Nah, we aren't piss poor. Presently we are mid-pack among Power Conference teams. As we speak IU is probably in the top 25 percent of all Division I programs (being conservative), maybe the top 20 percent. Being a perennial bubble team is not the top of the mountain of course but it's not Tartarus, the lowest abode of Hades, either.
We've been ranked in the Top 25 in 8 of the last 14 seasons and in the Top 10 in 3 of the last 10 seasons. I believe the year the Tournament was cancelled due to SARS-COV-2 that IU was on a trajectory to be selected. Thus, if IU squeaks in Sunday (and assuming my Covid year assumption is correct), then we've had a Tournament Team 4 out of the last 6 years. (If not 3 of 6.) We've been Big Ten Champions within the last 10 years and 3 times since 2002. Since Coach Knight left we've been in the NCAA Tournament 12 times (possibly 13 Sunday), in the second round 8 times, in the Sweet 16 4 times, and of course we were Nationals Runners-Up in 2002 (thanks to a run of near miraculous shooting).
What I am NOT saying is that I am satisfied with this or that we ought not aim higher. I would love to see another National Championship. I would love to take it for granted that we are going to be ranked and at least a 4 or a 5 seed. I would love to win the Big Ten Tournament for once just to have that on our resume.
But I am saying that this idea that unless we are in the Final Four we are garbage is obnoxious to me. I get it is a message board and we fans talking amongst ourselves are given to shall we say verbal flourishes. But we can aim for greater accomplishment in the future without denegrating lesser accomplishment in recent years. I know there is disappointment and that some will argue that underachieving is a recurring theme. Maybe that is the case but our guys haven't been total bums who accomplished nothing. There have been some big wins and some fun moments along the way. Piss poor they are not, Woodson include
Nah, we aren't piss poor. Presently we are mid-pack among Power Conference teams. As we speak IU is probably in the top 25 percent of all Division I programs (being conservative), maybe the top 20 percent. Being a perennial bubble team is not the top of the mountain of course but it's not Tartarus, the lowest abode of Hades, either.
We've been ranked in the Top 25 in 8 of the last 14 seasons and in the Top 10 in 3 of the last 10 seasons. I believe the year the Tournament was cancelled due to SARS-COV-2 that IU was on a trajectory to be selected. Thus, if IU squeaks in Sunday (and assuming my Covid year assumption is correct), then we've had a Tournament Team 4 out of the last 6 years. (If not 3 of 6.) We've been Big Ten Champions within the last 10 years and 3 times since 2002. Since Coach Knight left we've been in the NCAA Tournament 12 times (possibly 13 Sunday), in the second round 8 times, in the Sweet 16 4 times, and of course we were Nationals Runners-Up in 2002 (thanks to a run of near miraculous shooting).
What I am NOT saying is that I am satisfied with this or that we ought not aim higher. I would love to see another National Championship. I would love to take it for granted that we are going to be ranked and at least a 4 or a 5 seed. I would love to win the Big Ten Tournament for once just to have that on our resume.
But I am saying that this idea that unless we are in the Final Four we are garbage is obnoxious to me. I get it is a message board and we fans talking amongst ourselves are given to shall we say verbal flourishes. But we can aim for greater accomplishment in the future without denegrating lesser accomplishment in recent years. I know there is disappointment and that some will argue that underachieving is a recurring theme. Maybe that is the case but our guys haven't been total bums who accomplished nothing. There have been some big wins and some fun moments along the way. Piss poor they are not, Woodson included.
There is no doubt woodson met the bar with his six million dollar roster. He did his job for sure. Piss poor no way this team was picked second preseason.
