First of all its a fine thing that this so much of the success of this regular season is come down to this game. Its nice to see both clubs playing well and having a chance at doing some things. Either team could crap out, they could miss the tournament still, but that would require not just losing today but reversing the things they have been doing the last month or so. If I were a fan of a top 1 or 2 seed I wouldn't want to see either of these prorams, I think both are very dangerous in the tournament. Purdue is so good defensively and Indiana so good offensively, and both are better on the other side of the ball than numbers suggest. Indiana has played ok defense since Hanner came back. Indiana had played ok defense in some of their bigger games before he went down (Butler, Nebraska, Georgetown). Indiana is still a small team and not a strong defensive team, but not the embarrassment we saw in November against nobodys and not the embarrassment we saw the last five games Hanner was out. That was truly ludicrous and made this otherwise incredibly fun team to watch a bit of an eyesore.
Second point is I hope winning this game completes a mental evolution of this team from a flawed overachieving mindset to the mindset of a team that has earned it and is going to take what's theirs. I think its time for this club to start expecting and demanding
excellence from itself. They play that way sometimes. If it was once,
it would be the old sun shining axiom. But it has happened several times.
Its in there they can be more. Troy and JBJ can defend better. They do enough on
defense to show a higher level is there, they just have to demand more
intensity on that side of things. I think it was the UL game where I
first figured out that this club is really better than I thought it
was. It can and should be pretty good. They had a chance deep into
that game to win it before UL pulled away late. Its time to grow up.
Yogi needs to take control all the time like he has been more and more
frequently. This team can/should finish 5-1, tie for second or third in
the leage and go into postseason primed and dangerous. They should win
a game or two in each tournament they are in and be a threat to go
deeper. I think part of that is just the club realizing how good it can
be. Play well and get beat by another good team playing well like
Maryland and I think most of us will be ok with that. But it should
take a very good performance from a team to beat these guys at full
strength. Tonight is a huge game for a lot of reasons, but I think a
big part of it is getting confidence they can handle any matchup.
Beating Minnesota and Purdue back to back shows this team can handle two
elite defensive clubs with multiple good big players and skill inside.
Handle both of these clubs and I think the team starts realizing they
don't have to duck their heads to anyone. Its not about next year being
a contender, its about reaching out to become that now. They don't
have that mentality, but they've enough that they should be reaching
that level imo.
Third thing I know won't be popular, but stop hammering the kids over attendance its silly. I'm tired of it. Indiana has the best atmosphere in the country for big
games because of the record student section. And unlike students in
many peer schools, they actually pay for their tickets. They don't
deserve to be looked down on by anyone. The crowd against Purdue will
be great even if its cold. But I'm a little unimpressed by all the
entitled whining being done by some of the finer posters on here and
older gentlemen. This isn't 1965 or 1985 anymore. Let those kids sell back the
tickets they don't want and lets see how many alumni shell out cash to
sit in the balcony in the middle of the winter against the less
attractive opponents. There's nothing wrong with the kids. They also may be more vested into the team if they were treated to two or three good
early season games as well. I am a pretty big Indiana fan. I live 20
minutes from the stadium. I was pretty excited about the Minnesota
game. But if I had to choose between going and parking somewhere around
Teter or even Foster and walking to the stadium in 10 degree weather
with the wind blowing like that late on a Sunday evening to sit in the
balcony for a bottom division BIG team for free or sitting at home and
watching on my HD tv and listening to Don Fisher and drinking some
Quarrymen's from the kegerator, I'm staying at home. No question about
it. Sure back in the analogue days I went when I had tickets, but the
product was infinitely better than the alternatives but even then if its was 10
degrees and windy no promises even then. At any rate, cutting student
tickets is insane imo. They make AH the best home court advantage in
the country for big games and a down game at AH is better than a good
game at most places. At any rate, those kids don't owe this
program anything. They already paid more for tickets than students
should to begin with and they owe the basketball program about as much
interest and loyalty as they owe the rugby team or the debate clubs or
the bass fishing team. As pretty much always when you hear downward
cross-generational tisking and moaning, the kids are alright...
Second point is I hope winning this game completes a mental evolution of this team from a flawed overachieving mindset to the mindset of a team that has earned it and is going to take what's theirs. I think its time for this club to start expecting and demanding
excellence from itself. They play that way sometimes. If it was once,
it would be the old sun shining axiom. But it has happened several times.
Its in there they can be more. Troy and JBJ can defend better. They do enough on
defense to show a higher level is there, they just have to demand more
intensity on that side of things. I think it was the UL game where I
first figured out that this club is really better than I thought it
was. It can and should be pretty good. They had a chance deep into
that game to win it before UL pulled away late. Its time to grow up.
Yogi needs to take control all the time like he has been more and more
frequently. This team can/should finish 5-1, tie for second or third in
the leage and go into postseason primed and dangerous. They should win
a game or two in each tournament they are in and be a threat to go
deeper. I think part of that is just the club realizing how good it can
be. Play well and get beat by another good team playing well like
Maryland and I think most of us will be ok with that. But it should
take a very good performance from a team to beat these guys at full
strength. Tonight is a huge game for a lot of reasons, but I think a
big part of it is getting confidence they can handle any matchup.
Beating Minnesota and Purdue back to back shows this team can handle two
elite defensive clubs with multiple good big players and skill inside.
Handle both of these clubs and I think the team starts realizing they
don't have to duck their heads to anyone. Its not about next year being
a contender, its about reaching out to become that now. They don't
have that mentality, but they've enough that they should be reaching
that level imo.
Third thing I know won't be popular, but stop hammering the kids over attendance its silly. I'm tired of it. Indiana has the best atmosphere in the country for big
games because of the record student section. And unlike students in
many peer schools, they actually pay for their tickets. They don't
deserve to be looked down on by anyone. The crowd against Purdue will
be great even if its cold. But I'm a little unimpressed by all the
entitled whining being done by some of the finer posters on here and
older gentlemen. This isn't 1965 or 1985 anymore. Let those kids sell back the
tickets they don't want and lets see how many alumni shell out cash to
sit in the balcony in the middle of the winter against the less
attractive opponents. There's nothing wrong with the kids. They also may be more vested into the team if they were treated to two or three good
early season games as well. I am a pretty big Indiana fan. I live 20
minutes from the stadium. I was pretty excited about the Minnesota
game. But if I had to choose between going and parking somewhere around
Teter or even Foster and walking to the stadium in 10 degree weather
with the wind blowing like that late on a Sunday evening to sit in the
balcony for a bottom division BIG team for free or sitting at home and
watching on my HD tv and listening to Don Fisher and drinking some
Quarrymen's from the kegerator, I'm staying at home. No question about
it. Sure back in the analogue days I went when I had tickets, but the
product was infinitely better than the alternatives but even then if its was 10
degrees and windy no promises even then. At any rate, cutting student
tickets is insane imo. They make AH the best home court advantage in
the country for big games and a down game at AH is better than a good
game at most places. At any rate, those kids don't owe this
program anything. They already paid more for tickets than students
should to begin with and they owe the basketball program about as much
interest and loyalty as they owe the rugby team or the debate clubs or
the bass fishing team. As pretty much always when you hear downward
cross-generational tisking and moaning, the kids are alright...
