Nebraska at Indiana Game Thread - Noon on BTN

[Its Always Sunny at IU]

1 hour ago, Stuhoo said:

 

Interesting point (for real). A few possible elements to the discussion:

1. I think there's some collective PTSD with all of us. 
2. It's a message board where we hyper-analyze every aspect of things that might affect the next opponent.
3. If there were message boards in 1992 would they have been analyzing how Calbert Cheaney could take advantage of a tired, bottom tier opponent? Probably so, to a certain extent.
4. When your team hasn't made the tourney in three straight years (and a fourth year when we would have ... it was cancelled) there's a fundamental panic that things could turn to crap at any moment and that every win is huge, even the ones where we are strongly favored going into the game.

 

Well said. And for me this team hasn't shown much. We have not looked good in games against bad teams. Nebraska is better than Marshall. We get down 14 to the Huskers and they will win. IU cannot lose any home games to the Big Ten bottom feeders or it's lights out for the season. 

[HoosierHoopster]

26 minutes ago, Its Always Sunny at IU said:

Well said. And for me this team hasn't shown much. We have not looked good in games against bad teams. Nebraska is better than Marshall. We get down 14 to the Huskers and they will win. IU cannot lose any home games to the Big Ten bottom feeders or it's lights out for the season. 

But I thought it was always sunny at IU?

[WayneFleekHoosier]

The simple fact, in my humble opinion, is that we, as fans, don't know what to expect from this team just yet.  We have a new head coach, some new assistants, a number of new players who are now getting experience playing with our old players.  There's just a great deal of uncertainty right now.  Can't get too high or too low this season.  

That’s the thing. Based on roster makeup, I could see us #2-11. We have one of the best B1Gs. Shooters and experienced players. Talented young players. I like our roster better than most teams besides Purdue, Michigan, Michigan state (maybe). But on the same token I can see us losing to anyone in the B1G. That’s big conference basketball, I suppose. At some point you have to have faith in coaches/players they will win the games. I clearly don’t have that despite liking the roster.


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[NOLA Hoosier]

This board is hilarious. It’s all great and Woody is the answer even in close wins to bad teams (“they’ve got fight”) until IU loses one 2OT game against a desperate team, then we start worrying about Nebrasketball. The team HAS shown a lot, but everyone is (naturally) afraid of the next game. Why?
 

Because Crean’s final years and Archie Miller’s garbage have wreaked havoc on our collective consciousness. If anything, this team will improve, but it’s hard for anyone to accept that because of the regression in recent years. 
 

It’s exhausting, on and off this particular board. 

[Its Always Sunny at IU]

7 minutes ago, HoosierHoopster said:

But I thought it was always sunny at IU?

Ha. Fair point. My sunny side says all of the teams in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten have the same problem. Maryland, Wisconsin etc cannot lose home games to Nebraska, Minnesota, Penn State or Rutgers. IU beats Nebraska, but it will be a grind. 

[Stuhoo]

6 minutes ago, Its Always Sunny at IU said:

Ha. Fair point. My sunny side says all of the teams in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten have the same problem. Maryland, Wisconsin etc cannot lose home games to Nebraska, Minnesota, Penn State or Rutgers. IU beats Nebraska, but it will be a grind. 

CATEGORY 1: Minnesota, Penn State, Northwestern, Nebraska, Rutgers.

That's five B1G teams that we appear destined to finish ahead of. We play those five teams a total of eight of our 20 conference games. Finishing ahead of these teams puts us ninth in the B1G worst-case scenario.

CATEGORY 2: Maryland, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin

Another four teams that have shown massive flaws so far. Think we are skeptical? Try reading about these teams--their fans are every bit as skeptical or more so. Finishing ahead of some or all of these teams puts us from eighth to fifth in the B1G. We play those four teams a total of six of our 20 conference games.

CATEGORY 3: Purdue, OSU, MSU, Iowa

These are the four B1G teams that have shown very well so far. We play these four teams a total of six of our 20 conference games.

Conclusions?

• We have flaws, but so does most of the B1G.
• We have a pretty favorable schedule that is most weighted toward the teams that seem to have the most problems.

 

[HoosierHoopster]

1 hour ago, Its Always Sunny at IU said:

Ha. Fair point. My sunny side says all of the teams in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten have the same problem. Maryland, Wisconsin etc cannot lose home games to Nebraska, Minnesota, Penn State or Rutgers. IU beats Nebraska, but it will be a grind. 

I think we're going to curb stomp Neb. May be a dog fight at times but I do think our guys will fight this one and finish it strong.

[Chris007]

I hope every team we play this year is tired, has someone hurt or out, or any other advantage we can get. Just my two cents but whatever it takes to get to the tourney. 

[jk34]

1 hour ago, Stuhoo said:

CATEGORY 1: Minnesota, Penn State, Northwestern, Nebraska, Rutgers.

That's five B1G teams that we appear destined to finish ahead of. We play those five teams a total of eight of our 20 conference games. Finishing ahead of these teams puts us ninth in the B1G worst-case scenario.

CATEGORY 2: Maryland, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin

Another four teams that have shown massive flaws so far. Think we are skeptical? Try reading about these teams--their fans are every bit as skeptical or more so. Finishing ahead of some or all of these teams puts us from eighth to fifth in the B1G. We play those four teams a total of six of our 20 conference games.

