IUWBB vs Illinois - Thursday, 01.16.25 @ 7:00 on Peacock

[Banksyrules 4,895]

I don’t care if people think Coach has a system and is being very picky on purpose. These games are the reason why we need more five star recruits on our roster.  We needed some natural talent to get easy buckets this game.  Still a tournament team but we have days we’re just simply cold. 

[TTT 1,022]

Garzon no injury or health issues…she’s good per Patberg post game. She must have got herself a little bench time

[Artie86 2,039]

Story of the game…. too many turnovers! 14 to Illinois’ 6. That pretty much sums it up.

[TTT 1,022]

8 minutes ago, Banksyrules said:

I don’t care if people think Coach has a system and is being very picky on purpose. These games are the reason why we need more five star recruits on our roster.  We needed some natural talent to get easy buckets this game.  Still a tournament team but we have days we’re just simply cold. 

I am not sure T. Moren is being overly picky.  5 stars after being recruited by Indiana have chosen to go elsewhere.  Blakes a freshman @ Vandy  is a leading scorer who IU recruited heavily.  I can think of 5 (5 star players high school and portal) the past two years that IU was involved in recruiting them and not one came to IU.

[Banksyrules 4,895]

1 minute ago, TTT said:

I am not sure T. Moren is being overly picky.  5 stars after being recruited by Indiana have chosen to go elsewhere.  Blakes a freshman @ Vandy  is a leading scorer who IU recruited heavily.  I can think of 5 (5 star players high school and portal) the past two years that IU was involved in recruiting them and not one came to IU.

Give them da money.  It sounds sleepy but we need to up our game in that regard. 

[mickey one 50]

For me, it would be more entertaining and refreshing to give some of these bench players some minutes to see how they can do. IU isn't going anywhere this year anyway, so it can be "rebuilding mode".

To religiously stick to the "top" players, and still get beat AT HOME by Illinois by 14, that's sad. It's like "we are doing our very best with our best players" and it still is woefully short. It's like an ultimate dismissal of the team as being mediocre. 

You can't say "well, we weren't really trying", because we WERE really trying, and looked very AVERAGE. And ARE very average.

[TTT 1,022]

Possibilities:  10 to 16 march madness tournament (there could be several future losses)

or NIT bid

[mickey one 50]

Possibly the only thing more depressing in the State of Indiana than being an IU women's B-Ball fan at the moment would be to be a Purdue women's B-Ball fan. The Boilers are really floundering. Their "Freshman of the Year", Mary Ashley Stevenson, transferred to Stanford, and is stuck on the bench there. The Boilers have all kinds of recruits, and can't seem to beat anyone in the Big 10. Don't know how Gearlds keeps her job long-term.

[TheWatShot 14,259]

18 minutes ago, mickey one said:

Possibly the only thing more depressing in the State of Indiana than being an IU women's B-Ball fan at the moment would be to be a Purdue women's B-Ball fan. The Boilers are really floundering. Their "Freshman of the Year", Mary Ashley Stevenson, transferred to Stanford, and is stuck on the bench there. The Boilers have all kinds of recruits, and can't seem to beat anyone in the Big 10. Don't know how Gearlds keeps her job long-term.

I would hardly say it's depressing to be a fan of IU women's basketball right now. Frustrating, considering we're not close to where we were 2 years ago, sure, but hardly depressing. 

 

Also, couldn't help but notice that all but one of your posts this season have been after a loss. 

[NatHillIV 19]

Never daunted fans are the ones I like !  This is a good group of fans in my view.
Yeah, we didn't shoot well and seemed out of sync on offense to boot.  It looked to me like every player on the Illinois team was bigger and stronger than just about anybody we had.  Throw in a "let 'em play" group of officials (except when IU sets picks), and it was all set up to be a long night.  We're mid pack in the best basketball conference in the NCAA.  No disgrace there is there?

[Claxdj01 17]

Thought when they get it within 4 they were going to get it done. This was a trap game after a big road win and usc on the horizon. Zero favors with whistles and sitting from row 3 many bad calls. A poor first 15 minutes were too much to overcome. I like many would like to see striplin start. And it’s too bad the Kokomo native Bostic is at Illinois. I expect the usc game to be closer than people think. 

[JerryYeagley23 3,834]

36 minutes ago, TheWatShot said:

I would hardly say it's depressing to be a fan of IU women's basketball right now. Frustrating, considering we're not close to where we were 2 years ago, sure, but hardly depressing. 

