HoosierHoopster

Big wins have proven to outweigh bad losses.   TCU lost to New Orleans at Home Q4 loss, Notre dame at home (Q3 loss) but have some huge wins Florida, @Texas Tech and others and they are projected comfortably in for now 

It will be very important.    David Worlock who works for the ncaa and is the guy when it comes to the ncaa tourney has gone out of his way to emphasize that for selection it is the tool bracketologist should pay attention to.  Last year every at large  team with a WAB 42 or better got selected.    North Carolina was 42 and West Virginia the first team out was 48.    IU was 48th last year.   OSU is currently 39th in WAB.  Got to think a road win moves ius up close to the 40 line 

I'm already in the Crown...

Like you said, we were definitely talking past each other, legit misunderstanding. All good in my book. 

OK disagree, there's no evidence whatsoever that DeVries could have landed 9 better players, there just isn't. The evidence is directly to the contrary but you're just ignoring it. When he was hired, and with 0 staff, he got out recruiting and while other schools were landing recruits a good deal of time went by while he was evaluating and reaching out to Portal players before he was able to land a single player (other than Tucker). That's the actual evidence of what he could have and was doing. Weeks went by. That was "fussed" over here. Then he finally landed his first Portal prospect, and then the ball started to roll a bit down hill so that he was able to bring in additional players and with those he got some momentum. Meanwhile he beat out UK for Wilkerson, flying here to Texas to do it. 
It's really easy just to say he could have landed better players, but it completely ignores the context of his hire and yes the preceding 8 years leading to what IU was as a basketball school when he stepped in is absolutely relevant.

I lost my mother at 45, and I can't imagine losing her at 21.  I would've love to have him in Bloomington, but he made the right decision.

Disadvantage:
OSU is the #11 team in the nation and is really, really talented and good. All other factors pretty much wash away when one team is markedly superior. So IU's non-WNIT season, barring a freakin' miracle will end today. 
But the future is very bright for IUWBB.

Thankfully you didn't or we might have lost our field hockey correspondent.   lol

I was there!
Seemed to me that this was an even smaller than usual crowd for a Big10 tournament opening round.  Some guy gave me a ticket.  It was really high up so I couldn't tell for sure, but I didn't think the IU fanbase was very big either.
BUT, I was super impressed with our comeback.  Let's be honest, very few of us thought we had a chance going into the second half.  Fortunately, the lady Hoosiers didn't think like all of us.
This was a VERY impressive victory, especially considering we have probably the shortest bench in the Big10.  We got exactly TWO points outside of the starting five.
Will be very hard to handle OSU, especially with our lack of dept.
But who thought we could beat Nebraska heading into the second half?

Nuke LaLoosh said it best: "Winning -- it's like better than losing." 
 
 

Ius WAB moved up to 48 after the Minny game.    They were at 51 after the Sparty game.   Win at OSU and that number will keep improving.   

For the time being Marquette moved to 99 which makes that win a Q2.   Makes the number of Q2 wins look better but like with the others that are close to a quad cutoff line it doesn’t make the win any better or worse 

Rumors from Kansas Fans that Bidunga is talking to teams.   I don’t know we will want to pay what he wants, but the chance will exist again. I’d like to see him as a Hoosier. But he also might just be the modern Keion Brooks for Indiana fans. Lol

You never count your NIL,
When you're biddin' in the portal,
There'll be time enough for countin',
When the roster’s done.

In Conwells  case I think even if you know he isn’t coming the head coach of Indiana has to try.   He was one of the hottest guards in the portal and had Indiana connections.   Kind of like the head coach of IU needs to be presence at Indiana high school sectional of final games even if they are not recruiting anyone at that time.   Unwritten rule sort of speak.   If he wouldn’t have went after Connell he would have gotten blasted on here for not even trying.   He was perfect but in this case I don’t think he did anything wrong.  Just my opinion 

I think we have enough money I’d rather them try and land 2 elite players, PG and SG/Wing. Then get a defensive athletic center. Fill the rest with capable big ten caliber bench players. Won’t be ideal but I don’t think we see ideal for a couple more years yet. 
 
