RaceToTheTop

But Justin Smith didn't get any better toward the end of the year when Brunk wasn't playing much. In the last 9 games of the year, Brunk averaged under 13 minutes per game. Smith had 30 minutes per game and averaged 8.2 points and 4 1/2 rebounds. What I saw from Smith was an increasingly disinterested player. In his last 14 games, he never scored more than 13 points and only scored double digits four times. So what is he supposed to do? I'd go with show effort. I'd go with not tell team mates to "**** off" when they tell him to go up stronger.

I do wonder...offensively, what is the correct way to use him? He's been a poor man's Troy Williams at best. At least Troy actually developed enough of a perimeter game that he needed guarded. Three years into his career, Smith is 20 of 80 from three. His best spot is offensively is to be an athletic 4 in today's game, looking to take less athletic 4's off the dribble. But he seems to be 100% against taking that role.

Games above simmed. Next set: Penn State at Iowa Michigan State at Maryland Indiana at Illinois Michigan at Ohio State Northwestern at Nebraska Minnesota at Wisconsin

https://www.si.com/college/indiana/basketball/indiana-justin-smith-20-teams-interested-transfer Lots of teams have reached out to Justin. Four big ten teams: Purdue (ugh), Illinois, Northwestern, and Maryland. He actually looks kind of like a fit with Purdue with Eastern's departure....could immediately fill in for what Eastern did as he was a guy that didn't really play a set position and was tasked with guarding the other team's best athlete.

Just my hot take and from what someone had said earlier....Justin wanted to play the 2 (LOL) and Archie wanted him to play the 4, so the 3 he played last year was kind of a compromise. Justin had some leverage because of our lack of depth. Entering this year, IMO we have enough other options at the 3 and a year seeing how a Smith/TJD/Brunk or Smith/Thompson/TJD trio simply clogs this that Miller needed to have Smith play the 4 if he was help the team the most. I don't think Smith wanted to do so nor do I think that Archie was willing to give him any guarantees about playing other than the 4....

Those minutes that Al Durham was supposed to lose? I see a lot of Al at the 3 in a three guard lineup.

Games from above simmed. Upcoming games: Nebraska at Illinois Iowa at Michigan State Rutgers at Penn State Maryland at Minnesota Wisconsin at Michigan Indiana at Purdue Illinois at Northwestern Ohio State at Nebraska

Looks to be a guy that would come in certain two tight-end, run play sets. Definitely need some depth in those situations.

Games above simmed. Upcoming games: Michigan at Purdue Penn State at Indiana Rutgers at Wisconsin Minnesota at Northwestern Maryland at Ohio State

Games above simmed. Upcoming: Illinois at Penn State Purdue at Wisconsin Northwestern at Maryland Michigan at Rutgers Indiana at Minnesota Ohio State at Iowa Michigan State at Nebraska

Games above simmed. Upcoming games: Purdue at Ohio State Northwestern at Penn State Wisconsin at Nebraska Illinois at Rutgers Maryland at Michigan State Indiana at Michigan Iowa at Minnesota

Games above have been simmed. Upcoming games: Penn State at Purdue Nebraska at Maryland Michigan State at Illinois Rutgers at Ohio State Michigan at Northwestern Iowa at Indiana

Above set of games all done. Next few upcoming games: Michigan State at Michigan Purdue at Indiana Minnesota at Penn State Nebraska at Iowa Ohio State at Wisconsin Northwestern at Rutgers

More games posted. I am just adding on games to the box score sheet so more than a week's worth of games are there. You can check the scores out there as well as standings and stats. For those of you not in the league, here is a summary. Very interesting conference race. Standings: Michigan State 9-3 Purdue 8-3 Iowa 8-3 Rutgers 8-4 Penn State 7-4 Illinois 7-4 Indiana 7-4 Michigan 5-6 Maryland 4-7 Wisconsin 4-7 Northwestern 2-9 Minnesota 2-9 Nebraska 0-10 Indiana (coached by LCS) stats: Starters: Jackson--Davis 28 minutes per game, 15.4 ppg, 8.9 reb, 1.7 ast. Shooting 63% from the field. Green 28.1 minutes per game, 11.7 ppg, 3.7 reb, 2.1 ast (also 2.1 to). Shooting 40% and 36% from three. Al Durham 27.8 minutes per game, 10.4 ppg, 1.4 reb, 2.1 ast. Shooting 49% but only 22% from three Smith 31.4 minutes per game, 8.5 ppg, 3.9 reb, 1.4 apg. Only shooting 39%. Phinisee 25.9 minutes per game, 6.5 ppg, 3.7 reb, 3.3 apg. Only shooting 35% BENCH Brunk 20.1 minutes per game, 6 ppg, 5.2 reb, 0.9 apg. Shooting 48% Hunter 15.2 minutes per game, 3.4 ppg, 2.2 reb, 0.5 apg. Shooting 29% Thompson 12.5 minutes per game, 5.6 ppg, 6.5 reb, 0.7 apg. Shooting 57% Franklin 9.7 minutes per game, 3 ppg, 1.2 reb, 0.4 apg. Shooting 37% Davis 3.4 minutes per game, 0.9 ppg, 0.8 reb, 0.1 apg. Shooting 40%.

815 cases in Indiana today....second highest daily number reported in Indiana. And it wasn’t the Cass county inglux that bumped it that high....their total was in the 80s. 55 deaths reported as well.

Honest feedback would be that he's not an NBA player at any position and that he's a college 4.

IMO, guys that redshirt and then stick around for four years are unicorns....I don’t think it occurs enough to use it as a strategy. And with the new transfer rules coming up, I really think even less of it.

So that's Eastern and Haarms gone. Someone still needs to explain to me what in the Hell Painter was doing when he decided that Brandon Newman needed to be redshirted last year.

I have a feeling you won't see Justin Smith and Joey Brunk combining for 50 minutes/game. Some of those minutes are going to trickle down. Justin Smith is a college 4 because he can't shoot.

More games posted.

IF Lander isn't able to reclassify, could use someone to spell RP. If not, getting a limited minute grad spot up shooter wouldn't be the worst thing to have around.

More games getting simmed and new link to this week's box scores. Standings and stats https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RcUZOBBDFUrhDCu9hUsV7oi_WQnPTELJgWiayJ42KJk/edit Week five box scores https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-Q1SO_8cw-m4-daDoDwk6NzC_mxdDqrKQmrKe7SxqFc/edit?usp=sharing

I know that IU had already moved away from requiring the SAT or ACT for admission....and that wasn't a pandemic issue.

Posted this in the corona thread, but Brandon Newman’s father died from corona yesterday. He was a 59 year old highly decorated police officer.

Rutgers at Iowa, Penn State at Michigan, and Michigan State at Indiana simmed. Race getting very interesting.