TXHoosierDaddy

Archie needs to fill the briefcase for Mike Smith. He is exactly what we need. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/28167956/college-basketball-transfer-rankings-2020-21-2021-22

I agree he will be gone soon. Players play hard for him and he has assembled a complete roster with great guards and shooters (imagine that). I assume though some are holdovers from Holtmann. Their AD definitely deserves credit for bringing in A+ coaches after every turn and keeping the basketball program as a perennial top 25 team. Would make too much sense for us to look at him!

I'll tell everyone a team that is a treat to watch and that is Butler. Wouldn't be surprised one bit if they make a deep March run. Team plays so well together and Ric Smits son has basically been on the shelf all year. I am very impressed with their coach. Top 20 recruiting class next year too. It is a 6 player class though.

BIG teams holding tough. These games are crapshoots but it's nice to see a good showing against the almighty SEC

Top 15 teams have shooters....we still won't unless guys really improve more than they did this last off-season. It's not out of the question at all but there is certainly doubt just based on the development thus far.

Yet I keep coming on here and see folks making excuses about how Archie needs time. I'm all for having some patience but there isn't one person on this board that can confidently say this team is making the tourney this year and no one can also confidently say next year will be any better. It would be particularly hard to see improvement if TJD leaves, which is becoming more and more of a probability. Player development just hasn't been there and the lack of impact recruits also has been an issue (yet to recruit a true shooter). No way you can continue to back Archie if he goes four years without a tourney appearance. Just can't happen. We'll see if Option B comes true this year but man the BIG looks like its going to be a gauntlet. Only way i see it is if the guards improve a lot - I'm talking Phinny being a factor again and a consistent Green. Seems like stretch.

UT - 31 IU - 17

Plenty of examples out there of coaches being able to turn things around quickly - Beard at Tech, Mike Hopkins at Washington, Hurley at ASU, Will Wade at LSU....the list goes on.

Good question. Just wait until Musselman brings in a bunch of transfers. He already has 3 sitting out. Worked pretty damn well at Nevada.

I've been most impressed with Brunk and TJD. Unfortunately, our guards outside of Phinese don't get these guys the ball enough. Green makes stupid entry passes and the rest of the guards aren't looking inside enough. TJD - Stud who doesn't get ball enough. Should be getting a touch every time down. Brunk - Has looked the part so far. It's too bad we can't clone a few more Brunks on this team. Durham - Should be coming off bench. Improved shooting but seems better suited as a role player Phinese - Injuries look to have zapped him this year. Still best passer and ball handler. Smith - Much better basketball IQ this year but doesn't seem to be in the flow of the offense. We also don't try to involve him similar to TJD Franklin - Lots of potential but lots of shooting woes to work on Green - Good for a few games and bad for a few. Completely unreliable and shouldn't have the ball in his hands as much as he does Race - Looks serviceable at times but also looks unsure of himself at other times. Damezi/Hunter - Damezi plays good defense but is non-existent offensively. Hunter seems to have potential but looks and plays like a freshman at the moment. What we lack: Shooters shooters and shooters, another reliable ball handler, gritty tough guard/small forward that plays with tenacity of Brunk

Because there are now about 500 grad transfers every year. We are bound to get one if we at least try! Heck just think of what a kid like Zeisloft would do for this team. We don't have anyone close to that shooting ability.

Nope we are very lucky to be 11-2. And the same themes have re-emerged as the last few years. I just don't understand...it was so easy to see this team needed shooting yet Archie hardly addressed it. Its rather troubling going into year 3 that you would be that naive to not address such a glaring need. Archie has flaws as a coach but his biggest weakness which has been talked about widely is the disappointment in recruiting. It just doesn't seem like we have enough capable guys on the floor. On a top 10 team, most of what we are putting out there hardly would sniff the floor. Archie needs a flat out grad transfer scorer next year if we don't make the tourney this year, otherwise, I don't see how anything will change and there is no way you can go 4 years without a tourney appearance at IU. If we don't make the tourney this year I really think he will need to shake up the staff as well if he wants a 4th year.

I don't but would be interested to know. I remember there was a lot of chatter about trying to get him at the time. I also am curious why we couldn't have brought in another player to this years class. All offseason my buddies and I couldn't figure out why you wouldn't try to get a grad transfer shooter since there seemed to be a lack of shooters (which still holds true). Didn't make sense to me but i'm sure I am missing something.

And if we don't make the tourney this year someone needs to explain to me how next year would be any better especially if TJD bolts...I just don't see it from the roster barring a real impact transfer or two.

Sure they are competitive but I would be shocked if they are a tourney team. They will live and die by the three ball and don't seem to have any inside presence while only going 7 deep. SEC is fairly weak though but I don't see them being over .500 in that conference.

Went to a KU game recently against Colorado. What a shame we don't have Mckinley Wright! Dude is a baller and would instantly change the trajectory of this team. Archie's recruiting so far at IU has left something to be desired and 2020 has the looks of a mid major recruiting class....

Arky hardly played anyone though coming into this game. Best win before this was at Georgia Tech. No one on their schedule so far was a tourney team.

UConn and ND could have gone either way. And did you see the way we played during our only true road game against Wisky? I'm more afraid we are going to seemingly lose every road game without upperclassmen leadership and enough ball handlers/consistent scoring. I mean at NW seems like a W....I think.

Maybe he waits for the UT job since Shaka seems to be on thin ice. Other than UT, I don't see any program in Texas worth sticking around for unless he really loves Tech that much. They are paying him 4+ million currently. I don't know what we were throwing at some of the big names and maybe it wouldn't have mattered much.

11-2 is a mirage. This BIG season is going to get ugly fast. And I'm sure folks would be more optimistic if we had a killer recruiting class next year to potentially pair with some of the parts from this season. Unfortunately, Archie doesn't look to have assembled something that will be impactful off the bat.

Throw everything at Beard from Texas Tech. No way he keeps that job forever he's just waiting on someone to offer more.

For 3.3 million, i'm sure there weren't many. Upping that to 5+ and you have a whole new ballgame.

Fanbase isn't the problem. Recruits pick the coach/program these days. Social media has created negativity everywhere with every school and its fans. You get an impact coach in here who can recruit and we will start producing top 10 classes. Problem is we haven't been able to do that consistently at all since the cheater Sampson.

Pretty sure Bama football does just this after every loss and doesn't affect too much on the recruiting front. Then again they hardly ever lose. I remember the Penn St. QB being threatened too by his own fans yet they will likely have a top 10 recruiting class again. This stuff gets overblown.

Yes, no doubt just feel like it will always be harder for us to sell it even with all of the offense coming back. $$ talks so it's nice to see we have opened up the pocket books some.