Hardwood83

That is puzzling to me too. I am fine with leaving a scholly or two open, but when you have a need and there are sooooo many options it is odd not to pursue......anyone. All the chips are on player development and the existing incoming guys I guess.

I don't know if Matta is a home-run, but hard to see him as settling. He's been successful in the conference, is relatively young and doesn't have any obvious baggage (that I know of.) Again, I hope they screw it up, but I'd definitely have Matta on my short list. He might enjoy tweaking the O$U after they invited him to leave too.

I'm ok with that. I don't agree. They have been consistently good the last 8yrs, but have been very up and down historically. They are a football school and will tolerate mediocrity in basketball. I think your Thad Matta idea is intriguing though, and I hope they don't make that move, as I believe he is a good coach, despite his monumentally ginormous clown nose.

After Izzo (24), Painter has the most tenure in the conference at 14 years. Now with Michigan there will be 7 coaches with 4 yrs or less at their school. (Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio St, Illinois, Indiana, Rutgers, Wisconsin)

Exactly, that is the gist of why I detest the cheaters so much. They aren't cheating "the system" they are screwing those who are honest. They are stealing from players, coaches and fans that aren't systemically & maliciously breaking rules for personal gain. I don't understand the wink-wink, nod attitude about the cheating, as if it's a badge of honor for those that really want to win badly. BS, it's the worst kind of scum that takes what they haven't earned then basks in the accolades as if they have. They are doing the same thing as the stolen valor D-bags that claim to be military vets so people ooh and aah, except they don't make millions of $$'s off it. Nick Saban, Calipari and their ilk should be hit in the head with an ax handle and thrown off a bridge, but since that is unlikely, at the very least shamed and fired. Instead they are constantly lauded when everyone, EVERYONE knows what is happening.

Maybe, if they can find their guy. I'm hoping they make a panic hire and slip back to the malaise they were in for about 20yrs before Beilein. Them remaining near the top of the B1G is not a given. Ask me how I know :(

I expect them to go the "interim" route, but who knows.

Agree he seems like a decent guy and obviously a great coach- but that is why I'm not sad to see him leave! I want IU to win and that is tougher with a good Michigan program. So for selfish, immature and purely self-serving reasons I say "adios!" Now I want Michigan to flub the hire and set their program back for years to come!!

I thought the same thing. I did read today on the daily Hoosier that his team found out from the public announcement though. I understand it's a tough situation, but that would sting. How hard would a team meeting be? At very least a team-wide text 15mins before the general pubic finds out? I'm still glad he;s gone and hope Michigan craters as a result! Back on topic- I admit to being uneasy about Quinones, but still don't like missing out on players we are in on.

Fair enough, he's definitely going to get his chance. I can't imagine a scenario where Archie doesn't have 4 seasons. Depending on the results there may be a lynch mob by the end of season 4, but he'll have opportunity.

Absolutely, I believe the Center position will be much better. A healthy Davis and Brunk give IU two legit big men. That has been rare over the last several seasons.

I hope you are right and it will be addition by subtraction. Clearly there were internal issues with the team and I still believe that is on the coach- but it's a new team & season so we'll see where that leads.

I disagree, but I can understand and appreciate your perspective. Where I differ with you is while you may have some points from a macro, 30,000 ft view, the fact is the actual, literal team under-achieved. They lost 12 of 13 and mailed it in a number of times. That wasn't "growing pains" or learning the system or building a culture. That was systemic failure of the players, coaching or imo, both. Speaking only for myself, that is a legit concern. Not that IU lost games but how they lost them. They failed the eye test. I simply don't accept that it takes 3+ seasons to get players to compete, consistently. If so, there is a major problem. My gripe isn't that the record was mediocre, it's that the play was mostly total crap and on the whole was a huge under-achievement.

Is there any indication IU is showing interest in Samari? I checked 24/7 and it doesn't have IU listed- for whatever that is worth. Having both the Indiana and Ohio MR. Basketball would be cool.

I'm afraid you're right. If IU doesn't out-perform expectations and make the tourney it's gonna get ugly, imo. I want Archie to succeed and while I agree he needs time to do that, I also think it's fair to assess what we've seen so far and that isn't encouraging. The first year was about what was expected, but certainly not above average. This past season was a train-wreck. Whatever the reasons (injuries, team conflict), those are all ultimately Archie's responsibility. Get players with the right attitude that give 100% effort, that fit your system, and have enough players that injuries don't derail the season. Those are high standards, but that's the way it is. Like Wayne said above- IU's results don't lie, it's an average program right now and has been for the last 25yrs. If Archie isn't the guy to fix that then I say move on, sooner than later. 2019-20 is the pass/fail year, IMO. Fail and he's a dead man walking. That will require more than he's shown so far, since this roster looks very pedestrian, so time to out-perform and show he is the guy we've been waiting for.

Good comparison- although Memphis looks like it will have even more talent and less Conference competition so may not be quite as spectacular an implosion.

I know there are a lot of moving parts- coaches leaving, players transferring and declaring, etc.....but is waiting until the middle of MAY to choose a school really necessary? Obviously it's not just Watford since it's trending this this way for all the top 50 kids, but it just seems silly.

Case in point: Arizona. Don't they have the #1 recruiting class now, while being in the headlines non-stop over the last year for cheating allegations? Have to think there is at least a reasonable chance Sean could be fired at any time....yet that had no effect on hauling in a the top class. Ridiculous.

Honestly I am surprised Justin hasn't transferred. Guess he's not as timid as we were led to believe!

Sadly, this appears to be accurate

My guess is Les will go the same route as Harris, although not necessarily for the same reason. Visited IU, impressed and maybe even surprised to the point it gave them pause....but ultimately they are going to go with the shiny object- for Harris it was a perennial winner with a legendary coach that is close to home. For Les it's the up and comer with the new hotness coach and a bunch of me too talent.

I have 0 expectation that Watford or Quinones sign with IU. Of course, I also have 0 sources other than what I read online.

Appears Archie hasn't given up hope. So by the end of next week we should have a good idea of the 2019-20 roster.

Nailed it. Hypocrisy is the worst. Don't lecture me with your hand in the cookie jar, K. It's despicable. They are both old and rich, so even if they get punished (unlikely, I know) they 'got away with it'. All I can hope is their legacies are tarnished like they richly deserve.

I agree. Integrity isn't graded on a curve, so I can admire IU's zeal to adhere to every. single. rule. ever. But clawing back pocket change from some girl is embarrassing. Louisville very possibly was running a human sex trafficking operation out of their school presidents basement while Duke is handing out dirty heroin needles like party favors and Calipari is selling national security secrets to the North Koreans and NO ONE CARES. There has to be some kind of context here. Real crimes are an afterthought and IU is worried about minutiae. Very discouraging.