Aaron

Jules and Lily were not a surprise and I think would be mutual. Outside of Shay, Yarden, Lenee, and maybe Lex, not sure there is anyone else the coach would scramble to keep. Could certainly see others out but it would surprise no one if they left and certainly not indictment on program.

This I think was mutual as I think they want Faith to be main backup to take the role primary as a junior and need a starter level player in portal with Lilly caught in between. I don't get the feeling anyone else is leaving outside of maybe someone near end of bench but we will see. Certainly would be super surprised to see Yarden leave based on everything I have heard.

Well then that certainly would not be a reason to leave then or the coaching staff wanting her to leave. However, like I said I would take with very serious grain of salt.

Take it with a whole salt shaker and swallow all the salt. Nothing of the sort happened. She has had zero issues at IU.

Yes. Not serious but that's why she didn't play in NCAA's. Had nothing to do with transferring.

There is def not one. People are making up rumors or hearing unsubstantiated rumors and I can say that with complete confidence.

I can tell you with complete confidence there has been zero issue or 'incident' with Garzon and anything heard is not at all true. I know she likes IU and expect her back unless there is some NIL offer IU can't match but even then for optics they really need to step up to her asking price whatever that is.

They don't even have that many players as freshman they are bringing 'along slowly' on current roster. Everyone else is very much in the main rotation or projecting as a main contributor outside Jules and maybe Henna. There is no one else on this roster who has been 'brought along slowly'. Pretty much every major contributor has played from get go last few years so not sure who could be complaining about 'being brought along slowly' outside of transfers and it takes a very specific player to play in Moren's system and they clearly did not fit it. I can't speak for NIL aspect. I had Jules and Lily potentially transferring based on guess alone with new center from portal coming in (no idea who). Can't speak to NIL situation but never heard Moren complain and she seems to be targeting very specific players purposely. IU may need to up their NIL game here but so will everyone else outside maybe the top 3-4 programs.

JuJu Watkins just blew out her knee it appears:(.

Anyone who did not hear today's presser from Moren needs to check it out. For anyone who thinks this program is not supported and can't recruit this will be therapeutic. It is clear this program is in good hands and anyone who thinks otherwise or the resources are not there are just being negative. Moren recruits exactly who she wants that fits her culture and going away from that for elite talent is a terrible idea. She stressed they want to be more athletic though as everyone has wanted and Navaeh Caffey coming in is a big piece in that directions. Moren has made this bigger then any players and will continue to win at this level minimum if not higher just fine. She is a class act as is Dawn Staley and both coaches clearly have great admiration for each other. Not every program can be South Carolina or UConn but it can be what Teri Moren has made from nothing and this is just fine for IU. So proud of team today and this era of women's bball!!!

Between Faith and her it is definitely a start. Won't get them all but finally getting some of the best players in the state is something that was an issue she has seemingly solved.

Remember when Moren had a hard time recruiting the best players from the State of Indiana? Amazing how winning seems to have changed that:).

A last starter or first player off bench ceiling. Can play at power five level but definitely not a star. Different player but probably can contribute at a similar level to Bargesser. Would be a nice depth piece but not a difference maker. A center like Williams or Merkle would be difference maker and what team needs right now more than anything.

This is six straight NCAA Tourney appearances and seven since 2016. For the men you have to go back to 2012 to get six appearances in March Madness and all the way back to 2008 to get to seven. Anyone who says they had the women's team as the superior squad of the two in a given decade would be lying based on history but speaks to what Moren has built. This is the first time in both program's history this has happened where the women are clearly better at the moment.

As i have said, we are now at the stage of the season where Glant's pitching has been figured out and for the next month, I would look away from this "crime scene" if you don't want to see IU giving up double-digit runs most days. I would recommend most fans check back in April when Glant inevitably figures this out and team makes a push for the postseason. Like I said before, IU will need to ask itself if Glant's complicated spin ball program that takes his pitchers half a season to figure out is acceptable to keep continuing with employment at IU. We know what Glant is now and it's that things will be rough till April and then team will figure it out and catch fire and push for postseason. Four seasons of this now without failure.

The bottom five teams in the league have made it clear they don’t care if their women’s basketball teams are uncompetitive. Three of them in Penn St, Purdue, and Rutgers have had a lot of success historically so them not caring suddenly is especially strange. Kieger staying is far more egregious then Gearlds as she has been there far longer with less success and accusations of player mistreatment. Once again should be 6 easy wins for IU as starting point to conference play in 25-26.

Sunday. No game tomorrow due to cold weather after doubleheader today.

FYI IU was first 10 seed before today's loss so likely to be last nine or first when their name is called.

