Honkyman

The guard play stinks again. Al Durham makes 4 bad plays for every good one. Rob Phinisee is doing nothing.

Doesn't the IU basketball team need a new locker room? As coach, Knight destroyed a bunch of lockers.

The best pass of the Northwestern game was Devonte Green to Justin Smith for the slam. Green is the best shooter and the best passer on the IU team. He just seems to lack the discipline to put that talent for consistent play.

There are a lot worse things to complain about than what two guys on the bench were doing. It is the lack of energy on the floor that put IU in the hole not lack of enthusiasm on the bench. And, for those taking shots at Justin Smith, IU would not have won without him. The guy scored 18 points, including two key put backs and several rebounds down the stretch. Yes, he played poor defense until the end, but so did everyone else except Al Durham. The poor shooting continues to plague IU but Durham's foul shooting and tough defense helped them avoid a disaster.

Rob played well at the very end but stunk the rest of the game and failed to score. Al was the only guard who played well.

If work ethic means anything, making Al captain was a good decision.

Starting 3 guards is ludicrous. Aside from the fact that Green is the only guard on the team who can shoot and he is sporadic, playing three guards means there is only one guard for substitution. That's Al Durham who happens to be the only IU player who consistently hits free throws (83.7%) and is the 2nd best three point shooter on the team (37.2%). Al also is the best guard at taking the ball to the hoop which is why he is 2nd to TJD in free throw attempts. Plus Al along with Joey Brunk are the only players who at this time anyway seem to be playing hard and with heart. Franklin's 3-point throw shooting, with the sole exception of the Notre Dame game, is atrocious for a starting guard (20.5%) and he has a tendency to throw the ball away. If IU is playing for the future rather winning this year, then start Franklin.

You can say he isn't talented enough to play at Indiana University, but at least Al Durham can make free throws (83.7%) which is more than you say about any of the other players (Rob Phinisee is hitting 79.2% but he has only shot half as many). Al's 3-point average is 2nd highest on the team (37.2%)--though admittedly his 3-point shooting dropped once the competition picked up. And, there is something to be said for players who play hard. Joey Brunk also plays hard and with heart. I'm not sure about the rest of the team.

Putting Brunk on the bench? Brunk was IU's best player Saturday. And, Brunk is the only one playing with any heart. The problem isn't just that TJD, Smith and Brunk can't shoot. It is that no one on the team, except for Green, can shoot. And, Green is streaky. It was interesting that Archie employed a full court press once IU was down by 30 points. That's when the offense clicked because we forced turnovers. Why didn't we use the full court earlier when it could have made a difference? Everyone is playing tight. So how about employing a more aggressive defense and a less robotic offense?

I agree, shorten the rotation. But also make smart substitutions. Archie seems to have a set time when he makes substitutions and follows it without regard to what is happening in the game. Players get yanked just as they get hot and other players remain on the floor even after a series of bone-headed moves. Brunk seemed to be the only player against Maryland who played with any heart. I wouldn't give any more minutes to Race than he is already getting--he makes a lot of dumb plays. D'Ron Davis is a good sub for Brunk, imo, and we need his offense more. Franklin has to stop shooting 3s. He has had one (very) good game. Otherwise, his shooting from 3 is awful (20%). Plus, Franklin has a lot of unforced turnovers. Free throw shooting is embarrassing--only Al Durham is shooting better than 80% (84%). That's a good enough reason to keep Durham on the floor. Phinisee is also a decent free throw shooter (79%) but he seems to be in a daze right now. Green is the only player who is shooting a decent percent from 3-point range (just a shade under 40%), but he as soon as he makes one he starts firing away. I attended the game against Maryland in College Park and the effort was embarrassing.

To put this in perspective, Archie Miller was out-coached by Mark Turgeon.

71-70 Hoosiers

Race Thompson has no business shooting 3s period. TJD doesn't shoot 3s so why should Race?

