You're listening to the Back Home Network presented by Home Field Apparel. All right, folks, welcome back to Crimson Cast. Scott here with you. We're in March, baby. Great times. Kentucky lost. I mean that was great last time. You know we we have our two day window here where if we can get a back-to-back first round Kentucky Purdue loss. I mean are are those the two biggest wins for Indiana this
year? I don't know but it's a it's great seeing Kentucky go through some of the same thing and looking at a $33 million buyout. Good times. Anyway before we get to Connor we have a great interview with Connor Onion from the Big 10 Network coming up I want to give a shout out to our sponsor here at the back home network home field. Apparel, it's March. I mean, you're going to find tons of schools that you love and you have them on home field Apparel, they have their
shooting shirts. They have an Indiana one, which is awesome, which everyone should have. They also have a really hot Indiana State one that that's great. So if you want to cheer on the sycamores who are crushing it in the NIT and you got, you know, Cream Abdul Jabbar, go after that. It's a great look. They they they don't have Oakland stuff yet. It's it's funny, you know they have almost every school. No Oakland, no Grambling.
But I have a feeling that Grambling beats Purdue, Connor and the team at home field is going to work on getting that licensing figured out. I'm sure right now their first call this morning is to Oakland, see if they can get some licensing there. So I wouldn't be surprised in the next week you see some shirts for that, but go check them out and use the promo code HOME 23 for 15% off your first purchase. And now our interview with Connor Onion from the Big 10 Network.
All right, Connor, great to have you on the podcast. How you doing my friend? I'm good. Thanks for having me. I I know this has been a long time coming and we're we're trying to do something during football season. So here we are, obviously at the end of basketball season, finally get together. Yeah, we were trying to do a football recap and then a basketball preview and and all those things happened and now we're doing a basketball recap. So yeah, here we are.
You know, the, the first question is just, you know, for for Indiana fans that, you know, how how did you view the Indiana basketball season? So you know, you're you're watching the games in the Big 10 Network, you're, you know, commentating all the games, doing play by play. So you see a lot of Big 10, a lot of Big 10 action. But I'm just curious, you know, for Indiana fans, I think there's a split among the fan base. Some people are pretty unhappy with the way that things went.
Other people look at a little more rash. And I'm curious from somebody who's just kind of seeing the the larger scale, how, how did you view what happened with Indiana this year? Yeah, understandably frustrating is probably the, the way I describe it, trying to trying to kind of be in the the shoes of Indiana fans.
I I can see why that would be. The viewpoint I I guess just just wide overview talented team obviously talented team when you have potential first round draft pick and some some former five star and four-star recruits on the roster but didn't always play hard that was the the reputation that that Indiana quickly built. I don't know why this game always pops in my head but the Northwestern game at home is one that I think of as kind of the example.
Northwestern had injuries and I I thought that Indiana would come out and and kind of punch him and and get him down early and and kind of cruise in that home game. No, no disrespect to obviously what Northwestern has done but just what their situation was going into that game. Indiana playing at home. I thought that Indiana would play a little bit harder end up winning that game.
But that was that was a theme. I thought that popped up watching Indiana a lot was the the effort didn't always match the likes of the Northwestern or Nebraska, two teams playing at the NCAA tournament. And it was just weird to me. I I I couldn't really figure out why. And then the other thing that I couldn't figure out was the free throw line. Why? Why? That continued to be a thing all
year long. So those two things coupled with the talent made for a frustrating watch at times and I I could understand why Indiana fans would be ready to kind of move on to next year and and and not really mess around with the NIT this year. Yeah, I I mean, yeah, we can get, we can get to that. No, the free throw thing was we talked about that in our last podcast.
It's bananas. I mean, when you look at their free throw percentage for the season at 66.4%, they're 334th in the country, which as you know, it's pretty close to the same number of teams there are in in college basketball. It's just it's not a good number. But yet they they have a, you know, mid level, you know 150th in the country of getting to the free throw line. Like they get to the free throw line way too often for as bad as
they were shooting. And you know you bring up a lot of things with this team that is just it's anachronistic I would say just a lot of things that don't make a lot of sense because you know there there is talent there like do you know you you have Khalil Ware who is at this point is still on the team. I would assume at some point we're going to hear him announce for the NBA, which he definitely should. You know, Malik Renewed just announced he's coming back, which is awesome.
