said, I couldn't care less what anyone here thinks, but at least be fair. I'm willing to bet (speaking of straw men....the irony) most of us have NOT driven 90MPH on a street like Walnut, and you completely ignore the felony side of this as if what happened was a simple traffic ticket. Most of us have not evaded police nor tried to throw someone else under the bus to take our bullet when we drive 55+ MPH over the posted speed limit on a road with residences and businesses on it. But hey...he's just a college kid. We've all done stupid things. Whatever. It's also not his first arrest since he's been in college, although it IS his first felony. He was just suspended 7 weeks ago. At what point is enough....enough? And Chris, the racial component is also a straw man argument. None of what happened as documented in any charges happened AFTER the police knew what color he was. It was dark and he was in a black car. No way to see who was driving nor who was trying to evade. It was about what the driver did and how he behaved, Not what color he was. Say what you will about the Bloomington police. I don't see anything racial about this. That can be true and I get it, but he was never pulled over nor identified until well after the documented events which led to charges had occurred. It could have been the Cookie Monster for all they knew.

I'm not here much anymore, so I couldn't care less if this is popular or not. You can have the transfer portal. I've seen enough. Stewart's trouble and it seems to find him on a regular basis. Durr lasted a single season before he bolted. Johnson makes really bad decisions (which are consistently tolerated) on the floor, and apparently dumber ones off of it. He was suspended 7 weeks ago. Didn't learn a thing. Obviously has no respect for the program, his coaches, or his team mates. He displayed horrible character trying to change seats with the other kid. Regarding Woodson's marijuana episode, the ones who admitted to it stayed. The ones who lied were kicked off. Johnson essentially tried to lie to a cop. I see some here saying "he needs some parenting/coaching," etc. From who? Woodson? He clearly doesn't respect Woodson. Or the kid he tried to throw under the bus. This isn't a simple "mistake." I also see here some telling others to stop playing judge and jury....but to those with that stance? The facts are out. He was driving 90 MPH on Walnut. What if he'd hit someone a la Henry Ruggs? He then tried to evade police and THEN switched seats with another kid trying to cover his a$$. No. This is not a "mistake." It's another error judgement, this time far more dangerous. It's a disrespectful act toward law enforcement and toward his team. Nobody's playing judge and jury. Facts are facts and this will never go to "court." Xavier will not have his "day" in court. He was driving 90 MPH on Walnut and evaded police while throwing another kid under the bus. And "trouble" was in the back seat. Those facts have been substantively accepted and people are very much allowed to opine on them without the "we live in an innocent until proven guilty" country. Yes we do. But if you think this is some Perry Mason TV show where Johnson can get off with a slick lawyer and via technicality, stop watching cop shows. He IS guilty. I have seen the race card played. You know...racist cops who somehow were supposed to know (in the dark and a black car) that the driver was an African American man. Nope. That's not the case, either. No. This is a kid who's been a loose cannon since he got here,. Yes he helped win a few basketball games. He also helped lose a few with bad decisions, and he's proving that's just who he is. Some can make excuses for him. You can say "give him a break. He's just a kid who made a mistake." He played that hand in Chicago. Not this time. He needs to go, and I don't care one bit if Indiana loses a few games because of it. I care far more about the culture of the program and the long term. When you're a college athlete on a scholarship, the expectations placed on you, and the responsibility given you are far greater than normal college kids. Some "kid." This cat's 22 1/2 years old. Nobody should cover for, apologize for, or excuse this. He was arrested. 7 weeks after he was suspended. He tried to run from it. Tried to let another kid take the bullet for him. Learned not one thing from his suspension. Indiana is either a blue blood program or we're just another garbage team that tolerates garbage behavior and allows kids to disrespect the uniform they wear time and time again. Someone else can have the transfer portal. And someone else can have Xavier Johnson. I'm sure Woodson will bring him back and cite Knight's doing so for him. That's predictable. But in 2 weeks, Woodson has lost by 30 in the round of 64, lost 4 players and 2 coaches....meanwhile throwing one of THOSE under the bus. It seems to run in the family. If I'm Scott Dolson, I'm thinking long and hard about "institutional control," and calling Mike Woodson on the carpet immediately. Have at me. I know it's coming. Maybe I said what some think. But I know some will vehemently disagree, and to those I'll point to 22 years of tolerating crap from this program and what do we have to show for it?

He makes losing plays at the end of games. IU beat good teams when others played well. Phinisee against Purdue. (X had a nice game) TJD against Ohio State (X had 2 points). TJD against Notre Dame (X was 3-11 from the floor w 4 turnovers) TJD and Race against St. John's (X had 8 points, but 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, and only played 19 minutes He's good enough to keep a team in a game, but still averages almost 3 TO's every game and shoots !~ 33% on the road. Both good and bad can be and ARE true. He has not been the primary reason Indiana has beaten a single good team all season, but he HAS been a primary reason they've lost a few games..

Are we happy being "close" all of a sudden? I'm not.

My point. We don't have many. Read "The Power of Negative Thinking." You'll understand what I'm saying immediately,

Didn't say he was the only one. Who on Indiana's roster has ever won anything? Stewart sure hasn't and he's terrible in the clutch. Johnson is really good, but doesn't know how to win and is mistake prone at the end of close games. That's just truth.

Irrelevant. He is not a winning player. He helped get IU into winning position, then made losing plays which prevented the opportunity to win. Games are not always "won." They sometimes are "lost." He lost us the game with mistakes late, and it's now happened 3 times.

He is wretched in the clutch. 2 TO's, a forced fade away jumper, and that garbage at the end in the last 120 seconds. Kids who don't have any idea how to win will not ever win close games. As solid as he was, he's not a winner. Not yet, anyway. He's got plenty of "good," but his "bad" has cost IU at least 3 games, including this one.

He isn't as good as Tim Priller. We do not want this kid. This is a recording.

You still have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, do you? Well done making a blanket argument just so you could refute it. That's cool. It's as predictable as the sunrise for you.