LamarCheeks

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.

Virginia destroying Tech -- 44-22 at halftime. Cavs are crushing it from outside -- 10 of 14 on 3s. ... Have we even made 10 3-pointers in our past three games combined?

U.Va. with an early 15-point lead on Virginia Tech. Cavaliers aren't really doing anything special -- just making their shots when open. Amazing how much an offense opens up when you can make outside shots.

Who knows -- he might make a nice addition to Archie's staff! LOL!

Too bad he couldn't behave himself. Could've used him last season.

Don't know if Matt Canada turned them down or they didn't offer, but he had been linked to the Pitt gig. And now, it's another job he won't be getting. Instead, Mr. Whipple is headed to the Steel City. I wonder if Canada is holding out for Northern Illinois' top job? (although according to some ESPN guru, he's not in their top three)

Not only do I not understand Fitzner continuing to get minutes, I don't get the way he's used. He's 6-11 but has the game of a 5-11 guy. For him to go down low on offense is a waste. He has poor post moves and simply is not strong enough to back his way in, and on the few times where he has backed his way to the hoop, he either gets his shot swatted away or misses. We need him to come in and knock down shots from the outside -- like he did against Marquette. Otherwise, there's really no reason for him to be on the floor. I was ecstatic after the Marquette game. I didn't expect him to go 6-7 from the floor (4-4 on 3s) every game, but I thought he would be a great outside spark off the bench. But we haven't seen anything like that since the Marquette game. Come to think of it, we haven't seen the entire team play anywhere close to the way it played in that game.

Let me start by saying I like Archie. I thought he was a good hire. I could be wrong -- I often am -- but when he came aboard, I thought it was a good move. There were two guys I really would've loved to have -- Tony Bennett, Brad Stevens -- and they weren't happening, so given the remaining pool, I thought Archie was among the best options. I'm still in his corner, but last night really concerns me. Those guys just acted as if they didn't want to be there, and oftentimes, I think that's a reflection on the coach. There was no fire in their belly and no sense of urgency. You're playing in the nation's best conference in front of 17,000-plus fans -- how can that not get you fired up to play? And please don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying Crean is better than Archie -- no way, no how -- and I'm so old now that I can't necessarily remember nine and 10 years ago, but even when we were gawdawful in FCTC's early years, it seems that at least we played hard. No matter what our problems were last night, I think most everyone can agree: That team did NOT play hard. That's what frustrated the bejabbers out of me. P.S. One of the things we lack most is a consistent outside shooter. Living out in the commonwealth, I see him play (on TV) quite often, but just imagine how good Kyle Guy would look in the cream & crimson. When he crosses the half-court line, he's in range. And he doesn't need much room -- he can shoot off the dribble and off screens. FCTC really blew it there.

Living in the commonwealth, I'm actually looking forward to No. 9 Virginia Tech at No. 4 Virginia tonight. I think Virginia's pretty solid, but I'm skeptical that Tech really is the ninth-best team in the country. My guess: U.Va. by 15. We'll see ...

Funny thing is, early in the season, I though we could sweep the PUs. Now, I'll be surprised if we don't get swept... Toiletmakers 76 IU 63

I would like to see Jake a little more, too -- simply because it seems at this point, he can't be any worse than anybody else -- but I believe he's been limited by an ankle injury. I saw something today indicating he was questionable at best for tonight.

I should've just changed the channel, but didn't. ... And seeing squirrely Tim Miles laughing and joking with Raftery on our floor after the game just pisses me off. We need someone like Larry Bird, during the Celts-Lakers series in the mid-1980s, to step up and say, "We're playing like sissies. We don't have the heart we need to. To see guys out there, runnin' up and down and slapping high-fives... you'd think somebody would want to put a stop to it." ... But I honestly don't think there is any leadership on this team. (Sorry that I remember those old Lakers-Celtics series. I'm 50, so according to some on this board, my old-school thinking is the reason Archie gives so much playing time to McRoberts. ... If you can figure how that sh-- works, you're smarter than I).

Not sure I understand this. Did we go after Chris Mack and he said no, that he wanted more money? I think Archie is getting over $3 million a year. I'm guessing Mack would've taken that to leave Xavier had we asked him to.

First of all, what the eff does being over 50 have to do with Archie playing or not playing anybody? Second of all, I doubt Archie makes his decisions on playing time based on pressure from fans. I'm not exactly sure what he does base PT on, but I doubt it's the fans.

So it's the fault of fans over 50 that McRoberts gets so much playing time?

He's 0 percent tonight.

Jeeze -- this game is over.

Our shooters don't make shots. Big difference.