Coming to grips on some things.

[IUNorth]

1. Our margin for error is so thin with this team, that Rob Phinisee is legitimately the difference between being an NCAA team and not. We were safely an NCAA team when he played…and we are decidedly NOT an NCAA team without him. Who’d have thunk he’d be the difference.

2. We aren’t going to make the NCAA because we aren’t good enough to win 3+ out of 5 against our remaining schedule.

3. Another year being in this position is depressing.

4. Wyoming is ranked 22nd in the country and a “lock” for the NCAAs. Wy flipping Oming.

5. As it stands today…next year could be worse.

6. Even if we somehow do win 4 more games, including BTT…and do get an at large… we aren’t good enough to do any damage in the tourney.

7. Despite Cavs glowing reviews, and what’s becoming annoying, optimism…our backcourt isn’t capable. We have exactly zero NBA level players on our roster right now.

 

[bailey777]

1. Our margin for error is so thin with this team, that Rob Phinisee is legitimately the difference between being an NCAA team and not. We were safely an NCAA team when he played…and we are decidedly NOT an NCAA team without him. Who’d have thunk he’d be the difference.

2. We aren’t going to make the NCAA because we aren’t good enough to win 3+ out of 5 against our remaining schedule.

3. Another year being in this position is depressing.

4. Wyoming is ranked 22nd in the country and a “lock” for the NCAAs. Wy flipping Oming.

5. As it stands today…next year could be worse.

6. Even if we somehow do win 4 more games, including BTT…and do get an at large… we aren’t good enough to do any damage in the tourney.

7. Despite Cavs glowing reviews, and what’s becoming annoying, optimism…our backcourt isn’t capable. We have exactly zero NBA level players on our roster right now.

I would gladly take number six but like you said we will not win three of the next five anyway. We may not even win two. Robs loss hurts but for the most part we have been healthy all year. Remember when we were 7-4 we had not played the hard part of our schedule. Now we are in it and tanking fast.

 

[bub-rub]

1. Our margin for error is so thin with this team, that Rob Phinisee is legitimately the difference between being an NCAA team and not. We were safely an NCAA team when he played…and we are decidedly NOT an NCAA team without him. Who’d have thunk he’d be the difference.

2. We aren’t going to make the NCAA because we aren’t good enough to win 3+ out of 5 against our remaining schedule.

3. Another year being in this position is depressing.

4. Wyoming is ranked 22nd in the country and a “lock” for the NCAAs. Wy flipping Oming.

5. As it stands today…next year could be worse.

6. Even if we somehow do win 4 more games, including BTT…and do get an at large… we aren’t good enough to do any damage in the tourney.

7. Despite Cavs glowing reviews, and what’s becoming annoying, optimism…our backcourt isn’t capable. We have exactly zero NBA level players on our roster right now.

IU will miss the tourney but it would give TJD a chance to declare “unfinished business” and come back. Europe can wait. We’d be ranked for the first time in 100 years if he did.

 

[bailey777]

IU will miss the tourney but it would give TJD a chance to declare “unfinished business” and come back. Europe can wait. We’d be ranked for the first time in 100 years if he did.

He barely came back this year. Woodson would be a miracle worker if he got him to come back again.

 

[zibby43]

Can't believe I'm saying this, but I 100% agree re: Rob.

His absence cannot be overstated. Especially on a team with virtually no guard play.

 

[aajohn2000]

Can't believe I'm saying this, but I 100% agree re: Rob.

His absence cannot be overstated. Especially on a team with virtually no guard play.

I disagree with this. Outside of his random performance vs Purdue, his stat line usually looks very similar to Xavier’s last night. We have plenty of guards who can’t throw it in the ocean consistently and RP is definitely a member of that club.

 

[Torbin.Bequette]

He barely came back this year. Woodson would be a miracle worker if he got him to come back again.

He will be at IU next year. NIL guarantees that. He’s not skilled, and he hasn’t shown that he’s dedicated to his craft to become skilled. He has no option but to return.

 

[hickorytree1]

He will be at IU next year. NIL guarantees that. He’s not skilled, and he hasn’t shown that he’s dedicated to his craft to become skilled. He has no option but to return.

He's not skilled, really?

 

[meenie]

He’ll go to Europe and make some decent money

 

[Torbin.Bequette]

He’ll go to Europe and make some decent money

He can stay at IU and make decent money.

 

[Torbin.Bequette]

He's not skilled, really?

What does he do well? He’s an amazing athlete, but he can’t shoot or dribble. His post moves are nonexistent, and he can’t play facing the basket. He’s neither 5 nor 4. He just hasn’t improved enough in any area since arriving at IU.