If this is run back with Bargesser and Meister as starters this team is indeed cooked. However, I would be shocked if that happens and it is nearly certain Moren will pick up a couple starting level players in portal as she does every season. Losing Striplin is a dime a dozen center and hopefully they can upgrade that position in the portal. With that said, Striplin was crucial to another NCAA Tourney appearance but expect the portal upgrade to be better. Losing Chloe is not ideal. However, top-60 guard Navaeh Caffey is a more athletic version of her and similar to Yarden could play a ton right away. She can slash to the basket by creating her own shot which this team severely lacks. Syd is the one without an obvious replacement although I expect Lenee Beaumont who was injured this year to pick up a lot of her scoring and has highest current ceiling on team. If run back in tact team is indeed in trouble and would look like: C Meister, Wiseman G Bargesser, Caffey G Beaumont, Makalsusky G Garzon, Sandvik G Ciezki, Jules This would be big trouble but is not what I expect. Instead given the history I have to go on, this is what I see happening which is better than current C Starter level portal Center, Wiseman (Lily Transfers) F Another starting level portal player, Malusky (highest ranked recruit in program history and a few spots from 5*) G Beaumont, Caffey G Garzon, Sandvik G Ciezki, Jules With this, I expect another short rotation which Moren prefers with Wiseman, Caffey, and maybe Makalusky in spurts. Moren has made it clear she thought Lily would give you most of what Mackenzie did and it just has not happened and she knows it. Given her system and how much the post is relied on, this is difference between a top-25 squad and where they are. Getting another Holmes is nearly impossible as those don't grow on trees. However, someone like Bostic at Illinois (who is out of eligiblity) makes you a top-25 squad and is the starting level post player they have severely lacked.

Its not. She is building the roster the way she wants to fit within her system.

Correct and if you want a powerhouse go root for UConn. UCLA and USC are in the same upcycle IU has been in last few years and will have to rebuild once Watkins and Betts eventually graduate and will probably have a year or two like IU has had now. There is only two real powerhouses in UConn and South Carolina. Everyone else including IU and even Tennessee now may have a few really good seasons with an elite player or two followed by a few rebuilding ones where they still make tourney. No shame in that.

Long? They have been elite for five years now and are in a rebuilding season where the post player you expected to take a leap forward did not and you will squeak out an NCAA Tournament appearances. Presumably Moren will use her portal magic again this offseason as I described and they will be back near the top next season. Not sure what else you want. Nothing long or dragged out has happened with this program since Moren's first season where she has struggled. As I said, her recruiting is at the best it has ever been and she is developing players into solid contributors each year.

And the pitching has gone completely south again as we do the Dustin Glant drill for a fourth time. Without fail since he has been here, pitching is OK for a couple weeks, then opponents adjust and it falls apart. Than many weeks later Glant finally figures it out and team makes a late push to postseason where they either squeak in or just miss. I have no doubt this will happen again and season won't be to bad in end. However, at this point given Glant's pedigree its not enough and he needs to be changed out even if the pitching gets much better late in the season as it always does. Todd Yeagley has had this same issue recently but has the pedigree to get it figured out and you know he will and has earned that right given his success. Glant on the other hand has earned nothing of the sort to be allowed to take half a season or more to figure his pitching out (which he always does) and its to the point where Mercer needs to make a change or Dolson needs to insist he make a change for continued employment. I am not going to panic over this yearly Glant tradition and will let it play out as it always does with minimal complaint. However, this cannot continue for another season even when it inevitably gets fixed by mid to late April. Also, identical to Mike Woodson era here where he figures things out late for a postseason push. However, that couldn't keep happening in his program and IU has rightfully made a change as a result. Same thing needs to happen with Glant so we don't somewhat waste excellent offensive seasons of future pros just as Woodson has.

Its because she runs a system similar to Matt Painter where sum is greater than parts and relies on D and shooting. You can't just plug top talent in and make it hum as Rutgers found out this year with Harper and Bailey. The fact that Moren has limped this team to the NCAA Tournament shows you what a great coach she is. The lack of a post player in her system that relies on a big to get shooters open is a huge flaw that would be fatal to most coaches. However, Moren has made it work somewhat because she is that good. Meister's lack of development is the difference (as described earlier in thread) between being amongst the best in college basketball again and the top-35 to 40 squad they are. Get Moren a starting level post player in portal this offseason and they will compete at or close to the top of college basketball as they did the last five years. For those who say Moren can't recruit, Faith Wiseman is a top-60 player and watching her yesterday as a frosh it's evident she has the ceiling to be a starter in this league in a couple years. Recruiting has improved from unranked three-stars to mostly top-75 four stars including the highest ranked recruit in program history for next season in Makalusky. You can't just throw a bunch of top talent in there and thrive as some seem to think given what Moren likes. For those who said give Moren USC's roster and they would dominate does not understand how she ticks. A batman ball dominant guard like Juju Watkins and a robin post player in Iriafen does not fit Moren at all and she would struggle mightily to make that work given the defense is average. Give her UCLA's roster with elite post player Lauren Betts and a bunch of shooters and yes she could well win a title with that. You have to know coaches are at their best when they get the players that fir their system correctly. For Moren that is speed, hustle, defense, and elite shooting surrounded by a post player. What she needs for next season is a starting level post player in portal and maybe a wing to go with shooters Beaumont, Garzon and Ciezki. Give her that and you are near the top again. I expect Ciezki to take a huge leap forward next season just as Scalia did in year two after coming around late in first year as Ciezki has. It takes a minute to fit into Moren's system as a ball dominant guard which is why you can't just just give her JuJu Watkins and assume a title.

The women have slightly better metrics for one reason: Their performance in the Bahamas relative to the men. The women got two Quad one wins vs. NCAA Tournament teams in Baylor who is a borderline host and projected 5 seed. Columbia is a projected 10 seed and should get in at-large whether they win their conference or not. The men got one borderline quad two win against Providence who is nowhere near the NCAA Tournament. Just goes to show that while these holiday tournaments might seem like they are early, a team's performance in them can make all the difference in the world when it comes to making March Madness and seeding.