HoosierHoopster

You may be right — but it’s the wrong reason to start Kopp. His D is better than Stewart’s but he’s not bringing outside scoring, and that’s the primary reason he’a starting (along with vet leadership). Can’t win many without an outside game to open the floor and Kopp just isn’t bringing it. (Would love it if he turned around and exploded from deep, but he just hasn’t been doing that). Imo, adding Galloway shores up the D, can afford to have Stew out there defensively (though we really miss Rob). Have to put up more points to win

Yeah, I'd start TJD Race Galloway Stewart X for the outside shooting, and with Galloway I think Stewart gets more shots -- we need him shooting, dude can drill it and when he does it opens the floor. I am big on Bates, but he hasn't been consistent, still a frosh who looked like he hit the frosh wall for several games, and imo we need a real, consistent, deep shooter on the floor.

Really think Stewart should start. His outside shooting is hands down legit and creates spacing. With Galloway starting the defense is improved along with ball movement (no, not as point), Kopp is not shooting at the level where defenses have to worry about him. Side note, IIRC Knight did the same suspension thing to Woodson, it worked for him. Here? I think it was a ridiculous move at a really inopportune time. There are all sorts of ways to enforce team rules, for what was just not a very big deal (and why all of them were back after just 1 game), that fall short of risking our season by sitting them as a group. Really think that was a bad decision (I'm probably in the minority here, and that's fine, reasonable minds will differ). I guaranty you guys like Izzo would not have risked their season over that. Hopefully, we'll see a very locked in, intense game from our Hoosiers tomorrow.

I don't think he gets a 'free pass' there's plenty of fair criticism. But the idea that he should suddenly turn around a program that hasn't been in the tourney since 2016? Well, that would be just insanity to me, and most.

We're not. Most other programs give their coaches multiple years to integrate their own recruiting and build their teams. Our fanbase is about as rabid as a bball fanbase can get, "it's Indiana." Woodson has started pretty strong, I'm one who thinks he can build the program back to a legit steady competing for the top of conference team year in and year out. But it doesn't happen overnight, and 3-4 years is typical. My one area of concern is the lack of developing the outside game, but it's still year one and Woodson's history points to that happening with time

Yeah that's crazy over the top stuff, but appreciate the clip. It's just a clip, but I like the handle and pull up, do see the Hollowell comparisons, I can also see why some would compare him to a young Wat as he has a kind of slow-fluid look to the pull up, but he's stronger going to the rim, that was an area of weakness for Wat as a frosh-soph before he really turned it on and became a much, much better player around the basket as a junior

Let it be so

Ok got it. My concern is more with the staff / Woodson having the team shooting even less or about the same number of outside shots from deep despite getting Kopp and structuring the team for shooting, until today, starting the same 2 guys that mostly bring only shooting. We do have shooting, but we don’t use it. That’s mind boggling to me. Have to think though that, assuming TJD moves on next year, we’ll see that change

Agree, yet Kopp still starts. I believe in Woodson, but he does appear to be stubborn and slow to acknowledge when things aren’t working.

On this game, I expected a loss. “Predicted” a W with my heart, but MSU wasn’t going to lose this one at home. Big game for me is next - at home v Wisconsin. I WANT this game. Beat Wisconsin and we’re immediately back on track. It’s at home, we should’ve won in their house, and I really, really can’t stand Wisconsin.

Galloway and Geronimo are much improved. I haven’t read through the thread — if all you’re talking about is shooting, that ignores how much both have improved across the board. Geronimo’s deep percentage? He barely shot last year. He has a pretty decent outside shot, but that’s not his strength— rebounding, shot blocking and D, he’s a monster in the making. Galloway? He has shot better, but his shot is definitely not his strength. Ok, he’s been great in multiple other areas on both sides of the ball. I posted a whole thread on their advanced stats it a while back. We agree on Kopp, Stew to a lesser extent (coming into this game he was shooting 45 % from deep, i mean, that’s elite), but their lack of outside shooting production is, imo, at least partly on the staff, for failing to stucture our O for outside shooting, and on TJD for not kicking the ball out much. However, it’s also true that they’re one dimensional and teams are playing them to take away their shooting, neither puts it on the floor well, that’s a problem. Bates showed more promise today, do think he’ll be really good next season

He has “soft hands” on his shot, i am confident when the ball leaves his hands

Geronimo needs good minutes, he gets boards on each end, to go with his strong D and added scoring and toughness. Geronimo is the kind of guy who will push MSU

That’s a good landing spot for Romeo, great organization, he should have good opportunity to develop and grow his NBA game with the Spurs

No announcement

Been asking for this for a long time now. Kind of annoying it took a 5-player benching for Woodson to finally get around to it, but maybe there’s a silver lining there

IU 68 MSU 66 God loves my soul, no mercy needed :)

I predict I’ll be annoyed by Izzo’s incessant whining and crybaby expressions

Well Christ. I’ve been swamped, had to miss the game, then stared at a story wondering what in the living Hell would cause Woodson to bench 5 players in what was clearly an important game. I am just back on and haven’t read through the threads. Do we know why in the world Woodson did this, or is the reason for this mass discipline just message board speculation? Man this sucks

And free throws. This is a game he and Race should get to the line well

Spot on. There is just no good reason for our not playing inside out. TJD can dominate, and Race is right there, but we're one dimensional on offense. Kicking it back out would / SHOULD open the floor for everyone, TJD and Race included. Kick the ball to our shooters, let it fly, and spread out the D for more room in the lane. This is not rocket science. I'm a believer in Woodson and staff, but lately it has appeared Woodson is stubbornly playing the same starters no matter what and not using the outside shot, and that needs to change.

Yes this is a good point, and - hopefully - the motivation will be there for him to really bring it. We need more outside shooting

It's going to be a tough game, NWU is hitting from deep well and is playing solid D. But I'm going with a bounce-back, focused game with mostly good matchups -- though we are really missing Rob's D. IU - 71 NWU - 68

I think we’ll go 2-2. Starters benched, they will come out focused. The bad matchup isn’t there against NWU. The team knows it has to win some of these games, sense of urgency. We all tend to overreact to W’s and L’s. This team has road W’s, and we will beat Wisconsin at home - i’m going out on a limb on that one, because damn it, it’s time

Agree in part - IU is largely one dimensional across the floor, it’s a team of mostly CAM recruits with late-added transfers trying to address a lack of outside shooting and need for point guard play, and it’s Woodson’s first season. However, in my best broken record voice, the staff is not pushing the outside game, or inside- out play despite starting both Stew and Kopp for their outside game. That’s on the staff and at least to an extent TJD for not getting the ball back out to shooters. We can win more of these games when wr get more shooting — and a more balanced attack. Some talk about the PU game as an outlier because Rob got hot. Well, that’s partly true, it was his best game— but it doesn’t happen without TJD being on the bench — we had to play from outside, and PU had no good answer. This team does have pretty decent outside shooting, but it doesn’t use it well, and when it’s focus is on playing through TJD, and it’s not going back outside, we’re not going to score well generally except when THD dominates. That is limiting this team, this team can score better.