Malik Renewed took a big step up, step up. You know Mackenzie and Bacco had some struggles to begin the season but started to play better. And even you know, as you look at the team was always about, you know, like it felt like it wasn't constructed right. But you have, you know with that you have, you know, senior leader, guards and Galloway. You have him Bacco's coming on.
You have the post players like you have all the pieces there, but as you said the team just didn't didn't play hard. You know not I'm not trying to make you call out anything. But as as you see that when you see teams like that maybe make it a little more open-ended, where do you put that on? Is that a a coaching problem? Is that a player problem? Is that an overall, you know, team systems problem?
Like when you see teams that kind of just consistently don't seem to play up to the level of what we think their abilities are? Where do you kind of lay some of the blame for that for a team? Yeah, No, it's it's a really
good question. And I I think if if Mike Woodson had the answer, I think if a lot of people around Bloomington had the answer it it would have changed And we thought we saw flashes of it. You know the the the end of the Northwestern game that I've mentioned before like the last two minutes it was, it was kind of bizarre, like they just turned it on in the final two minutes and made it a really
close game. We thought we saw some flashes of that the the final four games, the regular season going into the tournament hot. But I I think it's an everyone problem to answer your question. But I don't think it's just like, I can't really say it was one player or, you know, it's it's just this one thing. It was it was just kind of a weird deal, honestly, that they would go through those lulls of it. It didn't feel like the effort matched what you're used to seeing in an Indiana team.
Yeah, no, and it's it's it's something that, you know, in the micro as a fan, you, you, you see it where it's like they they seem to kind of figure it all out when their backs were up against the wall, he said. That Northwestern game, it's like kind of once the game felt like it was out of reach, they they came back and brought it back together.
You in the macro, you kind of see it with the season where, you know, after that Northwestern game, they lose at home to Nebraska, they lose at Penn State, they're 14 and 13, six and 10 in the Big 10. That's when the Heat really thought felt like it came on and they win five in a row, including one of the Big 10 tournaments. Like, all right, that's awesome. To kind of win four in a row, you know to end the season and then one of the tournament.
That's nice, but it's like kind of a little too little, too late. And it ends with us just not playing in any postseason tournament, which is not where, you know, not where any Indiana team wants to be at the end of the year. No, no doubt, no doubt. And the the the beauty and the struggle of the transfer portal is that you know there are currently 6 scholarship spots open, like you said, probably soon to be 7, right?
If if where ends up declaring for the NBA draft, which I agree with you, I think you will it. It makes it a little bit of a struggle I think in season as as a fan to try to project that's what the transfer portal has done.
It's I think it's taken away some of the optimism that can come from the potential development of younger players or projecting out who still has eligibility and what the team could be. But the beauty of it is Indiana could be sitting here 1st of October next year and we could be talking about potentially one of the favorites in the Big 10
with a completely new roster. Kind of an odd question here for you as somebody who does the does the broadcasting full time you're you're kind of in this odd transition period where you're not starting your career but you haven't been at this like you know Bill Raftery for 35 years. You know, you're kind of in this transition phase. You know, how is it for you as a broadcaster, You know, 5-10 years ago you had teams at least a little bit more continuity
year in, year out. You know, not focused on Indiana. But like I said, Indiana's probably going to have seven players flipped over and it's kind of the, the transfer puller guys are changing all the time. How does that change when you guys look to, you know, pre production meetings, you're talking about store boarding for games. Like how does that affect how you bring in, you know, what you need to do to a game when you're basically kind of getting a new team every single year.
And there's really not a lot of transfer of, you know what Indiana or what any Big 10 team is year to year outside of probably Purdue, which is probably why they're having success because they seem to have the same team every. Year, right, right. Yeah. I think at the the conference network level, you know, we're fortunate that we get to see a lot of these teams multiple times throughout the year. So we get to go a little bit deeper into some of those stories.
Whereas, you know, say I were doing games for CBS. It it might be a one and done situation for for us and our crew where we're introducing Trey Galloway to a new audience even though it's Game 25. Whereas at at Big 10 Network, you know, I think a lot of our viewership is you know, really hardcore Big 10 fans that have probably seen these teams and players before if it's the middle of February.
