Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Crimson Cast Women's Basketball Podcast. As always, I'm Amanda Foster here alongside Kevin Barrett, bringing you all things Indiana women's basketball related. Now, it's been a while since we last recorded an episode. Kevin and I were talking like 2 1/2 weeks or so. It was right before then Indiana went to go play Maine. Because of the craziness of finals in the last few weeks of the school semester.
We haven't really had a chance to sit down, but we're here now, both at home, so doing this virtually on our computers, Not quite the same as sitting across from each other in the podcast studio at the media school, but we'll take it. And we're really at kind of the perfect point for an episode because the non conference schedule is now over officially and Big 10 play is about to start.
So of course, before we get into that, Kevin, I have to ask how, since we always do in the beginning of every episode, How have you been in the last few weeks? How have things and since we last recorded our last episode for you. I'm good. I'm good. It, it's like you said, it's been a while. Apologies to all our dear fans out there. I know you guys have missed this very much in these past couple weeks. But no, yeah, I mean, it's been crazy.
The semester ended for me, I guess a week ago now, a week ago in a couple days. But I mean, it's that time of the year for us. Amanda words, literally. Basketball's in full swing. And I mean finals and everything. And I mean, we got to also worry about our families or whatnot. But I'm in Saint Louis now. Good to be back here in the beautiful city of Saint Louis. But yeah. How are you? How are you, Amanda? How are you? I'm doing well. My semester ended a little.
A while ago. A while ago, yeah. So I came back. I I've been back at home up in in New York for a while. I left like the first say no. When did I leave? The week before finals week, So whatever. I've been home for like 2 weeks already because I didn't have any in person finals, which was very nice. It's been great to be back home as well. I did get questions from both my mom and my sister about whether or not we recorded a podcast episode last week. So they are two fans that are
going to be happy to hear this. They could probably hear me recording this right now because I'm sitting in my bedroom, but there are a couple people out there who who were waiting and so now we are going to have a very packed episode, a long episode to to kind of fill that need and fill that want, I think. Yeah. And I mean, look, again, apologies for the wait guys, but I mean 2024 is coming. So we got 1000 more episodes on the way, not 1000, but you get my point.
So we'll we'll we'll be back in in the full swing of things. Yes. Well, so let's get into it. A bunch of games happen that we should at least touch on before we kind of really get going into talking about Big 10 play. So let's start with a quick rundown. Indiana had a close kind of unexpected win, close win over Maine 67 to 59 that people were a little iffy about as it was going on because that was uncharacteristic, not when
people expected quite so much. 7234 win over Stetson after that 6656 win over Rutgers, and that was Indiana's first conference win, obviously. Then went on to beat Evansville 109 to 56 and that was when Garden Garzone dropped a 30 piece. And then the game right after it was kind of the Sarah Scalia game at 8435 win over Bowling Green. Sarah had eight three pointers, scored 32 points. The the most points she's ever scored in an in in an Indiana uniform.
Excuse me. So a very good couple of games for Yarden and Sarah and Kevin. We don't have to talk about every game individually since that would be going back a while ago and that's a lot of games to talk about. So what kind of stands out to you the most about this stretch of games, about these few games? That's a good question.
Honestly, I think the biggest thing for me is Indiana's looked a lot more Polish these past couple weeks, a lot more comfortable in their own skin, especially offensively. Offensively, it's kind of started to click for a few players. Obviously Sarah's been the biggest storyline these past couple weeks yard, and I mean not every day you see a sophomore drop 30 points just casually like Terry Morin said, a quiet 3030 points. And I mean Sydney Parish as well.
She hasn't been lighting up the box score, but she's giving the team a nice 10/12/15 points a night, you know what I mean? And those performances add up and they definitely don't go unnoticed to someone like me and obviously to someone like Coach Morin. But I I think that's the biggest thing is just simply they're finding a little bit of a groove. They're a lot more polished right now. They're they're playing good quality basketball defensively. I think they're also looking a
little bit better. I mean they only gave up 35 points against Bowling Green, which is, I mean it doesn't matter who you're playing that's, that's that's not a lot of points. But yeah, I mean it's it's been a good couple solid weeks for this team. Some these type of performances are the type of performances you
want going into Big 10 play. We we saw it yesterday across the landscape of college basketball that this week can be somewhat of a dangerous week for programs just because it's you're coming off the finals or you're finishing up finals and and you're you know you're going into the holidays. So I think Indiana should be very happy with where there are, where they're at right now. And yeah, I mean, you just got to carry in the momentum. Yeah, I was.