Put him at tight end, though, and he’s a first ballot HoFer.

 

[Courtsensetwo]

He will be at IU next year. NIL guarantees that. He’s not skilled, and he hasn’t shown that he’s dedicated to his craft to become skilled. He has no option but to return.

No one cares what pu fans think.

 

[Courtsensetwo]

I disagree with this. Outside of his random performance vs Purdue, his stat line usually looks very similar to Xavier’s last night. We have plenty of guards who can’t throw it in the ocean consistently and RP is definitely a member of that club.

I think it is fair to conclude that he would have made a positive difference in a couple of these games including last night.

 

[ButHerEmails]

He’ll go to Europe and make some decent money

He could easily make 100s of thousands overseas. Him leaving will depend on if he just wants money, or if he wants the status of being a contributor in the NBA.

 

[aajohn2000]

I think it is fair to conclude that he would have made a positive difference in a couple of these games including last night.

Positive difference? Maybe. Would it have been enough to generate a win? Highly doubtful. Our February collapse every year these last 4 years has been with him. My conclusion is based off past results and his current stats. And his stats this year are worse than any other year. Maybe I am sounding like a **ck, but candidly, he brings the same results as everyone else. Missed free throws. Can’t hit shots consistently. Hits less than 30% of threes. If that represents a positive difference maker, than we are in agreement.

 

[Chicago-bound Hoosier]

1. Our margin for error is so thin with this team, that Rob Phinisee is legitimately the difference between being an NCAA team and not. We were safely an NCAA team when he played…and we are decidedly NOT an NCAA team without him. Who’d have thunk he’d be the difference.

2. We aren’t going to make the NCAA because we aren’t good enough to win 3+ out of 5 against our remaining schedule.

3. Another year being in this position is depressing.

4. Wyoming is ranked 22nd in the country and a “lock” for the NCAAs. Wy flipping Oming.

5. As it stands today…next year could be worse.

6. Even if we somehow do win 4 more games, including BTT…and do get an at large… we aren’t good enough to do any damage in the tourney.

7. Despite Cavs glowing reviews, and what’s becoming annoying, optimism…our backcourt isn’t capable. We have exactly zero NBA level players on our roster right now.

I think Cav is packing his things now for his move to Mexico. We may not hear from him for a while 😜. Don’t drink the water Cav.

you know I kid??

 

[Chicago-bound Hoosier]

Positive difference? Maybe. Would it have been enough to generate a win? Highly doubtful. Our February collapse every three at has been with him. My conclusion is based off last results and his stats. And his stats this year are worse than any urgent year. Maybe I am sounding like a **ck, but candidly, he brings the same results as everyone else. Missed free throws. Can’t hit shots consistently. Hits less than 40% of threes. If that represents a positive difference maker, than we are in agreement.

Rob on Davison last night would have helped. He wouldn’t have been sucked into the mind games like Stewart was. And would have played better D.

 

[Beorik]

Positive difference? Maybe. Would it have been enough to generate a win? Highly doubtful. Our February collapse every three at has been with him. My conclusion is based off last results and his stats. And his stats this year are worse than any urgent year. Maybe I am sounding like a **ck, but candidly, he brings the same results as everyone else. Missed free throws. Can’t hit shots consistently. Hits less than 40% of threes. If that represents a positive difference maker, than we are in agreement.

His 3 point shooting isn’t worse than some others we are playing and his defense is at least twice as good. Rob absolutely would have made it harder for Wisconsin to win with his defense.

And we all know Big Shot Rob would have been taking those last few shots and I for one would have felt much better about that than X or Galloway.

 

[aajohn2000]

Rob on Davison last night would have helped. He wouldn’t have been sucked into the mind games like Stewart was. And would have played better D.

Not saying I disagree with you. Only pointing out we lost with him in the lineup too. Consistently.

 

[Chicago-bound Hoosier]

another no-show by Kopp. 24 minutes...2 points, 1 rebound. And getting abused by Davis on the other end of the court.

Impossible to win B1G games when you're playing 2 on 5 on offense.

 

[Torbin.Bequette]

He could easily make 100s of thousands overseas. Him leaving will depend on if he just wants money, or if he wants the status of being a contributor in the NBA.

IU will pay him 6 figures to stay, just like UofI paid Cockburn. Why would he go to a place where he has no friends and can’t understand a word of the native tongue when he can stay at home, surrounded by his closest friends, and make, at the minimum, almost as much money? It’s a no-brainer.

 

[Courtsensetwo]

Rob on Davison last night would have helped. He wouldn’t have been sucked into the mind games like Stewart was. And would have played better D.

Would have liked to see X on Davison as well. X has learned to better manage his emotions yet is still in your shorts. Davison might have thrown a punch.