After listening to the Ryan Carr interview from a week or so ago, I’m very encouraged by his addition and role. I think he has the right mindset. High school recruiting is like the draft and the portal is free agency. You typically over spend in free agency. So we need to over spend for a few years until our high school recruits get to be upperclassmen. I don’t think we are targeting the 5 star 1 and dones. I keep hearing about this sweet spot of 30-100 range in ranking. Guys with big upside and skill but will stick around 3-4 years. They come in cheaper and then when they are more developed you pay them more. 

They swung for the fences off the bat with 2 kids that were not going to go to IU from the jump.   Conwell they had to go after just because but he was going to Louisville.   Kelsey tried to get him the year before but got a late start.   Once he went into the portal this year Kelsey had the jump on everyone since he is basically from that area or have a ton a family from that area.    Dix they had to go after because of the relationship DeVries had with him but that kid was going to go where ever was closest to his mom that was battling cancer and sadly she lost her battle with cancer during the season.    UConn had a moment of silence at their home game against Creighton this year 

No, Wilkerson presents the opposite problem: he’s producing more than he’s paid. You get his production we’ll likely have to spend more.  But that’s fine, some guys will pan out better and some worse.
 
I listed him because realistically those our are main guys money-wise (as reported) who represent the biggest pool of money we have to replace. It’ll be easy to replace the other guys and hard to replace Wilkerson. But he still has to be replaced and it could cost serious money to replace that kind of production. 

My thinking — yes CAM’s train wreck absolutely had something to do with it and it’s not “hyperbole.” 8 Years of mediocrity leading to both coaches’ firings and most recently to Woodson’s late firing after another missed tournament left IU a limping program with little recognition in teenage to early 20 portal players. CAM clearly helped bury the program. Woodson dug it deeper.9 players is specifically mentioned above. Disagree that DeVries  could have assembled a much better top 9 group of players. How, who? he had 0 staff, leaving aside 0 returning players, inherited a mediocre program with no outside / guard game. What 9 better  players wanted to come to IU in that context and over all the other - better - programs with existing players, staff and money? There’s zero evidence for that. A graphic of other schools doesn’t at all account for IU’s circumstances last year. Agree we may have over-paid for Bailey (don’t know what he was paid).
On whether he actually made a choice to build from scratch that’s at best conjecture and I don’t  think it’s right. On the one hand none of the still eligible players fit his system, Malik didn’t, but on the other who of them wanted to stay? Can you name them? New coach, different system, unknown staff, after a terrible year, with the anger of the fan base - do you remember the post- season interviews with players talking about how bad it was dealing with that? 
DrVries is a good coach, I want to see what he can do now that he has a year to learn from the mistakes I do think he made (outside of Sam, not getting more strength and size up front), and what he can do to build from a program in place with a core. 

Agree except if you’re questioning the money paid to Wilkerson — don’t think you really are that would be nuts. 
The entire preceding discussion grounded in the ridiculously repeated nonsense that DeVries could’ve done oh so much better in the portal coming in late to the party with 0 staff and 0 players after Woodson’s (and CAM’s) train wreck is so mind numbing it’s killing me. Exactly what top players would have come running to IU - let alone 9???? —just bc they’re offered money (while being offered money by actual winning programs with other players actually on the team and a coaching staff in place?? 
sure would be nice if people could just wake up and stop the nonsense of saying Devries should have brought in top players last year and instead look forward to seeing (and critiquing) what a DeVries can do and does this offseason now that he at least has a program, some players, and staff. Not banking on it, why expect rational thought. I’ll keep hoping the team gets into the tourney— that would also help with the portal.

+Lamar could you imagine. Alexis would be the reserve. Top 5 seed with potential to go on a serious run 

I think you’re closer to the truth. You save money by retaining big name guys. By most accounts Edey and Braden smith could’ve got a little more by going on the open market but Purdue ponied up enough that they were happy to stay put with the coaches, teammates and situation they knew.  
 
If say Wilkerson were coming back, Duke or somebody might offer him 3.5mil but he’d stay with us for a small bump to 3 mil. But we have role players, at best, coming back. I can’t see them taking any less money. But realistically who is going to offer a Sisley or Miles a big contract?  
 
We just have to make much better use of the Wilkerson-Tucker-Bailey-Conerway pool of money.