Aaron

That is a really a bad loss to a mid-major that was double-digit games under .500 last year and cancels out the Oregon win essentially. Given the competition, this was a weekend IU needed to sweep if they wanted to stay ranked. Still solid start to season, but this defeat hurts the resume big time.

Really sloppy inning. I had zero issues with anything yesterday and Duke was just a little better. Today it is a 2-2 tie to the 7th due to the Hoosiers' own mistakes. They have left a ton of runners on base which is somewhat out of your control. However, D really struggled in the sixth with a couple mistakes which gave Coastal a couple of free runs. IU should probably be up something like 5 or 6-0. However, it should be at least 2-0 if the defense were clean. Somewhat encouraged by the pitching outside of Kraft. Still makes me really nervous to not have legit starters who can go 5-6 innings. However, four at a time can work but remains to be seen. Bats always take a few games to heat up so no concern there.

#15 is fair. Yes they only have losses to top five teams. However, they have not beaten a single team projected higher than a seven seed. They have dominated teams at the back end of the tournament. With that said, they have not beaten anyone who is projected to host or be playing in second weekend of March Madness. Committee looks at who team has beat, as much as who they have lost to. No bad losses and plenty of good wins. However, no great wins either. Beating Iowa next week is critical. Especially if they lose to someone else.

Actually women have won a ton in a row in Madison. It is only a men's team problem in Kohl Center.

While the NET is a tool, it is not an absolute and Minny's NET will continue to fade late in season as they move further from .500 in conference and fall down the standings. Illinois' record is not likely to be good enough despite good metrics. Michigan's might be if they can establish consistency which I would not count on. Big Ten might be a seven bid league but no more than eight.

Not likely on Minny. They are fading fast and lost their best player for the rest of the season. Michigan would be the eighth team with a chance but their problem is they can literally beat or lose to anyone on a given night.

Well considering IU is three games ahead of fourth and fifth with tiebreakers, it is nearly certain IU will finish with the one, two, or three seed for Big Ten Tourney. Now facing them in the 3-6 or 2-7 game on Friday would indeed be a nightmare and is possible. Hopefully MSU gets the four of five seed and IU can't face them before the weekend.

Not going there either. IU has shown a certainty of beating any unranked team pretty easily with or without Parrish at this point. They certainly could lose to any of the above teams but I would be shocked. At this point they have shown you exactly who they are and that is a team that will beat anyone worse than them and lose to anyone better than them. This late in season you know what a team is and IU has been pretty clear in who they are. I fully expect them to beat everyone else on their schedule besides Iowa and then win the Friday game in Big Ten Tourney and lose Saturday to OSU or Iowa. Then get a four seed in tourney win first two games and lose in Sweet 16 to a one seed. Until further notice or something changes I would be very surprised at any other outcome. This team has a clearly established pattern that is likely to continue and that is regardless of Parrish's health. Losing to any of the above teams you mentioned besides the Hawkeyes would be just as much of an outlier as beating an elite squad and IU has shown either of those things is unlikely.

Cuse is a projected six seed which is higher than any team IU has beaten (and ironically in the Bloomington pod). Auburn is a fringe tourney team and not a great loss but I look at who you have beaten (which ND and LSU have a top-end win) as much as who you have lost to and IU really lacks there. Just more opportunities in ACC and SEC big wins this season which is no one's fault. Blame Michigan, Maryland, and Illinois for not being the top-end teams they were last year which is really hurting IU with no signature wins pre-conference as well. Ohio State has that including beating IU, Iowa and UCLA, while Hawks have victories over VA Tech, IU, and Kansas State. Big Ten is much deeper this year but much weaker on high end teams than past couple seasons. IU's resume just doesn't stack up to higher than a four seed right now with zero bad losses, but no wins over anyone projected higher than a seven seed in field. That puts you right around 14. Like I said, beat Iowa and/or someone really good in Big Ten Tourney and then I can get on board with being in top-10 and a three seed bordering on a two.

I would argue both teams have the top end win IU does not. Notre Dame has three losses to solid tourney teams and one to an elite team. What they have IU does not is a win over UConn on the road that is an elite squad likely to get a host spot. Similar resumes but that is likely a differentiator. If IU beats Iowa they should move up as then the resumes are almost the same with IU's losses being slightly better (albeit neither bad). As for LSU, they have a win over VA Tech, who is an elite team competing for a host spot with losses again to Tourney teams. Until IU beats Iowa or another team competing for a host spot (and Iowa is only chance for that in regular season), can't be mad about being below them but certainly anyone can beg to differ. Big Ten is hurt by the fall off of Maryland and Michigan this season. This gives the three top teams (IU, Iowa, and OSU) only two squads to notch ranked top wins against, instead of four like last season. Don't see IU getting above a four seed or maybe very last three, unless they beat Hawkeyes at home or in the Big Ten Tourney or OSU in Big Ten Tourney. If they lose to no one else but their fellow championship contenders, still a solid host but not above a four and probably cannot afford more than another loss in general. Get one of these against the ranked conference foes and you will have wiggle room to stay a four and maybe even move to a three and possibly a two if they win conference tourney.