 

[Courtsensetwo]

IU will pay him 6 figures to stay, just like UofI paid Cockburn. Why would he go to a place where he has no friends and can’t understand a word of the native tongue when he can stay at home, surrounded by his closest friends, and make, at the minimum, almost as much money? It’s a no-brainer.

No one cares what PUkes think. Why are you here?

 

[bawlmer]

His post moves are nonexistent

You should be banned from an IU site for this level of stupidity about TJD's game.

 

[Torbin.Bequette]

You should be banned from an IU site for this level of stupidity about TJD's game.

He relies on his remarkable athleticism, period, end of story. His right hand has improved somewhat, but he clearly hasn’t spent any amount of time on it. If he spent just 3 hours per week on it for one summer, he would be as proficient with his off hand as he is with his dominant hand.

it’s not rocket science, boys and girls.

 

[bailey777]

I disagree with this. Outside of his random performance vs Purdue, his stat line usually looks very similar to Xavier’s last night. We have plenty of guards who can’t throw it in the ocean consistently and RP is definitely a member of that club.

It is easy to look for a reason why we are losing but you are correct. In fact most people usually did nothing but criticize Rob. He had one game of his life but other than that has been average.

 

[bailey777]

another no-show by Kopp. 24 minutes...2 points, 1 rebound. And getting abused by Davis on the other end of the court.

Impossible to win B1G games when you're playing 2 on 5 on offense.

It is not all his fault Woodson really does not run anything to get him shots. I mean tell me what Woodson runs to get Kopp and Stewart three point shots? I sure do not see much.

Woodson's offense is basically the point guard and a post heavy offense. The other stand around because that is what his offense is. Honestly I am not really a big fan of this NBA offense I much prefer sets being run but it is what we have so he better start getting athletic players who can run it.

 

[aajohn2000]

It is easy to look for a reason why we are losing but you are correct. In fact most people usually did nothing but criticize Rob. He had one game of his life but other than that has been average.

Exactly. We are constantly looking for reasons other than what is actually happening. We are who we are and that is a bottom tier B1G basketball team. That’s it. This is going to be the 6th consecutive season in which we do not have a winning record in the B1G. Rob will have been a part of 4 of those seasons. The bottom line is we are avg at best. With or without Rob.

 

[bailey777]

Archies first year was not horrible sadly I think it ended up being his best. I think we went 9-9 in conference but way harder preseason than this year and lost too many before the big ten so we did not get in. I would say the reaon the optimism was still pretty high going into his second year was simply Romeo. He landed the best Indiana player for us since Eric Gordon. I think Morgan was also coming back so the expectations were actually pretty high. We have a five star coming in but its not the same as Romeo to Indiana people. Now by the end of year two it had changed fast and people were getting sour on Archie fast.

The point is right now we just do not have that level of excitement for next year. There is no Romeo to excite us so really all Woodson can do it win. That is really the only thing that will bring the excitement back imo at this point.



We could still get some excitement back is we somehow went on a run in the next five games but right now nobody really seems to think it is likely at all.

 

[Stuffshot]

Archies first year was not horrible sadly I think it ended up being his best. I think we went 9-9 in conference but way harder preseason than this year and lost too many before the big ten so we did not get in. I would say the reaon the optimism was still pretty high going into his second year was simply Romeo. He landed the best Indiana player for us since Eric Gordon. I think Morgan was also coming back so the expectations were actually pretty high. We have a five star coming in but its not the same as Romeo to Indiana people. Now by the end of year two it had changed fast and people were getting sour on Archie fast.

The point is right now we just do not have that level of excitement for next year. There is no Romeo to excite us so really all Woodson can do it win. That is really the only thing that will bring the excitement back imo at this point.



We could still get some excitement back is we somehow went on a run in the next five games but right now nobody really seems to think it is likely at all.

I do think that the Woodson abbreviated weave offense should be tried more often. It seems to free up the middle, plus opponents don't seem very good at defending it.

The only downside is that we might have to let Johnson or Galloway (or me) shoot a jumper with only three seconds on the shot clock, but that seems to be happening anyway.

 

[aajohn2000]

Thw

Archies first year was not horrible sadly I think it ended up being his best. I think we went 9-9 in conference but way harder preseason than this year and lost too many before the big ten so we did not get in. I would say the reaon the optimism was still pretty high going into his second year was simply Romeo. He landed the best Indiana player for us since Eric Gordon. I think Morgan was also coming back so the expectations were actually pretty high. We have a five star coming in but its not the same as Romeo to Indiana people. Now by the end of year two it had changed fast and people were getting sour on Archie fast.

