IndyHutch

UPDATE: Here is a release that came from IU Media Relations today.... BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana head football coach Kevin Wilson announced on Wednesday the signing of 21 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to play for the Hoosiers in 2016. IU signed 12 offensive players, seven defensive players and two athletes. The Hoosiers added four offensive linemen, two quarterbacks, two running backs, two tight ends and two wide receivers on offense, and five defensive backs and two defensive linemen on defense. The class features players from nine different states, including six from Ohio, four from Florida, three from Texas, two from Indiana, two from Georgia, one from Illinois, one from Maryland, one from Mississippi and one from New York. Quarterback Richard Lagow (Plano, Texas/Plano H.S./Cisco (Texas) C.C.) and defensive back Jayme Thompson (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic H.S./Iowa Western C.C.) enrolled in classes this semester and will participate in spring practice. “We are very pleased with this class,” Wilson said. “The coaches did a great job building relationships. There is a lot of trust and communication that goes into recruiting, and we did some good work. Over the last couple of years, the majority of our classes featured players on the defensive side of the ball. We are counting on those players - Jonathan Crawford, Leon Thornton III, Andre Brown, Jr., Tegray Scales, Jacob Robinson and Robert McCray III - to contribute big time next year. You are always recruiting a year or two ahead, and this year was a little more offensive oriented. There are some great defensive players in this class, very good defensive backs, an active defensive end in Allen Stallings IV, and an active guy up front in Jerome Johnson. But the bulk of this class was offensive line and skill guys. As we move on down the line, we expect them to be ready to step up and play for us.” NOTE: The following was the original story that was posted Wednesday morning... The 2016 Indiana University Football signing class is up to 20 names as of 10 a.m. this morning. Here’s the list that includes a former Michigan commit at running back in Kiante Enis, a highly touted junior college quarterback in Richard Lagow, a 4-star athlete in Jonah Morris who was named the No. 1 athlete in the Midwest by Scout.com, a 4-star in-state get in OL Coy Cronk from Lafayette Central Catholic, and several other interesting pickups. The breakdown by position was five defensive backs, four offensive linemen, two each at tight end, running back, defensive line, quarterback and athlete, and one wide receiver. Here’s a look at the complete list as of now. There could be a few last signees still to come: Marcelino Ball DB 6-0 200 Roswell, Ga. (Roswell H.S.) Phil Benker WR 6-2 195 Jacksonville, Fla. (Sandalwood H.S.) Shaun Bonner TE 6-3 250 Moultrie, Ga. (Colquitt County H.S.) Khalil Bryant DB 5-10 200 Jacksonville, Fla. (First Coast H.S.) Coy Cronk OL 6-5 278 Lafayette, Ind. (Lafayette Central Catholic H.S.) Brandon Drayton DB 6-2 170 Largo, Fla. (Largo H.S.) Kiante Enis RB 6-2 205 Saratoga, Ind. (Winchester Community H.S.) Cole Gest RB 5-8 197 Lyndhurst, Ohio (St. Edward H.S.) Jerome Johnson DL 6-3 295 Bassfield, Miss. (Bassfield H.S.) Richard Lagow QB 6-6 240 Plano, Texas (Plano H.S./Cisco (Texas) C.C.) Jonah Morris ATH 6-4 200 Akron, Ohio (Archbishop Hoban H.S.) Tyler Natee ATH 6-0 260 Euless, Texas (Trinity H.S.) Mackenzie Nworah OL 6-4 305 Houston, Texas (Manvel H.S.) Peyton Ramsey QB 6-2 190 Cincinnati, Ohio (Elder H.S.) A'Shon Riggins DB 6-0 162 Hamilton, Ohio (Hamilton H.S.) Ryan Smith OL 6-5 280 Loveland, Ohio (Moeller H.S.) Allen Stallings IV DL 6-2 230 Maywood, Ill. (Oak Park and River Forest H.S.) Grayson Stover OL 6-6 295 Spring Hill, Fla. (Hudson H.S.) Ian Thomas TE 6-5 225 Baltimore, Md. (Digital Harbor H.S./Nassau (N.Y.) C.C.) Jayme Thompson DB 6-2 195 Toledo, Ohio (Central Catholic H.S./Iowa Western C.C.)

