Old Friend

Don't take one second of that place for granted. It truly is special. Enjoy.

Indiana 94 PSU 57

Depends on what the original diagnosis was. Briuse? Strain? If something like hairline fracture or anything like a separation, I agree. If it was already torn/cracked and they didn't pick it up via MRI or other testing, it wouldn't have mattered and would have bothered him until he suffered whatever injury he did or had surgery.

I just heard from someone I trust (or "trust enough") that the injury that's now got him out is the same one he suffered from for a couple of weeks. It was always a collarbone/clavicle thing. He tried to play through it and obviously couldn't. Perhaps finished the job last week, but it had been hurting for a little while.

It baffles me....less with him, but still....how someone can reasonably and with a straight face, ask if we're supposed to wait and see before talking about anything positive, and inferring everything sucks until it doesn't. It's like he has the inability to learn from the "Fire Tom Allen" debacle. The "Fire Fred Glass" garbage from the last few years is just as bad. The best food doesn't cook in a microwave. Life tip from an old friend.

I'm way too ignorant and stubborn to avoid feeding the bear. I'm nothing if not proactive. But your point is well taken. =)

You could try looking at it from a different perspective that's not negative and critical. If you understand sports and how college programs are built, it's really not that difficult. There is one set of facts. Your perspective on those facts can be different; but the facts don't change. You almost always look at what's happened in the past and extrapolate those facts into what should drive future decisions or mindsets without taking into consideration what's really happened or happening. For example : Archie's team missed the post season in year one. Fact. And understood. But....that team also lost Deron Davis to an achilles injury, Hartman to a back injury, and played the season basically with a healthy Juwon Morgan as its only experienced post player. Another fact, Josh McRoberts was 5th on that team in minutes played. We relied on...Josh McRoberts. Another fact. Archie didn't have a single of his own recruits play even a minute that season. Another fact, Archie's philosophy is 180* different than Tom Crean's, and every player who played that season was recruited to play an offense first system, and Archie asked them to be defense first. In Archie's second season, Green lost 7 games with injury. Phinisee, who started really well, lost a month with a concussion (I know he only missed 3 games, but he wasn't right for at least a month). Race Thompson was out pretty much all season. Langford battled different injuries to his hand and his back (allegedly) all season. We had no depth, having Clifton Moore, Jake Forrester, McBob again, a slow and obviously unhealthy Davis, Damezi Anderson who wasn't yet ready, and Evan Fitzner. Check me if I'm wrong; but that's 9 of 14 players on last season's team that either missed time with injury, were incumbered by injury, or weren't ready or good enough to play last season. Archie jettisoned Moore and Forrester...good move. He has recruited 2 straight Indiana Mr. Basketball's..and likely has a 3rd straight already in the fold next season along with one of the fastest rising stars in high school in Geronimo; an athlete like we haven't seen since Oladipo. The current team got much better defensively a year ago toward the end of the season. Right now, there is no dead weight on the team as there has been for 2 seasons. The kids all (except poor Davis) look faster, bigger, and more confident and it doesn't take an expert to see how they played last night vs. how they have looked in year's 1 and 2. Recruiting is very solid if we agree Indiana needs to become experienced and stay that way. If you're an "I need my satisfaction RIGHT NOW!!!" guy, Indiana's not for you. They're not building it that way...regardless of what parameter you place on how YOU will define success this season. But...if you can see the forest through the trees, you'll easily see the trend is upward and by next season, I think you'll have your national contender. But..you have to be a little patient, and that's obviously very difficult for you. We could talk about stuff like that....but that would require a very different thought process from your typical "fire everyone because we aren't winning and everyone who's not winning to my standard sucks" mentality. In one man's opinion? You haven't yet earned the right to expect people to blindly trust your assessments of the state of IU sports, Still want to fire Tom Allen? Earlier this season when we lost to MSU, you wouldn't get off that hill. Sometimes, things need to play out, but you have to be able to see what's coming and what's happening...getting OFF of what happened and using THAT as the barometer for everything.

As I have said, he will surprise. His points will come, but he is a very capable basketball player. His length will be a problem for a lot of guards, and he's unselfish. People will really like him, I believe.

Is he even on the bench?

Justin Smith looks like he wants to play in the NBA soon. Completely different player.

8-1-1 so far

I'm sayin'!! I know a few people like to disagree with me, but I've been pretty consistent in my feelings for what's happening within this basketball program. The future is pretty damned positive.

That's because he is very, very slow. We're sort of seeing next year's team now and I'm ecstatic. Next season could be special....and I still say this season may be way better than some think.

