Sota Hoosier

Obviously, there is a lot season left this year and this thread will swing wildly based on what happens the next six weeks.   But even looking to next year, I feel pretty optimistic about the team:   Bryant (absolutely needs another year on the defensive end) Davis OG Juwan Hartman Rojo JBJ Newkirk Cujo Green   Rawle or Thon as icing on the cake? Grad transfer?   That's a squad with depth and size and a lot of those guys have will have big time experience to help the young bucks. I'd project that team to at least be in the top 4 of the B1G next year barring any major injuries. The rebounding depth will be huge.   What I'm saying is maybe this is a turning point and Crean has adjusted his coaching/mindset (as we've seen this year) to sustain the success. Only time will tell.   I agree with the sentiment that there really aren't any non-reaching candidates out there at the moment other than Stevens/Donovan/Tony Bennett. These guys to me are the only options that would be satisfactory and maybe Chris Mack if Xavier makes a run this year.

Right but my point is that I'm sure teams were worried about playing Knight IU teams. I wasn't following IU when he was around but it was an assumption since historically he was great in March. These days, we don't know what to expect even game to game and given the past few years, have a relatively low confidence level heading into March.

Agree with this 100%   Another thing that I and I would guess a lot of the fan base is desperately asking for is to be thought of as "dangerous" in March. We can't expect to be a 1 seed or in the top AP top 5 every single season but for instance, if we are seeded somewhere in the 4-9 range, having the confidence that the team can make a run in March or at least be a team that everyone is worried about in the tourney. I do believe IU should be making elite 8/final four runs rather often but getting a reputation as being a tough out in March (as I'm sure Knight's teams were) even in "down" years is much better than being forever-worried when March rolls around regardless of seed.   It would take Crean several years to turn that around but would help all us quickly forget the negative thoughts we have late in the season. As I try to tell people that aren't IU fans, we as IU fans will all judge success by what happens in March and until the relevancy in March returns, we'll want a coaching change. This year means so, so much in that regard. It will be very interesting to watch it all transpire and the fallout whether things go well or not.

  Neat-o!

 Updated KenPom:   #18 Purdue #19 Indiana

This is a bad basketball game. But the Gophs are thriving on it!

Don't want to see ROJO or Yogi try weak layups in the lane. That's what I remember most distinctly from last year which was obviously playing into their hand. Need to keep space, move the ball, and keep TOs down. Need, NEED to make their guards a factor on offense.   TB needs to control his emotions. Although it's better when he's not in foul trouble, I also don't think the next best option is to stand with hands up leaning back away essentially giving whoever a layup. I'm sure the staff is focusing on him and his game plan immensely.   I feel a big OG dunk this game.....and I think we're going to shoot it well.   If we win the rebound battle, I think we win.

If we offered $4-5M/year with IU tradition and resources, how does someone pass that opportunity up that is already in the college ranks? I know that is simplifying things but seems it would be hard to say no. Stevens is still going to be very difficult. No college program is like the Boston Celtics. Not saying he'll never leave but things are headed jn the right direction there. Would just seem odd to leave unless his family is pushing it and he misses the Midwest.

I think the squad comes out ready for the challenge. I have more faith in this team since they have seen leads dissipate and gotten down but have bounced back.   I like our match-ups too against them this year too.   This would be a bigger resume builder than the Iowa win and would send a message that we're the real deal.   Would love to see Yogi step up and bounce back.

Fun game to watch other than the refs completely boning us on calls the entire game.   Getting off to a good start is so important for this team. So proud of battling back after the game got close and they got down. And with Yogi having an "off" night?? I'll take it. Crean's focus on keeping things simple certainly paid off. You could see the concentration on making the easy plays for MOST of the game (still had some brutal TOs).   It's crazy that even with all the dismissals/transfers/injuries, we are still so deep. So many guys that can score in a variety of ways.   Needed this win. 

As others have mentioned, it's so interesting that for as closely as we follow this team, we have no idea what will happen tonight. There is no scenario I wouldn't be surprised by even if we win by 20.   Purely based on pride, we need to protect our house and not get embarrassed. I may have to turn the game off to hide from the inevitable booing that will echo inside AH if we get pummeled.   It will come down to our defensive gameplan on Uthoff and TOs. Hopefully "keeping it simple" this week in practice has paid off.   Something to watch for too is our ability to get offensive boards. That could be a game changer and negate some bonehead TOs.

Buying tickets to the Maryland game and my hopes are it actually means something for the B1G title race. Winning this one is integral to making that happen.   The Hall will be unreal tomorrow night. Take care of that bball Hoosiers!

It says a lot that even coming off a good win at Michigan and being 9-1 in the Big Ten that for the most part the fan base is incredibly nervous about a game vs. PSU and the rest of the season. If we had an elite type coach (e.g. Tom Izzo), we would be far less worried game in and game out and the team would very likely take care of business in such a game. Sure, a lot of very good teams and coaches lose games they shouldn't, but the IU fan base almost seems to expect it as a regular event.   I still believe that IU is the best job in the Big Ten. That said, is Crean living up to that expectation? My overall opinion is that he is not. There have been some incredibly fun games to watch with him as our head coach and yes, what he did bringing the program from essentially nothing to the #1 team in the country is nothing to shake a stick at. But one team or season or win can't be the measuring stick for IU basketball.   I will continue to root for IU to do well because I feel it is my obligation to the players to do so but Crean isn't living up the expectations of being head coach at IU and barring a deep tourney run this year, should be shown the door. I think he is a nice guy and a decent basketball coach and damn good recruiter but isn't up to snuff for this stage and the expectations that come with it.   A buddy of mine that went to Illinois never understands why us IU fans get so down or negative about things. He says, "you're 19-4 and 9-1 in the Big Ten, enjoy it" but for all of us that follow IUBB closely and especially Crean's tenure, we know that disappointment always looms. We can't really enjoy the successes because we know that inevitably we will be let down and left shaking our heads at the end of the season. It's what we become used to the past 4-5 years.   We need our next elite coach. Stevens would be it but the Celtics are 3rd in the East and it would be hard for me to believe he would actually leave one of the most historic basketball franchises in the world. I'd love for him to prove me wrong, though.

