Aaron

Maybe being from Indiana will help, but her time at Alabama (albeit a good team) was not terrific last season. Also not even in ESPNW top-100 from last year (albeit just missed) but was Miss Basketball here in state. To many of these type of players getting big minutes is how you turn into one of the bottom five teams in the league that struggled this year. Have no problem taking her, but it better be as a 7th or 8th option unless she has some great potential that needs unlocked. Stotijn or Merkle would be far more exciting as potential starters and fill needs. Spreen's ceiling appears to be Jules as key reserve on a good team. If she is starting, IU might in trouble.

Outside of Yarden, none of the players entered will command much NIL anywhere. Yarden could be that. Rest zero chance.

If Moren can get players like Merkel and that Arkansas guard who posted yesterday about visit, says NIL is in decent spot and the turnover of best players happens everywhere and IU not unique (see Ohio State and Maryland a couple of yrs ago). Key though is when good players enter at good programs (top players enter at every school), they are able to use NIL to replace them with just as good. If Moren brings in a bunch of solid players mean NIL is adequate. If stuck with a bunch of Mid-Major players then clearly NIL is a massive issue. This will be answered in next couple of weeks. In Yarden's case she may just want a new situation to chase a national title but totally speculating. Who Moren gets over next few weeks will answer a lot of questions about NIL and state of program.

Well Merkle is one. Not sure on the others.

Dustin Glant cannot continued to be employed by IU after this year. Period. Its very likely Indiana will figure out this pitching debacle down the stretch and go on a huge winning streak as they do every year since Glant has been here. However, enough is enough. With this much talent you shouldn't be needing to rally late each year. I don't blame Mercer for most of it and think he is a better coach than given credit for. However, regardless of what happens down the stretch, pitching coach has to be changed. If Mercer continues to stick with him and these problems continue he will need to go to which is to bad since I think he is a solid coach. However, if he keeps being to loyal to Glant who is not good at his job, then anything that IU does to Mercer including firing him will be deserved. Change Glant out and I think almost all of the problems go away. Mercer's only issue is continuing to employ Glant. Hopefully its not what spells doom for him but absolutely could if he stubbornly sticks by him.

This game is a case of USC being patient and killing the best pitches given to them, while IU is mindlessly hacking at everything and missing, mostly due to difference in arms discussed below. Like UCLA, USC is showing IU how to play high level baseball and how far behind Big Ten is. Like Moren talking about needing to adjust to modern game with west coast teams, other Big Ten teams in baseball are going to need to make same evaluation. Hoosiers are hacking pitches just short of over wall while USC is getting them out of park. Also, Trojan pitchers pitches break just a bit better. These west coast teams are showing Big Ten what it lacks in discipline, talent, and athleticism in all areas. A few guys like Taylor and maybe Wiggins would start anywhere. However, more higher level players throughout roster are the difference in margins much like Moren talked about size and athleticism needed for rest of Big Ten to adjust for her sport. All the old conference squads need to adjust to these subtle differences to really compete and that goes for all the current coaching staffs who will either adjust or be replaced with ones who can. Not a shot at Mercer and a he may already realize it and adjust, but will be needed across board in league. Glant is the one who may have hardest time adjusting given pitching struggles last few seasons but we will see. This happened with coaches when Big Ten adjusted from essentially a one-bid low-major like the MAC in mid-late 2000's to a high end mid-major like the Mountain West that gets 2-4 bids most years. Some coaches like Rich Maloney and Doug Schriber couldn't keep up with increased competition and were canned. Now with the west coast schools, Big Ten will likely adjust again to essentially being a high major like it is in other power four leagues and a few coaches who won't be able to compete at this higher level will be canned. Whether one of those is Mercer (or he adjusts like John Anderson did at Minnesota to stay very good for many years with better competition) remains to be seen. However, some coaches will find their current job is too big for them with west coast schools now here and it remains to be seen who. To early to say. USC takes game one 10-5 simply by being a bit more talented and discipline in the small margins of the game.

Add in Kneepkens (which may well be my own dream that wont happen), and you have basically recreated the team that was at or near the top of college basketball for four seasons from 2021-24. A good center surrounded by four elite shooters which is signature of Moren. Garzon, Merkle, Ciezki, Kneepkens, and Beaumont is exactly that with Merkle and Kneenpkens being a bit more athletic.

Yes. In February, she was scoring big at level she did in November and December leading team many nights. She was bad in January, hence the article. However, since she was good again right after that article was written and would be in a much better culture and system, everything written is pretty much not at all relevant anymore.

An FYI, after that article was written she closed year on a terrible team as strong as she started it and looked really good down stretch. Notice Jan. 27 date on article. She was very good in November, December, and February and did very well against multiple power five teams in those months

She is visiting IU and there is no ooof. She is exactly the center they need and more athletic and finishes around basket much closer to what Holmes did and starting center they need. That PSU program is a basket case and Merkle is uber talented. Under Moren and a good culture she will fit perfectly. Just like some of the people on the men's team will thrive next year in other systems and culture next year when put with right situation, the inverse is true with Moren taking on supposed head case. She would bring best out in her. I have no worries and the answer at center they desperately need.

Utah star Gianna Kneepkens just entered portal and would fit IU perfectly as three-point shooter and starting guard. Wonder if Moren tampered with her when they played last week:). When I saw her play last week, I though "Teri Moren player". Unlike people who wanted McMahon and some of the other stars which felt a bridge to far, this one feels realistic given how she would fit in system and Moren saw her first hand last week. Would look great next to current guards who start and is a bit bigger and more athletic like Moren said she wants. No idea if Hoosiers are interested or can afford her, but this one actually feels within somewhat of realm of possibility.

