We really are a bad team.

[ufo33]

No shooters. Damezi doesn't play, Hunter is out for the season, Race likely out for the season too, Phinisee getting his kegs back under himself after concussion, Romeo is inconsistent, Al is streaky, Green needs better shot selection, Fitzner appears to be in a mental block.

Damezi, Moore, Forrester need to play over older players who are contributing nothing right now.

 

[Paterfamilias]

How much of that talent is physically able to play?

I went back to refresh my memory on the rankings of our current players.

Romeo is the only top 50 player we have that has played consistently and effectively for the entire season.

Davis was ranked 35 in his class, but simply hasn’t been physically capable of playing effectively all year. Hell, he couldn’t even run during the Maryland game. I tore my achilles over 20 years ago the damn thing still hurts sometimes.

Jerome Hunter was just outside the top 50 at #52 and he hasn’t played a single second this season.

Morgan was #103 in his class. Phinisee was #103 in his class as well.

Seems like the rest of the team is all in the 120-150 range or not ranked at all.

Outside of Romeo, our talent is on par with Nebraska’s, if you go look at their rankings, considering Davis and Hunter can’t play.

We had doubts about what Davis would be able to provide this season, but the absence of Hunter and Thompson have really hurt.

By my roster rankings, IU wouldn't project as an NCAA tournament team in it's post-injury construction. I actually had us at #40 if just Davis was a no-go at the beginning of the season. The problems compound when you consider how all of the injuries have effected practice.

I really thought that Morgan, Smith, Thompson, Hunter, Fitzner, Forrester & Moore would develop into a formidable and versatile frontline unit by the 2nd half of the season, even without Deron. Now, not only has Davis been almost as limited as feared, but injuries and development seem to have reduced the frontline to just Morgan and Smith. If that doesn't change, we're probably in deep dung.

All of that said, I still think they will find their way into the NCAA field. The ceiling may be collapsed for this season, but there are still a bunch of games that must be watched.

 

[MG80]

When Rob is healthy, he would start for several teams, he is still a week or two away from sharp.

Not necessarily true. Rob is going to be a good player, but he’s not in a class with the top point guards in the league. Watson alone is on a different level than our guards even though he’s probably not in top 3 or 4 in the league.

 

[hondo314]

As bad and lost as Moore looks on defense.
Hes atleast providing some offense.
Jake Forester even > Moore.
Were getting absolutely nothing from Fitzner.

moore played last night so it wouldn't surprise me if he starts getting more minutes. i'm hoping miler has seen enough of fitzner. i don;t think dude was ever supposed to be a post player but that's where we are. hrmph.

 

[SuperHoosierFan]

We had doubts about what Davis would be able to provide this season, but the absence of Hunter and Thompson have really hurt.

By my roster rankings, IU wouldn't project as an NCAA tournament team in it's post-injury construction. I actually had us at #40 if just Davis was a no-go at the beginning of the season. The problems compound when you consider how all of the injuries have effected practice.

I really thought that Morgan, Smith, Thompson, Hunter, Fitzner, Forrester & Moore would develop into a formidable and versatile frontline unit by the 2nd half of the season, even without Deron. Now, not only has Davis been almost as limited as feared, but injuries and development seem to have reduced the frontline to just Morgan and Smith. If that doesn't change, we're probably in deep dung.

All of that said, I still think they will find their way into the NCAA field. The ceiling may be collapsed for this season, but there are still a bunch of games that must be watched.

I love all the people here saying “I’m sick of hearing about all the injuries as an excuse” and/or “every team deals with injuries”. Yeah, duh, every team does deal with injuries. To look at it like that is a simple statement from a simple mind. You have to look at which players are injured, type of injury, duration of absence from play and practice, and how key the injured player is.

 

[Courtsensetwo]

moore played last night so it wouldn't surprise me if he starts getting more minutes. i'm hoping miler has seen enough of fitzner. i don;t think dude was ever supposed to be a post player but that's where we are. hrmph.

Moore is going to be a student section favorite, they reacted very well to him last night and he made a couple of plays.

 

[minneman]

I love all the people here saying “I’m sick of hearing about all the injuries as an excuse” and/or “every team deals with injuries”. Yeah, duh, every team does deal with injuries. To look at it like that is a simple statement from a simple mind. You have to look at which players are injured, type of injury, duration of absence from play and practice, and how key the injured player is.

Not to mention the number of players injured at one time and think about how that could affect practice therefore could affect preparation, individual development, and team chemistry.