UPDATE: Here are the 21 players who signed with Indiana today. UPDATE: Here is a release that came from IU Media Relations today.... BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana head football coach Kevin Wilson announced on Wednesday the signing of 21 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to play for the Hoosiers in 2016. IU signed 12 offensive players, seven defensive players and two athletes. The Hoosiers added four offensive linemen, two quarterbacks, two running backs, two tight ends and two wide receivers on offense, and five defensive backs and two defensive linemen on defense. The class features players from nine different states, including six from Ohio, four from Florida, three from Texas, two from Indiana, two from Georgia, one from Illinois, one from Maryland, one from Mississippi and one from New York. Quarterback Richard Lagow (Plano, Texas/Plano H.S./Cisco (Texas) C.C.) and defensive back Jayme Thompson (Toledo, Ohio/Central Catholic H.S./Iowa Western C.C.) enrolled in classes this semester and will participate in spring practice. “We are very pleased with this class,” Wilson said. “The coaches did a great job building relationships. There is a lot of trust and communication that goes into recruiting, and we did some good work. Over the last couple of years, the majority of our classes featured players on the defensive side of the ball. We are counting on those players - Jonathan Crawford, Leon Thornton III, Andre Brown, Jr., Tegray Scales, Jacob Robinson and Robert McCray III - to contribute big time next year. You are always recruiting a year or two ahead, and this year was a little more offensive oriented. There are some great defensive players in this class, very good defensive backs, an active defensive end in Allen Stallings IV, and an active guy up front in Jerome Johnson. But the bulk of this class was offensive line and skill guys. As we move on down the line, we expect them to be ready to step up and play for us.”   NOTE: The following was the original story that was posted Wednesday morning...   The 2016 Indiana University Football signing class is up to 20 names as of 10 a.m. this morning.   Here’s the list that includes a former Michigan commit at running back in Kiante Enis, a highly touted junior college quarterback in Richard Lagow, a 4-star athlete in Jonah Morris who was named the No. 1 athlete in the Midwest by Scout.com, a 4-star in-state get in OL Coy Cronk from Lafayette Central Catholic, and several other interesting pickups.   The breakdown by position was five defensive backs, four offensive linemen, two each at tight end, running back, defensive line, quarterback and athlete, and one wide receiver.   Here’s a look at the complete list as of now. There could be a few last signees still to come:   Marcelino Ball DB 6-0 200 Roswell, Ga. (Roswell H.S.) Phil Benker WR 6-2 195 Jacksonville, Fla. (Sandalwood H.S.) Shaun Bonner TE 6-3 250 Moultrie, Ga. (Colquitt County H.S.) Khalil Bryant DB 5-10 200 Jacksonville, Fla. (First Coast H.S.) Coy Cronk OL 6-5 278 Lafayette, Ind. (Lafayette Central Catholic H.S.) Brandon Drayton DB 6-2 170 Largo, Fla. (Largo H.S.) Kiante Enis RB 6-2 205 Saratoga, Ind. (Winchester Community H.S.) Cole Gest RB 5-8 197 Lyndhurst, Ohio (St. Edward H.S.) Jerome Johnson DL 6-3 295 Bassfield, Miss. (Bassfield H.S.) Richard Lagow QB 6-6 240 Plano, Texas (Plano H.S./Cisco (Texas) C.C.) Jonah Morris ATH 6-4 200 Akron, Ohio (Archbishop Hoban H.S.) Tyler Natee ATH 6-0 260 Euless, Texas (Trinity H.S.) Mackenzie Nworah OL 6-4 305 Houston, Texas (Manvel H.S.) Peyton Ramsey QB 6-2 190 Cincinnati, Ohio (Elder H.S.) A'Shon Riggins DB 6-0 162 Hamilton, Ohio (Hamilton H.S.) Ryan Smith OL 6-5 280 Loveland, Ohio (Moeller H.S.) Allen Stallings IV DL 6-2 230 Maywood, Ill. (Oak Park and River Forest H.S.) Grayson Stover OL 6-6 295 Spring Hill, Fla. (Hudson H.S.) Ian Thomas TE 6-5 225 Baltimore, Md. (Digital Harbor H.S./Nassau (N.Y.) C.C.) Jayme Thompson DB 6-2 195 Toledo, Ohio (Central Catholic H.S./Iowa Western C.C.) [url=https://btownbanners.com/page/index.html/_/football/news-notes/update-iu-signs-21-in-football-class-of-2016-r304]Click here to view the article[/url]