That will keep us in a lot of games and travels well. Quickness meets length meets effort meets depth. That's a recipe.

Seriously...get a hand up!!

No...you're interpreting that because you have an almost unimaginable bias and inability to grasp the reality of the two. Indiana is limited with Ramsey, and that's not arguable with anyone except you. Ramsey's dad was all over Twitter defending him a year ago, but magically disappeared when he lost the job. I've never seen you two knuckleheads in the same place....hhmmmm...

I put us in that 4-6 range for a reason and agree with that. I think we're there now and on the way to a top tier team. My point is we're not there yet. We're not yet as good as the 3 teams I mentioned. I absolutely think we're in the next group; and I think next year's team has a chance to be top 10. My point is I hope people don't give up on Archie because he didn't win big right away. He never had the talent to win big right away, and injuries really hurt a year ago given the dead weight we had behind our top 6-7 players. That's not true now; and I suspect people will begin to see it unless they're looking for the flaws instead of the improvement.

My hope? That people keep expectations reasonable. There are some really good teams in the Big Ten. Michigan State is terrific, obviously....and we showed we can play at that level a year ago. Maryland's really good, as is Ohio State. Indiana - in my opinion - is in the next tier of 4-6 teams right now; but very much on the way up. Indiana is NOT a Big Ten champion yet. Indiana is NOT a 25-28+ win team...yet. Is Indiana an NCAA Tournament team? I think they are. I think the "experts" under value Indiana in part because nobody knows about Hunter yet and the freshmen are a bit under the radar. Jackson-Davis may be the most under-hyped Indiana Mr. Basketball since Justin Cage. Franklin is going to be a very good player....and I have said so for a while. We have depth for a change; and we have experience. I don't think Indiana is "there" yet, but I do think the trend is upward; and I want fans to have a modicum of patience. I think it's more than reasonable to expect improvement, and I firmly believe that will happen. We'll ultimately see what "improvement" means; but our aggregate is better this season than last; and chemistry is allegedly 180* better.

THAT is good intel and saves a headache. Thank you!

Alright...help me. I travel so much I rarely just sit down and watch TV. I frequently DVR games during the week; and I'm not at all savvy with new TV technology. I have ATT Uverse, and have generally been happy with it. But....it looks like I don't have access to IU Basketball for the first couple of games. Anyone have suggestion on how to watch just these two games without a major subscription commitment?

Ramsey is a great backup QB. If IU wants to do more than they did with him the two years he started, Penix offers a better opportunity to do that. Ramsey's limited ability (foot speed, escapability, arm strength, decision making on read option and check with me plays) was on full display. None shows on stat sheets, but the differences are pretty stark.

How exactly am I "wrong" for posting facts? That's funny enough. Because....the team rushed for 260 as well, so just maybe play calling had something to do with taking their foot off the gas. Maybe the team as a whole relaxed a bit because their opponent was bad and undermanned... I dunno'....I guess I don't cherry pick whatever single subjective and arbitrary thing happens to fit my argument and stick to it as if it's the end all be all and proves a point. That would be a narcissistic and very dumb way to make an argument. Then you go condescending on me, which we ALL know is the best way to defend a losing argument ("When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser." - Socrates) I've done the same and I get it; but I promise you I know what I'm looking at and I know what I'm talking about. I can also promise you don't. Your stupid posts about the eyeball test, as if nobody here except you has any idea what they're watching. A blind man can see the differences. Unless of course he has a man crush. So....answer my question. Man crush or complete blind ignorance? I asked you last spring to list where I've been wrong and I'm still waiting. You're all keyboard and everybody knows it. Keep it coming.

Understood. I merely pointed out the differences. Penix's abilities and skills open up more things and give IU a chance to do more an be more productive. All I'm saying and all I ever said. Indiana is limited w Ramsey. Not that he's bad, but if the goal is to beat the top teams, that won't happen with Ramsey. It is more possible w Penix.

If they were going to sell eventually, and they were, this is the perfect scenario. I would imagine very little about the Indy 500 will change, and there are some incredible leaders (Doug Boles, Mark Miles, Allison Mellangton) working in that organization who, if given the freedom to do so, will take that event and that sport to another level. An end of an era to be sure, but the people are in place to blow that thing out of the water.

Quicker release, generally quicker downfield decisions (or an ability to make those throws when Ramsey second guesses his ability to do so), bigger, stronger, faster. That's why Penix is a better player, and none of that shows up on any stat sheet. Ramsey is fine. Penix is better. The eyeball test DOES actually work; as was mentioned above.