I was thinking that right after the Bowling Green that that's kind of the best scenario Indiana could have had going into conference play in a way. Because like you said, you only give up 35 points and then you have somebody like Sarah Scalia come on and play the best game that she's played in an Indiana uniform. And she was talking about just the confidence that that that brought her. And you could, you could tell as we were watching.
She like she started smiling on the court after she made some 3 pointers which we know doesn't happen very much. And she was like smiling on the bench and she was taken out and it was a very good game. Because you you also need somebody like Sarah to be as confident as she possibly can be kind of when you're going into Big 10 play for that exact reason. And I think she is feeling that and I think she's also established herself.
This is one thing that has stood out to me as they played in their non conference games that she's established herself as one of the top three-point shooters in the conference. By far she's shooting almost 48%, which leads the Big 10. And if she can continue doing that, I mean like that's kind of indispensable. That's you.
You can. It's hard to put into words kind of what that can do for a team when you have somebody shooting like that willing to shoot the ball whenever and then also who's going to make it almost, you know, 50% of the time? Yeah, and look, I I got to be careful with with this next statement because I don't want people to take it out of context. But I think it's fair to say that Sarah's been Indiana's best player this year. You know, I think, look, I mean, obviously Mackenzie's right
there. You know, Mackenzie is Mackenzie Holmes and she's the All American. But I I, I, I'm confident in saying this that Sarah's been at least Indiana's best offensive threat this season and we're sort of seeing that now. I mean, she's coming off a couple few weeks where she's really sort of found herself in the game. You know what I mean? The conversation in this season, in this offseason was, OK, Sarah's had a little bit of a down year in her first year with
Indiana, right? Can she sort of turn things around and be that type of point guard that we saw when she was playing over at Minnesota? And look, I mean, there's still the entire conference, late, left to go in the tournament, the conference tournament, and then obviously March Madness. But I mean, right now, Sarah's been Indiana's best player. Yeah, and I did. So I kind of noted some other
things to to talk about. In the last stretch of games that we've seen, you mentioned the defense improving a lot.
That was evident in the Bowling Green game, especially Chloe Moore. McNeil has been doing a lot, not in terms of things that are necessarily going to show up on the stat sheet, kind of like Sydney Parish in that way, other than the the double figures that Sydney's often, more often than not putting up. But Chloe is everywhere defensively, but then she's also all of her off fall movements that she's been doing like Terry Moore and talked about that's
where she excels and I feel like you've been able to see that a lot more recently, which is also just as important for this team heading into Big 10 play. One thing I did want to touch on, You mentioned Mackenzie Holmes the last two games to me at least, and again like this is something that I feel like you do have to be careful saying. But she she's looked a little bit off in terms of like she had a couple turnovers against Bowling Green last night. She was missing some free
throws. She wasn't necessarily making lay UPS. That seems like she would have made or she is able to make. I like Indiana had two players in two separate games score 30 plus points. So that says a lot about the team and the makeup of the team itself that they don't need Mackenzie to be putting up, you
know, double figures every game. But I think it is something to kind of just keep an eye on maybe as we head into Big 10 play, just to see obviously don't want to make like assumptions about anything or or speculate at all. But to me at least, she's looked kind of a little bit off recently. So I just wanted to kind of bring a little bit of attention to that. But also like, there's no need for an overreaction. There's no need to, you know, freak out about anything.
Yeah, I I mean, I think bringing that point up is very fair, especially after Terry talked about it. I mean, Coach Bourne talked about it after the Evansville game. I actually, I mean, you're smiling because I shot you a text right after, she said in her press conference after Evansville saying, hey, I just need Mackenzie to be better. There was some things that make or that Coach Morin saw that she didn't like about Mackenzie sort
of getting beat down the court. I remember that was one of them. I don't remember all of them. But you know if if your coach is right there criticizing you, I think it's it's it's if you're a player like Mackenzie Holmes. I think the criticism is fair coming from your head coach and look, you can get AI don't want to say you can get away with it right now because you you got to take every game seriously. You got to take every game one game at a time, but you know you win.
