Hypothetically...

[jimmygoiu]

Big difference---there were 4 regional semi-states. That added the geographic dimension which was the original driving force behind the NCAA, while retaining all great local rivalries leading up to the FF. It was the perfect mix.

Think about how entertaining your idea would be, or letting all 353 in, if we went back to the idea of a regionally based tourney. Maybe a final 16 that looked something like this:

East:

UNC
Duke
Georgetown
Pitt

Midwest:

Indiana
Purdue
Michigan
Notre Dame

South:

Kentucky
Florida
Texas
Oklahoma

West:

UCLA
Gonzaga
Arizona
BYU

or maybe Evansville, George Mason, or SFA or a few of 20 other teams knock off 6 or 7 of these teams....

 

[rikki-tikka-tava]

Look what you're saying.....'playing on a stage'. I said it's more showbiz then basketball, and you make my point.

No I really do not, that's you twisting it to support your position. "Playing on a stage" isn't about the Players wanting the glitz of showbiz, it's about them wanting to play the Game. These guys (and gals) have got it bad and would be playing pick-up street ball and slumming in some gym if there were no stage - they just love the Game and the competition. Sure its more fun to play for something, to have a big or even national audience, maybe as the underdog, but that's not why they play. You make it sound as if they wouldn't show up or be interested in playing unless they were guaranteed to be part of some spectacle. Fact is, if there were no broadcast, no audience and no media coverage any kind, they'd still crawl through hell to suit up and play even if it meant doing it an otherwise empty arena. You get it or you don't - makes me wonder if you ever even played.

 

[minneman]

and they cut a 27 point lead to 2...as a big underdog...

Im sure Crean, like every other coach, will see helping a kid reach their dream as a recruiting point.

Now it makes sense - you're a Crean fan who must be upset he's no longer here. You go out of your way to say negative things about Miller and here you're doing that to find something positive to say about about Crean.

 

[cryano]

Now it makes sense - you're a Crean fan who must be upset he's no longer here. You go out of your way to say negative things about Miller and here you're doing that to find something positive to say about about Crean.

I like Coach Crean...but the time was right for IU to move on...hopefully Archie starts winning, and then wins consistently. He hasnt yet, so he may not be IU’s answer. Coaches get hired and fired annually at a fairly high rate.

 

[Paterfamilias]

Let me throw a few stats at you......interesting, I think:

IU........,,,,,,,,,SOS: 319/353..........Off. Eff.: 1/353..........Def. Eff.: 148/353
MSU.............SOS: 94/353............Off. Eff: 41/353........Def. Eff.: 68/353
MD...............SOS: 267/353..........Off. Eff.: 19/353.......Def. Eff.:..32/353
OSU.............SOS: 131/353..........Off. Eff. :.24/353.......Def. Eff.:...8/353

So......Really surprising to see us #1 presently in Offensive Efficiency.....but the DE # has to be very concerning. And it reflects, I think, what we've been seeing: far too many easy drives to the basket; far too many good 3 point shooters left open. We'd have to improve dramatically on D to finish in the Top 3.

Now as to your 'we're only scratching the surface' remark...........we've got a number of key players with a LOT of experience: Green; Durham; Brunk; Smith; and RP has starting experience. So, it's not a young team relatively speaking. In terms of freshmen, our group (including Hunter) is good, but not as good as OSU's and no better than MSU or MD. So, on the surface, there's no reasonable expectation that our improvement would be dramatically better than theirs.

I've been thinking about whether or not I exaggerated the "just scratching the surface" comment. You make some valid points, but what has been encouraging to me are as follows

• Defense wasn't really a big concern coming into the season and even though there's reason to be disappointed so far, I'll be borderline shocked if this isn't at least a good defensive team (top 35ish Kenpom). Top 20 Kenpom defensively was kind of my expectation though.
• The kid glove treatment with the early season injuries to Green and Phin, I think will pay dividends in the long run. I figured Franklin as a decent contributor anyway, but the early workload has been great for him you'd think.
• Back to Devonte and Rob, maybe the D wouldn't appear a weakness at all if those 2 hadn't been out a month. I doubt Portland St.'s guards would have been so effective if those were available and 100%
• I think we're going to see Race and Jerome make big strides as the season rolls along
• We've got good scoring potential off the bench, which is a luxury the vast majority of teams don't enjoy... at least not at the level I see IU having.
• I don't know, I feel like I could go on and on. Probably just being a homer

 

[TR32]

I still havent quite figured out if IU is going soft on player injuries (ie. If you have sore muscle, you sit), or if Miller is precautionary, or if Indiana has simply had bad luck. If it continues much longer I will conclude the 1st option. The concussions are a different matter but there has been no indication Rob suffered another concussion.

 

[hoosier_est_1984]

I think we're going to see Race and Jerome make big strides as the season rolls along

I think youre being far too optimistic here.

That said I do agree with you about the bench.
The greatest things things this team has going for it is 1: Trayce Jackson, 2: that depth you speak of..& followed closely behind having decent 3: experience.

 

[birdforbogey]

Loser

I am seeing an agenda here.

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

It doesn’t necessarily work that way. The only time we ever played in a BTT championship game on Sunday, we got bounced in the first round by Thursday in an upset. Iowa won it and I think they lost in the first round too, definitely didn’t make a deep run. How you perform in the BTT is meaningless.

The last two BTT champions and three of the last five went to the NCAA Final Four. All four of the Big Ten teams in the Final Four the last five years were first or second in the BTT. The BTT is hardly meaningless - it's an indicator of a good team playing well at the end of the season. Add the fact that IU hasn't yet won it, and it's far from meaningless. I'd love to see IU wind the BTT.

 

[rikki-tikka-tava]

Wind as in leave breathless or 'to wind up'? Suppose either works...

 

[hoosier_est_1984]

The last two BTT champions and three of the last five went to the NCAA Final Four. All four of the Big Ten teams in the Final Four the last five years were first or second in the BTT. The BTT is hardly meaningless - it's an indicator of a good team playing well at the end of the season. Add the fact that IU hasn't yet won it, and it's far from meaningless. I'd love to see IU wind the BTT.

Yea.
I never understood why posters on here always want to seperate the two objectives too such a degree when really they go hand in hand

 

[ThreeToMakeTwo]

Maybe get past the first game in the big ten tournament

 

[ufo33]

The thing we forget is that for 30 years(?) or so no major conference other than the ACC even had a conference tournament. No one really saw the need/utility for it. Instead they played 2-3 additional regular season conference games.

The only positive I see is that it gives a team which has experienced injuries throughout the regular season a second chance. Everything else is negative, except the $.

In my perfect basketball world, go to 32 teams, limiting any single conference to 3 teams. Then that conference could decide whether to have a PS tourney. Many wouldn't, which would be a good thing.

As an alternative, limit the tourney field to 8 games so that you have fewer but better games.

It is good the way it is now.

 

[ufo33]

I like Coach Crean...but the time was right for IU to move on...hopefully Archie starts winning, and then wins consistently. He hasnt yet, so he may not be IU’s answer. Coaches get hired and fired annually at a fairly high rate.

Turnover Tom's style of play was not a good fit at IU.