JF87

We could be great again if the fans would just shut up and accept mediocrity.

My guess is that Woodson still controls his own destiny. Finish 3 and 3 or better and the administration probably gives him one more year. Finish 2-4 or worse and the pressure will be on to make a change. We have the talent to win all of our remaining games. Can we improve enough to turn things around? Possibly, but it's doubtful since we've seen very little consistency in this team.

I would assume that Trey is more upset about losing and his mistakes that contributed to losing than he is about being called out by his coach. I would be disappointed if he wasn't. Trey needs to improve his shot, free throws, decision making, and rebounding. He also needs to be more vocal on the court. Trey is a senior and team captain. He needs to lead this team.

Ohio State is just trolling IU fans

Don't forget "We're young". Purdue won the Big Ten starting two freshmen guards last year. Neither Smith or Loyer were ranked in the top 75.

IU 76 PSU 74

I still think our remaining games are winnable. We do have some talented players. Maybe Woodson goes 3 and 3 down the stretch. That would put us at 17-15 and maybe in the Kenpom 90-100 range. Would that save Woodson's job? I doubt it would help high school recruiting, maybe we could get some portal guys that are just interested in getting paid. I would imagine the boo birds would be out early next year if we don't play well. It could get ugly. I feel like we've already reached the tipping point that we need to move on from Woodson.

We were around 10th earlier in the year in the Kenpom Luck stat. Now we're 19th. Looks like coach Woodson's luck is running out.

Yes, it's taking a chance. It's always taking a chance. You hope the decision-maker(s) know enough about basketball and what makes a good college coach that they can project if that coach can have success at a higher level. People in the profession should know if a guy can actually coach or if he's just a recruiter. Does he have the personality to win over recruits, parents, high school coaches, and schmooze boosters? It's all projection. It's also a projection that any established coach can navigate the Big Ten. Tennessee hired Pearl after just 4 successful years at low mid-major Milwaukee. They took a chance. If Scott Dolson, who's been around IU basketball nearly 40 years, thinks Dusty May checks all the right boxes then I'm all in with the hire.

I think Cronin covets the Louisville job.

NGW7183 is probably correct in that if boosters are going to pay another buyout, they are going to want a proven winner. That's where it becomes tricky. What is a proven winner? Matt Painter has won consistently, won Big Ten titles, been ranked number 1 overall, and never been to a Final 4. Scott Drew has won consistently and won a NCAA Championship. He's also only won 2 regular season championships in the 20 years he's been at Baylor. Cronin wins consistently, almost always makes the NCAA tournament, been to a Final Four. He has won only one regular season championship in his 5 years at UCLA and rumor is that UCLA wouldn't be terribly upset if he left. Cronin also isn't a rainbow and sunshine personality. Bruce Pearl has a great personality and career record. However, he's only made 1 Final Four in his career. My point is there is no perfect candidate. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think the real question is what do we want IU to be? A national recruiter like Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, etc. or a regional recruiter of Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and then occasionally pull in a top national recruit? Do we want primarily 1 or 2-year players or do we want 4-year guys and sprinkle in an occasional one and done? Do we want an offensive oriented coach or do we want a defensive oriented coach? In my mind, these are the questions that Dolson and the powers that be need to answer before selecting a future coach whenever that may be.

I was surprised to see that Shrewsberry's defense at Notre Dame is currently ranked 29th in Kenpom. I think of him as an offense guy, but I guess he's more well-rounded than I assumed. However, Notre Dame's offense is atrocious this year. They are ranked 295th in Kenpom. I like Shrewsberry as a coach and I think his connection to the state of Indiana is a positive. I would put him on a potential short list with Dusty and Schertz.

I'm going to Buffalo Wild Wings tonight and it's buy one, get one boneless wing night!

That's kind of what scares me about this year. Players know when a program has lost momentum. I could see a lot of players leaving if Woodson returns.

Coach Woodson knows 10 times more about basketball than I do, but I am positive he had no idea how TV timeouts worked his first year at IU. He also doesn't come across as a basketball junkie. Woodson had no clue what the pack line defense was. I feel like he never followed the college game once he was in the NBA.

I think I read Cronin has a huge buyout. I also read that UCLA might want to part ways with Cronin, so maybe they are willing to waive it.

I'm not naive. I just have higher expectations for our program. I hope we are trying to follow the rules. However, I also assume our coaching staff is getting desperate.

Yes. Knight notified the NCAA of the violation when he became aware of it. The NCAA said it was a violation and gave IU two options. Suspend Alford for the next game (Kentucky) or wait two weeks for the infraction committee to meet. Knight/IU chose to suspend Alford the Kentucky game.

Duke has their own issues. Coach K was dirty or looked the other way. The NCAA looked the other way. That doesn't mean that IU should get in the mud and skirt rules as well.

Knight was put on zero tolerance when that was revealed. Not sure I would call that being overlooked.

Sampson is a fantastic coach. No doubt about it. If I was running a pro team and winning is all that matters, I would hire Sampson. However, IU is an academic institution first and foremost. IU should have standards required by the coaches beyond simply winning. I care more about the university than just the basketball team. I want to win but win the right way.

Knight was a stickler for playing by the NCAA rules. Knight suspended Alford for the Kentucky game because Alford took part in charity calendar in violation of NCAA rules. It was always reported that Knight had "issues" with anger and outbursts. There were a few instances where it was said that he physically assaulted people. I think it was reported that he threw an opposing fan into a trash can and there was an issue with a security guard in Puerto Rico. He could also be demanding of his players, but nothing as bad as a recruit would go through at boot camp. No social media then, so you had to rely on what you heard. Most of his players spoke highly of him. But ultimately, we wanted to believe the good over the bad because he was a winner.

I like to see both. We need this thread to 300 by next week.

Just having a discussion. I'm all for giving people second chances. Knight brought in Norm Ellenberger as an assistant coach. Ellenberger had violations at New Mexico when he was the head coach there. Pearl is an excellent coach and has the personality that IU needs. IU can't miss on our next coach. I personally am wary of someone that has skirted rules in the past.

That was our attitude toward Sampson. We should learn from our mistakes.