str8baller

Ultimately they can consider just about anything they want. They needed an amazing conference season to offset their pre-conf play. The higher they finish certainly can’t hurt them in the eyes of some voters. But I had forgotten about that Nebraska team. After looking them up they closed out the season going something like 7-1 versus the dregs of the B1G. And when I say “dregs” I mean pretty much the whole Big ten. Holy crap was the conference bad that year. Even though Nebraska tied for 4th, nobody behind them made the tourney either. Maybe I should’ve said “it’s rare for a 4th place team in a deep and good conference to miss the tourney, even despite a bad non-conf.”

That is amazing considering how they started off. Just finishing 4th in the B1G would seem to have them squarely in the tourney.

You’re arguing emotion and really not engaging in any debate as to how it helps us. We’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one.

I most likely won’t watch it. Or won’t go out of my way, anyways. I’ve made my case in several replies now. I think we do not gain much. I’m sure we’ll accept. We’ll see if it pays off next year or in 2024 (to further the ‘85 analogy).

But it’s not ‘85 and we’re not coached by Knight. Our best player isn’t a soph who can use experience. In fact, not a single full-time starter this season will be here in 2 years. With the transfer market and 1-and-dones you don’t team build anything like Knight did in ‘85. The comparison falls pretty flat for me and is the type of “this is what we’ve always done” rationale that generally leaves IU a step behind other programs for over two decades now.

Nope. I’m saying we’re too bad to play in it. In other words we won’t gain anything. (Also, It’s not 85 and we’re not coached by Knight. The comparison fails on many levels). See the following point. Didn’t seem to help us much.

But there’s plenty of evidence UK cheated. And nobody outside of UK believes they’re clean. That’s not true of Knight. Unless you know something nobody else does.

Sure. If you ignore the rest of our season that makes sense in a vacuum. The problem is we didn’t really win on the road in the B1G. We lost a million close games at full strength—mainly because of guys like Johnson. More likely than not, that game is a loss no matter the roster.

Back then 32 teams (maybe less) made the NCAA’s. The NIT was still a decent tourney with some upper echelon maj conf teams who didn’t make a much smaller NCAA field. Todays NIT is nothing like that.

I don’t think the NIT has any relation to the NCAA tourney. The BTT is more comparable from an experience standpoint. The teams are better and is a neutral court experience. This team has had plenty of practice together and plateaued two months ago. Our problem isn’t practice; it is talent. Might as well get a head start on other programs in the talent department. Outside of Bates, Geronimo, Lander (maybe), and Galloway I’m pretty ambivalent on any of the other players being here next year. To the extent any of them are getting minutes because the aforementioned guys or frosh haven’t passed them we’re in trouble. I’m assuming TJD is gone.

Nope. Rutgers hangs on. UNC, Michigan and Memphis with huge wins. Doesn’t look like we’ll back into anything unless maybe the conf tourneys all go chalk. I was in the camp of win 1 and we’re close to in. Now I think it’ll probably take two. All the teams we’d be competing with for at large spots (P5 conf teams with big names) are finishing strong.

Maybe Michigan will split coaching duties. Howard for recruiting and alumni events. Martelli for halftime adjustments and handshake lines.

Why?

I don’t know anybody can say it was the wrong decision without knowing the details. Also, why is everyone assuming we would have won had the other guys played? Odds are we would have lost anyways.

I’m still trying to figure out why we would even accept an NIT invite. Can’t imagine the upper classman want to play in it. Not sure any of the transfers deserve more time in an IU jersey. Galloway and Lander aren’t playing. So we’re trying to get Geronimo and Bates more minutes? If we’re not dancing, we should wrap up the season and start focusing on the off-season.

You have any evidence to back that up? That’s quite the claim considering people inside and outside the program claimed the opposite for the longest time.

Houston getting throttled by Memphis at half.

Players like XJ don’t exactly improve linearly. It’s not like the staff forgot about him or something. He improved quite a bit early in conf season then seemed to regress around his suspension only to find his form again.

I can’t put my finger on it. We’re not completely devoid of talent but we’re like the islands of misfit toys. Outside of a TJD post vs some matchups, we have no one thing we can hang our hat on. The players seem like decent enough guys, but the talent, or lack thereof, is frustrating. Let’s hope Woody, being new and all, just put hia trust in the wrong people last year and that can be fixed. The number of guys I care to see back next year is not large. We’ll need talented frosh and a successful transfer market (things I never thought I’d be saying about college basketball) for next year to be better.

Had a delayed flight, so I got home in time just to see us make our run in the second half. At no point did I even contemplate that we might win. With that said, I give them credit for playing hard and a close game. I predicted worse. I’m not sure what you’re supposed to do as a coach when you continually get your best shooter open looks and he bricks them in big moments. I have zero faith in any of our “shooters” at this point. You also got your best player a run at the hoop on the last oob play and your upperclassman inbounding the ball makes a lazy throw. Maddening if your on the staff. I like our personnel less and less each game. Probably a good thing for me the season is about over. :/

This team is something else.

XJ was fouled on drive

I still think 1 win in BTT gives a chance. Two and we’re in. With that said I’m surprised at the hope on her for the Purdue game. I have a feeling it’ll be ugly.

Which players stepped up when they missed the tourney? Which ones when they won 18 games?

He was at two bad organizations and did better than the guys before him and after him. But you know… Brad Stevens was .557 coach in the NBA and .477 in the playoffs with what most considered the best roster situation in the NBA at the time. What a loser…