Honkyman

I wondered what happened to Old Friend? The reason I was thinking about him is that Old Friend more than anyone else predicted Armaan Franklin would be a very good player. So he deserves credit as Armaan is breaking out this season.

George McGinnis--a man among boys. Led the Big Ten in Scoring (30 pg) and rebounding (14.7 pg) his only season at IU. The most talented player to ever wear an IU uniform.

Not sure why that would upset you. _____________ Stating a contrary opinion is not getting "upset." This is an opinion board which by definition means posters will post contrary opinions. I respect your opinion and it doesn't upset me though I may disagree.

But you can choose only focus on the negative ("if Franklin hadn't been hot from 3-point range") and spin it back the other way and say the only reason Butler led at half was because they were 5 of 7 from three point range. ____________ Butler--an inferior team in terms of talent--completely outplayed IU in the first half. That is not focusing on the negative, it is calling it like it is. And, that's two games in a row in which we were outplayed, out-hustled in the first half. Franklin got hot in the first half but turned it over 5 times in the game. Phinisee scored just 3 points. When he is going to become a complete player? Trey Galloway didn't score but he played smart and ended with five assists. Race Thompson finally came alive in the second half. TJD played a good game but the team doesn't get him the ball enough. I stand by my conclusion that the team needs to play significantly better or we are headed for an 8th place finish.

Trey Galloway is a tough, smart basketball player. He is Randy Whitman without the outside shot. Randy was deadeye from outside.

Winning by 8 points over a mediocre Butler team playing without their best player is no great accomplishment. We were out-rebounded, only shot 55% from the free-throw line, and turned the ball over 15 times. If Franklin hadn't been hot from 3-point range in the first half, IU probably would have lost. Lots of work to do if IU is going to finish above 8th place in the conference.

Butler's defense is far superior to Its.

This team stinks. Why is Race Thompson shooting 3-pointers? Why do the guards keep driving into 3 defenders? Galloway is the only one to kick out to an open 3 when driving. TJD is not getting shots. Miller makes no adjustments as IU falls behind. Terrible first half.

We have a commitment from Parker and landing Aminu is unlikely. So the question is academic at this point. Let's hope that Parker doesn't lose his shooting touch after he arrives in Bloomington as seems to happen to so many IU recruits.

Morgan was a Crean recruit. So at the very least, both Crean and Miller deserve credit. But Miller will have more former players in the NBA. It is likely TJD will make it. There will be more.

Also, in Thomas Bryant's class--Juwan Morgan and OG Anunoby. Pretty good class. Would love to see another class with that level of talent.

Armaan Franklin was terrible in the first half when the game was decided. Should he be awarded MVP for a very good second half performance? I would give MVP to the best player on the floor, the one who put IU safely ahead in the first half, the one who made Franklin's second half wide open 3-point shots possible--Trayce Jackson Davis.

Good 2nd half. I take back what I said about Franklin. Now he's played two good games. Lander hits double figures as does Galloway. It's good that the freshman got playing time. Onward!

Ugly performance against an awful team. TJD--12 points--should have 20. He is way better than anyone else on either team. Race Thompson--2 points, 3 missed free throws. Where is the Race from the Providence game? Franklin--one good game this year. Otherwise, he has been lousy especially with shooting. That baseline drive does not work. Phinisee--1 point? When is this guy going to live up to the hype? Durham--Does Al play like a senior? I don't think so. Hunter--6 rebounds & 3-point shot out of 3. Coughed it up a couple of times. At least he is getting playing time. He could be what IU needs if he starts hitting that 3-point shot with consistency. Gallaway-9 points on 4 for 4. Trey seems to play great against terrible teams and terrible against good teams. At least he hustles and shows potential. Lander--2 points on free throws. No defense, no outside shot. Geronimo--1 for 1 from the field 0 for 2 from the line. He's got a long way to go. Leal--Was this guy really Indiana Mr. Basketball?

The concern isn't so much this year. We should make the NCAA tournament, if there is one. Kenpom has IU at #21, others have us around #30. But if TJD leaves after this year, which seems almost certain, next year could be another down year.

I agree that some top recruits find Indiana basketball unappealing. But it doesn't have anything to do with the uniforms or the facility or the fans (all most recruits know about the fans is the crazy atmosphere during home games). The problem is with performance on the court. IU has had decent but not especially good (or exciting) teams under Archie Miller even with home grown stars like Romeo Langford and Trayce Jackson Davis. It has been almost a decade since IU was a top ten team. Michigan State, Ohio State, and even Illinois now seem like better destinations for top 30 players. The answer isn't putting names on the uniform or spending hundreds of millions on a new facility. The answer is to start winning more.

Leal looks like McRobets without the hustle. Unfortunately, we have a mediocre point guard starting right now. Unless, Coach can get Lander ready this team will be no better than last year.

Last year Jerome Hunter had a terrible shooting percentage until he played more. Over the last ten games, Hunter had the best 3-point percentage on the team. Lander has more potential than any guard on the team. He is a better point guard on offense than Rob Phinisee because he moves the offense while Phinisee is stagnating. Lander needs more experience and what better time to giver it to him than against North Alabama? BTW, Hunter should play more, too.

"This is a different game perhaps if we make one or two more of our open 3's...our boys have to finish plays." That's my point. Our guards don't make their 3s and they don't finish plays. This is not just the game against FSU. As pointed out in the 'Five Takeaways" coverage by Inside the Hall: "Through five games, the Hoosiers are shooting just 28.8% on 3s. This is not a new issue for Indiana under Miller, but it is one that persists as year four of his tenure gets into full swing. Indiana's starting guards went 2-of-11 on 3s...the program's inability to recruit and develop shooters continues to hamper its progress."

IU was lucky not to get blown out against Florida State. The inability of the guards to make shots underscores this team's limitations. IU only has one reliable offensive weapon and one weapon is not enough to compete for the top half of the conference. Attacking the rim doesn't do much good if you can't score when you get there. Our guards not only can't hit 3-point shots, they can't make two foot shots. Part of the problem is that Miller's offense lacks imagination. It is too predictable so that when the guards get to the hoop the defense is there to throw off the shot. The silver lining is Trayce Jackson Davis who really is becoming an excellent college player. If only he had a little more help from the guard play.

Unfortunately, IU only has one player who is a reliable scorer. The guard play on the offensive end is just weak.

Indiana is lucky they aren't getting blown out. The offense is awful. Terrible shooting. Galloway is playing too much. Hunter is 2 for 3 from 3-point range--the only Hoosier to hit a 3--and he is sitting on the bench most of half. The defense looks good but not the rebounding. Very disappointing.

I would be happy to be wrong. But imo Ohio State is a much better team that was caught off-guard. They wouldn't be surprised twice if we played them again. We are better off playing an inferior team (like Purdue), finishing the regular season with just one loss, and going to a top bowl game than risking a loss by playing OSU a second time.

Ohio State already defeated Indiana. And, frankly, OSU would beat IU by a lot more if they played them now without our 1st string quarterback.

I could be wrong, but I can't imagine either Al Durham or Joey Brunk returning for another year of college ball. Both could make a living playing overseas. For Joey, it would mean six years of college. Unless he is working on a PhD, that is too much college life for anyone but Bluto from Animal House. The way Race Thompson is playing, he'll also be ready for professional basketball by next year.