Like it or not this is the about the right ranking for them. What you are saying isn't wrong. While you could certainly argue they have three losses to top-10 teams on road, I could turn it around and say they have not beaten a ranked team or anyone projected higher than a seven seed. Yes, they have handled every matchup against potential second round level teams at any venue (Tennessee, Princeton, Michigan, Nebraska, PSU, Maryland). This is why they are projected a 3-4 seed in NCAA Tourney that will host and can handle first two rounds with teams on that level. However, until they beat a likely second weekend team that has good shot at Sweet 16, I can't be mad at that ranking or see a ceiling higher than losing in final 16. Until they beat Iowa at home or Ohio State or Iowa in Big Ten Tourney, I can't be on board with them being better then about 15th nationally and a low three seed or high four seed. It is about who you have beaten as much as who you have lost to, and so far they have not beaten anyone that has a chance to be around for the Sweet 16. I know they have had few opportunities, but you have to evaluate who they have beaten and I am trying to look at this objectively like a neutral pollster or the committee. If they can beat Iowa or OSU before March Madness, then they can get to low two line or high three line with a ceiling of the top two seed if they win Big Ten Tourney. They have beaten a lot of good teams which is why they are correctly around 15. However, until they beat a great team which they are 0-3 against, I can't be mad at this ranking. The Iowa home game will tell us a lot and if team deserves to be closer to 10 than 15, but until when/if they win that, I have zero issues with current ranking. Ranking is based on whole season. Not one week. Being the 14th best team in the country is nothing to be mad at, and until five years ago any fan would give a body part to be that good. I hope last year didn't blow expectations out of proportion. If this year is who they are going forward, everyone needs to take it and that goes even if they are just a solid tourney team from now on. No different than baseball, post Kyle Schwarber years. Good tourney team, but not great and that is just fine.

The vast majority of her NIL deals and the one that pay her the most of her money are not Iowa related. The 80k salary will more than make up for the little bit of Iowa NIL lost.

All her millions in NIL money carries over to WNBA and then gets the 80k salary on top of it.

I have no inside info but would be shocked if Parrish plays for at least a week or two. Very rare to go from crutches one game to on the court the next.

No more staying in dorms during Regionals for IU and some other tweaks to the NCAA Baseball Regionals: https://www.ncaa.com/news/baseball/article/2024-01-05/walk-songs-ncaa-tournament-new-selection-process-headline-changes-2024-di-baseball

Finally an elite scorer up the middle at striker.

Just to clarify there is zero guarantee Josh Maher makes it to campus in the fall and doesn't bypass straight to pros. Top Drawer indicates he will come, but no one has any confirmation of this. The official addition of Elliott today as a defender to replace Bebej as an almost sure starter makes me question Maher being here as three starters are accounted for now with Elliott, Barger, and Miller even though you are still short a center back. Josh could take the final defensive slot in lineup but needs to make it to campus.

Also not so fast on Sellers: https://dbknews.com/2024/01/29/maryland-womens-basketball-shyanne-sellers-knee-injury-status/ Not sure she actually play Wednesday but not off the table yet. Certainly looked much worse at time. Austin Render called Sellers 'questionable' on his radio show with Teri Moren tonight.

Day-to-day is a stretch for Syd. It's really more week-to-week if it is the injury I am guessing it is (and I have zero confirmation of this) and has a widely variable timeline from a couple weeks to a couple months. This would make Moren saying timeline is really not known, pretty truthful. However, it almost certainly be at least a few weeks in best case scenario. Would not hold my breath that she is back until at least later in February.

Missed that and updated. Thanks! Either way was a reserve for IU and not one of the top 11 players and didn't factor much into their plans. Can probably start and thrive for the Dukes so good for him!

Spring schedule out: https://iuhoosiers.com/news/2024/1/29/mens-soccer-indiana-mens-soccer-announces-spring-schedule

Spring Exhibition Roster Out: https://iuhoosiers.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster Observations: 1. Nate Ward transferred for his COVID year. 2. Logan Oliver and Austin Himebaugh transferred after not playing last season but probably would never have seen meaningful minutes here. 3. Maher and Bacharach are obviously gone to the pros (or in Maher's case another school potentially). 4. Karsen Henderlong, Brett Bebej, and Maouloune Goumballe are obviously gone since all eligibility expired for them (spring eligibility is contingent on still having eligibility for following fall). 5. Luka Bezerra is still listed and hopefully can finally take the leap forward to be the 5* main scorer for team he was recruited to be. 6. Every other contributor not listed above from last season is back. 7. Josh Maher is not on roster as expected and this likely means will never make to campus after deferring last year and will go straight to pros from his academy at some point. Not clear at all at this point. However, IU is still a center back short at moment so maybe spot is reserved for him in fall. 8. Quinten Elliott the sought after Louisville transfer from previous page of this thread is now official from team and on roster now. Really needed him for Bebej's defensive spot as only defensive freshman coming in as of now for fall for sure is Jackson Lindimore who could contribute as a top-150 recruit nationally (he is towards back end of top 150 though) but I doubt he is expected to play right away. Players on spring roster would be more than enough to compete for a national title with Harms in goal, Miller, Demian, Barger, Elliott on D (although that is 3 D wings and only one CB in Miller so not sure how this works out for now), Sarver, Mihalic, Oduro, McDonald for sure in Mid and either Helmer or Waggoner in 5th spot. Forward would be new transfer Josh Weiss who is the dynamic scorer up the middle team has lacked since Victor Bezerra. I would feel very comfortable running that lineup out in the fall of 24 to chase a 9th star in several months even with no further additions.

We will be lucky if she is back by Iowa at all. I expect to see her by end of season, but earliest would be towards end of month putting Iowa in borderline status. I have no firm info but just an educated guess on timeline based on her still being on crutches and what I think the injury is (although I have not confirmed what happened to her foot but have a hypothesis based on talking to a doctor who saw her picture but admittedly is not treating her).

Syd won't be back for a while. We are talking weeks at least. Not days. Zero chance she plays this week and near zero she plays next couple. However, Maryland will almost certainly be without top scorer Shyanne Sellers Wednesday who was on crutches after yesterday's game (got injured in second quarter).

Mara Braun, Minnesota's best player is out for an extended time with injury her team just announced. Between her and Sellers for Maryland that is two bubble teams who's NCAA Tourney hopes may have gone up in smoke missing their top scorers for a while.