IUBB @ Michigan - Tuesday, 01.20.26 @ 7:00 on Peacock

[Kentuckysucks]

8 minutes ago, Eagle’s Rug said:

I think the football hire was dumb luck.  They said they employed the same hiring process with DeVries.  Year one night and day difference with Cig.  Leads me to believe that they just got lucky.

Cig also just has a completely different personality than DeVries.  He's someone players immediately respect and will run through walls for.  DeVries is very boring and kind of Archie like.  It might be his biggest problem.

[Home Jersey]

11 minutes ago, Eagle’s Rug said:

I think the football hire was dumb luck.  They said they employed the same hiring process with DeVries.  Year one night and day difference with Cig.  Leads me to believe that they just got lucky.

Entirely possible. Maybe even likely IMO

[Pagoda]

11 minutes ago, Eagle’s Rug said:

I think the football hire was dumb luck.  They said they employed the same hiring process with DeVries.  Year one night and day difference with Cig.  Leads me to believe that they just got lucky.

If CDD doesn't work out, maybe Scott got unlucky with CDD?

We can’t really know, but I don’t see a reason to assume to the worst.  It’s not like IUBB was any good for the previous 25 years before Scott got control of the program from Quinn & Co.  

I’m not saying our AD is perfect.  But I can’t ignore all that went into IUFB’s stunning achievements.

[HoosierHoopster]

46 minutes ago, Eagle’s Rug said:

I think the football hire was dumb luck.  They said they employed the same hiring process with DeVries.  Year one night and day difference with Cig.  Leads me to believe that they just got lucky.

Combination of luck and a very well-researched hire. No way of knowing in advance if Cig would succeed at IU, but a lot of research went into identifying him as a good candidate for IU and then Cig brought a good amount of his existing team to IU to hit the ground running. In my book he's the Bobby Knight of football for IU, what an amazing turnaround in 2 years.

[Home Jersey]

12 minutes ago, Pagoda said:

If CDD doesn't work out, maybe Scott got unlucky with CDD?

We can’t really know, but I don’t see a reason to assume to the worst.  It’s not like IUBB was any good for the previous 25 years before Scott got control of the program from Quinn & Co.  

I’m not saying our AD is perfect.  But I can’t ignore all that went into IUFB’s stunning achievements.

Yep. Indirectly related to the narrative about "if IUFB can do it, anyone can do it." Ummm... I mean, maybe, in theory. But practically? We had the perfect storm. 1) Unprecedented support from the highest levels of the university 2) amazing staff continuity 3) bringing a core of your best players 4) the benefit of extremely low expectations 5) Curt Cignetti is probably the best CFB coach today.

Good luck replicating all that. The point is, literally any program that hired Cig would've been extremely lucky. Really lacks nuance to say "well Cig did it (possibly the GOAT in his sport) why can't DDV?"

IMO far too early to call for DDV's head or even wonder if Dolson got "unlucky" with him. Woody was still holding the office keys when he got here lol. Didn't have the staff ready on day 1 (that's definitely a big screw up and on DDV) which ruined our first portal effort. So the first season is shot no matter how good or bad he is as a coach. Remains to be seen here IMO. Definitely a major set back to his start here. But look at what Hoiberg is doing at Nebraska in his 7th year there. And yes, IU and Nebraska are comparable basketball programs in 2026. 

Realistically, we just have to hope next year's roster is up to par. Sometimes it takes time... and for a myriad of reasons, not least of which is financial, DDV is going to get time. Coaches make mistakes and I am capable of forgiving them as long as necessary lessons are learned and applied. No sense tormenting ourselves with this season IMO. We are a football school anyway. 

[HoosierDevils]

51 minutes ago, Eagle’s Rug said:

I think the football hire was dumb luck.  They said they employed the same hiring process with DeVries.  Year one night and day difference with Cig.  Leads me to believe that they just got lucky.

A bit of luck, but also the structure of coaching searches at the P4 level make it really hard for truly great programs to hire a guy like Cig at the point we did. For example, if Alabama after Saban had said they were hiring a guy at Elon or JMU, the AD would be fired immediately. At the very least, the AD would know that the 1st year better lead to a finish in the top 2-3 in the SEC, else he'd be laughed out and fired along with new coach. At IU, remember our expectation was that maybe we can consistently have 5-7 wins a season and maybe an 8 or 9 win season if all goes right. But the expectation was not winning a flippin Natty in year 2. That gave the AD flexibility to hire someone w/o P4 (or in football, maybe P2) HC experience or any major NFL experience (e.g., coordinator level). It also gave Cig the flexibility to do whatever he wants -- OSU, Michigan, Georgia, Bama, etc. all have crazy external pressure (kinda like IUBB) where there's a ton of cooks in the kitchen each with their own interests (we want the most 5 stars, the most NFL guys, the most guys from this prestigious in state football high school, etc.)...none of that at IU. 