  And yet IU had two competitive games with Minnesota. Sometimes you scratch your head.

One thing I've noticed about the Big Ten this year as compared to a few years recently is that it's just not as good top to bottom as it has been. I know that's a Mr. Obvious point by the way. But there are some teams at the bottom of the pack that you just have to beat. The interesting thing tough is that I would include Illinois in that group and somehow that team beat Purdue and that still makes no sense at all to me.

  I like your Penn State salad comment. As you say, hopefully it is something that is digested very quickly before we get to the meat.

Again, I'm working on a book project and one of the chapters of it will be to feature the best Indiana Basketball mancaves around the country.   Do you have one?  Do you know of one? If so, get me some details and some contact information on how I could talk to somebody about it. If you want to send me pictures, do so at Terry_Hutchens@yahoo.com.   This could be a basement mancave, it could be a room in someone's house dedicated to IU basketball, it could be a converted garage, I'm not picky. I want to find the best IU basketball shrines in the country.   Look forward to your responses. Thanks for all the feedback on the IU Bucket List thread, too.

  I would agree on the Wat Shot and obviously the celebration that ensued and left me trapped in the media area unable to get back to the locker room for more than 30 minutes. It was bedlam. The moment that I remember, though, that rivaled the Wat Shot in terms of Assembly Hall intensity was when Marco Killingsworth had that thundering slam dunk against Duke in the ACC/Big Ten and it just about blew the roof off. It was crazy. I've often said that if Killingsworth would have been able to go pro after that game that he would be a lottery pick.

Picture this scenario for a moment. It will be a little difficult but imagine if you were a Big Ten basketball fan tonight but not rooting for the Indiana Hoosiers. Imagine what that faction of the conference basketball population was thinking when it tuned in to the opening tip between Indiana and Michigan at right around 9:10 p.m. ET. They were all thinking the same thing: That Indiana was about to be delivered a slice of humble pie. Once and for all, they all believed, Indiana’s early Big Ten schedule was going to be shown for what it was and Michigan was going to bring Indiana back down to reality. Now, imagine what those same people were thinking when the Wolverines jumped out to a 15-4 lead. Everything was clicking for the home team and the Hoosiers looked a little out of sorts. Non-IU Big Ten fans were fist-pumping each other and patting themselves on the back. This one was about to get ugly and they were going to enjoy every minute of it. If they were following many IU fans on Twitter, they had to be enjoying those comments, too. People weren’t happy in IU Nation early. And then it all changed very quickly. Indiana finished the first half on a 25-0 run. From the time it was 15-4, IU finished on a 41-9 run. And just like that, non-IU Big Ten fans sunk down in their sofas. Opposing teams in the title hunt couldn’t believe what they were seeing. But to all of the doubters, Indiana served notice Tuesday night. It was just one game, but it was an IU basketball statement game. And that statement, loudly trumpeted for most of the night, is that Indiana is a legitimate Big Ten title contender. In Tuesday’s 80-67 victory (that was much more lopsided than the final score indicated) the Hoosiers came in to the Crisler Center and pushed the Wolverines around like they had never experienced before this season. At one point IU led by 27 in the second half, the largest deficit the Wolverines had faced this season. This was a Michigan team that was 11-1 at home and 4-0 at home in conference play. The conference wins had come against Maryland, Rutgers, Penn State and Minnesota. Michigan’s only home loss on the season had been to Xavier – until the Hoosiers took it to them Tuesday night. This was a Michigan team that had won four in a row and five of the last six. It was a Michigan program that went into Tuesday night’s game completely expecting to finish the night in a tie with Indiana with 8-2 conference records. Instead, the Wolverines fell to two games behind the conference leading Hoosiers. Seth Greenberg said at halftime on the ESPN Halftime Show that one thing was clear with this Indiana group: They’re fun to watch. And he’s right. Indiana is playing defense like we certainly didn’t see early in the year. The Hoosiers are playing really well in transition and when they look like they did tonight, you have to think they can play with anyone in the Big Ten. But most of all, Indiana fans will agree on one thing: This team is fun to watch. It’s fun to watch OG Anunoby grow up before our eyes. The same is true with Thomas Bryant. How much do you think Michigan fans wish that Max Bielfeldt was playing for the Wolverines? Yogi Ferrell is clearly playing his best basketball of his Indiana career. And you have to love the contributions you’re getting from a player like Collin Hartman. He just does it all. It’s a win that Indiana needs to build on. The Hoosiers are now 9-1 in the Big Ten and will be at Penn State on Saturday. That’s a potential trap game especially with Iowa coming to Assembly Hall for a potential battle of the top teams in the Big Ten next Thursday. Indiana has a chance to go into that game with a 20-4 overall record and a 10-1 mark in conference play. If IU can beat Penn State on the road, the Hoosiers would improve to 5-1 away from Assembly Hall in Big Ten play this season. That’s only going to help them on Selection Sunday. Now, forget about imagining what it feels like to be a non-IU Big Ten basketball fan tonight and head back to reality which is you’re proud to be a Hoosier. And proud about something else, too – This is a fun team to watch.