It's not going to fly here come December 31st, right? You can maybe get away with it against Evansville, maybe get away with it against Bowling Green, Again, no disrespect right there. But when you go up against Illinois, when you even go up against the team like Nebraska that they have and for their third conference game or 4th I should say conference game of the year, you know that's not really going to fly. And and look I don't think it's
something to worry about. I the thing that stirs my mind is is there something we're not saying behind the scenes? Right is is Mackenzie fully percent healthy is there something in that sort of area that we don't know. Look we're probably not going to get an answer to it but you know, I don't I don't think there should be a worry of concern. But I it it is I I didn't notice it as much to be quite honest with you. I mean I've watched this team this is my third season of
covering the team. I've watched McKenzie these past two years and and I think McKenzie is in a similar spot I would say. But I I understand the point of concern from coach Warren but look I mean it's it's just something that I I think we have to see sort of a few more weeks. I just it it it's just the the thing that's interesting to me about it and this is what I I told you is it's not so much her on the field. It's more to her on the court.
It's more Terry bringing it up. Because I I had. I have yet to see Coach Moran go out not go after but sort of send a message to her top player in these past two years that have been around the team 2 1/2 years. That was what was really interesting to me. Yeah, well, we've talked about it before. Terry can be blunt. She's not afraid to to say things in press conferences. And so, you know when she says something like that, she means it and she's OK.
So that also shows that she's OK saying it, which means that she's also already already more than likely talked to Mackenzie about it. And it's like a well known thing that like, hey, you just need to be better. And it's not like it's not a knock on her necessarily. It's just backs. It's just the truth in in their mind. And so it is. I mean it's a well, it's not OK, not like that. But like they, you know, it's it's not like a point of
contention. If you're gonna bring it up for Terry, if she's gonna bring it up in a press conference, like that's not something that's like super crazy out there for her to say. So your point though. Yes. Yeah to your point is I mean with Terry bringing it up us to the media and pushing that out publicly or saying that saying that publicly that that that shows you two things that shows you what the relationship that
Terry and and Mackenzie have. They both trust each other on a level where with something like this popping up they can both handle it in a mature setting, right. You know, because it's not easy as a how 2122 year old. Yeah. To I mean you're you're an all American and then for your coach to criticize you against a knock off, a knock off a non conference win that was 50 plus points. You know what I mean?
And to it, it just goes to show you the the stability that Terry has in that locker room, which is a very important factor. And I mean you're right you said it that they've probably been over this. They've probably had after practice or before practice, had a moment between themselves of say of Terry saying something along the lines of, hey, look, I know the type of player you can be and for whatever reason, whatever reason that may be, there might not even be a
reason. But you just haven't been to the level that I've wanted you to be these past few games. And I and I think if I was Mackenzie, if I was a player like Mackenzie and I had a coach come up to me and and say that to me in that sort of setting like she'd been in that press conference, I think I would take it very well saying like, hey, look, I I got to take it up a notch, you know what I mean? I got to come on and and just simply be better.
Right. And yeah, it's we'll see how it shakes out in the next two weeks. I think, like you said, it is something that we're just going to have to. It'll figure itself out because she is Mackenzie Holmes at the end of the day and she knows what she's capable and everybody else knows what she's capable of. And it's not like that's just going to go away and not come back or anything like that. So just something to kind of keep an eye on.
We could keep talking about that probably for a very, very long time. But we do have to kind of keep things rolling a little bit. So we can now kind of get into sort of the the core of this episode, which is Big 10 play. And we've touched on it before obviously. And I want to 1st talk about kind of just the Big 10 as a whole, the conference as a whole before we get into who Indiana
will play starting out here. So in some ways, it seems like the conference is shaping up kind of just as expected, and in other ways, not so much Iowa at the top of the table. So no one's surprise at all because Caitlyn Clark is making headlines every single day, as she should. They are 12 and one. And interestingly enough, the one loss came at home in Iowa City to Kansas State. And that game was, I believe, in the like it was in the first week of play and kind of shook everybody.
