JF87

Who gets two fouls first? Ware Reneau Galloway Mgbako Cupps Purdue team

Maybe they don't concern themselves with the number of stars by a recruit's name. Instead, they recruit guys that know how to play and fit into their systems.

Mgbako's strength appears to be perimeter shooting. I'm not sure Woodson's offense we've seen the last 3 years will do anything to showcase Mgbako's skills for the next level. I'd love for the kid to stay. I'm just not sure another year playing in our current system will help get him to the next level. Maybe he gets a big NIL number to stay. That would be the only reason that I would see him coming back.

What strategy do we take against Purdue? Double Edey and hope Purdue misses their threes or let Edey get 35 and try and limit their shooters?

Thanks for sharing ISP. That's a cool tool.

IU 64 Purdue 75

Maybe Kenya Hunter would be a good replacement for Mike Davis at Detroit Mercy?

Mike left Texas Southern to take the Detroit Mercy job. Your point that that he was at each school 6 years is still valid.

I think someone may have mentioned this earlier in this thread, but after rewatching the game, it was fun to see how active coach Walsh and Calbert were during the game. My guess it that it was coach Walsh's scout. Calbert seemed to be engaging the players and even an official. It would be nice to see Calbert as an assistant coach next year if coach Hunter receives a head coaching job.

Yes, it would be bad optics. I've stated elsewhere in these forums that a justification could be made to move on from coach Woodson because the team underperformed based on the talent on the roster. I do understand that firing Woodson is not going to happen. Race and the appearance of being discriminatory may be a small reason. That coach Woodson is a beloved former player is another reason and IU's financial obligation yet another. My hope is that Woodson will realize that being a college coach, and all that it entails, is not a good fit for him and that he will retire. I would also hope that Scott Dolson believes that we have underperformed and that he would entice coach Woodson to retire sooner rather than later.

Woodson always has two talking points. The players aren't executing, and the players have difficulty getting over the hump.

You are most likely correct, but I also feel like we have underachieved the past 2.5 years based on our talent. Coach Woodson hasn't built a foundation which is a disconcerting issue. IU needs to build a program, not just bring in multiple mercenaries each year trying to patchwork a roster. If the money is available, a solid Athletic Director might move off a coach that has won 20 games but underachieved if a better option was available to start building a program.

I love to hear this. Maybe this means that Galloway is taking ownership of this team. I'll be watching to see if he becomes more vocal on the court.

If Queen comes, he is being promised that he will start.

This is a really good question. Did a flip switch in January and Anthony just started playing better in practice? I remember reading that Leal had been working with Jordan Hulls on his shot. Or were Gunn and Banks getting the run because they were considered to have higher ceilings even though their current floors are lower than Leal's? Could Leal have made a difference in a few losses or made our wins by larger margins? Obviously, we'll never know the path not taken.

LOL. I think you've been right on every point so far. Wishful thinking on my part that this team might progress.

Okay, I want to be optimistic. Ohio State is also in a slump, so this game is winnable. We have the talent to win. I'll be watching for these improvements: Defense. Is everyone locked in? Are we communicating on switches? Who seems lost? Does anyone get pulled for poor defense? Rebounding. Is everyone rebounding? Who's leaking out early? Key is an excellent offensive rebounder for Ohio State. Who is focusing on boxing him out? Turnovers. We must maximize our offensive opportunities. Are guys being pulled for bad decisions? We need to keep turnovers around 8 or fewer. Three-point shooting. We can't let Battle go off. Who accepts the challenge of making it difficult on Battle? We need to hit no fewer than 2 less threes than Ohio State. If they hit 8, we need at least 6. Offensive strategy. Are we playing through Malik in the post? Will Malik pass out of double and triple teams? Are we riding the hot hand? Body language and effort. Is this a determined team or will they break if things go poorly? Lineup. Does anyone get benched after the Penn State debacle or do we run out the same 5 (Johnson or Cupps depending on health)?

Do we get Queen too? If so, we'll have a talented squad that plays two posts and doesn't run anything for shooters. Woodson can win with talent, he just doesn't maximize the talent. We will underperform against good teams again.

I apologize if this isn't the right forum, but are there any sons of former IU players that could be potential recruits? Other schools seem to get legacy recruits. This doesn't seem to happen at IU.

I worry that IU wouldn't want to pay the buyout.

My fear is that Larranaga at Miami or Leonard Hamilton at Florida State will retire after this season. If one of those universities would offer Dusty, we could end up missing out. I don't think we can assume that Dusty would be willing to wait another year on the IU job.

IU 70 OSU 68 We're too talented not to bounce back.

I agree completely. If an entire rebuild is necessary, no reason to have a coach with at the most 2 years left do it. Why would a freshman come to IU if you know the coach is 1-2 years away from retirement? Cut ties with Woodson now and let a younger and better coach do the rebuild. We need to start building a program, not just a team for next year.

The problem with an article like this is it helps set a low bar. If we go 4-5 down the stretch some people will think that we improved.

Please! Please! Stop with the Beard to IU talk. It is not going to happen. He is a great basketball coach, no doubt about it. But IU is a university first and will not and should not consider a coach that allegedly hit and choked his girlfriend. She may have recanted, but the University of Texas felt there was enough evidence to move on from him. There's no reason for IU to hire someone with this baggage. The reputation of the university is more important and it should be that way.