Wichita State fan here

[DawgBawls 712]

Hmm...that's interesting. It makes me ponder on the parallel universe theory (which I want to believe in).

My grandpappy, Walter Bishop, always said, "The only thing better than a cow is a human! Unless you need milk. Then you really need a cow."...didn't make sense then...nor at this time.....
 

[Naturalhoosier 15,407]

Welcome to the site!!! Always nice to see opposing fan's drop their sentiments from time to time.

[IndianaBB 34]

I hope we pass on any consideration for Marshall as our head coach. The guy can coach but has some quirky thinking and can rub some or many the wrong way. I think he has some type of little man chip on shoulder syndrome. Indiana should try to get Stevens back home and coaching the Hoosiers.

[LazOffTheBench 3,638]

If Marshall has a prickly personality, I'm concerned about his ability to recruit at IU. He's not going to be able to blow the socks off recruits with just his name and record of past success. I doubt most HS players, especially in-state players, follow Wichita State games.

 

Like I've said before, IU can do better.

[WayneFleekHoosier 47,911]

If Marshall has a prickly personality, I'm concerned about his ability to recruit at IU. He's not going to be able to blow the socks off recruits with just his name and record of past success. I doubt most HS players, especially in-state players, follow Wichita State games.

Like I've said before, IU can do better.

this ^^. We need (I want) someone who can recruit like Crean use to and coach too.

[Josh 12,542]

If Marshall has a prickly personality, I'm concerned about his ability to recruit at IU. He's not going to be able to blow the socks off recruits with just his name and record of past success. I doubt most HS players, especially in-state players, follow Wichita State games.

 

Like I've said before, IU can do better.

 

I guarantee you high school basketball players know about Marshall.  He's been a big part of college basketball lately.

[GloryDays 5,913]

this ^^. We need (I want) someone who can recruit like Crean use to and coach too.

 I agree but if your looking for established coaches in high level positions its a very short list. If the short list says no then what, keep Crean?

.I really think any coach who puts a decent product on the floor could recruit this state.I think what we're seeing now is the result of the opposite.Kids want to win.

Bob Knight was a young coach from a minor conference who had the chops and was given a chance. He had a tiny bit of a prickly attitude also.He had no problem at all recruiting.

The 3 guys that everyone including me are in love with are probably long shots.

Archie Miller anyone?

[ALASKA HOOSIER 11,254]

YEPPERS

[IndianaBB 34]

Interesting. I just got a reply deleted. I think. Thanks for the link biteoftheapple. My reply was some how deleted. Oh well.

[IndianaBB 34]

LOL, No I did not. Appreciate the heads up.

[wirenuts 1,055]

Do you think this poster could send all this info to the Indiana coaching staff? Kidding....sort of

[HoosierReb01 7,511]

Stop by anytime to talk some B-ball, even when we are not playing you!

[HoosierReb01 7,511]

Hey, Reb, is that a way to let us know we've gotten off-topic? LOL.

 

Sorry, Wichita fan!

I skipped page 2, so who can say. Are you feeling guilty?

[schoosier 3,451]

Great to see a Shocker fan here. Some of your greatest basketball has been provided courtesy of the great state of South Carolina. Xavier(XMan) McDaniel played his high school ball in Columbia, SC and the greatest coach in your history was from Greenwood, SC. I hope to have a spirited game with Indiana coming out on top, and I also hope to secure the services of your current coach soon afterwards. That is of course, after Stevens and Donovan says no thanks. I have him as number 3 though, and I think his leading champinship teams transfers very nicely to what we want here at Indiana. Good luck come Friday. May the best team/ coach win; it should be very interesting.

[JaybobHoosier 11,839]

Hope for a good match on Friday; hopefully Perea will be able to play for you guys. I'm just here to to talk a little bit about the game, matchups to watch between both teams, and wish the winner of this game good luck going forward. I'm sure no matter who wins, we all would love to see Kansas and Kentucky miss the Final Four.

I'll go position by position to start with. At PG we have Fred Van Vleet. You've probably seen our guards a decent amount, but I'll give them each a blurb or two. Fred is not as fast as Yogi. In fact, he's actually fairly slow. In a footrace, he's probably one of the slowest guys on our team. To make up for that (and his size), he is insanely good at managing his speed. His handles are top notch, and he really loves to catch players flat footed and pull up for a jump shot. The battle at PG between him and Yogi will be intense, and the guys have played each other before in AAU play. This is one of the better positional matchups in the first round.

