Game Thread: NCAA R64 vs. Kent State - 3/17 @ 10:45 pm (no lie)ET on TBS

[Uspshoosier 44,205]

19 minutes ago, RaceToTheTop said:

And Texas A&M being a 7 seed is a little head scratching.  Thinking was 5, 6 at worst.

I’m glad they did it.   Penalize teams that don’t schedule during the non con.  248 non con sos with 2 Q4 losses.    

[IUHoosier5 1,366]

5 hours ago, Stuhoo said:

Let’s start with a caveat: I cannot stand Dan Dakich. Cannot stand him. Can we all stipulate to that and move on? 

Because the following video of Dakich and Kent Sterling discussing:

1) How Chris Reynolds pulled off the greatest pro-IU, anti-Purdue bracket draws possible, and 

2) Dakich’s story of that Sampson scumbag Senderoff’s recruitment of Bud Mackey

is so incredibly excellent. 

So for just this once, here’s to you Danny, and if any of you are going to be in Albany, I highly recommend, per Dakich, that a “Bud Mackey” chant be started.

 

Kent Sterling is kind of an odd ball. Watched about halfway through and when Dan asked if he watched the IU-Penn State game, he said “yes” and then froze and made a movement with his lip. Appears he was lying or extremely unsettled with something…

 

Really weird. 
 

His stuff is enjoyable to watch from time to time, so not hating on the guy. But, man, that was super weird. 

[hoosierbgh 1,227]

9 hours ago, Loaded Chicken Sandwich said:

Personally, I think Purdue got the easiest path of anyone. Duke is definitely a threat in the Sweet 16 but they got the easiest if the 8/9s they could have gotten. Tennessee is injured. They've already beaten Marquette but Marquette is better since then. 

Who the refs are for Purdue's game(s) and how they officiate Edey matters almost as much as the opponent. It probably won't matter the first game but I'm not sure any game after that is winnable without typical B1G officiating. 

[HoosierFan1994 4,609]

13 hours ago, FortWayneHoosier said:

Also posting this, Assembly call asked this kid to come on who plays for Akron, one of Kent states MAC rivals. He gives some details on what to expect here is the you tube link 

 

Really good video. Scares you a little when he compares them to Rutgers lol. My thoughts are this: Kent State could most certainly win this game. I would probably pick them against a team like Virginia, Tennesee, etc. I just think Trayce and Jalen will be the difference. Galen Clavio said this best on the Assembly Call: Kent State should be saying "Oh Shoot! We have to deal with Indiana". 

[Stuhoo 75,560]

3 hours ago, HoosierFan1994 said:

Really good video. Scares you a little when he compares them to Rutgers lol. My thoughts are this: Kent State could most certainly win this game. I would probably pick them against a team like Virginia, Tennesee, etc. I just think Trayce and Jalen will be the difference. Galen Clavio said this best on the Assembly Call: Kent State should be saying "Oh Shoot! We have to deal with Indiana". 

After listening to this podcast, Kent State has now been described as a combination of the Michael Jordan lead Chicago Bulls, and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar UCLA teams. On their best day.

[Hoosierfanyuh 1,849]

Personally think tjd is going to dominate this game lol. They dont shoot that well. Also if we would have scheduled them in noncon everyone would’ve expected us to win, so im not sure why there is so much concern. We have an all american, future nba guard, and 2 5th year seniors.

[jbeaman9 1,013]

All I have read and heard is how "elite" Kent State's defense is, yet no one has been talking about how is Kent State going to score against us? Or better yet, how will Kent State stop/slow us down?

IU Bart Torvik: Overall 33 (O: 34/D: 46)
Kent State Bart Torvik: Overall 79 (O: 117/D: 45)

In their 3 most recent losses:

Gave up 82 points to Ball State (170 overall/121 O/243 D) (Lost 82-70)
Gave up 67 points to Akron (108 overall/96 O/144 D) (Lost 67-55)
Gave up 86 points to Northern Illinois (241 overall/257 O/210 D) (Lost 86-76)

They gave up an average of 78 points to teams rated an average 157 on O, IU is 123 spots higher on O than that.

Ball State beat them by 12 by only hitting 7 3's, but they shot 34 free throws.

Lastly, in the only common opponent the two teams have played, Miami (OH) (BT: 267 overall/O: 217/D: 312):

IU won 86-56
Kent State won 69-66, they scored 69 points against the 312th worst defense in the country (according to Torvik) and only had two players score in double figures.

I understand not taking a team lightly but comparing them to Rutgers (36 overall/O: 161/D: 36) might be a stretch. No chance their center is as active and athletic as Cliff Omoruyi (6'11" 240), or their two lead defensive guards are as good on the ball as 6'7" 213 Mulcahy or 6'7" 200 McConnell (they aren't, their guards are 6'1" 185 and 6'3" 194). Trey (6'4" 203) and JHS (6'6" 215) will have their problems from time to time but over the course of a game, no way those smaller guards hold up against our bigger guards who have played against Big Ten/Power 5 caliber guards and ball pressure all season long.