Well technically one for sure in Sisley and two others hopefully in DeVries' son and Goode. Glad to clean the roster out.

I mean she has been there for years at Maryland and won a national title. Def a model to look at.

Also important to note the five players in portal so far for women are not due to lack of NIL. How much NIL the program has is a question. However, none of the ones who entered will command much if anything $$$ wise. This was an issue of them wanting to play more elsewhere. The only returning players on the roster who could command decent to good NIL are Yarden or Shay. The rest are not people others would bang down the door for or pay a lot to which again shows how well Moren has done to get as much as she has out of current team given lack of talent. You essentially had four Big Ten level players playing this year in Syd, Chloe, Shay, and Yarden with no center or great backups and still went to NCAA Tournament and won 20 games. That is a pretty impressive coaching job. Now key is with portal to get more players on the level of those four. Lenee is high level player after being injured and Faith has potential to be one. However, like I said getting what you did from this group of players shows what a good leader and coach Moren really is!

Good. He can go away. He posted a couple things that I know with 100% fact are untrue. Still trying to figure out if Yarden stuff this year is true but other stuff is 100% false. If he was confident he wouldn't have deleted all the posts. Period.

I can tell you with 100% accuracy and confidence Yarden did not 'almost leave' last year and had zero intention to. Still trying to figure out how credible the stuff this year is. However, your incorrect statement that 'she almost left last year' means you have no info and are just throwing things at the wall or trolling. I am not believing anything you say based on this blatantly incorrect statement. Whether she leaves this year or not I am still trying to figure out, but have zero to do with last year which id not even come close to happening. Anyone can feel free to safely ignore this guy.

I'm wondering if this is a delayed post from earlier in week or if this account is even credible? Maybe there still is a bidding war going on. Who really knows at this point.

Evidence for Moren's 11 year tenure: 10 straight 20 win seasons, six straight NCAA Tournament appearances, three second weekend appearances, an Elite 8, a Big Ten Title. Also been to a seventh NCAA Tourney in her career and 11 career wins in March Madness. Finally, a WNIT title. Now lets look at the program prior to her tenure from 1971-2015: Four NCAA appearances ever, one tournament win, one Big Ten title, six 20 win seasons. Forgive me for having hope and trusting her when the numbers show she has earned benefit of doubt and turned worst program in Big Ten to one of best.

Lily gave plenty of evidence to be starter and it didn't happen. Many had every reason to believe she would be and everyone I know was extremely optimistic she would be a solid starting center. Just didn't happen. If you thought it would not work, you saw better than everyone and were in minority. Makalusky is 20 spots ahead of Holmes and 10 ahead of Berger. She was brought in to be a shooter. We should be so lucky if she becomes Berger/Holmes. Caffey is way more athletic then any recruit IU has ever had. Moren stressed she wanted bigger and more athletic and is about to go after that. Nothing is teetering and in words of Mike Woodson (except this time it is really true as Moren is an elite coach unlike him who only thought he was) "relax". All will be fine and expect IU to be better than this year once roster comes together. Best players and ones with most potential (Yarden, Shay, Faith, Lenee) are back which is sign of healthy program. The portal will bring in better options than left who are more athletic and bigger for everyone who is patient. No worries here. Adults are in charge and in a few weeks the roster will reflect that.

Not really. When you take a chance on less talented system players sometimes the development and the talent is less than you thought. See Lily Meister who was expected to become a Big Ten starting center and just never developed. If you watched Moren's closing presser I posted she talked about adapting to current game and getting bigger and more athletic. All the transfers are backups who never developed as well as she hoped which happens to all programs regardless of culture. Now she is going to recruit bigger and more athletic players. Already the two frosh coming in are highest ranked players in program history and bigger and more athletic then past recruits. You can have a winning culture and the players being less talented than first hoped as happened here. It's happened to Painter also. Next years team will be bigger and more athletic with the best and most talented players back (Yarden, Shay, Lenee) and potentially great ones still here or coming in (Faith, the two hyped freshman). The rest will be filled with bigger and more athletic players as she said from portal and late adds. You can have a great culture and still have some roster turnover with players who don't meet expectations on the court as happened with the transfers out.

Ask Matt Painter the same question. He runs that program the same way and never gets top recruits either despite all the success. Both recruit to a system that fits their culture. Its not always about stars.

Based on forecast I am guessing we see a doubleheader Friday or Saturday as both look like days games can be squeezed in. Sunday a complete washout.

What worries me is when Mercer has given injury reports like this in past at times, it is overly optimistic and player misses most if not all of season. Always seems to way under estimate timelines when giving injury updates whether intentional or accidental. Hopefully this timeline is accurate.

Fenn and Kadlekova won't see much time. Yarden, Shay, and Lenee, are likely to start. Faith is likely to be primary backup in post with the two frosh seeing significant min off the bench also. Need a starting C and PG in portal and about 2-3 roster fillers in backcourt who may be some time if frosh are slower to develop then thought. C Portal addition, Faith W Garzon, Makalusky G Shay, Caffey G Lenee, portal addition (limited minutes?) PG Portal addition, portal addition (limited minutes?) Fenn, Kadelkova, and 1-3 other players who fill out roster won't see a ton of time. This is where rotation and roster is at.

Austin Render IU's radio voice discusses the transfers on here as part of his weekly show and mentions Yarden is expected back for senior season. Obviously he is not the one with the ultimate info, but him saying it carries way more weight then anything that has been said to this point and hopefully accurate.