Baker is a much better athlete than Fred, and drives a lot more. In our loss to Illinois State he dunked three times in the first half and he leads the team in blocked shots. Unlike Fred however, he is prone to making some pretty bad decisions. He likes to throw caution to the wind and throw up heat check 3s and will make an occasional risky pass inside. However, he is probably the player we will rely on the most. Even when he isn't very efficient, he still usually finds a way to lead the team in scoring but if Indiana is hot we NEED him to be at his best. We don't really have a lot of guys that make their own shot, and the team revolves around Fred and Ron creating opportunities for everyone else. It will be interesting to see how Indiana decides to approach guarding him, because it isn't as natural as Yogi/Fred is.

Cotton is sort of our forgotten third piece. He can have big games from time to time, but he rarely pushes his own shot. He 3PT shot is incredibly streaky; he'll go entire months shooting 25-30% before jumping up to 50% to close the year. However we mostly rely on his defense. He has been the MVC DPoY twice in a row for his versatility more than his raw stats. Cotton usually draws the toughest assignment on defense, whether that means a 5'10 PG or a 6'8 All-American PF (Doug McDermott). He will be at a height disadvantage at 6' but he is crazy athletic and is good both on and off the ball. He may guard Yogi, or whoever is hot for Indiana from outside.

That is the upside for us. Our guards are our strength, our lifeblood. Our posts, not so much. We start 6'5" Evan Wessel at PF out of position; in the past he played SF for us and PG in HS (on the same team as KU's Perry Ellis). Wessel's entire offense is the 3. He'll fake it and drive, but so far there hasn't been a single person that has bit on the fake this season. Evan is extremely good at getting loose balls, collecting rebounds, and that sort of thing but simply is not big enough to guard taller posts down low. Instead he pushes them out to the perimeter and denies the ball. That wouldn't be problem if we had a big defensive center.

We don't have a big defensive center. Our starter is 6'7 Darius Carter, who is also playing out of position. Carter is long for his height with good hops but has terrible lateral mobility and a tendency to foul. Good centers give him fits but he is still honestly our best option. What he lacks in defense, he makes up for on offense however. He shoots relatively well out to 17', and is a very adept post scorer that primarily relies on the hook shot. His tendency is to always shoot when he gets the ball though, sometimes putting him in bad position. And while Indiana lacks the bruiser down low to exploit the size advantage you'll be pleased to know that he struggled to guard Tuttle when Tuttle drew him out to the perimeter. With Indiana's ability to drive and shoot, it could be an issue for us.

We don't play much of a bench, though a lot of guys see occasional play we rarely go very deep. Shaquille Morris is the biggest threat as our 6th man. He's very similar to Carter in that he has good touch and can shoot, but is foul prone and makes mistakes on defense. The upside for him is high, but he has had an up and down season. There are a few guys off the bench that shoot the 3, but we aren't hiding any great post defenders or dynamics options in the backcourt.

As a group, we have struggled against big athletic teams that play zone. We aren't as good at shooting the 3 as you guys are, and depend a lot that shot to open up driving lanes and free up the paint for Carter. Our worst problem is that we go dead cold and flounder for 5 minutes or so a game when our shot is off, and even started out the year without a 3PT make for our first 60 minutes of play. The zone forces us to shoot 3s, which can backfire when we are hot or go perfect when we aren't.

Our main offense is 4 out with a lot of ballscreens for Baker and Van Vleet at the top of the key, and we use variants against all forms of defenses. We are one of the better teams in the nation in ballscreen situations, but worse in isolation. Sometimes the roleplayers get caught looking for Fred or Ron to make a play, especially towards the end of games. Everyone knows that Fred is going to get the ball and probably shoot a pull-up jumper, which has made it sometimes difficult for us to win close games (along with poor FT shooting).

The main strength of our team is probably our perimeter defense though. Our starting backcourt is exceptionally good at turning up the defensive pressure at key points in the game and forcing 3-4 bad possessions in a row. All three like to strip their man of the ball, and while Baker and Cotton aggressively jump passing lanes Van Vleet likes to dig out posts.

The keys for Indiana are relatively simple. #1, avoid TOs. #2, make 3s. #3, find a way to attack Carter. Wichita State needs to have a plan if Indiana gets hot (and you guys can get scary hot), and needs to involve guys not named Baker or Van Vleet. I don't know if Indiana runs zone very often, but I expect them to try it if it is in their arsenal. Indiana is probably best off avoiding unnecessary complexities on offense though to avoid the TO battle.