 

Also, couldn't help but notice that all but one of your posts this season have been after a loss. 

A women’s bball thread troll?? I guess it means we’re becoming more relevant, but that’s a first. 

[TTT 1,022]

T. Moren a little down on team noting disturbed by yesterday’s practice in preparation for Illinois that carried over into game.  Noted Garzon had trouble guarding and Lilly just needs to be better overall.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 85,628]

Read some post-game stories.  They played the way they practiced per CTM.

https://www.thedailyhoosier.com/iu-womens-basketball-notebook-bad-matchup-against-illinois-concerns-with-physicality-and-practice-energy/

https://www.insidethehall.com/2025/01/17/how-iu-womens-basketballs-low-energy-practice-foreshadowed-loss-to-illinois/

Very disappointing loss after the way we played at Iowa.

[TTT 1,022]

Though win was a good win at Iowa….Iowa gets beat at home by Nebraska.  Things have changed.

[Claxdj01 17]

23 minutes ago, TTT said:

Though win was a good win at Iowa….Iowa gets beat at home by Nebraska.  Things have changed.

I believe Iowa was 15/30 from the free throw line or something and lost by 2 and Nebraska is 14-4. The big ten is very deep this year. Outside of a very few I think everyone is going to have their share of conference losses.

[Aaron 4,302]

The issues are not about stars or talent but Lily Meister not taking the leap everyone hoped and assumed. Moren's system relies on a good post player with shooters. I was all in favor of giving Lily the chance to be the featured big, but she has not been what was hoped and Moren knows it and has been particularly hard on her in post game presser.

Moren is doing a great job working around what is essentially two back up bigs. However, there is a ceiling of about a 7 seed and second round NCAA exit at the moment. Finding a player like Mackenzie Holmes is very unlikely, but I fully expect Moren to go portal hunting for a solid starting level big ten center in offseason similar to Bostic last night.

The post problems are no ones fault but just a reality of Lily not taking the step up everyone had hoped. However, certain matchups like this one with a good center and athleticism are going to be a really tough putt the rest of the year.

 

[TTT 1,022]

20 minutes ago, Aaron said:

The issues are not about stars or talent but Lily Meister not taking the leap everyone hoped and assumed. Moren's system relies on a good post player with shooters. I was all in favor of giving Lily the chance to be the featured big, but she has not been what was hoped and Moren knows it and has been particularly hard on her in post game presser.

Moren is doing a great job working around what is essentially two back up bigs. However, there is a ceiling of about a 7 seed and second round NCAA exit at the moment. Finding a player like Mackenzie Holmes is very unlikely, but I fully expect Moren to go portal hunting for a solid starting level big ten center in offseason similar to Bostic last night.

The post problems are no ones fault but just a reality of Lily not taking the step up everyone had hoped. However, certain matchups like this one with a good center and athleticism are going to be a really tough putt the rest of the year.

 

L.M. (and T. Moren should have known this) has always been limited for big ten upper echelon talent. It was mainly hoping.  She is adequate in backup role at this level.  Last night and other games this year IU Ladies spot Illinois and other teams 5 to 7 or 8 points at the start of game because of L.M. post play.  
Then, leading to a question, though she has some limitations as well is how much better would Striplin be in a starting role and IU Ladies be.  

I get it T.  Moren or coaching staff showing loyalty to the L.M. and may have talked to both players about this.  Overall, Striplin is just the better player.

[GloryDays 5,928]

11 hours ago, TTT said:

T. Moren a little down on team noting disturbed by yesterday’s practice in preparation for Illinois that carried over into game.  Noted Garzon had trouble guarding and Lilly just needs to be better overall.

Lilly seems to lack confidence and is over matched in most contests..We need to get bigger and more athletic in the post through the portal or a  decommitment. Other than Chloe,Lexus and Shea our team also lacks quickness and 2 of them are gone after this season.Both glaring weaknesses.

[Aaron 4,302]

5 minutes ago, GloryDays said:

Lilly seems to lack confidence and is over matched in most contests..We need to get bigger and more athletic in the post through the portal or a  decommitment. Other than Chloe,Lexus and Shea our team also lacks quickness and 2 of them are gone after this season.Both glaring weaknesses.

Shea and Lex still have eligibility left. Its only Chloe's that expires