There is a lot to like with OG's game. I like the fact the seems to be a lunch pail guy, too. Someone who is willing to work hard, play defense, move toward the ball, and find ways to impact the game. That is all instincts more than anything else and he has that. I have no idea how long he'll be at IU but from the looks of his first 10 Big Ten games it's going to be fun to watch him as long as he's here.

This was supposed to have been a reality check game for Indiana Basketball. Instead, the Hoosiers turned it into a statement game. And that statement was that these Hoosiers are for real. Picture this scenario for a moment.   It will be a little difficult but imagine if you were a Big Ten basketball fan tonight but not rooting for the Indiana Hoosiers.   Imagine what that faction of the conference basketball population was thinking when it tuned in to the opening tip between Indiana and Michigan at right around 9:10 p.m. ET.   They were all thinking the same thing: That Indiana was about to be delivered a slice of humble pie.   Once and for all, they all believed, Indiana’s early Big Ten schedule was going to be shown for what it was and Michigan was going to bring Indiana back down to reality.   Now, imagine what those same people were thinking when the Wolverines jumped out to a 15-4 lead. Everything was clicking for the home team and the Hoosiers looked a little out of sorts.   Non-IU Big Ten fans were fist-pumping each other and patting themselves on the back. This one was about to get ugly and they were going to enjoy every minute of it. If they were following many IU fans on Twitter, they had to be enjoying those comments, too. People weren’t happy in IU Nation early.   And then it all changed very quickly. Indiana finished the first half on a 25-0 run. From the time it was 15-4, IU finished on a 41-9 run. And just like that, non-IU Big Ten fans sunk down in their sofas. Opposing teams in the title hunt couldn’t believe what they were seeing.   But to all of the doubters, Indiana served notice Tuesday night.   It was just one game, but it was an IU basketball statement game. And that statement, loudly trumpeted for most of the night, is that Indiana is a legitimate Big Ten title contender.   In Tuesday’s 80-67 victory (that was much more lopsided than the final score indicated) the Hoosiers came in to the Crisler Center and pushed the Wolverines around like they had never experienced before this season. At one point IU led by 27 in the second half, the largest deficit the Wolverines had faced this season.   This was a Michigan team that was 11-1 at home and 4-0 at home in conference play. The conference wins had come against Maryland, Rutgers, Penn State and Minnesota. Michigan’s only home loss on the season had been to Xavier – until the Hoosiers took it to them Tuesday night.   This was a Michigan team that had won four in a row and five of the last six. It was a Michigan program that went into Tuesday night’s game completely expecting to finish the night in a tie with Indiana with 8-2 conference records. Instead, the Wolverines fell to two games behind the conference leading Hoosiers.   Seth Greenberg said at halftime on the ESPN Halftime Show that one thing was clear with this Indiana group: They’re fun to watch.   And he’s right. Indiana is playing defense like we certainly didn’t see early in the year. The Hoosiers are playing really well in transition and when they look like they did tonight, you have to think they can play with anyone in the Big Ten.   But most of all, Indiana fans will agree on one thing: This team is fun to watch.   It’s fun to watch OG Anunoby grow up before our eyes. The same is true with Thomas Bryant. How much do you think Michigan fans wish that Max Bielfeldt was playing for the Wolverines? Yogi Ferrell is clearly playing his best basketball of his Indiana career. And you have to love the contributions you’re getting from a player like Collin Hartman. He just does it all.   It’s a win that Indiana needs to build on. The Hoosiers are now 9-1 in the Big Ten and will be at Penn State on Saturday. That’s a potential trap game especially with Iowa coming to Assembly Hall for a potential battle of the top teams in the Big Ten next Thursday.   Indiana has a chance to go into that game with a 20-4 overall record and a 10-1 mark in conference play. If IU can beat Penn State on the road, the Hoosiers would improve to 5-1 away from Assembly Hall in Big Ten play this season. That’s only going to help them on Selection Sunday.   Now, forget about imagining what it feels like to be a non-IU Big Ten basketball fan tonight and head back to reality which is you’re proud to be a Hoosier.   And proud about something else, too – This is a fun team to watch. [url=https://btownbanners.com/page/index.html/_/basketball/analysis/analysis-it-was-a-bad-night-to-be-a-non-iu-big-r303]Click here to view the article[/url]