So we we get that opportunity to to go a little bit deeper I think and it's it's a little bit more surface level. I think to your point about you know I haven't been in at 35 years. I think it's a little bit more surface level than it would have been if you had a three or four year player that's that's going to be there a long time. But that's that's what's fun about being at at BTN is is I think our our audience especially knows a lot of the
stories. That doesn't mean that we don't have to reintroduce them because they're always new viewers. But we we do get a chance, whether it's through our broadcast or the journey, which is one of one of my favorite shows for several years now, to to kind of go into a deeper level of storytelling, which is really fun. Yeah no. The Journey is a it's it's an
awesome show. Like I remember years ago they had a really deep dive on Denzel Valentine with Michigan State and just like this kind of so like man, that guy that guy's a good good kid and like there's always there's always stories like that that's always one that just stuck in my head. I'll I'll kind of end our Indiana end. But just, you know, one of the last Indiana question kind of focused is I'm curious as again someone who kind of sees the
league as a whole. What did you think about maybe you even noticed this was maybe just Indiana specific, but you know after that four-game losing streak, you know there was Indiana was getting booed at home against Nebraska, which is less than ideal, we'll call it. And then you know Indiana kind of had to come out as a university and say we're we're keeping Mike Woodson, which is odd. Like you're not things aren't great.
Like the vibes aren't awesome. If the university is having like I haven't seen Purdue come out and like say, hey, we are keeping that paying her for next year and then you know Liam Mcneely, our only recruit for next year decommits the water got kind of hot. Woodson did win some games.
I'm just curious how you, how do you see what's going on at at Indiana with all of this and kind of what expectations for next year for somebody who's maybe more outside rational viewing this would would look at like what what, what the
expectation should be? Yeah, no, I I am am good with the reaction that you got from the fan base as far as being frustrated and what booing, booing a team that's not winning is. It's it's understandable the fan base Indiana fans should want that and I think we'll continue to want that. The the worst thing you can have is apathy. And you know, I personally as a basketball fan, I would prefer a little bit of the negative reaction versus no reaction at all.
So I'm glad to see and hear that people still care because I don't think I I feel like we're still a long way off things that have to go really bad for the Indiana fan base to get apathetic. So I'm, I'm good with it. Obviously, as as a Big 10 guy I like, I want Indiana to do well, I think. We all do but.
Yeah, yeah. Obviously you guys do in your audience on this podcast wants Indiana to do well but it it does benefit the league obviously when you know Indiana's playing into the second weekend of the NCAA tournament and and love them or hate them it it does create some more buzz around the conference. So you know to to to get back to that level of of Purdue and to you know kind of have what we had last year when it was Ed against TJD going at it.
Like that's when that's when this thing and this conference is at its best. So I'm I'm glad there's no apathy. I hope it doesn't get to that point. And like we're talking about, you can flip it in a hurry. That's that's the great part of this era of college basketball. So I expect Mike Woodson will and I don't know who. Who knows, Maybe he finds the next Dalton Connect or? We try, we we were pushing for the actual Dalton Connect last year that. That could help too. That could help too.
But I I'm, I'm a firm believer that Indiana won't be down long and the some of the stuff you're referencing the the the team getting booed off the court, I don't think that stuff is going to going to last for long either, because I think it'll get turned around. I I hope so.
It's just that the only thing that's concerning is it does feel like when you look around college basketball, there's really maybe not an answer to this and maybe it's just, you know, we haven't had the right coaching fits. It, it does feel like at a university that takes basketball seriously, which Indiana does, which has the resources in Indiana does it It it doesn't seem like it takes more than three to four years to really get back to an elite level
anywhere else. And like, I've referenced this many times in the podcast before, but you look at like, you know what Nate Oates is doing at Alabama. You know, they're 31 and six this year. You know what Tommy Lloyd is doing at Arizona, Rick Barnes at Tennessee, Bruce Pearl at Auburn. You know, maybe not the best example with Mark Pope and BYU 'cause he has lost, but, you know, that's one game.
But they've had a good year. You know, bread Underwood in Illinois. I I don't know from a larger perspective, is it just as simple as like we just haven't had the right coaching fits or you know, it's it's that's the frustrating part for me as an Indiana fan is like you look all around the country and it's like other schools are able to kind of flip this around and turn it around in a much smaller period.
We seem to continually be stuck in this morass as an Indiana fan and you like, you stick your head up and it's like, wow, I graduated college 25 years ago and we haven't made the tournament half of those years. Like it has been a really rough, like quarter century, like a long time. And you you like at times I wonder like what? Why can't we figure this out? Like, how come everybody else can figure this out and we can't? Yeah, no, it's that that's a great question.
That is is probably like a a 25 year breakdown that I don't know. I don't know if you read the the Caitlin Clark story that Wright Thompson wrote. I did, yes. PM But I feel like that should be one of Wright Thompson's pursuits, one I love right as a writer. But I think there's so much depth to that question. But that needs to be that needs to be like a research paper. I don't know if if somebody there. You go.