I'm sure they are a solid team, to win the MAC tournament you have to be. But I am not here to contribute to the overall hype train that is rolling for Kent State. I do appreciate it though hoping that this motivates IU and makes it less likely they overlook Kent State with the media all jumping on that bandwagon.

[HoosierHoopster 6,028]

Sum it up: Can't overlook anyone. That said, we should win this game.

[HoosierAloha 29,887]

8 minutes ago, jbeaman9 said:

All I have read and heard is how "elite" Kent State's defense is, yet no one has been talking about how is Kent State going to score against us? Or better yet, how will Kent State stop/slow us down?

IU Bart Torvik: Overall 33 (O: 34/D: 46)
Kent State Bart Torvik: Overall 79 (O: 117/D: 45)

In their 3 most recent losses:

Gave up 82 points to Ball State (170 overall/121 O/243 D) (Lost 82-70)
Gave up 67 points to Akron (108 overall/96 O/144 D) (Lost 67-55)
Gave up 86 points to Northern Illinois (241 overall/257 O/210 D) (Lost 86-76)

They gave up an average of 78 points to teams rated an average 157 on O, IU is 123 spots higher on O than that.

Ball State beat them by 12 by only hitting 7 3's, but they shot 34 free throws.

Lastly, in the only common opponent the two teams have played, Miami (OH) (BT: 267 overall/O: 217/D: 312):

IU won 86-56
Kent State won 69-66, they scored 69 points against the 312th worst defense in the country (according to Torvik) and only had two players score in double figures.

I understand not taking a team lightly but comparing them to Rutgers (36 overall/O: 161/D: 36) might be a stretch. No chance their center is as active and athletic as Cliff Omoruyi (6'11" 240), or their two lead defensive guards are as good on the ball as 6'7" 213 Mulcahy or 6'7" 200 McConnell (they aren't, their guards are 6'1" 185 and 6'3" 194). Trey (6'4" 203) and JHS (6'6" 215) will have their problems from time to time but over the course of a game, no way those smaller guards hold up against our bigger guards who have played against Big Ten/Power 5 caliber guards and ball pressure all season long.

I'm sure they are a solid team, to win the MAC tournament you have to be. But I am not here to contribute to the overall hype train that is rolling for Kent State. I do appreciate it though hoping that this motivates IU and makes it less likely they overlook Kent State with the media all jumping on that bandwagon.

I don't believe the Akron player on the podcast was comparing Kent State to Rutger in that sense. I was doing other things while listening so I might have missed it. I thought he was asked to give a power 5 comp with mentality and physicality. In other words, Kent State won't back down and while undersized they're going to play a physical game with IU.

[jbeaman9 1,013]

5 minutes ago, HoosierAloha said:

I don't believe the Akron player on the podcast was comparing Kent State to Rutger in that sense. I was doing other things while listening so I might have missed it. I thought he was asked to give a power 5 comp with mentality and physicality. In other words, Kent State won't back down and while undersized they're going to play a physical game with IU.

That is fine, but in no way can I believe they are truly believe they are going to be as physical as Rutgers. Maybe I will be wrong. Hope not.

[jbeaman9 1,013]

Here is some more interesting data I found. Use it as you wish.

We have played 10 teams (16 games) that are higher rated defensively than Kent State. Here is that list and their rank.

Rutgers (7) IU went 1-1

Kansas (11) 0-1

NW (14) 0-2

Purdue (21) 2-0

Wisconsin (30) 1-0

Illinois (36) 2-0

MSU (38) 1-1

Maryland (39) 1-1

Arizona (40) 0-1

UNC (41) 1-0

IU went a combined 9-7 against teams with a higher rated defense (according to BT) and scored on average 70 ppg. If IU scores 70 Friday night, they will win no question.

To add, Kent State has played only 1 team with a higher rated defense than ours all season (Houston). They scored 44 points.

[HoosierAloha 29,887]

4 minutes ago, jbeaman9 said:

To add, Kent State has played only 1 team with a higher rated defense than ours all season (Houston). They scored 44 points.

I believe they held that higher rated Houston offense to a low score too.

Regardless, our A game >>>>> Kent State A game

Will we play our A game?

[jbeaman9 1,013]

Just now, HoosierAloha said:

I believe they held that higher rated Houston offense to a low score too.

Regardless, our A game >>>>> Kent State A game

Will we play our A game?

They did, but Houston also missed 15 3's and 8 FT's. They did force 23 TO's which is a testament to their D. I agree with you, and I'd even bet our B game might be better than their A game as well. Can't have "pick 6" type turnovers and need to team rebound the ball. We do those things, we will win.

