IU Basketball News and Notes

[HoosierHoopster 8,382]

45 minutes ago, realTomCrean said:

Also host: Ohio St, Iowa, Wisconsin, Northwestern , and Mich St

Given your count of 6-1 vs bottom feeders + 5 home games against middling teams + 2-0 current = There is a great path toward 13 wins. 

Also play @ Rutgers, giving IU a chance against another troubled team on the road. 

Pump the sunshine!

[NashvilleHoosier 3,906]

No clue where to put this so feel free to move but for the locals…any idea which bars have peacock and will be streaming Purdue/Arizona on Saturday? I’m guessing most will?
 

Also any new must have restaurants in town? For the record I’m unapologetically asking this question in a super snobby way. I’m talking like super nice…fine dining if you will. I’m not opposed to crushing a strom at Nicks is the answer to this question is “no”.

[Brass Cannon 25,452]

1 minute ago, Ngw7183 said:

I would argue you and most that feel like you have just as many “ifs” in your stance. You assume and project failure in spring recruiting, portal work, X coming back, how we were going to get pounded by 25+ against Kansas, etc etc. 

You don’t win by being the most pessimistic or assuming negative on all fronts. Logic says Woody and staff have shown enough that this thing is trending very positive and you don’t have to some lowered expectations to see it. 

There is one main issue. If X wasn’t hurt last year, we would have been even better. JHS would be back and we would have more easily landed a portal PG with guaranteed role (JHS as 2 and Trey on bench). If he isn’t hurt this year, Auburn for sure is much closer at minimum and Kansas is probably a win. 

So yes, we should have a better roster. Big miss but also easier said than done when all the better guys didn’t want to compete with X. That is reality. However, Woody and staff need to own that and I am sure they do. 

Here is the punch line though, we are acting like we are sooo far away. Should already have been to a final four. We never will be again at this rate, etc. When in reality, X not getting hurt twice has changed everything or we are way better in both years. That isn’t a program that is a mess and destined to mediocrity like it is being portrayed. Logic says it is closer to back on track than flaming out. 

Logic does not say this is trending in a positive direction. We were literally a better team last year.  We are literally trending downward 

[Chris007 62,588]

33 minutes ago, Golfman25 said:

One point does not make a trend.  Long way to go. 

I honestly can't believe that someone would think losing TJD, JHS, Miller, Race and we would be better this year. It explains a lot about how people think.

[Home Jersey 16,275]

7 minutes ago, Chris007 said:

I honestly can't believe that someone would think losing TJD, JHS, Miller, Race and we would be better this year. It explains a lot about how people think.

...That we would be be better this year --- through 10 games, I'd add. 

The shortcomings of personnel/roster have been covered in full. Get XJ back healthy and, despite the fact they didn't help themselves in the non-con, this team still could end up doing better than last year's in terms of B10 standings/tournament finish. I'm sure that is a hot/homer take to some but I'm just not willing to speak definitively about any team after 10 games, especially not one like ours where they are new and gelling together. If we don't blow out these next three teams I'll be more concerned, but not hugely. 

[Hoosierfan2017 25,026]

7 minutes ago, Chris007 said:

I honestly can't believe that someone would think losing TJD, JHS, Miller, Race and we would be better this year. It explains a lot about how people think.

I mean, we were criticized all off-season whenever we’d say that the team was losing a lot and that Woodson wasn’t bringing in enough to make up for it. A backslide in year 3 is a great way to lose any momentum you’ve built up, and year 4 isn’t projecting to be great either right now. We’re going to be relying, once again, on big portal hits. Hopefully they do better than last year. 

[Brass Cannon 25,452]

14 minutes ago, Chris007 said:

I honestly can't believe that someone would think losing TJD, JHS, Miller, Race and we would be better this year. It explains a lot about how people think.

I never said we would be better.  In fact the same people now pumping sunshine were criticizing people who were concerned we were going to take a step back this year 

In one page we went from its obvious to anybody that this team is on an upward trend to no reasonable person could think this team would continuing to make incremental progress.  Lol

 

 

[Chris007 62,588]

7 minutes ago, Hoosierfan2017 said:

I mean, we were criticized all off-season whenever we’d say that the team was losing a lot and that Woodson wasn’t bringing in enough to make up for it. A backslide in year 3 is a great way to lose any momentum you’ve built up, and year 4 isn’t projecting to be great either right now. We’re going to be relying, once again, on big portal hits. Hopefully they do better than last year. 

I like the position we're in going into year 4 myself. McNeely, the final 2 really for Queen, Sanon good possibility since he will reclassify, and bring back Mgbako, Reneau, Galloway, Cupps. Yes we need a PG in the portal. But I look at things differently than others. 

[IU_FanClub 1,857]

15 minutes ago, Home Jersey said:

...That we would be be better this year --- through 10 games, I'd add. 

The shortcomings of personnel/roster have been covered in full. Get XJ back healthy and, despite the fact they didn't help themselves in the non-con, this team still could end up doing better than last year's in terms of B10 standings/tournament finish. I'm sure that is a hot/homer take to some but I'm just not willing to speak definitively about any team after 10 games, especially not one like ours where they are new and gelling together. If we don't blow out these next three teams I'll be more concerned, but not hugely. 

The best way to describe the team's resume at this point is we aren't being anchored down by anything but also haven't done anything to help. Definitely more work to do but I am with you I feel good about the current trajectory. Would definitely like to see us dominate these next 3 games though just to show we've grown up a bit from the first 3 games. 

