Rate The 2021-2022 Season! Staff + Players

[Honkyman 1,670]

There are some unduly harsh evaluations on this board. The main goals were to win 20 or more games, beat Purdue, compete at a higher level in conference play, and make the NCAA Tournament. IU achieved 3 of 4 of the main goals. Woodson turned IU into a top 20 defensive team which nobody believed possible going into the season. Unfortunately, the offense was anemic due primarily to inability to make open shots. That's on the players. Unlike Archie Miller's offensive scheme, Woodson's offense at least showed some ball movement and put players in a position to score. Turning a program around takes time. Hopefully, Woodson can bring in players soon who can both make shots and continue the success on defense. Woodson also seems to be developing a better culture as evidenced by his willingness to suspend players for curfew violations even at the cost of losing a game. Next season could be more challenging unless Woodson finds this spring a credible post player and at least one reliable shooter.

[iu eyedoc 1,630]

Grade depends on perspective:

As to expectations for IU as a program: C-

As to expectations to where the program sat 1 year ago today: B+

Keeping TJD, Race, and Geronimo and adding Bates and Johnson were all huge wins for Woodson.

The defensive improvement was nothing short of Woodson's first miracle towards sainthood.

The offense was pedestrian at best, but unlike defense whose success is largely predicated on design and effort, offense depends on physical skills which can be improved but not created and this team has lacked and continues to lacks shooting skills like no other team over a 5-6 yr stretch that I have ever seen, IU or otherwise.

Woodson's 5 subs in thing should be left in the dumpster in Portland. And the coaching staff should have woken up with a cellphone at their ear doing what needs to be done to find some shooting talent for this team.

[HoosierAloha 29,880]

7 minutes ago, brumdog45 said:

Part of that was on the talking heads saying how bad Iowa and Wisconsin would be.  Personally I thought we would be a 10-10 type of team in the Big Ten and the hope was to make the tournament.  We were 9-11 and made the tournament by getting a couple of wins in the BTT.

When I look at what the talking heads said, Michigan would be an extremely disappointing team since they were top 5 preseason.  Maryland would be disappointing as the media had them top 4 in the conference.  Iowa and Wisky overachieved.  Everyone else was pretty par for the predictions.  I push the rating on us to a B because we made the tournament which IMO was the realistic goal for us to achieve this year.

Absolutely, I felt we were around a .500 Big 1.o team with our schedule (9 games against the bottom 5 teams in the conference) and a few home games against similar talent. We seem to struggle more than most on the road in the Big 1.o. We were only 2 full games from a 7th-T finish in the Big 1.o.

Michigan and Maryland were definitely big disappointments. One lost a coach for good and the other for the last handful of games of the season. It's crazy that even in a bad year Michigan still made it to the second round of the NCAA tourney while we're celebrating a first four victory in our best season in more than a half decade.

As I've stated from early in the season, it's more about how we played the game than the end result. Winning and making the field of 68 was great, winning a first four game was great. Improving our TOs through the season, X stepping up and playing better down the stretch and for a few wins in the Big 1.o tourney was great. Similar mistakes from the first to last game is concerning to see. Getting absolutely waxed in the first round is concerning. We can and should be a lot better. It starts with the little things with the players and coaches you have. Hoping to fix it through different players without fixing the foundation doesn't make for the stability needed. Again, just my perspective and opinion. I'd love to be wrong!

[pumpfake 3,914]

12 hours ago, coonhounds said:

Did you just say Woodson was better and at preparation than one of the absolute legends of college basketball? Just asking cause that is the biggest leap of faith ever lofted on this board if that is indeed what you implied lol

OK I reread your saying he is like knight but Woodson is better at preparation than in-game adjustments not better at either of the 2 than what is unarguably a top 20 all time coach. Sorry

Sent from my SM-A326U using Tapatalk

 

 

 

No worries.  It'd be fantastic if Woody & staff can get even close to the level of prep RMK did - likely the best the college game has seen.

[Banksyrules 4,221]

Wish we could split this thread in two (coaches/ Players)

I give Woodson a B-

the good - he was able to lay down a defensive foundation that carried well all season minus this last game due to being tired and there was some development into X’s game. He’s a fighter and could set the example for our young incoming guards.

 

the bad- Woodson stubbornness to play Stewart and Kopp.  Those were some valuable minutes that could have been used for Geronimo, trey,  and Bates’s development. That being said I think a lightbulb was turned on with Bates and Geronimo at the end there. I think all three will be something special at the end of next season. 

With hopefully taller more athletic recruits in the future, we could develop something great. Le’s hope for the best. 

[Trish 11,377]

28 minutes ago, iu eyedoc said:

Grade depends on perspective:

As to expectations for IU as a program: C-

As to expectations to where the program sat 1 year ago today: B+

Keeping TJD, Race, and Geronimo and adding Bates and Johnson were all huge wins for Woodson.

The defensive improvement was nothing short of Woodson's first miracle towards sainthood.

The offense was pedestrian at best, but unlike defense whose success is largely predicated on design and effort, offense depends on physical skills which can be improved but not created and this team has lacked and continues to lacks shooting skills like no other team over a 5-6 yr stretch that I have ever seen, IU or otherwise.

Woodson's 5 subs in thing should be left in the dumpster in Portland. And the coaching staff should have woken up with a cellphone at their ear doing what needs to be done to find some shooting talent for this team.