So, yes, dumb luck, but a lot of institutional and structural reasons too. Cig is catching lightening in a bottle a coach who comes around once in a generation if that, but I think the general process of finding a hidden gem is really constrained by the way coach searches are done. I mean just look at all the coaches you see at any level (NFL, NBA, CBB, CFB) where we don't really know if the HC is really the best mind, game manager, recruiter, etc. from an objective perspective or they just have an inside track and it's kind of an old boys network (we have some experience with that at IU!). Obviously, there are many great HCs out there who operate at the top schools or teams but also a ton that seem to always have a job just through networks and a you scratch my back I scratch yours. 

[Pagoda]

11 minutes ago, Home Jersey said:

Yep. Indirectly related to the narrative about "if IUFB can do it, anyone can do it." Ummm... I mean, maybe, in theory. But practically? We had the perfect storm. 1) Unprecedented support from the highest levels of the university 2) amazing staff continuity 3) bringing a core of your best players 4) the benefit of extremely low expectations 5) Curt Cignetti is probably the best CFB coach today.

Good luck replicating all that. The point is, literally any program that hired Cig would've been extremely lucky. Really lacks nuance to say "well Cig did it (possibly the GOAT in his sport) why can't DDV?"

IMO far too early to call for DDV's head or even wonder if Dolson got "unlucky" with him. Woody was still holding the office keys when he got here lol. Didn't have the staff ready on day 1 (that's definitely a big screw up and on DDV) which ruined our first portal effort. So the first season is shot no matter how good or bad he is as a coach. Remains to be seen here IMO. Definitely a major set back to his start here. But look at what Hoiberg is doing at Nebraska in his 7th year there. And yes, IU and Nebraska are comparable basketball programs in 2026. 

Realistically, we just have to hope next year's roster is up to par. Sometimes it takes time... and for a myriad of reasons, not least of which is financial, DDV is going to get time. Coaches make mistakes and I am capable of forgiving them as long as necessary lessons are learned and applied. No sense tormenting ourselves with this season IMO. We are a football school anyway. 

Spot on.

This is a surprisingly bad start.  I can’t disagree with the criticisms being levied at CDD this season.  We just have to hope.  It certainly doesn’t feel right though.  From the head coach’s quiet personality to some of the staff… I dunno…

If CDD doesn’t work out I’ll be out of explanations.  I always thought politics/meddling was the common thread that messed up IUBB since RMK, with the one exception being Glass hiring Archie, but I blamed that on Fred’s lack of experience.  However, this time around we had the blueprint of a high performing program 100 yards from Assembly Hall to copy and our AD was in control of this hire… and yet we still struggle.  I’m baffled.

[str8baller]

43 minutes ago, Home Jersey said:

But look at what Hoiberg is doing at Nebraska in his 7th year there. And yes, IU and Nebraska are comparable basketball programs in 2026.

We’re not Nebraska bad. As bad as we’ve been we’re not close to that bad. And as such nobody at IU is waiting 7 years for a turn around.    
 

I’ll go on record right now and say if CDD thinks he can wait until year 5 to make the tourney, IU will be done with him sooner than later. 

[str8baller]

38 minutes ago, HoosierDevils said:

but I think the general process of finding a hidden gem is really constrained by the way coach searches are done

Cig talked about a “paradigm shift” in his presser yesterday.  
 

If Devries doesn’t work out, I think the AD, Pres, and BoT would be wise to take the philosophy and apply it to how they hire basketball coaches. You can’t keep doing the same thing over and over and expect the results to change. 

[Home Jersey]

1 minute ago, str8baller said:

We’re not Nebraska bad. As bad as we’ve been we’re not close to that bad. And as such nobody at IU is waiting 7 years for a turn around.    
 

I’ll go on record right now and say if CDD thinks he can wait until year 5 to make the tourney, IU will be done with him sooner than later. 

No coach in power conference basketball should think they can "wait" until year 5 to make the tourney and I'm sure DDV doesn't.

I know you mention that because that's when Hoiberg finally made it at Nebraska, but it's not like he wasn't trying before then... They stuck with him because he was making progress YoY. And more importantly, they're a football school like we are so fans were focused on that and basketball could take the time needed to build with a decent/good coach. We have more historic success than Nebraska, but since 2010, it's basically potato pota-toe IMO. We need to see progress YoY and if we don't then DDV should definitely be out the door after 3 years IMO (still think he's likely to get the guaranteed IU 4 years).

Fans will be discontent if things don't turnaround next year I'm sure. But I don't think we're paying for the buyout and doing this all over again any time soon when he's Scott's guy. IMO, it's almost disrespectful to what Cig is building to still fixate on basketball as much as our fanbase is. Yes, we can and should expect to be good at both, but with such success in football... I can be patient in basketball as long as it's headed in the right direction. We are off to a bumpy start, but I'm not convinced it's a train off the rails yet by any means. 