Doctorate. Yeah. Somebody somebody in academics at IU can can research that question but that's a perfect one for like a long story feature that that needs to be explored as as far as the fit I I I would just kind of like to see a little bit different of an approach to offense next year for for Indiana very heavily 2 point based which is understand understandable when you have renewed scoring 15 points a game where scoring 15 points a game
so your best players are in that front court but pretty clearly need a slasher needs shooting you know Miller cop was two year or last year he was 4445% from 3 whatever it was. So those are two needs. I would I would like to see Indiana maybe go after a bigger point guard. We've seen some of that throughout the big 10 this year.
You mentioned Nebraska and the two games that Indiana played in the regular season that again in the the tournament for a third time they used Bryce Williams late in the year who's a six foot seven guy at the point guard spot. Illinois used Ty Rogers who's 6667 and Marcus Damask who's 66
handling the ball. UConn the overall number one seed in the NCAA tournament Tristan Newton Steph Castle and that back work there 6566. So I think seeing seeing Indiana maybe get a little bit bigger at the guard spot you can keep Trey Galloway at the two to to to keep some of that size and then
add another shooter. I know we mentioned Dalton Connect finding a player like him isn't easy to find, but but that's where I think Indiana's focus should be and you know being being more perimeter based than interior based because Indiana shot a lot of tooths. I think they were they were first or second in the league as far as getting their offense
from inside the arc. So I would, I would like to see them spread it around a little bit more and kind of join the new age of three pointers in this, this analytical era of college basketball. Yeah, I think we, I think we all would. And you know it's it's it's tough because you have Trace Jackson Davis which is you know the the historically great post player. Then you get Khalil Ware who is also really good.
But it's like you have to look up the road and it's like Purdue has had just a string of seven foot dudes, but yet they're still able to mix in a couple of threes here and there. So that's that's that's a tough part. That's the biggest, that's the biggest difference in in who they are this year because it's the three-point shooting. And you know, of course they dumped the ball into Zach Edie a lot. They they get, they get a lot of their points at the free throw line, which is a different
discussion. I know Indiana fans are probably pretty fired up about how Purdue games get officiated, but. The the the fact that they added Lance Jones, Braden Smith, Fletcher lawyer, have gotten better and they've shot the ball better from three as a team is, is why they're in the spot they're in. So you mentioned, I want to ask you this and I know that you you're on the Big 10 Network so you're not going to like throw stones the Big 10. But I I would I'll, I'll, I'll, I'll ask you this.
You know the the Big 10 hasn't won an NCAA tournament in a while. Now it's going to, by the way, it's going to be awesome if like UCLA wins it next year and it's like that's how we break the streak. It's like it's one of that maybe the UCLA is not in it, but like you know Oregon, like one of the teams we bring in and it's like, yeah, they won. Or like if if somehow like Oregon wins it this year and then like we we try and like retroactively take that as like well, that's a Big Ten title.
Like people like the Maryland won from, you know 2001. It's like, no, that was an ACC title. It's been a while. I'm, I'm I'm curious. You mentioned the officiating piece like it. It does feel like the Big 10 is just officiated and played differently than the tournament. And you know, yes, Indiana fans have issues with the way Zach Edie is is officiated. I think Zach Edie is like Shaq and that he's unbelievably hard to officiate, so I give a lot of leeway.
I also think it's mind boggling that, you know, as big as he is, as physical as he plays, you look at his point, his fouls per game, and it's like 11211. It's like I have a hard time believing he plays that long without getting more than two fouls. But then you see it in the tournament. It's like he's always officiated differently and I think you see this.
I will speak for myself. I see this differently in the tournament where it's like I think that the way the Big 10 is officiated provides Big 10 teams 0 favors when they get in the tournament because suddenly a lot of the things they they've done don't work. And then it suddenly seems like Alabama and Auburn is running roughshot, or in Purdue's case, teams that are, you know, 16 seats.
We'll just leave it at that. But I'm just, I'm curious as you look at that, like, do you think it is just bad luck and Big 10 teams just haven't, you know, won the final four games they're in? Do you think there's a systematic change in the way the Big 10 games are played that could be changed to to help them in the tournament a little bit? You know what I think it is more than that is, is playing style.