The point is right now we just do not have that level of excitement for next year. There is no Romeo to excite us so really all Woodson can do it win. That is really the only thing that will bring the excitement back imo at this point.



We could still get some excitement back is we somehow went on a run in the next five games but right now nobody really seems to think it is likely at all.

Unless you are @Cavanagh, there is zero reason to believe we will go on a run. ZERO.

 

[abraxis]

Honestly I am not really a big fan of this NBA offense I much prefer sets being run but it is what we have so he better start getting athletic players who can run it.

Back in Knight's dwindling years, IU fans saw other coaches starting to emphasize more of an NFL friendly offense. They started to question if Knight's stodgy, controlled offense, steeped in discipline was the way to go with the rising stars of the day. They thought it reason to justify a coaching change, for aging Bob had lost touch with the changing times, no longer able to recruit high level talent eager for "League" entry. It's a funny game we play, a game Knight knew better than us all.

 

[abraxis]

He relies on his remarkable athleticism, period, end of story. His right hand has improved somewhat, but he clearly hasn’t spent any amount of time on it. If he spent just 3 hours per week on it for one summer, he would be as proficient with his off hand as he is with his dominant hand.

it’s not rocket science, boys and girls.

I sat next to a guy at the game last night who said he used to go up against TJD on the Greenwood playgrounds. He said way back then, everyone knew Trace couldn't go right. He still can't.

 

[bailey777]

Thw

Unless you are @Cavanagh, there is zero reason to believe we will go on a run. ZERO.

Actually few other posters are like him still but I do not believe we will go on a run. However, as percentages go you can never say 0.00% for ceratin. I would give us a 10% of going 3-2 down the stretch and a 3% chance of going 4-1.

 

[Stuffshot]

Back in Knight's dwindling years, IU fans saw other coaches starting to emphasize more of an NFL friendly offense. They started to question if Knight's stodgy, controlled offense, steeped in discipline was the way to go with the rising stars of the day. They thought it reason to justify a coaching change, for aging Bob had lost touch with the changing times, no longer able to recruit high level talent eager for "League" entry. It's a funny game we play, a game Knight knew better than us all.

NFL? I thought Knight had dreams of playing in the MLB, not the NFL.

Doesn't matter though -- the sissy concussion protocol and ridiculous pass interference rules made Knight's motion offense ineffective in the NFL.

 

[bailey777]

Back in Knight's dwindling years, IU fans saw other coaches starting to emphasize more of an NFL friendly offense. They started to question if Knight's stodgy, controlled offense, steeped in discipline was the way to go with the rising stars of the day. They thought it reason to justify a coaching change, for aging Bob had lost touch with the changing times, no longer able to recruit high level talent eager for "League" entry. It's a funny game we play, a game Knight knew better than us all.

The shot clock probably hurt knight some in the later years but you watch Wisconsin and Virginia they have pretty good success with controlled offenses. Now Archie tried it and failed miserably. That being said I was one who thought it was time for knight to go and really thought Davis was the wave of the future. He sort of was for two years but boy do I look foolish now.

 

[Pryght]

 

[Beorik]

Thw

Unless you are @Cavanagh, there is zero reason to believe we will go on a run. ZERO.

I think we can go on a run. Will we? Maybe not. Our time is dwindling. We need to do several things better. We were just literally 2-3 wide open shots from beating a good Wisconsin team. The problem now is that we don’t have any room for error. A bad game or two and we are done and we haven’t shown much consistency unfortunately.

If we go to Ohio St and win on the road our chances improve significantly but that is a tall task.

 

[aajohn2000]

I think we can go on a run. Will we? Maybe not. Our time is dwindling. We need to do several things better. We were just literally 2-3 wide open shots from beating a good Wisconsin team. The problem now is that we don’t have any room for error. A bad game or two and we are done and we haven’t shown much consistency unfortunately.

If we go to Ohio St and win on the road our chances improve significantly but that is a tall task.

I love your optimism. At some point, you realize you are who you are. And what we are is another team with a losing record who has lost 4 in a row. And guess what….we could all pull the game apart and say how each one was winnable if we only did “fill in the blank”. The problem is it’s always something we didn’t do well enough that resulted in a loss. I have “smelled the proverbial” roses and they stink.

 

[Beorik]

I love your optimism. At some point, you realize you are who you are. And what we are is another team with a losing record who has lost 4 in a row. And guess what….we could all pull the game apart and say how each one was winnable if we only did “fill in the blank”. The problem is it’s always something we didn’t do well enough that resulted in a loss. I have “smelled the proverbial” roses and they stink.

Completely agree. I don’t think there is a high probability that we go on a run, just that we are capable of doing so. So I will be cheering my ass off next Monday for that to start.