CATEGORY 3: Purdue, OSU, MSU, Iowa

These are the four B1G teams that have shown very well so far. We play these four teams a total of six of our 20 conference games.

Conclusions?

• We have flaws, but so does most of the B1G.
• We have a pretty favorable schedule that is most weighted toward the teams that seem to have the most problems.

 

And the fact there's only one clear cut favorite, I like our chances!

[HoosierHoopster]

1 hour ago, NOLA Hoosier said:

This board is hilarious. It’s all great and Woody is the answer even in close wins to bad teams (“they’ve got fight”) until IU loses one 2OT game against a desperate team, then we start worrying about Nebrasketball. The team HAS shown a lot, but everyone is (naturally) afraid of the next game. Why?
 

Because Crean’s final years and Archie Miller’s garbage have wreaked havoc on our collective consciousness. If anything, this team will improve, but it’s hard for anyone to accept that because of the regression in recent years. 
 

It’s exhausting, on and off this particular board. 

2 OT against a desperate -- well coached -- team with some very good guards -- ON THE ROAD. 

Yeah, it was a disappointing L, yeah we came out like we were not ready and got down big, but also yeah, on the road (in that silly football arena ) we were within a basket of the W in double OT.

[Chris007]

Also Woody mentioned today that Leal will get minutes, that Rob is the second PG, and sounds like Lander's minutes will go down. Also sounded like he wasn't happy with Lander or Bates in the Syracuse game. 

[HoosierAloha]

Hopefully, those teams with and without flaws will have late games before we play them… hell, it’d be great if they had half of their team suspended when we play them [emoji6]


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[Chris007]

1 minute ago, HoosierAloha said:

Hopefully, those teams with and without flaws will have late games before we play them… hell, it’d be great if they had half of their team suspended when we play them


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A win is a win :-)

[RaceToTheTop]

2 hours ago, Its Always Sunny at IU said:

We get down 14 to the Huskers and they will win. 

Nebraska was up 14 at NC State with under 10 minutes left....and lost.  Never overestimate Nebrasketball.

 

[MyDRockHard]

7 minutes ago, Chris007 said:

Also Woody mentioned today that Leal will get minutes, that Rob is the second PG, and sounds like Lander's minutes will go down. Also sounded like he wasn't happy with Lander or Bates in the Syracuse game. 

Seems kinda harsh on Lander. He's came such a long way from last year. The last second foul against Syracuse killed us but we would  have heaped praised on him for nailing that late 3 in the 2nd OT if we'd came away with the W.

[RaceToTheTop]

48% of all fans think their team is never going to lose.  48% of all fans fear that their team is never going to win.  The remaining 4% don't post on message boards.

[Chris007]

Just now, IGotMeAWoody said:

Seems kinda harsh on Lander. He's came such a long way from last year. The last second foul against Syracuse killed us but we would  have heaped praised on him for nailing that late 3 in the 2nd OT if we'd came away with the W.

I think he was more upset about Lander dribbling the clock out at the end of the first OT. 

[MyDRockHard]

2 minutes ago, Chris007 said:

I think he was more upset about Lander dribbling the clock out at the end of the first OT. 

Ah, fair point. I don't know how I forgot that one. My brother and I were losing our minds at that when it unfolded.

Edited December 3, 2021 by IGotMeAWoody

[RaceToTheTop]

1 minute ago, IGotMeAWoody said:

Seems kinda harsh on Lander. He's came such a long way from last year. The last second foul against Syracuse killed us but we would  have heaped praised on him for nailing that late 3 in the 2nd OT if we'd came away with the W.

I would disagree that he has come a long way from last year.  He's shot it better (on a small sample space), but he's still bad defensively and he turns it over a lot (right now, if he were getting 30 minutes/game, he'd be on a 4 1/2 turnover pace).

IMO, it also seems evident that he isn't executing the plays as drawn up.  Might have had the same issue last year, but last year's lack of good offensive play design/execution was more of a whole team thing.  This year, I've seen on more than one occasion where it was basically four guys running the play and Lander not getting the ball where the play was designed or dribbling the air out of the ball.  Definitely seemed to be the case at the end of the first OT against Syracuse when we had a chance to win it.

[RaceToTheTop]

1 hour ago, Stuhoo said:

CATEGORY 1: Minnesota, Penn State, Northwestern, Nebraska, Rutgers.

That's five B1G teams that we appear destined to finish ahead of. We play those five teams a total of eight of our 20 conference games. Finishing ahead of these teams puts us ninth in the B1G worst-case scenario.

CATEGORY 2: Maryland, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin

Another four teams that have shown massive flaws so far. Think we are skeptical? Try reading about these teams--their fans are every bit as skeptical or more so. Finishing ahead of some or all of these teams puts us from eighth to fifth in the B1G. We play those four teams a total of six of our 20 conference games.

CATEGORY 3: Purdue, OSU, MSU, Iowa

These are the four B1G teams that have shown very well so far. We play these four teams a total of six of our 20 conference games.

Conclusions?

• We have flaws, but so does most of the B1G.
• We have a pretty favorable schedule that is most weighted toward the teams that seem to have the most problems.

 

Personally, I'd put Maryland in Category 1-- and we play them twice.