[HoosierDevils]

1 minute ago, str8baller said:

Cig talked about a “paradigm shift” in his presser yesterday.  
 

If Devries doesn’t work out, I think the AD, Pres, and BoT would be wise to take the philosophy and apply it to how they hire basketball coaches. You can’t keep doing the same thing over and over and expect the results to change. 

100% - can't keep doing the same thing, nor can you do the same thing as your competitors and expect to catch up to them. Hopefully there is a paradigm shift for IUBB. It'll be interesting next year where we actually will see, I think for the first time, a solid mix of new P2/P4 head coaches from either lower ranks or the usual hires in football at least. UCLA, Florida, Auburn all went the G5 route hiring coaches of JMU, Tulane, South Florida, respectively. Michigan, Penn State, LSU went the route of hiring form the P4 candidates. 

[Alford Bailey]

1 hour ago, Home Jersey said:

Yep. Indirectly related to the narrative about "if IUFB can do it, anyone can do it." Ummm... I mean, maybe, in theory. But practically? We had the perfect storm. 1) Unprecedented support from the highest levels of the university 2) amazing staff continuity 3) bringing a core of your best players 4) the benefit of extremely low expectations 5) Curt Cignetti is probably the best CFB coach today.

Good luck replicating all that. The point is, literally any program that hired Cig would've been extremely lucky. Really lacks nuance to say "well Cig did it (possibly the GOAT in his sport) why can't DDV?"

IMO far too early to call for DDV's head or even wonder if Dolson got "unlucky" with him. Woody was still holding the office keys when he got here lol. Didn't have the staff ready on day 1 (that's definitely a big screw up and on DDV) which ruined our first portal effort. So the first season is shot no matter how good or bad he is as a coach. Remains to be seen here IMO. Definitely a major set back to his start here. But look at what Hoiberg is doing at Nebraska in his 7th year there. And yes, IU and Nebraska are comparable basketball programs in 2026. 

Realistically, we just have to hope next year's roster is up to par. Sometimes it takes time... and for a myriad of reasons, not least of which is financial, DDV is going to get time. Coaches make mistakes and I am capable of forgiving them as long as necessary lessons are learned and applied. No sense tormenting ourselves with this season IMO. We are a football school anyway. 

Much easier to make improvements in basketball vs football.

[BA47591]

The initial approach Cignetti used is starting to he copied by Penn St and Oklahoma St, I'm sure others will use it but in basketball coming from a lower level and bringing your players seems to be harder to succeed at. Iowa is in our neighborhood right now and I'm not sure he'll be able to recruit the athletes necessary to compete for conference championships with his style. That's where I think Devries can. If we have a year two roster that looks like this year's then I think our support financially isn't there. 

[Whoozhers]

Well, at least we don’t have a plethora of player dance videos anymore.

Can’t deny at least 1 upside.

GO HOOSIERS!!

[BA47591]

29 minutes ago, Whoozhers said:

Well, at least we don’t have a plethora of player dance videos anymore.

Can’t deny at least 1 upside.

GO HOOSIERS!!

True. It's a 5hitty deal to have to find joy with "at least it's not Woody." Results will be similar. Same January nose dive. Woody had talent though. Devries doesn't, but it's his fault we don't. 

[Old Friend]

On 1/20/2026 at 11:47 PM, HoosierHoopster said:

I do not often agree with you @Old Friendbut largely agree with your post above. Bball is diluted and the portal — at least as it is now — is bad for the game (while being generally good economically for the players), and it specifically fosters disloyalty, pay me more or say goodbye. The portal needs an overhaul with rules limiting the mass transfers, capping pay, etc. imo.

the posts calling out DeVries and saying he can’t coach though are just flat out boneheadedly uninformed and lazy. He’s a very good x’s and o’s coach and program builder with a fairly long track record supporting that. What I think we’re seeing for the most part is most of our players are just not at the B1G level to excel — and at this point I think I was wrong about that. Wilkerson is excellent as I knew he would be having seen him play here in TX, Tucker has the talent bit seems slowed over the past several games and his shot is off. I think he’ll turn it back around soon. i like Dorn’s game and Sisley has potential though he’s not ready yet imo for a major role. Most of the other guys aren’t playing at a high caliber level. I thought more of them would be. 
DeVries came in and had to restock the entire roster on the fly. You can’t convince the best players to join up when a) you’ve been mediocre to bad for 8 years, and b) they have no idea who their teammates will be because you’re rebuilding the entire team, and c) again, you’re rebuilding the entire team and most elite players want nothing to do with that.

of course DeVries needs more time, that’s beyond obvious. Whether he’ll succeed remains a question and will be up to him, but minimum 3 years? Of course. And while I’m really disappointed in the team’s falloff over the past several games, I think he’ll get us back to winning 

Morbid curiosity.  I don't post much anymore...where do we disagree?