[Golfman25 6,808]

9 minutes ago, Hoosierfan2017 said:

I mean, we were criticized all off-season whenever we’d say that the team was losing a lot and that Woodson wasn’t bringing in enough to make up for it. A backslide in year 3 is a great way to lose any momentum you’ve built up, and year 4 isn’t projecting to be great either right now. We’re going to be relying, once again, on big portal hits. Hopefully they do better than last year. 

Things don't move in a straight line.  

But I agree, the lack of HS recruits in the pipeline is a concern.  IMO you need to be bringing in 3 solids per year, and can fill gaps via the portal.  Which begs the question -- I though Kenya Hunter was supposed to be such a recruiting guru?   

[IU_FanClub 1,857]

3 minutes ago, Chris007 said:

I like the position we're in going into year 4 myself. McNeely, the final 2 really for Queen, Sanon good possibility since he will reclassify, and bring back Mgbako, Reneau, Galloway, Cupps. Yes we need a PG in the portal. But I look at things differently than others. 

It seemed like Mgbako was hell bent on being a one and done do you see any way we can get him back? I know he is not on many mocks right now but I figured he might be one that will leave to get to the league ASAP even if that meant second round.

[Chris007 62,588]

Just now, IU_FanClub said:

It seemed like Mgbako was hell bent on being a one and done do you see any way we can get him back? I know he is not on many mocks right now but I figured he might be one that will leave to get to the league ASAP even if that meant second round.

I think we'll see him again next year. But that is just my personal opinion. I would like to see him at his natural position which is a stretch 4 IMO. Reneau at the 5, Mgbako at the 4, NcNeely at the 3, then figure out the guards. But I'm just a sunshine pumper so what do I know.

[Golfman25 6,808]

1 minute ago, IU_FanClub said:

It seemed like Mgbako was hell bent on being a one and done do you see any way we can get him back? I know he is not on many mocks right now but I figured he might be one that will leave to get to the league ASAP even if that meant second round.

Unless he's insane, he's staying.  He hasn't shown near enough to be NBA material, imo.  He's not a jump out of the gym athlete -- so "potential" isn't there as much.  And right now, his results are really freshmanie.  Maybe he breaks out big in the second half of the season.   

[IU_FanClub 1,857]

2 minutes ago, Chris007 said:

I think we'll see him again next year. But that is just my personal opinion. I would like to see him at his natural position which is a stretch 4 IMO. Reneau at the 5, Mgbako at the 4, NcNeely at the 3, then figure out the guards. But I'm just a sunshine pumper so what do I know.

I was telling a friend I would love to see this lineup next year. Only thing that would worry me is that Malik has yet to show that he can rebound at super high level.

[IU_FanClub 1,857]

2 minutes ago, Golfman25 said:

Unless he's insane, he's staying.  He hasn't shown near enough to be NBA material, imo.  He's not a jump out of the gym athlete -- so "potential" isn't there as much.  And right now, his results are really freshmanie.  Maybe he breaks out big in the second half of the season.   

I agree although through the first 10 games he's already shown a ton of improvement so who knows what we see in the next 20+ games. I feel like he can hit another level for us this year than he's already gotten to thus far.

 

[Chris007 62,588]

35 minutes ago, Home Jersey said:

...That we would be be better this year --- through 10 games, I'd add. 

The shortcomings of personnel/roster have been covered in full. Get XJ back healthy and, despite the fact they didn't help themselves in the non-con, this team still could end up doing better than last year's in terms of B10 standings/tournament finish. I'm sure that is a hot/homer take to some but I'm just not willing to speak definitively about any team after 10 games, especially not one like ours where they are new and gelling together. If we don't blow out these next three teams I'll be more concerned, but not hugely. 

You sunshine pumper you. Come on we need more doom and gloom. More grinch and less Santa

[LIHoosier 27,783]

1 hour ago, Golfman25 said:

Unless he's insane, he's staying.  He hasn't shown near enough to be NBA material, imo.  He's not a jump out of the gym athlete -- so "potential" isn't there as much.  And right now, his results are really freshmanie.  Maybe he breaks out big in the second half of the season.   

In the days before NIL, I'd be afraid he'd leave anyway. But nowadays unless you're a surefire first rounder, there should be enough NIL for Mgbako to stay. Besides being a foul magnet, Reneau for example has made a nice jump from freshman to soph-o-more.

[Chris007 62,588]

21 minutes ago, LIHoosier said:

In the days before NIL, I'd be afraid he'd leave anyway. But nowadays unless you're a surefire first rounder, there should be enough NIL for Mgbako to stay. Besides being a foul magnet, Reneau for example has made a nice jump from freshman to soph-o-more.

Reneau still fouls too much. I think some of it is he has that reputation as a fouling machine. But he has gotten much better

[Golfman25 6,808]

3 minutes ago, Chris007 said:

Reneau still fouls too much. I think some of it is he has that reputation as a fouling machine. But he has gotten much better

They give you 5 for crying out loud.  Use them or loose them I always say.  :)    

[Hardwood83 5,070]

2 hours ago, Golfman25 said:

Unless he's insane, he's staying.  He hasn't shown near enough to be NBA material, imo.  He's not a jump out of the gym athlete -- so "potential" isn't there as much.  And right now, his results are really freshmanie.  Maybe he breaks out big in the second half of the season.   

I agree with you, but wouldn't the same have been applicable to JHS through 10 games last season? Not saying MM is JHS, but it is possible.