But then Iowa obviously bounced back and they've been perfectly fine and Caitlyn Clark is getting triple double S and double double S all over the place. But it's also interesting because you know you do look at their schedule the like Iowa's major non conference opponents seem to have only been like for me when I look at it, Virginia Tech and Kansas State and then they play sort of like middle of the pack teams. Nobody else really jumps out.
Obviously, Iowa is very, very good, in large part thanks to Kent and Clark. But something to kind of keep in mind maybe just down the road as we get closer into March and selection, whatnot comes into play. Just something that I noticed when I was looking at their schedule. Minnesota is also doing pretty well. They only have one loss and that's to U Conn and obviously UConn is is U Conn. But again, they also haven't played a whole lot of other
major teams. Indiana has that one loss as well to Stanford and then Ohio State is 10 and two with losses to USC and UCLA. So you've got Iowa, Indiana and Ohio State, which everybody was kind of expecting. Minnesota was a wild card for me. I didn't think they were going to start out as well as they did, but I also didn't really have a grasp on what their schedule was going to look like. So looking at that, it makes a little bit more sense. Illinois, which Indiana, we'll
see Illinois very soon. Somewhat of a surprise for for people because they're six and five and coming into the the season and in the preseason people expected Illinois to be pretty solid. They haven't been going up against you know super high level opponents either like like most of these teams because it is non conference play, they lost to Notre Dame and Notre Dame is very, very good.
But it also seems like they just haven't been able to kind of close it out and and come back in close games. A lot of their their losses have been fairly close and Indiana is Illinois or next opponent. So like I said, we'll get to them more specifically in a little bit. Kevin, I first wanted to ask kind of what, what do you think about the Big 10 so far? What do you think we can expect in kind of the whole of conference play?
What do you hope to see in the whole of conference play now that we've kind of seen how some of these teams look and how they play? I think it's Iowa's conference to lose. I think it's clear cut that Iowa is the top team at least going into conference play. You know there were some conversations at the beginning of the season about Iowa or excuse me Ohio State being possibly the top team in the conference just because of the sheer talent they were bringing back.
They were they're the most veteran roster in the in in the Big 10 you could say. But Iowa right now because of Caitlin Clark obviously, right. I think, you know it's it's weird to say that Caitlin Clark took a step forward this year because you can be like all right well how much better can she get? But it's kind of seems exactly it kind of seems like that right now. But again we still have all of conference play to go. We still have March. But I mean Iowa is the team to
beat right now. It's their conference to lose. I think I would go, I think I would go Iowa, Ohio State, Indiana. I think that's that's the route or excuse me the the ranking I would go. I think it could very easily be Iowa, Indiana Ohio State come last week of February. But right now I mean we just have yet to see how Indiana pairs up against a bit against the Big 10 opponent opponent other than Rutgers obviously. But look, I mean it, it should be a fun year.
Again, there's there's like you mentioned, there's a few things that we knew what was going to happen with this team or I'm sorry, with this conference. But there's also a few questions. You know what I mean? Like can like, I mean, let's just think of Iowa for a second. Can Iowa hold it together this entire season with relying as much as they have on Caitlin Clark? I think the answer is yes. I think that is what's going to be the case. But you know, there's a lot of
questions. That have yet to be answered, but should be a very fun, fun season. I think a little bit more surprises are going to come out of the Big 10 than these past two years, is what I would say. Yeah, well we've seen in the past. Granted this is has not really been this year with the exception of the Kansas State game. I guess we've seen when Caitlin Clark doesn't play as well as she, she usually does and she is shut down.