I expect this will be a close game between two very similar teams. Best of luck to you guys, and if you win you absolutely owe it to us to beat Kansas.

Welcome and thanks for coming over here! We always enjoy opposing fans when they make it here. Feel free to keep posting well after the game, you are more than welcome. Best of luck tomorrow, just not too much ;)

[Jafo71 149]

Hope for a good match on Friday; hopefully Perea will be able to play for you guys. I'm just here to to talk a little bit about the game, matchups to watch between both teams, and wish the winner of this game good luck going forward. I'm sure no matter who wins, we all would love to see Kansas and Kentucky miss the Final Four.

I'll go position by position to start with. At PG we have Fred Van Vleet. You've probably seen our guards a decent amount, but I'll give them each a blurb or two. Fred is not as fast as Yogi. In fact, he's actually fairly slow. In a footrace, he's probably one of the slowest guys on our team. To make up for that (and his size), he is insanely good at managing his speed. His handles are top notch, and he really loves to catch players flat footed and pull up for a jump shot. The battle at PG between him and Yogi will be intense, and the guys have played each other before in AAU play. This is one of the better positional matchups in the first round.

Baker is a much better athlete than Fred, and drives a lot more. In our loss to Illinois State he dunked three times in the first half and he leads the team in blocked shots. Unlike Fred however, he is prone to making some pretty bad decisions. He likes to throw caution to the wind and throw up heat check 3s and will make an occasional risky pass inside. However, he is probably the player we will rely on the most. Even when he isn't very efficient, he still usually finds a way to lead the team in scoring but if Indiana is hot we NEED him to be at his best. We don't really have a lot of guys that make their own shot, and the team revolves around Fred and Ron creating opportunities for everyone else. It will be interesting to see how Indiana decides to approach guarding him, because it isn't as natural as Yogi/Fred is.

Cotton is sort of our forgotten third piece. He can have big games from time to time, but he rarely pushes his own shot. He 3PT shot is incredibly streaky; he'll go entire months shooting 25-30% before jumping up to 50% to close the year. However we mostly rely on his defense. He has been the MVC DPoY twice in a row for his versatility more than his raw stats. Cotton usually draws the toughest assignment on defense, whether that means a 5'10 PG or a 6'8 All-American PF (Doug McDermott). He will be at a height disadvantage at 6' but he is crazy athletic and is good both on and off the ball. He may guard Yogi, or whoever is hot for Indiana from outside.

That is the upside for us. Our guards are our strength, our lifeblood. Our posts, not so much. We start 6'5" Evan Wessel at PF out of position; in the past he played SF for us and PG in HS (on the same team as KU's Perry Ellis). Wessel's entire offense is the 3. He'll fake it and drive, but so far there hasn't been a single person that has bit on the fake this season. Evan is extremely good at getting loose balls, collecting rebounds, and that sort of thing but simply is not big enough to guard taller posts down low. Instead he pushes them out to the perimeter and denies the ball. That wouldn't be problem if we had a big defensive center.

We don't have a big defensive center. Our starter is 6'7 Darius Carter, who is also playing out of position. Carter is long for his height with good hops but has terrible lateral mobility and a tendency to foul. Good centers give him fits but he is still honestly our best option. What he lacks in defense, he makes up for on offense however. He shoots relatively well out to 17', and is a very adept post scorer that primarily relies on the hook shot. His tendency is to always shoot when he gets the ball though, sometimes putting him in bad position. And while Indiana lacks the bruiser down low to exploit the size advantage you'll be pleased to know that he struggled to guard Tuttle when Tuttle drew him out to the perimeter. With Indiana's ability to drive and shoot, it could be an issue for us.

We don't play much of a bench, though a lot of guys see occasional play we rarely go very deep. Shaquille Morris is the biggest threat as our 6th man. He's very similar to Carter in that he has good touch and can shoot, but is foul prone and makes mistakes on defense. The upside for him is high, but he has had an up and down season. There are a few guys off the bench that shoot the 3, but we aren't hiding any great post defenders or dynamics options in the backcourt.

As a group, we have struggled against big athletic teams that play zone. We aren't as good at shooting the 3 as you guys are, and depend a lot that shot to open up driving lanes and free up the paint for Carter. Our worst problem is that we go dead cold and flounder for 5 minutes or so a game when our shot is off, and even started out the year without a 3PT make for our first 60 minutes of play. The zone forces us to shoot 3s, which can backfire when we are hot or go perfect when we aren't.