More than anything, would love to see single-digit turnovers this game. So many of the TOs are preventable that it seems like an easy fix.   FTAs also. Let's get some calls our way, eh?!?!

Why on earth didn't RJ shoot that three? And of course travels right after.

Take care of the ball we should walk out with a win. If we turn it over a ton, we probably don't have a chance and it could get ugly.   Hopes are high, confidence is low...

Game came down to: TURNOVERS Questionable coaching - why do we get tentative and play into their game? Stagnant offense FOULS - refs weren't great but we put them at the line unnecessarily so many time Frustrating

Big test for this squad. Badly want to end the drought in Madison.   If we're shooting well or at least decently, I think we've got this one. If we take care of the ball AND shoot well, we should win easily.   Yogi's got that crazy look in his eye lately and I LIKE IT.   Excited to watch OG/Hartman/Morgan on Hayes. Did a pretty awesome job on him last time but need to limit the fouls on him.   Keep the pedal to the floor, stay focused, play your game, and let's buck those Badgers.

As it stands, this would be a classic letdown game although I'm confident in these Hoosiers after the hot start to B1G play. Only worry is how different the barn is to play in and the somewhat awkward timing of the game but I think we handle it. Just need to play our game and stay focused.   I hail from the Twin Cities and the situation is pretty dire up there if you talk to fans. Richie P. is in very low favor right now so will be interesting to see if he can last.

  Exactly. Not a game we usually win but we managed to do it without 3 of our main guys (JBJ/TW/RJ) contributing significantly.   I think there is some adjustment time without the spacing JBJ provides as its clear we look a little scrambled on offense without him on the floor.   I'd love to see a complete game where the guys that should play well do play well and we easily pull away from inferior opponents. Games like that would serve as huge confidence builders and would provide momentum going into the second half of B1G play, which we'll desperately need to have a chance to contend for the B1G title. On the other hand, if we still keep playing these mediocre/poor games (even if we're winning against less-talented teams) I won't have much confidence going into March.   It will definitely be interesting to see how we play @ Wisconsin. It'd be phenomenal to pick up a W and finally turn the page on their dominance of us over the past decade and half. 

It's fun to watch Yogi turn it on in the second half and make big shots but at the same its so frustrating because we'd be up by 10-12 if we would simply take care of the ball. I'll take 3-0 but I'm still not sure what to think. Trying to take this one game at a time.   Biggest positive right now is the emergence of both OG and Juwan. Has OG even hit the rim on any of his made threes? Kid's confidence has skyrocketed. Juwan loves defending and getting after it on D. I think these two taking pride on defense has served as a catalyst for the entire team.   Shots weren't falling, turned the ball over all night, played Wisconsin's style of game, and still won the game. I am impressed with the team's grit and mental toughness. I thought we would only win if we came in and sped the game up and shot them out of the gym.

We did the mid-possession defensive switch the first possession of the game and left a guy wide-open for a three that he of course made. What more feedback do we need that it doesn't work?   Regardless of what defense we play, we need to take pride in getting stops or we'll be .500 in Big Ten play.

Isn't the game at 18:00 EST?

I re-watched the game last night and obviously knowing the outcome eases the stress level but overall here are some thoughts:   JBJ seems completely in it for himself this season. That breakaway he had where Troy and Yogi were wide open trailing the play and he decided to take a heavily contested layup was so frustrating. He's trying to make the play that pads his stats rather than the smart basketball play that helps the team. He did get fouled but it should have been a much easier two points for IU and I think sums up his overall selfish play thus far this season. A couple drives he had looked like he was stricken with blindness and either ended in a turnover or a near-turnover. As has become the norm, he has no sense of urgency or intensity on defense. His scoring isn't enough to offset his ineptness on defense, especially if you're thinking about him in the NBA. It's not even close. If you watch Rojo play defense, he's at least down in an athletic stance and looks hungry to make a play. JBJ is either lost or is looking to break out offensively the majority of the time. I would start CH or Zeisloft over him right now with how he is playing. Hard to watch. Its looking more and more like he will be around for at least one more year. Rojo is our best all-around player right now. Even though we were down 10 at half, it would have been much more had he not come to play. His 3pt shooting is ridiculous and his turnovers are coming down steadily. He was sound defensively in this game and at the very least, looks like he wants to play tough defense and get stops. We NEED to dump the ball into Bryant/Biefeldt more. It is nearly impossible to guard us if we have spacing and guys down low that can score on the low post with how we can shoot the three. On top of that, TW and CH can slash to get backdoor cuts and layups. TB scored on ND several times down low with his post moves/length and hopefully it was a confidence booster for him going into conference play. Regardless of whether you think ND just missed open shots or stopped attacking offensively, our defense stepped up majorly in the zone and we were rebounding out of it to limit them to one shot. We also need to remember that other teams will make good offensive plays and score on occasion. For the most part, we played sound defensively in the zone and made it difficult for ND to score. Troy was Troy.    To turn a negative into a positive....look how poorly we played for 75% of the game and we won by 7 against a decent team. It was a very gutsy effort and I'm proud of the guys for fighting and staying poised when the game looked its most bleak.   I still think this team is a sleeping giant. Will it ever be awoken? Who knows but hopefully the momentum from the end of this game will serve as a confidence/morale booster. January is an incredibly important month.

I wish I was the turtle