LamarCheeks

From what I gather here, some folks think Kalen DeBoer will lead us to the NCAA tournament, while others don't.

We missed 11 free throws and 16 3-pointers. If we just go 13 for 18 from the line (instead of 7-18) and make 9 of 20 3s (instead of 4-20), that's 21 points right there -- and those aren't crazy-good percentages anyway. I'm not gonna say we'd have won by 5, because you never know exactly how things will shake out, but that's a lot of points to leave out there. I only was able to watch about 16 minutes of the first half because I had to work, but when I was watching, we missed some really wide-open 3s. That's just something you cannot do. Archie had better find a Zeisloft or a Roth in his next recruiting class. We just cannot go another year without any 3-point shooters. It's too big of a part of the game.

I know patience isn't necessarily our virtue (I know it isn't mine), especially since we've been pretty mediocre for most of this century, but here's a reminder ... At Virginia, Tony Bennett went 15-16 and 16-15 in his first two years. He's averaged 26 wins a season in the seven years since. They're 16-0 now.

So he can learn to do those things and gain experience.

Damezi should've gotten minutes before today -- just to help get his feet wet. Throwing him out there today with very little PT was asking for trouble. It was a failure waiting to happen.

Typical Justin -- bad pass, then lollygags his way down the court. Did he not learn ANYTHING from the Nebraska game!

Phinisee did a great job there -- using his body to shield the defender on his way to the hoop. Now, that was a smart play!

Yikes. I think Durham got away with one there.

With all our injuries and Romeo with 2 fouls, Justin is gonna have to play big today. Can't afford to have him pouting if he makes a bad play. He just needs to forget it and get after it. So far, he's looking pretty good.

Man, we just can't afford to miss wide-open 3s.

It was a charge. Phinisee initiated the contact.

Why don't our guys have the ability to stop the drive before getting called for a charge? When you're 6-1 and plow into a 7-2 guy, you're not gonna get that call. That's just not smart. When the defender seals off the drive, stop! Either turn around or pass it back out.

If we can't get inside, we really, really, really need to hit some 3s. And if we can't, we'll lose by 25.

If Duke were to beat U.Va. later today, that would be the last of the unbeatens. Leaving these guys as the last undefeated team (though to be honest, I'd rather see someone other than Duke beat U.Va.) ...

This has Romeo as the very last lottery pick. It also has Garland going 17th, which is interesting considering he's been out most of the season (although Michael Porter went 14th last year after missing just about all of his only college season). ... Oddly enough, I didn't see McRoberts' name on this list ... https://www.nbadraft.net/2019mock_draft

Also, I'm guessing this means Forrester will be available? I'm not sure he was against Nebraska. ... Would love to see Anderson come in and knock down a few 3s ... Man, I've got a feeling we're gonna get squished tomorrow. Hoping the boys can rally, but not holding my breath ...

Not looking good for Durham tomorrow, but maybe that ship hasn't sailed just yet ...

Don't let the door hit you in the a$$ on way out!

Looks as if we're gonna have to kick it into high gear over the final 20 minutes.

Calbert was Crean's director of operations -- whatever that is. It's not an assistant and by NCAA rules, that person cannot coach and work with players. But then one of the assistants left and pretty much all IU fans were clamoring for Calbert to get the gig -- but instead, he left to be Crews' assistant at St. Louis. ... I can't attest to Crean's behavior, but I've seen many write here that he could make people feel uncomfortable and many people ended up thinking he was just plain weird. I wonder if that's what drove Calbert away? Or maybe Crean was too foolish to offer him the job. You've got the greatest Hoosier in history -- or one of the top-3 greatest -- and you let him get away to ... St. Louis? I always thought that was odd. (Although it's very possible there's a backstory I don't know about).

Does this make you the Cliff Claven of mods??? LOL!

They weren't boring tonight -- beat the crap out of Tech and played like the best team in the country.

Virginia Tech gets a run-out after a U.Va. miss. Jack Salt, a 6-10 center, sprints down court and prevents the layup. He is called for a foul, but man, he busted his a$$ to get back. And his team is up by 24 points. ... Flashback to last night: Justin Smith throws a pass along our baseline to a Nebraska player. Smith stares for a couple seconds, then jogs back down court. Meanwhile, Nebraska missed a dunk or layup (can't remember which) on its break but because nobody from IU is there, easily gathers the rebound and gets two points. ... Sorry to be gushing so much over U.Va., but this is what you want a college team to be. It plays with hustle and heart and smarts -- things we were totally lacking last night. I'm even more embarrassed now than I was 24 hours ago.

Virginia 70, Tech 46 with 8 minutes to go. I saw someone write on this board the other day that Bennett was the most overrated coach in the country. Um, no.

Kyle Guy is so amazing to watch. He knows how to get himself open and when he does, he doesn't miss. If his defender leaves him for just a second, he will strike. Such a smart player. Still just kills me we let him get away. He's EXACTLY what we need now.