  People forget that Calbert was probably the least-heralded player in that class. 

As one my students, Will DeWitt, tweeted tonight, you can't have OMG without OG.

I think if most people had told you that Indiana basketball would be 8-1 at the halfway point of the 2016 Big Ten season that most people would have been okay with that. Actually, everyone would have been okay with that. It would especially be true if you also knew that eight games into the season Indiana was 5-3 and had just really struggled on the road in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Duke in a blowout loss. If you also added the facts that the Hoosiers had won 13 of their last 14 games to reach that 8-1 lofty perch, everyone would have agreed they would have taken that any time. Not to mention that at 8-1, Indiana would be in first place in the Big Ten (by a half game over Iowa) and ranked in the Associated Press top 20 by the end of January. Oh and don’t forget the Hoosiers have won 18 of their first 22 games. And with 18 wins, there are only a couple of teams in the nation that have more wins than IU and those teams have 19. Make no mistake about it, Indiana basketball is in a great place at 18-4 overall and 8-1 in the Big Ten. So why do Indiana basketball fans have an uneasy feeling in their stomachs entering the month of February? The reality is that many IU basketball fans are waiting for that other shoe to drop. And it’s completely understandable following IU’s narrow 74-68 victory over Minnesota Saturday at Assembly Hall. This was a Minnesota team that was 0-9 in the Big Ten heading into Saturday’s matchup and was ripe for the upset. And that game came on the heels of Tuesday’s night tough overtime loss at Wisconsin when the Hoosiers were handed their first conference loss. The reality is that fans have short memories. They forget that a week ago, Indiana was sitting there at 7-0 in the Big Ten having just defeated back-to-back Big Ten opponents by more than 30 points. In those two games, Indiana made 32 of 64 3-point field goals and looked like world beaters. No, with college basketball, and rightfully so, it is what have you done for me lately? And lately (the last two games) was not nearly as much fun. All of a sudden here came last week where the shots stopped falling. In two games last week against Wisconsin and Minnesota, the Hoosiers were 9 of 34 from beyond the 3-point arc. They were 2 of 18 Sunday against Minnesota in a building where they usually shoot really well. And face it, when you make 23 less 3-pointers in a two-game stretch than you did in the previous two, you’re not going to look nearly as unbeatable as you once did. The elephant in the room for Indiana is its Big Ten schedule to date. Indiana has played Minnesota twice, Wisconsin twice, Rutgers, Nebraska, Ohio State, Illinois and Northwestern. Those teams have a combined Big Ten record of 19-42. Or another way of looking at it: Indiana has yet to play five teams that are a combined 33-12 in Big Ten play, a group that includes Iowa, Purdue, Maryland, Michigan State and Michigan. The Hoosiers will play those five teams a total of six times over the next nine games. Indiana had no control over its schedule to this point. The Hoosiers played the games that were on the schedule, and frankly they did really well. IU could just as easily be sitting here at 6-3 or 5-4 thinking about the next nine games and wondering what the realistic shot at an NCAA Tournament berth would be. Instead, IU fans are looking down from their current position hoping the Hoosiers can get it all together beginning Tuesday night at Michigan. Let me tell you why I’m still reasonably confident here. Here are three reasons why I think Indiana will win more than half of its remaining nine Big Ten games and be in the top four heading into the Big Ten Tournament and beyond. 1. THOMAS BRYANT: When Indiana needed him the most Saturday against Minnesota, the IU big man responded in a big way. When the outside shots weren’t falling, Indiana did a better job of playing through the big man and he took charge in the middle. He did a particularly nice job of getting his defender on his hip and then taking the ball strong to the basket. He was also big on the offensive glass and had a couple of plays in particular down the stretch that were big in IU finding a way to edge a Minnesota team that should never have been that close to the Hoosiers. But in recent years, if Indiana had a 2 for 18 performance from 3-point range the Hoosiers would have been dead in the water. Because they have Bryant roaming the middle that’s not necessarily the case right now. 2. THOSE 3-POINT SHOTS ARE GOING TO FALL AGAIN: This team has too good of shooters for a slump like that to linger. You have several guys who can legitimately knock down the ball from distance. And when that’s the case you always have a chance. Can I explain what happened Saturday against Minnesota from distance? There’s no explanation. How can Robert Johnson look so good and so confident for the last few weeks and struggle so mightily against the Golden Gophers. Johnson was 1 for 6 against Minnesota but what was worse is that the shots he missed were all good looks. Nick Zeisloft, who has had a few big games of late, missed all four of his 3-point attempts against Minnesota, too. Remember, this is the Minnesota team that Zeisloft was lights out against just a few weeks ago in Minneapolis when he made 5 of 8 from distance including four in a row in a stretch late in the first half. But those shots will all fall again. That’s the thing with shooters. They’re going to keep shooting them and the shots will fall again. 3. INDIANA ALWAYS PLAYS TO THE LEVEL OF ITS COMPETITION: This has been true for a while and it has been true of late for Indiana. I told people Saturday before the Minnesota game that it didn’t matter that this was a matchup of 7-1 versus 0-9. Indiana doesn’t handle those situations well. I would have felt more comfortable Saturday playing Iowa than Minnesota. And I’m sure Indiana would have played a lot better against Iowa than it did against the Gophers. Especially at Assembly Hall where IU rides that wave of momentum it gets from playing before its raucous home fans. But think about it. When Indiana played Ohio State (currently 6-3 in conference) at home, the Hoosiers were fired up and ready to play and led by 30 at halftime. When IU played Northwestern, a team that was playing better and had just taken Maryland to overtime on the road a few days before, the Hoosiers looked really impressive. But in two games against Minnesota and one against Rutgers in particular, IU looked lucky to escape in any of those games. And those two teams are a combined 0-18 in Big Ten play at this point. Go figure. There’s no question we’re going to learn a great deal about Indiana basketball over the next nine games. But the schedule withstanding to date, I think this is a pretty good IU basketball team and I think the Hoosiers will come out of this stretch at 5-4 or better. And myself, I’d take 13-5 in the Big Ten any day of the week.