[HoosierAloha 29,887]

4 minutes ago, jbeaman9 said:

They did, but Houston also missed 15 3's and 8 FT's. They did force 23 TO's which is a testament to their D. I agree with you, and I'd even bet our B game might be better than their A game as well. Can't have "pick 6" type turnovers and need to team rebound the ball. We do those things, we will win.

I might add not sending them to the FT line - us in foul trouble while they put points up. We've had our struggles fouling the **** out of teams all season.

[Hovadipo 52,926]

 

Sorry DEBBIE DOWNERS, the transitive property never lies.

[go iu bb 4,786]

15 minutes ago, HoosierAloha said:

Will we play our A game?

That is certainly the biggest question and the answer to that will have a large effect on the outcome of the game.

[Stuhoo 75,560]

5 minutes ago, Hovadipo said:

 

Sorry DEBBIE DOWNERS, the transitive property never lies.

Kent State 81, Central Michigan 69

Central Michigan76, Eastern Illinois 60

Eastern Illinois 92, Iowa 83

Iowa 90, Indiana 68.

Therefore, we appear to be approximately 59 points worse than Kent State

[go iu bb 4,786]

6 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

Kent State 81, Central Michigan 69

Central Michigan76, Eastern Illinois 60

Eastern Illinois 92, Iowa 83

Iowa 90, Indiana 68.

Therefore, we appear to be approximately 59 points worse than Kent State

Well, crap. I guess we should just cancel the  game.

[Golfman25 4,652]

4 hours ago, HoosierFan1994 said:

Really good video. Scares you a little when he compares them to Rutgers lol. My thoughts are this: Kent State could most certainly win this game. I would probably pick them against a team like Virginia, Tennesee, etc. I just think Trayce and Jalen will be the difference. Galen Clavio said this best on the Assembly Call: Kent State should be saying "Oh Shoot! We have to deal with Indiana". 

We have two NBA players on this team.  We should win this game going away.  If we don't, then just maybe they aren't NBA ready and JHS should be coming back.  :) 

[dmvhoosier12 19]

 

3 hours ago, Stuhoo said:

After listening to this podcast, Kent State has now been described as a combination of the Michael Jordan lead Chicago Bulls, and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar UCLA teams. On their best day.

My thoughts exactly! I feel every IU podcaster is hyping KSU up to be the 75-76 Hoosiers. Literally unbeatable. It seems the Vegas oddsmakers should have KSU as the favorites to win the whole tournament, these guys talk. Big arbitrage opportunity to be had. 

2 hours ago, jbeaman9 said:

All I have read and heard is how "elite" Kent State's defense is, yet no one has been talking about how is Kent State going to score against us? Or better yet, how will Kent State stop/slow us down?

IU Bart Torvik: Overall 33 (O: 34/D: 46)
Kent State Bart Torvik: Overall 79 (O: 117/D: 45)

In their 3 most recent losses:

Gave up 82 points to Ball State (170 overall/121 O/243 D) (Lost 82-70)
Gave up 67 points to Akron (108 overall/96 O/144 D) (Lost 67-55)
Gave up 86 points to Northern Illinois (241 overall/257 O/210 D) (Lost 86-76)

They gave up an average of 78 points to teams rated an average 157 on O, IU is 123 spots higher on O than that.

Ball State beat them by 12 by only hitting 7 3's, but they shot 34 free throws.

Lastly, in the only common opponent the two teams have played, Miami (OH) (BT: 267 overall/O: 217/D: 312):

IU won 86-56
Kent State won 69-66, they scored 69 points against the 312th worst defense in the country (according to Torvik) and only had two players score in double figures.

I understand not taking a team lightly but comparing them to Rutgers (36 overall/O: 161/D: 36) might be a stretch. No chance their center is as active and athletic as Cliff Omoruyi (6'11" 240), or their two lead defensive guards are as good on the ball as 6'7" 213 Mulcahy or 6'7" 200 McConnell (they aren't, their guards are 6'1" 185 and 6'3" 194). Trey (6'4" 203) and JHS (6'6" 215) will have their problems from time to time but over the course of a game, no way those smaller guards hold up against our bigger guards who have played against Big Ten/Power 5 caliber guards and ball pressure all season long.

I'm sure they are a solid team, to win the MAC tournament you have to be. But I am not here to contribute to the overall hype train that is rolling for Kent State. I do appreciate it though hoping that this motivates IU and makes it less likely they overlook Kent State with the media all jumping on that bandwagon.

Finally some metrics to attach to all the generic statements about their defense! They played three good teams all season. Lost all of those along with quad 3 and quad 4 losses. They played Houston tough in a truly ugly game which is laudable, but also not warranting all this gloom about Friday. I agree that it's great to motivate and not overlook Kent State, but I feel like we've tipped over the edge...like depending on how much of this chatter filters to the players/coaches/staff we come out flat and intimidated rather than prepared and confident. 

Edited March 14, 2023 by dmvhoosier12