IUHoosierJoe

I'd have traded Tatum instead. The Celtics would have gotten a lot more for him, because the common opinion is that Tatum is much better. The problem is that the advanced metrics don't support the notion that Tatum is really better. The Celtics played themselves into a 2 seed without Tatum, and the advanced metrics show the Celtics were not good without Brown on the floor.

Well, he’d never bet against us.

It’s your opinion. It remains to be seen if it’s true. But you know that.

And you made it until 6 months before ever seeing them play for your 67 zillion posts (all saying the same thing) criticizing next season’s roster. So, do you just switch back and forth between crowds depending on whatever you want to argue about?

Winning Sales will send a signal to elite recruits. Winning big without him will send an even bigger signal to the recruits Cig really wants. Would be great to get him, but if he gets a bigger bag somewhere else, so be it.

I remember a year in the 1980s right after Bill Mallory had turned the program around, we had the fourth-ranked class in the Big 10, but I don’t remember what the national rank was.

I wasn't assuming that. But there really hasn't been anything, at least in my opinion, for a few years that would warrant an extension. His 2022 extension was signed only a year before the expiration of his original contract, and the program appeared to be on a much better trajectory back then. In any event, it will be interesting to see what your friend finds out. I would think IU would have to announce something one way or the other soon.

I would be shocked if IU had decided that the slop we've seen on the field the past 2-3 years warranted an extension.

Verne is really underrated IMO. Great at football, basketball, and golf.

Even if Sam were to get another year, I don’t think he’d come back to IU.

My understanding is that he was in the last year of his contract. I’d think we’d hear before too long whether he’s been offered a new contract or not.

Have you heard something official somewhere?

I’ve seen this said a lot (in addition to many other things said a lot), and it kind of confuses me. We didn’t spend enough? Aren’t we spending everything we have? I’d assume that we are, absent any evidence otherwise. So that being the case, shouldn’t people who believe we didn’t spend enough start writing checks?

And the pitching is not bad. It’s just not elite like the hitting.

My son is there. He says it’s supposed to rain all day, unfortunately.

Just a note on how Illinois scored their 2 runs in the 10th: 2 walks and a hit batsman to load the bases with no outs. First run scored on a double play ground ball. Then a two-out wild pitch scored the second run. So Illinois scored 2 runs in the 10th without a hit or an RBI. Business as usual for IU.

Why don’t you apply?

I’m legit afraid we will do that to Howard.

I’d just call it “cradle crap.”

They said on the selection show we were one of the last 4 in, which is an absolute crock of s**t.

Not 100% sure, but I think his extension was only a 3-year extension. His original contract, signed in 2018, was for 5 years. So if that is accurate, this would be the last year.

He just wants to play. He was telling people before last season started that he was going to transfer if his brother stayed for a second year. So there is no way he was going to stay to back up somebody else.

You make some good points here, and Smiley sounds intriguing. I’d be interested to know how he coaches: does he stress fundamentals…solid defense, good pitching, discipline at the plate? As Wayne points out, we are less than the sum of our parts (recruiting has been pretty decent) because we are sorely lacking in those areas. And we can’t let this go on any longer or the program will be in the gutter.

This seems to be one of those things that’s a matter of fact that everybody is gonna have their opinions about anyway. It would seem pretty silly for Dolson & Company to lie about the organizational chart when the reporting structure is spelled out in the employees’ contracts and can be requested at any time. Was DeVries’ contract amended to indicate that he reports to Carr? Or does Carr’s contract indicate he reports to DeVries? There isn’t anything in anybody’s head that overrides the contracts.

They were #365 out of 365 in KenPom. So the good news for him is they literally can’t get any worse.