Indiana will head into the second half of the conference Tuesday no worse than tied for first place in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have won 13 of their last 14 games and are among the top 20 teams in the nation. And yet IU fans are a little worried as the back heavy portion of the schedule is about to begin. Here's my take. I think if most people had told you that Indiana basketball would be 8-1 at the halfway point of the 2016 Big Ten season that most people would have been okay with that.   Actually, everyone would have been okay with that. It would especially be true if you also knew that eight games into the season Indiana was 5-3 and had just really struggled on the road in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Duke in a blowout loss.   If you also added the facts that the Hoosiers had won 13 of their last 14 games to reach that 8-1 lofty perch, everyone would have agreed they would have taken that any time.   Not to mention that at 8-1, Indiana would be in first place in the Big Ten (by a half game over Iowa) and ranked in the Associated Press top 20 by the end of January.   Oh and don’t forget the Hoosiers have won 18 of their first 22 games. And with 18 wins, there are only a couple of teams in the nation that have more wins than IU and those teams have 19.   Make no mistake about it, Indiana basketball is in a great place at 18-4 overall and 8-1 in the Big Ten.   So why do Indiana basketball fans have an uneasy feeling in their stomachs entering the month of February?   The reality is that many IU basketball fans are waiting for that other shoe to drop. And it’s completely understandable following IU’s narrow 74-68 victory over Minnesota Saturday at Assembly Hall. This was a Minnesota team that was 0-9 in the Big Ten heading into Saturday’s matchup and was ripe for the upset.   And that game came on the heels of Tuesday’s night tough overtime loss at Wisconsin when the Hoosiers were handed their first conference loss.   The reality is that fans have short memories. They forget that a week ago, Indiana was sitting there at 7-0 in the Big Ten having just defeated back-to-back Big Ten opponents by more than 30 points. In those two games, Indiana made 32 of 64 3-point field goals and looked like world beaters.   No, with college basketball, and rightfully so, it is what have you done for me lately? And lately (the last two games) was not nearly as much fun.   All of a sudden here came last week where the shots stopped falling. In two games last week against Wisconsin and Minnesota, the Hoosiers were 9 of 34 from beyond the 3-point arc. They were 2 of 18 Sunday against Minnesota in a building where they usually shoot really well. And face it, when you make 23 less 3-pointers in a two-game stretch than you did in the previous two, you’re not going to look nearly as unbeatable as you once did.   The elephant in the room for Indiana is its Big Ten schedule to date. Indiana has played Minnesota twice, Wisconsin twice, Rutgers, Nebraska, Ohio State, Illinois and Northwestern. Those teams have a combined Big Ten record of 19-42.   Or another way of looking at it: Indiana has yet to play five teams that are a combined 33-12 in Big Ten play, a group that includes Iowa, Purdue, Maryland, Michigan State and Michigan. The Hoosiers will play those five teams a total of six times over the next nine games.   Indiana had no control over its schedule to this point. The Hoosiers played the games that were on the schedule, and frankly they did really well. IU could just as easily be sitting here at 6-3 or 5-4 thinking about the next nine games and wondering what the realistic shot at an NCAA Tournament berth would be.   