The difference is not flattering for Painter. Tom Crean went to a Final Four and recruited better, so there was at least some hope. However, at a certain point in time, you know what a coach is and what their ceiling is. I would say Crean's ability as a coach and ceiling were pretty clear after year 5. He had inconsistent good years and could make it to the Sweet 16: maybe, an anomaly occurs at some point. Once you know what a coach is and what their ceiling is, you either have to accept it or not accept it. Obviously, IU didn't accept it and canned him.
Matt has been at PU for 18 years, going on 19. It is crystal clear what Matt Painter is at this point in time as a coach and has been for years. He is flat out a bad NCAA Tournament coach, and his system does not work in the NCAA Tournament. His performance the past 3 years is arguably the worst in NCAAT history, and he routinely loses to mid-majors. Losing to FDU yesterday is the worst loss in NCAAT history. His system simply has a ceiling. Obviously, PU is ok with having a terrible NCAA Tournament coach. Sure, Matt can get some Indiana kids, really tall guys, and shooters and compete through the Big Ten season for the most part.
The question I have is why do they accept this? How can you keep Matt Painter after yesterday? I understand IU is historically a better program. But, look at Northwestern and Penn St. They are historically bad, and their fortunes are night and day different with their current coaches. Look at North Texas, St. Peter's, and now FDU: they don't have any advantages over PU and are beating them when it matters. The chicken or the egg argument doesn't really apply when you are a 1 seed losing to a 16 seed: it is the coach, not the program. PU fans really believe that they don't have an identity outside of Gene Keady, and they just accept it and set the bar low.
PU fans: you aren't going to see anything different from Painter, I promise. As somebody who suffered through Tom Crean, I know it all to well. I want to beat PU's ass at everything, and I will still say this: you can either accept the status quo or ask the universe for something better. Northwestern and Penn St. have asked the universe for something better: why can't you?