She's averaging 30 points per game, which is crazy when you when you think about it, that's just ridiculous. But there are going to be teams out there that are just going to have the physicality or the capability probably to limit
her. And so it is going to be interesting like you said with the way that that Iowa plays and and they kind of they're relying Caitlin Clark and Caitlin Clark is the one like she can pick them back up and give them momentum with those ridiculous 3 pointers that she makes. It's going to be interesting when if people are able, able to shut that down, you know, Ohio State once again if they can. And I was watching them play the other day, I don't remember who
they were playing. But that full court press is, you know, that's the staple of their game. Everybody knows that they've been doing it for so long, but people have such trouble breaking it. It was when they were playing UCLA and that's what stood out to me because UCLA beat them and UCLA is very good. But the chaos that that full court press causes is going to be something that I'm excited for, but then also I'm not excited for because Indiana has not been great at breaking those
full court presses. We saw that in the Big 10 tournament last year. But that's going to be something for Ohio State. I think like if you're looking at how Caitlin Clark controls the gate for Iowa, for Ohio State, it's going to be if people can figure out how to break their press or not. And then if they can't, then Ohio State is pretty well set up to be very, very competitive in the conference like you said. That that's the team that I'm going to be very focused on this season.
It's just how well can because it kind of seems like if if there's a year that Ohio State can come on top of the conference, it's going to be this year just with with the people they have on the roster, with the the veteran presence they have on their roster. And I mean look it's only time will tell. You know it's going to be fun.
It's going to be I mean Indiana also like like this is a very like yeah, I mean Indiana as well is is a team filled with questions come Big 10 play just because you're missing Grace Burger and you you have a very young not even young but just a very a group that has not played a lot together in environments as chaotic as they're going to see come big time play. And we saw it against Stanford and everybody knows what happened against Stanford in that game.
But you know I mean look I mean Indiana could also very easily take the top spot in the it's it's kind of AI don't want to say a wild card because I think if I was a betting man if I had to put money on it now December 23rd I would put Iowa wins the conference. But all three of them could very easily take that top spot. Right. When we haven't, we also haven't even talked about like Maryland. We barely mentioned Michigan. Like that's.
With this, with this conference, and you say it every year, but it rings true every year, is that anyone can win on any given day and anyone can go on a run and be like remember Ohio State last year they were so good and then they completely dropped off. And so it's just this, there's
so many questions. You could go down the line and bring up questions for every team, but then also point to to the possibility that almost every team could compete and and come away with at least like a high-ranking spot. Obviously not every team is going to have a chance to to win the conference, but a lot of teams do and a lot of teams can can impact that. And so it is just there are so many things about women's basketball that make it so fun.
And I think the fact that you can raise so many questions about teams and and point to so many teams that are capable of winning makes it even better because you you never know what's going to happen. And if you are a betting man or a betting woman, you really are just kind of like throwing it out there and saying please, like, I think, I think, but you
never know. Yeah. There's there's a level of uncertainty that's that's pretty cool coming into the season because we all know like the the capabilities of these teams but there's little little factors that sort of change these things which which again that should be fun And and I'm curious one thing I'm curious is, is the seating come Big 10 tournament is like who's going to be the one who's going to be the two who's like where is that going
to fall off And and you know, I mean that that could have some implications come Selection Sunday. Look, I don't want to get too ahead of ourselves. Look we're not even the 2024 yet. It's still December. Yeah, exactly. But yeah, should be very fun. I'm very excited for the for the conference tournament this year or conference season. Yeah, all of it. All of it's fun. All. Of it exactly. All of it, Yeah. You're allowed to be excited for the conference tournament, I know I am.
But so let's get into to talking about Illinois a little bit more specifically. Both teams get a nice holiday break and then Illinois will come to Bloomington at 12:30 in the afternoon obviously on December 31st. So right before we we ring in the New year, like I said earlier, Illinois will come in six and five and looking for their first Big 10 win because I lost to Michigan 84 to 48 earlier in the season. They do have four players who average double figures in scoring.
Genesis Bryant leads the team with 15.2 points per game. They average around 75 points per game, but obviously have been held to less than that in some of their losses. And they make between 5:00 and 6:00 threes and most of them do come from Genesis Bryant. I was watching, I believe it was when they were playing Missouri, and I think I texted you about this. Yeah, you did.
Where she was just, yeah, she every, it was like every time she held the ball and she was on the perimeter, she shot it and she made it, which was really impressive. And Illinois ended up losing that game in the last few seconds, I think, and that was kind of that goes back to what I was saying earlier is that they don't necessarily seem like they have all the capabilities of pulling out close games.