Instead, IU fans are looking down from their current position hoping the Hoosiers can get it all together beginning Tuesday night at Michigan.   Let me tell you why I’m still reasonably confident here. Here are three reasons why I think Indiana will win more than half of its remaining nine Big Ten games and be in the top four heading into the Big Ten Tournament and beyond.   1. THOMAS BRYANT: When Indiana needed him the most Saturday against Minnesota, the IU big man responded in a big way. When the outside shots weren’t falling, Indiana did a better job of playing through the big man and he took charge in the middle. He did a particularly nice job of getting his defender on his hip and then taking the ball strong to the basket. He was also big on the offensive glass and had a couple of plays in particular down the stretch that were big in IU finding a way to edge a Minnesota team that should never have been that close to the Hoosiers. But in recent years, if Indiana had a 2 for 18 performance from 3-point range the Hoosiers would have been dead in the water. Because they have Bryant roaming the middle that’s not necessarily the case right now.   2. THOSE 3-POINT SHOTS ARE GOING TO FALL AGAIN: This team has too good of shooters for a slump like that to linger. You have several guys who can legitimately knock down the ball from distance. And when that’s the case you always have a chance. Can I explain what happened Saturday against Minnesota from distance? There’s no explanation. How can Robert Johnson look so good and so confident for the last few weeks and struggle so mightily against the Golden Gophers. Johnson was 1 for 6 against Minnesota but what was worse is that the shots he missed were all good looks. Nick Zeisloft, who has had a few big games of late, missed all four of his 3-point attempts against Minnesota, too. Remember, this is the Minnesota team that Zeisloft was lights out against just a few weeks ago in Minneapolis when he made 5 of 8 from distance including four in a row in a stretch late in the first half. But those shots will all fall again. That’s the thing with shooters. They’re going to keep shooting them and the shots will fall again.   3. INDIANA ALWAYS PLAYS TO THE LEVEL OF ITS COMPETITION: This has been true for a while and it has been true of late for Indiana. I told people Saturday before the Minnesota game that it didn’t matter that this was a matchup of 7-1 versus 0-9. Indiana doesn’t handle those situations well. I would have felt more comfortable Saturday playing Iowa than Minnesota. And I’m sure Indiana would have played a lot better against Iowa than it did against the Gophers. Especially at Assembly Hall where IU rides that wave of momentum it gets from playing before its raucous home fans. But think about it. When Indiana played Ohio State (currently 6-3 in conference) at home, the Hoosiers were fired up and ready to play and led by 30 at halftime. When IU played Northwestern, a team that was playing better and had just taken Maryland to overtime on the road a few days before, the Hoosiers looked really impressive. But in two games against Minnesota and one against Rutgers in particular, IU looked lucky to escape in any of those games. And those two teams are a combined 0-18 in Big Ten play at this point. Go figure.   There’s no question we’re going to learn a great deal about Indiana basketball over the next nine games. But the schedule withstanding to date, I think this is a pretty good IU basketball team and I think the Hoosiers will come out of this stretch at 5-4 or better. And myself, I’d take 13-5 in the Big Ten any day of the week. [url=https://btownbanners.com/page/index.html/_/basketball/analysis/analysis-iu-is-8-1-in-big-ten-play-and-hoosier-r302]Click here to view the article[/url]