Our main offense is 4 out with a lot of ballscreens for Baker and Van Vleet at the top of the key, and we use variants against all forms of defenses. We are one of the better teams in the nation in ballscreen situations, but worse in isolation. Sometimes the roleplayers get caught looking for Fred or Ron to make a play, especially towards the end of games. Everyone knows that Fred is going to get the ball and probably shoot a pull-up jumper, which has made it sometimes difficult for us to win close games (along with poor FT shooting).

The main strength of our team is probably our perimeter defense though. Our starting backcourt is exceptionally good at turning up the defensive pressure at key points in the game and forcing 3-4 bad possessions in a row. All three like to strip their man of the ball, and while Baker and Cotton aggressively jump passing lanes Van Vleet likes to dig out posts.

The keys for Indiana are relatively simple. #1, avoid TOs. #2, make 3s. #3, find a way to attack Carter. Wichita State needs to have a plan if Indiana gets hot (and you guys can get scary hot), and needs to involve guys not named Baker or Van Vleet. I don't know if Indiana runs zone very often, but I expect them to try it if it is in their arsenal. Indiana is probably best off avoiding unnecessary complexities on offense though to avoid the TO battle.

I expect this will be a close game between two very similar teams. Best of luck to you guys, and if you win you absolutely owe it to us to beat Kansas.

Hello Shocker Fan,

Since you took the time to provide some thoroughal analysis of your beloved WSU BB Team, I thought I could return the favor. Here is my layman analysis. I am glad to have other chime in on their thoughts on my take, but please excuse any spelling error and length of this post. And lastly, I hope we have a exciting game tomorrow and that Hampton pulls off a miracle in a few hours. A man can dream, right?

Yogi - The Good: IU's most experienced player and its primary PG. Good ball handler. His offensive game has changed a little bit between this year and last year. While he was the IU's main scorer last year, he wasn't much of a facilitator. This year has had a few games where his scoring has taken a backseat to others on the team, and he has looking more to move the ball. He has a good 3 shot when not forcing it, is a good FT shooter, and gets to the line at a good clip if he is moving to the rim within the offense. IU's best defender on the perimeter which the same thing as the prettiest girl at Purdue. best by default. Decent rebounder when he is focused on doing so.
The Bad: Can get caught up in trying to force the game when he feels as though he must produce. Sometimes this can be a poor shot because he hasn't scored much. Other times it is dribbling back and forth 20 feet out while trying to break down his man, only to force a shot without "noticing" he has options on the floor. IU's best defender on the perimeter because everyone else is not that good. Occasionally works in post and does the best he can, but is 6' tall on a good day.

Blackmon (JBJ) - The Good: A guard with an excellent shooting stroke and excellent offensive ability for a freshman. When he is on fire, look out. Can make great shots at the rim. Good FT shooter and can rebound well if looking to do so.
The Bad: Defensive skills are meh. Can be chased off the line so his 3 shooting can disappear. Gets visibly aggitated when bummed on a driving shots in the lane and doesn't get the call. Tends to lose focus when this happens. Not the best ball handler.

Johnson (RJ) - The Good: A guard who is a good ball handler and decent shooter for a freshman. Has good 3 shooting, decent FT shooter. Can drive if the opportunity is there.
The Bad: Defensive skills are meh. Can be chased off the line so his 3 shooting can disappear. This can also lead to driving to the hoops into the defense which leads to poor shot.


Troy Williams: The Good: A shooting forward with fantastic athleticism. Swift, great hops, and good length. Can make increadible plays when driving to or near the rim. Moves like a guard but a legit 6'7" with a good handle in the fast break. Good rebounder, decent FT shooter.
The Bad: Can make the most determental play while trying to create a highlight. Attempting an uncalled for circus shot. A forced, silly pass that would have been a "highlight" had it worked. Absolutely the most maddening defensive player I have ever witnessed. His athleticism should allow him to rotate for defensive help or at least disrupting opponents passing lanes, but freqently just "watches" as an opponent takes a shot or drives to the hoop. Occasionally goes for a block that puts him out of position to defend the rim. Not much of a 3 shooter, so teams sag on defense because they know he is looking to drive.