But with that being said, obviously they still do have a great deal of talent coming and they were ranked highly in the preseason. So with that kind of Kevin, what do you think we should expect for this game, especially that both teams will be coming in on a on a pretty hefty break where they're all going to be, you know, at home with their families and not necessarily maybe in the gym every single day? First thing I mean I wish I was there. I I I hate that this game is on
December 31st. I wish I could be there, but I think you just got to expect a little bit of sloppiness from the start from both sides. I mean the the break that that students get this time of year in any sport really I think goes unnoticed. I think the the the amount of time off that they have is a good thing, don't get me wrong. But I mean it plays a big factor come your first game off that
break. But look, I mean here's the thing about Illinois is that at times they look like a top three, top five team in the conference and then at times they don't. I mean, just to put it blatantly, they just don't look like the team they're supposed to be. You know they that the loss against Michigan. I understand. Michigan's also in that conversation about what being one of the top teams in the conference this year. But that was a bad loss just simply because I was a near 40
plus point loss. You know what I mean it it's just I think from here on out what I need to see from Illinois is I need to see some sort of stability, some sort of consistency I should say. Because when they're on their, when they're on their game, they can be right up there with Iowa, Ohio State and Indiana in this conference. But when they're not you know what I mean?
They're towards the bottom. And and I I'm kind of going around your question just simply because I don't know what the Illinois team is going to show up to come December 31st, right. You have to take in all these factors and the fact that they haven't necessarily, in my opinion haven't played up to the level that they have or that they can. It's it's a little bit of a toss up right now because you know, we're still more than a week away from from that game.
Yeah. Well, and I like that you said kind of Illinois is not playing how they're supposed to or have like they're not kind of doing what they're they're supposed to because it shows the potential that they have to be a very skilled, high level team in this conference. And I I kind of wonder if that is going to play a role.
You know, you have this break and you kind of get your mind right and you think like, hey, we should be winning some of these games and you know, we need to start winning some of these games. And you know, why not go play a top 15 or top 20 team in Indiana and make that kind of, you know, like start out our run that way So it is. And then on the flip side, obviously Indiana has that break and there's a lot that they have to work on to, to prepare for
Big 10 play as well. Given just kind of the the difference in the the level of the the play and the physicality. And you know, all that stuff that you can talk about about how the Big 10 is different from non conference opponents. But there's going to be a lot that I think both and all of the players in both teams can kind of sit with with this break to prepare themselves for this game. Well, people got to remember with Illinois is they were one of four teams that were in the
AP pool start the season. Look, I understand the AP pool is it doesn't matter at all in the first week, right. You know what I mean? Like it doesn't matter if you're the number one team in the country. It it plays a little, very little factor in in your season. But it was Iowa, Indiana, Ohio State, right. I'm sorry, one of five Iowa, Indiana, Ohio State, Maryland and then Illinois was #25. So there is some expectations
there for this team, right? And and you got to realize that they just haven't been playing that well and and look in Indiana's favor it's it's it's a good thing that it's going to be at home. I think there's going to be a very I was very surprised by the crowd that showed up against Evansville. I was on the call for that game on the radio good for Hoosier nation to show up. I I It was very surprising to see to see a nice crowd, Terry
Moore and talked about it too. But I think that's going to play a big deal. But yeah, I mean, it's just, I'm curious what team we're going to get from the Illinois side come that game. Yeah, well I will say I think this game has the potential to be played a lot from the perimeter if both teams, if they're 3 point shooters, can
can get hot and stay hot. Like if Sarah comes in and she shoots even, you know, half as well as she did against Bowling Green, you know, puts up four or five three pointers and Genesis Bryant does the same thing. You know that that drives a lot of the game and so that and that's also obviously going to change a lot of the inside game, especially for Indiana.
So I think that's another thing is that you don't even know how the game's going to be played because it just depends on who's feeling it that game and who comes out and who is the most ready and the most prepared, I guess, which is, you know, it's just a whole other thing of you just like you said, have have really no idea what's going to happen.