  I agree but at the same time you can't discount those blowouts against Ohio State, Illinois and Northwestern at home simply because they were not teams that will compete for a national title. And here's why. The last time IU beat Big Ten opponents by 30 points or more in the same conference season had been over a decade ago. And before that it like the 1993 and 1994 seasons. And so IU has played this level of opponent before, through the years, but this team has disposed of them like few other teams have in the past. I completely agree that IU hasn't really beaten a team that probably gets to the tournament with the exception of Notre Dame and maybe Creighton. And the games ahead will tell us a lot. But I also think you can't completely discount what it means to beat up on some of the teams Indiana has beaten the last nine games.

  That would be cool. 

  That's a really good one, too.    I've been in all of them except Maryland and Rutgers. Some cool buildings.

  This is perfect. More of these kind of thoughts please.

Maybe what I'll end up doing is having a section where I let different people weigh in on their own IU Bucket List thought. I'd of course get your permission first. But a few of those above are exactly what I'm looking for. Keep 'em coming.

  I got you. I think we're in agreement then. 

  Maybe. In principal anyway. But I think Izzo would find a way to work with him, too. I don't think he would have given up completely on a talent like that. That's just my take any way.

  I'm with you here. I'm interested to see how these guys handle this next stretch. We're going to find out pretty quickly if the defense is that much better. One guy I think is a big key to it is TB. The way he played defense at Wisconsin on Tuesday was not good. I thought he was better yesterday.

  If you say all the time, then you don't think he's contributing at all and I think most people would disagree. I think TW does a lot of good things. He just needs to rein himself in sometimes and make better decisions. I'd much rather have him playing at Indiana than someplace else in the Big Ten. That much I know.

  I felt like TW struggled early in the year and then had a pretty good stretch there. The last few games though, he just seems to be back trying to force the action and dribble/drive where there isn't an open lane. It's hard to watch sometimes.

  I still think the defense is appreciably better than it was early in the year in Maui for example and also at Duke. I think a few more people are buying in.