Hanner Perea: The Good: A power forward with great length, great athleticism, and decent height (6'8'). Has had a few games where he has found this offense. Usually this is a little spinning hook around the basketball, an ally oop, and the occasional 10 ft baseline set shot. Good rebounder, and ok FT shooter.
The Bad: Offense isn't consistent, so he is not usually a threat and doesn't draw in the defense. Goes for the highlight block on shot fakes like a hungry bass goes for a fat worm. He can't help himself, and then is out of position to guard the rim. Can get lost in the defense and pick up a silly foul. Would benefit him to box with more effort. Has been battling a knee injury this year. Came back a few weeks ago, but re-aggrevated it during the B10 tourney.

Colin Hartman: The Good: A surprising development considering he tore his ACL last April, and wasn't seen as much of a contributor coming into the season. Heady player. He has good shooting ability from 3, finds putback and hussle shots when the offense is moving. Decent rebounder. Team does much better statisically when he is moving well in the offense/defense. Can surprise you with a block or two.
The Bad: Seemed to be fatiguted during season, and was out a few games due to knee injury. Has fully returned to his top form from earlier in the season since returning. Not the most atheletic player. This is especially true when moving laterally. Plays in the post, but is only 6'6".

Emmit Holt: The Good: Nice late season pick up. 6'7" Forward with long arm, and decent size (225#). Recently becoming solid in the post. Good rebounder. Deecent at getting put backs and scoring on the occasional bunny down low. Hustles and has a good motor.
The Bad: A young freshman. Usually giving up a bit of size as he really is a smallish PF playing the 5. Because of this he picks up easy fouls. Inconsistent offense for most of the season.

Zeisloft: The Good: Former Ill St guard who is a grad transferred to IU over the summer, so WSU fans might recognize him. Highly efficient 3 pt shooter. Can get hot and hit from deep. Steady ballhandler. Hussles and give alot of effort. Rugged and can handle a rough game. Pretty decent avoiding making mistakes.
The Bad: Not the most athletic player, so his defense suffers and picks up fouls due to this limitation.

Stanford Robison: The Good: Good athleticism. Has ability to drive and make a shot.
The Bad: Can't shoot the 3. Turnover prone. Not a good FT shooter. Defense lacking. Has tendency to take poor shots. Has been defending in the post, but is a 6'4" guard.

Max: The good: Has some decent skills for a freshman.
The Bad: Needs more time to work on those skills, needs conditioning, and time in the weight room.

Burton: The Good: A 6'8" walk on post player. Good size, and give good effort. Will see the floor if IU's bigs have foul trouble and a match up problem due to size.
The Bad: Not very athletic.

Team: The Good: If they are hitting shots, then the offense is one of the most fun to watch. Passes the ball well. Generally the team gets to the line at a decent clip.
The Bad: Defense is atrocious. Team can stop moving and offense grinds to a halt. Sometime relies on the 3 too much, and doesn't drive. Other times it tries to drive in a forest with faulty results, yet continues to do so.

Coach Crean (CTC, Old Clappy, Tommy Tan, Tom Arnolds lost twin brother): The Good: Can surprise you when you least expect it. See 2011-2012 season, or the beginning of this season to midway. Other instances are defeat of Michigan at IU (See Beileins post game comments about defense) and developing a good team from the trainwreck at the beginning of this season. Finds players who were undervalued. Wade, Oladipo. Represents the University well.
The Bad: Can underperform when expected to do well. See Sweet Sixteen vs Syracuse in 2013. 2nd half of this season, most notably the Iowa game. Has tendency to pull out a hot player. Talks about defense, but never been very effective since his arrival to IU. Becomes a deer in headlights when presented with a zone. Doesn't make the best in game adjustments.

[HoosierAloha 30,024]

Good writeup although I would make a few changes.

 

Hanner:  decent rebounder but often loses the ball

 

Hartman:  Mr. Fundametal, there is nothing flashy about his game.  He's always set on his shot, he boxes out, and never makes a risky pass for a highlight play.

 

Holt:  + rebounder on both ends, very solid but like you said he is undersized and gets pushed around.

 

Stan:  good defender but plays out of position

 

Troy:  most athletic least intelligent, goes for the highlight play when a simple layup would result in the same 2 points.  Has the highest upside though

 

I think we can tell if we have a chance in the first few minutes.  If we decide to play with effort and some sort of discipline we win.  It will be interesting to see if 2/3 of Troy, JBJ, and/or RoJo step up their game.  I'm worried to see out of control, ADHD Troy in the first 5-8 minutes.  If he can play within himself we have a great shot.  Go Hoosiers!!!