Aaron

I think the lack of post play is fatal at this point and not going to improve much. However, if the guards play like they did today and the D keeps up, the team can somewhat work around that. Pre-Mack they won on guard play and not much from bigs. They won't win at an elite level this year, but they could win at the level they did under Tyra Buss and that crew and compete for a tourney spot with this version of guards. Offseason project is get a serviceable big. if Wiseman or Makalusky isn't ready, team needs to find someone in the portal that is at least decent to have any chance to be close to what they were the last five seasons. Lily deserved a chance to play a bigger role and I wrongly thought she was capable. However, she has shown that like Trey Galloway she is better as an energy player and backup for a few minutes a game. Armed with that knowledge, now go get someone for the main role in the post just as the men had to do this year with Myles Rice at PG to put Galloway back where he belongs. That is the key for the future. No knock on Lily and players like that are important. However, thrusting them into the spotlight as a primary player makes them a lesser version of themselves. As for Striplin she was a bit player at Tennessee and not surprised it is similar here and that is what I expected. Essentially team has two back up level bigs and is forced to start one of them.

I have to think NIL problems is only a small piece and it has more to do with Moren's system not being attractive to top-athletes similar to Wisconsin in men's basketball. You can build a program with a specific system and I think that is what is happening. If it were exclusively NIL, Michigan would not have gotten two top-ten recruits this fall. That program has risen just like IU but in a more conventional way and certainly has no more fan support or NIL from university knowing what I know about how the Wolverines do things.

Offense disappeared today and looked like September again. Michigan got a miracle goal for the difference but Indiana failed to set up any chances at all and looked really lethargic in the attack all day. These strange conference tournament results happen including in 2012 when IU last won a national title. While today was a bummer, the much bigger issue was the slow start for the fourth straight year. In Yeagley's first ten years at the helm IU had a great regular season and was locked into hosting regardless (outside of 2013 dud where they had to win conference tourney to get in at all) of the outcome in the Big Ten Tourney that can have random results. As great as October has been the last four seasons, these September swoons have to stop and only then can the team seriously contend for another national title. Not only has it put them on the hosting bubble the last four seasons, but fans lose interest quickly and wrecks the momentum each fall. For the second straight season, the team will have no seed in the NCAA Tournament and be traveling the entire time after that happened just once in the entire Yeagley era through 2022. It is imperative that the staff understands they need to be ready at the get-go starting in 2025 no matter what and cannot keep relying on basically perfect Octobers to make postseason. It should be noted many long time powers have had starts like IU recently and never turned it around and had long postseason droughts end. However, no program in college soccer has the consistent success of the Hoosiers and they need to be strong from the opening match in 2025 or changes need to be made (no one should want Yeagley fired but something big has to change [assistants?] if this happens again next fall with a new group after what will be a lot of turnover with so many seniors).

Why? You get the highest RPI teams possible each round. You win the Big Ten Tournament and its quite possible you are looking at a top-four seed and home field all the way until College Cup. You play anyone else and at best you get into top-8 and still have to travel for Elite 8 possibly. Yes the path to winning conference tourney could be harder but if you want the best path to College Cup and better NCAA seed which is the goal its best draw possible.

Home games in NCAA Tourney: Top-16 Seed Nov 24: Guaranteed A Round Of 32 Game Top-8 Seed: Nov 30-Dec 1 Guaranteed Sweet 16 Game if win Nov. 24 (If not top-8 seed need upset) Elite Eight: Dec 6-7 Only home if advance this far and upsets occur as unlikely to be a top-four seed no matter what as that is only way to guarantee a home game here. College Cup In RDU again where IU has played in it three times since 2018 at this same site. Big Ten Tourney home game only happens in final if IU gets there and is the higher seed on Nov. 17 (the rest of the tournament is at neutral site in Chicago). My hunch is IU will be a top-16 seed if they win one Big Ten Tourney game. If they win Big Ten Tourney Top-8. Outside of Top 16 if lose first Big Ten Tourney game.

Since 2017 this team has done everything but win another national title. Nine Big Ten championships. Four College Cups. Five Elite Eights. Tonight was a great step and we know that the program is back to being one of the very best in college soccer after a dozen years of standards slightly beneath what we expect from 2005-2016. Now the big thing is if the team can finally add that ninth star and win the final game which is the only thing alluding them recently and has only been done once since 2004. They should be a seeded team again for NCAA Tournament barring a catastrophe in the conference tournament with an RPI already in the top-16.

