How many more years?

[bsmitty08]

The verdict on Purdue and Smith won't come in until the tournament this year for PU and next year (is Edey out of eligibility this year, or could he come back?) for Braden, assuming ZE isn't back. I could get 6 assists a game tossing the ball to Zach and he also helps protect the paint if Smith's man gets by him. I love Braden Smith, but honestly even without XJ, I'm not sweating if Cupps has to guard him, and Trey guard Loyer. Just like with everyone, it will come down to can we effectively contend with and counter Edey. He's the only difference maker Purdue has.

Against Arizona Smith, Loyer and Edey all had 20 pts plus

 

[steelyvan]

i support indiana kids playing for indiana schools, even p-u.
smith is a fine college bball player. he does benefit from edey and the system he is in at p-u.
the only real knock on him is his propensity to make bad decisions, bad shots and turnovers as the game pressure increases especially in crunch time.

 

[steelyvan]

Fland was a massive miss no matter how some try and spin it. We targeted nobody else and will now scramble this spring and hope we can land a few good guards. Right now I see maybe three playable guards for next year and that will not cut it. None of these three are what I would call fast or guys who can quickly break down a defense.

Trey?
Cupps
Liam

Gunn- will likely be gone but if not is not playable.
Newton- who knows if he will ever play again two years hurt is alot to recover from. I would certainly not count on him being a main guy.

Trey did break down Kansas routinely

 

[bawlmer]

Fland was a massive miss no matter how some try and spin it. We targeted nobody else and will now scramble this spring and hope we can land a few good guards. Right now I see maybe three playable guards for next year and that will not cut it. None of these three are what I would call fast or guys who can quickly break down a defense.

Trey?
Cupps
Liam

Gunn- will likely be gone but if not is not playable.
Newton- who knows if he will ever play again two years hurt is alot to recover from. I would certainly not count on him being a main guy.

Daquan Davis is a guard who was the DC metro player of the year last season (over Mack at Harvard, who many wanted after playing against him). And he's predicted to come here. I haven't seen him yet, but that's some serious cred.

 

[Willdog7]

I agree. You also mention “combo”, which I like. The reason that the Fife/Coverdale combo was so successful imho was due to the collective adversity that the team went through. I’ve posted it before, that team was forged in the fires of adversity. Now, the circumstances of what they went through (RMK zero T/firing, etc.) will never be seen again, but the point is that their mental toughness was collective, a fox hole mentality. They developed together as a unit.

In x and Trey we have two players that are as senior as a senior can be. But, the team is a mish mash of transfers, players coming in for a year or two, etc. Everything has changed with the portal, and NIL, and having teams develop and progress collectively is going to get tougher when the Covid year falls off.

When teams develop collectively (as a combo) it instills culture. The new groups can learn from the older groups. And, every individual has the same agenda. I don’t feel like IUs players all have the same agenda or goals. We may never see that again at IU. It doesn’t please me, but when I look at that program just N of Indy off of 65, that’s what they’ve found.

OTher teams use transfer and portals and one and done. .Why not IU?