Aaron

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.

Their volleyball is elite only because they have had a coach for years who is essentially Todd Yeagley and is left over from the last athletic director (Morgan Burke) who took all the sports seriously. This current guy (Mike Bobinski who is retiring) only cares about football and men's basketball and whatever else happens is a bonus. There is a reason why the Crimson and Gold Cup was more even in the past as Purdue took all their sports seriously. However, right now they could care less what happens outside the big two and it's why IU almost always wins the overall competition across all sports. IU since Glass has made all 24 sports an equal priority for better or worse. You can argue both ways certainly which model is better but that is the reality right now.

Not even close. When was the last time Woodson won the Big Ten in his tenure? Also if you are saying he is basically Woodson (which is far from true) then the equivalent of the history for baseball would need to except Woodson's results. Three NCAA Appearances in four years would be adequate. If Woodson had the level of success for baseball that he has had in basketball that would be enough given the expectations of this program relative to history. Now lets get to why he is not Woodson. He was 100% qualified to coach in D1 with previous experience at Wright St. Woodson had none. Also, his in game management and ability to make adjustments as the season goes on and cater to the needs of his given team are something Woodson could only dream about. Both are not the greatest at teaching fundamentals but the similarity ends there. Woodson is a lazy and terrible recruiter. Mercer works his butt off with recruiting and is a good recruiter. The fact that both are not the greatest at teaching fundamentals and player development is certainly equivalent. However, Mercer has flexibility to make adjustments and the work ethic to recruit and do the job that Woodson has not touched. On a scale of 1-10 Mercer is about a 6 due to a lack of development of players and teaching fundamentals well. However, he is a good recruiter and flexible at trying new things when something doesn't work. On a scale of 1-10 Woodson is about a 3-4 due to the same development and fundamental issues. At the same time he is a lazy recruiter and unwilling to adjust. I would liken Mercer more to Crean in that it is a bit of a roller coaster and he is far from perfect. However, in baseball given the history and expectations that is slightly more acceptable if not livable. Also both have won the Big Ten Mercer is far from perfect and I cannot defend everything he does. However, he is much more Crean than Woodson in a sport with far lower expectations.

Here is my question: 1. Would IU rather rematch Oregon in what will basically be a home game in Big Ten Tournament with 95% IU fans and a close trip vs. a long trip? 2. Play Illinois again in what will be basically a true neutral site game where both teams are a short bus ride away and fans are pretty evenly split? Which is better matchup and preferable? Those who want Oregon should root for Illinois in their next game. Those who want Illinois should root for Purdue,

Purdue has made it clear they only care about football and men's basketball and whatever happens with their other sports is a bonus. This is basically the Kansas model and there is certainly justification for it given that is where the money is. The question is do the other four teams near the bottom of the league use the Kansas model and just let their programs continue to be beyond terrible. Stay tuned.

Again you and way to many others have out of control expectations for this program. In the Mercer era of 5 years you have 3 NCAA appearances, 1 Big Ten Title, a weird COVID season of conference play missing by a game only and then one bad season in between. You are not firing someone after making the NCAA Tourney last season. The Big Ten in baseball is essentially the Mountain West when it comes to other sports and IU is the most consistent team with ONE losing record since 2008 and been to NCAA's nine times. No one in the conference comes close to that and any other squad in this league would kill for our last 17 years. Mercer is not elite, but to think someone is going to come into the Big Ten and do so much better is not based in reality. Yes his teams are not always good fundamentally and start slow. However, he is a good recruiter and excellent at adjusting on the fly. The question is do you want to fire a decent coach for a small shot at greatness that could also make things a lot worse if you miss? Remember this is northern baseball where the Big Ten and Big East are essentially the A10 or Mountain West of basketball and never getting to the pinnacle. On the surface things are far from perfect, but the reality is you can't just be getting rid of a coach every time you are not an elite program.

Average is fair. Above average recruiter, very flexible at changing things when needed (which is why team improves as season gets later), average to below average teaching fundamentals. Not the best or worst and his record shows that with 3 NCAA’s in five yrs all coming because team got hot late.

I actually think they have potential starters in Grable, Seebold, and Giley who can all be decent for weekend series. The problem is the depth outside Buhr and maybe 1-2 others is beyond terrible and on a four game week it is going to snowball like this. The offense compared to expectation is far more disappointing right now. That guys like Cerny and Oliver who are projected as high draft picks are hitting this badly is inexcusable. While the back end of the pitching staff like today is terrible no one should have expectations for much better there.

I'm going another way with this. Yes giving up 13 runs stinks. However, this pitching staff while solid at the top, has only 5-6 guys you can count on. We know Dustin Glant takes half a season to develop depth on his staff and a ton of runs will be given up on a five game week. Until Mercer demands Glant figure this out from the get go, this team will be rallying late to try to squeak into the tourney and catch fire as they have done nearly every year since he has been here. This is a known and not changing until more is demanded and clearly the staff is OK with this. What is unacceptable is leaving 14 runners on base and this is why team is not hitting expectations. They are leaving a ridiculous number of runners on base offensively all season and if they would stop this they could work around the pitching. The staff has no depth. What they do have are multiple high end draft picks failing to drive runs in as they are projected to do. I don't like the pitching at the back end but its giving you exactly what one would project. Leaving all these runners on base is not something that can be excepted given the projection and hitting ability from this lineup. This is where team is failing to meet expectations is clutch hitting at times. The pitching while terrible beyond top few on staff is expected with this personnel. Leaving these amount of runners on base given the quality of arms team is facing in midweek is well below par and more should be demanded.

I would say Ben McCollum coaching at DII is far closer to coaching in the Big Ten than coaching at the NAIA or NBA level. However, your point is well taken!

227-49 at Marian does not prepare you for the gauntlet of the Big Ten just as 315 NBA coaching wins did not prepare Woodson to coach in this league. Both have the wrong type of experience to succeed at the top of D1 basketball and were unqualified alumni hires. Same as my sister being a child and law attorney would not qualify her to do a good job as a property lawyer. She knows the basics of the latter and could get a job there but would not do as good of work there since it is not her area. Just like all areas of law are different, all areas of coaching at different levels are not the same and anyone who tries to move to a job completely different from their last is likely to struggle despite knowing the industry overall. Its really no mystery why Gearlds and Woodson have failed when you put in the correct perspective.

Like Mike Woodson, Katie Gearlds is the "hump" keeping Purdue basketball from getting back to their former greatness. The situations are remarkably similar with both being totally unqualified sentimental hires of alums who do not have what it takes to be competitive in the Big Ten. Whether it be coaching in the NAIA or NBA, neither remotely prepares someone for coaching at this level of college basketball. There is only one small difference between Woodson and Gearlds. Woodson has made the head-to-head series between the Hoosiers and Boilers far more competitive then it has been in a long time. Gearlds on other hand has never beaten Indiana and combined with the end of the awfulness of the Versyp era, IU has now won 13 straight in series.

That post player McCarthy for PU would fit so well here at IU to fill the center spot. If she wants to get off this horrible Purdue team and get coached by Moren, she has the size and athleticism to be a great center in this league and can rebound. Especially, since Moren has plenty of shooters to open up the paint for her. At Purdue she could be a building block but only if they put better players around her. At IU she would be missing piece next year.

The amazing thing is everyone was worried about the pitching but that has been ok to solid in all but one game. You never thought it would be the offense with the talent in this lineup that would struggle. Especially since hitting has been the strength of the Mercer era in every season but 2021.

Not as good today. Fell 8-4 to Stetson this time. The offense still needs to be more consistent to get where the team wants to be.