After TJD the choices for starters aren't great. We're playing too many guys for too long. We can't go to a 3-guard lineup because our guards are the weakest link on the team. Three bad guards are not better than two bad guards. Stop with the mass substitutions--bring them in one at a time. Our 2nd team isn't good enough to bring in all at once. Start TJD, Smith, Brunk, Phinisee, Durham. Bring Green off the bench as soon as either Durham or Phinisee start missing shots or turning it over. Franklin has had one very good game but generally is no more than an OK sub. His shooting has been reliably off except in the Notre Dame game and he really shouldn't be shooting 3s unless he is absolutely wide open. Brunk is inconsistent so against teams with size up front Archie is going to have to play D'Ron Davis more than he has. OK he is slow but DD has good interior moves if he can stop fouling. Thompson can come in to give TJD a breather but don't leave him in the game any longer than necessary. More times than not he can't hit a layup and he has absolutely no business shooting 3s. Anderson and Hunter can take turns giving Smith a breather but unless they are showing something more than they have their minutes should be limited. There is no reason why TJD gets only 3 touches in a half. If an opposing player is fronting him that means either one of our other front court players (Brunk or Smith) is open or the ball can be swung around so TJD gets an easy basket. There is actually enough talent on this team to win games but the discipline has to be much better and so does the coaching. Archie needs to be more creative and make adjustments when things aren't working. He comes in with a game plan and never seems to deviate no matter what is happening on the floor.

I'm not sure I understand the negative comments about Kaufman. He is considered one of the better high school players in the country (top 50) and a likely Mr. Indiana Basketball finalist. With TJD, Smith and Brunk gone 2 years from now, who will IU have to play in the front court?

Once again IU's Miller is out-coached. He seems incapable of making adjustments during a game. Mussleman knew he had to stop Jackson Davis. Miller made no counter adjustments. Sorry, but Archie is a very mediocre coach.

IU should be up double digits against these jokers. Missed free throws and missed block outs have kept this game close. If Arkansas can figure out a way to stop TJD, they can win it. Nobody else for IU is doing anything offensively.

Devonte Green needs to play. Though he overdoes it at times, Green is the only one on the team who can create offense. Al plays harder than just about anyone but he lacks athleticism and judgment. He decides he is going to shoot or drive whether that course is best or not. Franklin had a great game against Notre Dame but overall he is an average shooter.

With the Crossroads Classic and the BIG 10--ACC Challenge, IU is guaranteed two quality non-conference opponents. The Crossroads Classic provides a high profile game in the state of Indiana where IU prioritizes recruiting. Playing either Butler or Notre Dame every year is good for the program, although it would be better if we scheduled both teams during non-conference play.

Green has proven more than any of the guards that he can score and did so at key moments against Notre Dame. Al Durham on the other hand has not had strong games against better competition.

IU didn't play particularly well even when they jumped up by 17 points. Their lead was built on Notre Dame's abysmal shooting. Poor play by just about everyone except the two freshman--although Brunk played well the first half. Poor coaching. Archie left essentially the same players in the game who were playing poorly during there 10 minutes when Notre Dame made their way back. IU was very lucky to win. It is hard to see how this team wins 8 more conference games once the new year begins.

Al Durham is a junior this season. He won't be around should Furst and Kaufman come to IU. Neither will TJD in all likelihood.

I think one thing most on this board can agree on: Purdue was overrated going into this season.

No.. If we play like crap against better teams than Nebraska, teams like Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Maryland, to name just four, we won't be as lucky as we were against Nebraska. It will be more like the result IU had when it played like crap against Wisconsin.

Nebraska won at home. Big 10 teams are undefeated at home in conference play so far this season. What was troubling about Friday night's game was that it resembled for too much the conference play of last season--unforced turnovers, poor defense, inability to hit 3-point shots and free throws (until the end), lackluster effort through much of the game, and Archie Miller being out-coached by the opposing coach. That IU won on Friday (narrowly in overtime) or that Nebraska defeated Purdue in Lincoln today does not change the fact that there are serious problems with the team's play that must be fixed if IU is going to make the NCAA tournament.