We play at 8pm:)! Is on BTN though. At 6 pm OSU plays MSU on BTN which everyone should tune into as big effect on IU. If OSU ties or losses, IU game at 8 pm will be for at least share of Big Ten Title. If OSU wins, can't clinch anything before Sunday. If OSU loses and then Maryland loses or ties which ends at 9pm, second half will allow us to play for outright title.

Was worried about Webber graduating from the moment season started and hate that I was right:(. This program has been in the mud for years and 2023 looks like a one-year exception unfortunately.

RPI now at 15. If you can beat NW and win Big Ten Tourney very likely will be a top-8 seed with a chance at top-4. The Big Ten as a whole, pulling a Curt Cignetti turnaround in one yr. has been huge for IU's RPI rising about 125 spots with their October run in 2024 as opposed to roughly 50 last year and never got above 20.

You want ANY chance at that bye and top-16? You need a win and tie minimum between the Michigan and UCLA road games. Home wins against teams 30-50 is not really helping RPI and has been steady around 40 since the Wisconsin win. Also, Wisconsin has fallen off the face of the earth in conference play so that win is not holding up. OSU and Maryland are legit. Outside of that everyone is kind of in a big pot and solid. For IU to get close to Maryland or OSU both in RPI and conference standings, they need to win their home games (especially MSU is a MUST win for even a solid chance at NCAA Tourney given their metrics) and pick off one of these road games to be safely in and fighting for bye. Otherwise they will spend rest of fall on the bubble as they are now.

Did former PSU coach Bob Warming kick their current coach Jeff Cook from the sidelines and take over the team again? For the first time in a long time a team basically showed zero interest attacking against IU and mostly parked the bus. This was a regular occurrence under Warming a decade ago when the Nittany Lions were plucky underdogs. However, since Cook took over, PSU has always been the best and most talented team in the Big Ten outside of the Hoosiers and Maryland and could easily match anyone in America pound for pound. Penn State did lose their three elite players from last year in Mangione and Butts up top and Shakes in goal. However, I would expect them to be at the point where they should be able to seamlessly reload but apparently not. The replacement goalie is fine, but their offense went from elite to awful in one season and as a result they appear to play defensive heavy and try to luck into a draw or win on a counter attack. Very surprising and glad IU broke them down eventually for the relatively easy win. The typical October surge seems to be well underway now as the squad is getting hot!

Single game tickets are on sale now. Still limited reserved seats left on main level for all games. https://iuhoosiers.evenue.net/list/WBM The "Not Many Left" for each game indicates between 60 and 90% of stadium is already sold via season tickets. Making some educated guesses here, but looking at what is left single game on the main level, my guess is about 11,000-12,000 season tickets were sold and roughly 5,000-6,000 seats are available single game, mostly in GA. Also with GA now being balcony and court only, I would strongly recommend buying from the reserved option for $3 more per ticket if one does not want to be in balcony. Only about 1,000 GA court seats are available and as soon as those are filled each game it is straight to balcony without a reserved seat. Good news is tickets are still very affordable at $12 for GA and $15 for Reserved. Also SeatGeek should have plenty of seats at good prices for non-premium games on secondary market.

Not as much as hoped. It dropped UK from 27 to about 40 and improved IU from about 40 to 35. The RPI loves road wins so a victory at Michigan next week who is around 25 is what is really needed to have chance to get near the top-16. Good news is their RPI now projects them as a tourney team but its tenuous as one of last teams in. Good news for IU is the Big Ten as a conference in soccer has gone the way of IU Football in one season from terrible to elite between 2023 and 2024. Instead of getting one bid, this time we will see 5-6 from the league and nearly everyone but MSU and Rutgers are well inside the top-50. Every win going forward in conference will help the resume outside of MSU as all are teams inside top 40-50 of RPI. PSU, Michigan, UCLA Northwestern are all opportunities for quality wins rather than last year where each league game was about avoiding a bad loss.

Currie-Jelks is ready. She was out last year due to pregnancy that the program did not release until after the season. The baby is now born and it sounds like she has help taking care of it as she plays and goes through school at IU. She is full go and can definitely compete from a physical standpoint. Whether she can crack the rotation and get minutes is an entirely different question and unknown.

It's October which for IU soccer is winning time. I said all along I knew they would turn it around as they always do. However, they need to stop with these slow starts and leaving it to that. Good news is Big Ten is elite this year so a big October this time will likely make you an NCAA host. Already these last two games moved IU's RPI up about 100 spots from about 135 to 35. With every game but one against a top-30 RPI team now in conference that number will be well into top-16 with another big month. Hoosiers should praise the lord that the conference went from maybe its worst year ever in 2023 with them being only bid to maybe best it has ever been in 2024 and could well get 5-6 bids.