You mentioned where the program sat a year ago from today.

I don't know about you, but I thought we were A+ a year ago today because we were tracking planes and taking meetings with Brad Stevens. 

 

;)

[Hoosierfan2017 19,857]

2 hours ago, brumdog45 said:

Personally, if I'm going to grade it isn't in the context of being a 'blueblood program' because what happened in the 1980s is irrelevant today. To me, I'm going to grade it in context of where we started and where we ended.

Last year we won 12 games all year.  This year we won 12 games in the conference + BTT + NCAA tournament.  

And my grade takes that into account. I noted that last year was an F and this year was a C-. If you want to compare it to last season’s win total, you also have to take into account the shorter season and far more difficult OOC schedule last year. 

Here were my preseason predictions. I think they were reasonable.

https://btownbanners.com/topic/13166-last-minute-season-predictions/?page=2

We finished slightly below my predictions in every aspect. I predicted 21-10, we were 18-12 (call it 19-12 if you want for the canceled game). I predicted 12-8, we finished 9-11. Just win the PSU and NW games and we would’ve been 11-9. I predicted an 8 seed, we were a 12 seed. I predicted round of 32, we made the round of 64. 

We were very fortunate with injuries. It wasn’t a case where our best player or two missed a chunk of time like in 2017. Our starters did not miss any time because of injury. Three of our starters played every single game and the other two missed only one game, which was for a suspension.

It was a very similar season to the 2014/2015 season. That year we finished 20-14, 9-9 in conference, and made the round of 64. Even if we’re not a blueblood, we are still a top 15-20 program. This year, like 2015, isn’t what I consider a B season for that sort of program. So, I can’t give a grade higher than a C-.

[HoosierHoopster 5,985]

Overall B+

Can't give last night so much emphasis, it was 1 game in the tourney, where we haven't been since 2016.

Improved from 12 W's to 21 counting tourney. 

Met my expectations / hope after a horrible 12 W season under CAM, with essentially the same team.

Staff B

- Took a team from 12 W's to the tourney,

- beat PU, beat UM

- won 2 games in the B1G tourney, only lost the semi-final game against Iowa by a half-court banked in 3 with 1 second left, and

- got us into and won our first NCAA tourney game.

Clearly substantial improvement.

- Recruiting has started off well, JHS is going to impact from day 1, kid is a big, physical guard who can play and defend 2-3 positions.

Improvement needed

- need to work the starters/lineups better, continuing to run with Stew and Kopp as starters no matter how little or poorly they shoot is just not good

- related, failing to establish an inside - out game with low shooting numbers from the outside is not good, come on, but in fairness it's also likely at least partly a byproduct of not having shooters who can create their own shot, we need more versatile outside shooters

- only recognizing how important Geronimo is to the team towards the end of the season is not good (his play and 'numbers' on a per minute basis were there almost the full season),

- and generally Woodson needs to learn to listen to his assistants better/more and stop turning to his former NBA colleagues. Man, you have some really good experience on the bench with you, listen to it better.

Players B to B+

- NONE of these guys had ever been in the NCAA tourney, or even moved past the first round in the B1G tourney, they learned how to win, as players, they beat and almost swept PU, they came together and played together without the silly drama or cliques we sometimes saw under CAM.

- Some showed real growth, Geronimo stands out above all on improvement and potential, imo, Galloway has become an impact player on both ends, jumper away form really good, needs to slow down his hectic drives but that comes with experience, X turned into a strong point guard in the second half of the season, he was often the difference between W's and L's.

- Some didn't really expand their games individually, but not bashing any of them, collectively as a team they grew together and improved, significantly, as a team together

 

 

[HoosierAloha 29,880]

1 hour ago, HoosierHoopster said:

- won 2 games in the B1G tourney, only lost the semi-final game against Iowa by a half-court banked in 3 with 1 second left, and

That shot keeps getting pushed back. I'm feeling like it'll be close to 3/4 court within a few weeks. ;-)

[RaceToTheTop 23,457]

6 hours ago, Hoosierfan2017 said:

And my grade takes that into account. I noted that last year was an F and this year was a C-. If you want to compare it to last season’s win total, you also have to take into account the shorter season and far more difficult OOC schedule last year. 

Here were my preseason predictions. I think they were reasonable.

https://btownbanners.com/topic/13166-last-minute-season-predictions/?page=2

We finished slightly below my predictions in every aspect. I predicted 21-10, we were 18-12 (call it 19-12 if you want for the canceled game). I predicted 12-8, we finished 9-11. Just win the PSU and NW games and we would’ve been 11-9. I predicted an 8 seed, we were a 12 seed. I predicted round of 32, we made the round of 64. 

We were very fortunate with injuries. It wasn’t a case where our best player or two missed a chunk of time like in 2017. Our starters did not miss any time because of injury. Three of our starters played every single game and the other two missed only one game, which was for a suspension.

It was a very similar season to the 2014/2015 season. That year we finished 20-14, 9-9 in conference, and made the round of 64. Even if we’re not a blueblood, we are still a top 15-20 program. This year, like 2015, isn’t what I consider a B season for that sort of program. So, I can’t give a grade higher than a C-.

In terms of the season being shorter last year, 4 of those extra games we played this year were due to the fact that we won games in the BTT and made the NCAA tournament.  I don’t see any reason to downgrade for that.