So after that, obviously that's going to round out the 2023 season for Indiana because Indiana well, then the calendar year, not the season, the well, so the 2324 season, but the year, yeah, So Indiana will play Michigan January 4th at home and then they're going to travel to Nebraska on the 7th. And so you're kind of, if if you can look at it from the perspective of Indiana's not necessarily playing the toughest teams in the conference to start out.
You know there's there's no Ohio State, there's no Iowa, there's no Maryland. But like we said, The thing is that anybody can win on any given day. And Michigan and Nebraska are certainly teams that pose very significant threats, I think especially as you get into Big 10 play and everybody gets a little bit more comfortable with the way the game is being played. Yeah. First of all, correction. Illinois was 23 in the AP pool to to start.
The 1st 25. But I checked the 23, but yeah, I I mean you you have a good point right there saying that they don't start off. I mean they could have, I don't know how easy it would have been, but they could have started off with going to Columbus or you know having their first game of the conference season. But I think it's a good good couple games where we can see where Indiana might be come conference play.
I think this is a good. I think the Illinois and Michigan back-to-back is a really good test just because I think those are two quality teams right there or teams that can show Indiana a fight. You know what I mean if we, if we look I I if any Michigan fans are listening out there, I I apologize for this next statement. But if you want to talk about an inconsistent basketball team these past couple years, it is the Michigan Wolverines and and May. I mean, we've seen that in the
past two. Years. It'll hold that, Kevin. Yeah. It it's it's just a team that has had so much potential but hasn't been able to capitalize on it. And this year they have a couple losses where it's like really it's like Dang, like you you those are bad losses. But to go back to what I was saying is, I think, I think this is a good test. I mean, Nebraska is not a small
task either. Nebraska's got 2/2 of the top players in the in the in the conference and you know that's their first true away game of you know, to start Big 10 play. Yeah you went to Rutgers. But right now you know come January 7th, you know that's that's that's their true test. And look it's not I've I've talked to a few a lot of people in and around the Big 10 conference and they all say the same thing that it's hard to go and play it in Nebraska just
simply because it's a long trip. It's and especially at this time of year it's a long trip. It's cold. You know getting there is not the easiest. So you know it. I think these three games right here to start the count to start 2324 Big 10 season is is going to be a good spot for Indiana. See where they're at.
I think win or loss, Terry's going to take a step back and and analyze, really analyze this team and and I have a feeling that after these three games we might be able to see, I don't want to say lineup changes, but maybe a new style moving
forward. It's somewhat, you know, you say that and it's a little bit reminiscent maybe of the Stanford game of kind of like a a litmus test, if you will, just to see where the team is at. If they have the the capability and the mindset to withstand the pressure that's going to come with the the travel. Like you said, going all the way out to Nebraska, the amount of games that you're playing and the level of the teams that you're just going to play
back-to-back to back-to-back. You know, there there are a lot of players on the team for Indiana who haven't really seen that level of pressure in the group that they're in. And that's what people talk about after Stanford. It's just like you have to kind of get thrown into the fire and figure it out, you know, and then the coaches will help you
figure it out. But you just have to go and you have to start and I think this is kind of like you said just it's that's what it's going to be in the in the beginning at least. Yeah, and I mean, look, it's going to be a again, we're going to have one or two more episodes before this game. And I don't want to get ahead of myself, but it's a quick turn around you, I mean you finish up Nebraska and you have Penn State, who I mean, Indiana should handle pretty comfortably, but then you have
Iowa, Iowa City, right. You know what I mean? So it's it's going to be we're going to find out a lot about this Indiana team after these three Big 10 games after after Nebraska. You're going to find out a lot about what this team is going to be not just capable of doing or but where they can improve and sort of where they might be headed and and it's going to be fun to watch. Yeah. Oh, tons of fun. Tons of fun. Very exciting. So that'll just about do it for today's episode.
As always, thanks so much for tuning in. We'll be back in the new year at some point. To recap, Indiana start in Big 10 play and the start of what they hope will be another Big 10 championship run, I'm sure. As always, follow along with our coverage here on Crimson Cast, over on X Twitter, whatever you want to call it, and on inside the hall from Kevin and myself. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year and we will talk to you in 2024.