Pater, glad you responded; you’ve always been one of the posters I’ve respected the most on here.
Looked up each team's results vs ranked teams since Miller has been here:
Indiana (12-19)
2020-21 (2-6)
2019-20 (5-4)
2018-19 (4-5)
2017-18 (1-7)
Purdue (18-20)
2020-21 (4-4)
2019-20 (5-6)
2018-19 (6-6)
2017-18 (3-4)
Wisconsin (12-22)
2020-21 (3-5)
2019-20 (5-3)
2018-19 (3-5)
2017-18 (1-9)
Iowa (18-20)
2020-21 (6-3)
2019-20 (7-5)
2018-19 (5-7)
2017-18 (0-5)
Ohio St (15-18)
2020-21 (5-1)
2019-20 (6-4)
2018-19 (2-9)
2017-18 (2-4)
Serious question: You REALLY think that talent is the difference maker? Or maybe, just maybe, coaching is it? Out of those 5 teams, who is getting the least out of the talent they have?
Let me ask this another way: Since Miller has been here, what good team have we beaten where his coaching has been the difference? Where we have beaten a superior opponent because of our gameplan / execution?
No, I agree that it is coaching. I think it's obviously coaching at this point. I could definitely be wrong too, lol.
What I was trying to say is that if you are talented enough to beat good teams, then you can't blame the talent for not being able to beat the bad ones.
I'm off the Archie train. He's pulled off too many "first time ever" type of things. In year 1 we lose two home games by 20 as a double digit favorite. Those type of losses are difficult to find in the database and having two in the same season... fugetaboutit! Then we have 12 losses in 13 games after signing our dream recruit. Now we have 4 going on 5 straight seasons of .500 or less ball for the first time since the formation of the B10 in 1918.... and Al will be the first 4 year player to never crack the AP Top 10 and he's never even cracked the Top 20.
People don't even believe that last stat when I tell them, but it's true. Verdell, Pritch, Roth and Wilmont back in the Davis days were the close calls in the post-Kinght era, but they each spent one week in the AP Top 10. The close calls in the Knight era were Patterson, Miller, Mandeville and Eggers, but they managed to be Top 10 on two occasions. Finally, there was a trio on the 58-59 team who squeaked in with a single Top 10 ranking as juniors (Aldridge, Flowers and Balch).
I didn't like the hire, but I grew to really like Archie and became a believer. I still think he has a strong philosophy, he just can't coach at a level that separates him from the vast majority of coaches. I think there are many, many coaches who could've and would've done much better with a 4 year stint at Indiana.
Unfortunately... it's not over though. Unless Archie decides to move along on his own, we are stuck hoping it turns around. If it does turn around, we may be stuck with him even longer.