You know for for a while a lot of teams were were playing very similarly and what I think is good for the Big 10, not only adding the West Coast schools where we're where we'll see a little bit different playing style is a team like Penn State that Mike Rhodes has brought his VCU style of a full court, full court pressure and basically havoc for 40 minutes. The Big 10 hasn't seen a lot of that over the past several
years. So I think that will force teams to change a little bit and be a little bit more prepared to see teams out of conference. Nebraska has has brought a pretty style of basketball into the Big 10 with a lot of the NBA stuff that Fredwell Woodberg does.
So I think it's I think it's more around that than than it is around how the game is called the the physical style no doubt like I I buy into the narrative that Big 10 teams just wear each other out all year and then you get into the tournament and you
are a little bit tired. I I was thinking about that watching Illinois yesterday in their first round game against Morehead State. It seems to just be the Illinois way now that they kind of come out slow and then they they hit you with the hammer in the second-half of the big run. So they've done this postseason but you know they they went through the grind of winning three Big 10 tournament games.
They're playing a mid major team out of the Ohio Valley Conference Morehead State that had their conference tournament 2 Saturdays ago. So they're coming off more of a week long of rest and Illinois had to go through three Big 10 teams and fight it out with Wisconsin just this past Sunday. So I think it's more more some of those factors. I don't think the Big 10 is ever going to move the conference tournament back a week like the mid major conferences do.
I don't think that's ever going to happen. It's a great spot to have leading into Selection Sunday, but I think there is something to that with you know, seeing seeing some mid major teams that are more well rested in the tournament too. I'm curious if you've heard this in the league offices or not. And again, I really don't want
to put you in odd spots. I understand you work for the Big 10 Network, but I would say that you know as the Big 10 has continued to expand and has a pretty, pretty good TV revenue number coming in. The thing that I've been looking at the last couple of years, mentioned a few times on the podcast with a lot of times to friends is, you know, I I feel bad for the officials in the Big 10 because when you look at like Ken Palm has a really cool way that they have the officials.
If you click on it, you can actually go and search the officials schedule log. It's bananas. Like to me it's wild. The Big 10 doesn't just hire their own officials and have full time officials even just for the season. When you look at some of the the, the travel logs of these officials, it's bananas where they're going to like ACC. They get it. They're getting paid on games like the more they can do. But it's also like they're not flying, flying, flying private
jets. Now I'm assuming I know you travel like you're you're taking Southwest flights like and it's like funny we talk about the travel for like Oh my God, like you know the these you know the team has to go from you know here to there and it's like it's not bad like they are the the teams are taking you know private jets or jets provided by
the university. They're also 18. Like I just think it's interesting that you have you know 4050 sixty year old men who are like having real travel and they're going you know six games in seven days across seven states. It's like yeah people are going to get tired and like people are going to make mistakes.
I I don't know I just I think that's an A real easy fix where it's like you know, I I know we say this a lot on this pod but it's like I I know the colleges and the big Ted doesn't want to hear like this is really a professional sport. Like, I know it's a collegiate sport and we're doing that, but like, the the money is professional. Like it seems like that would be a real quick, easy fix is like
just having official rest. You see it in the NBA right now, like they're making some tweaks after the All Star break, 'cause they're able to tell the officials, like, hey, let's focus on this. And it's like now you're seeing the, you know, offensive foul rate go down. I I don't know, just just a thought. I wonder if you think the Big 10 would ever go to something like that? Yeah, I think the officials would argue the compensation has to. Agree. And I'm not. I'm not here. I'm not.
I I agree. Yeah. Yeah and and I think that's why you see a lot of these officials do it. Some of it, some of it I think is is love of the game. They they like being in arena every single night or nine nights out of 10. And yeah I think the compensation would have to match it. But I'm I'm with you. You know, there were there were several times this year where I'm watching a game on a Friday night and then I'm showing up for my game at 11:00 AM on Saturday.
And the official that was doing the game that I was watching the night before is doing the game that I'm doing. So, so the conversation was always like, how did you get here? And sometimes the answer was I drove through the night and you you you can't be at your sharpest if you're working on three hours of sleep after doing it a game the night before, so. What is what is that like? You know you're you work for Big 10. You you do you have some pretty crazy runs too.
It's like you're in like you know you're in Happy Valley and then you're in Maryland and then you're going to Evanston. Like what is the travel like for Someone Like You during the Big 10 season? Like does that all coordinated by you? Like do you just have to figure that out in your own Like, I'm just, I'm curious how that works, you know, for for the Big 10 announcing crew. Yeah, we get to we we have a travel coordinator at Big 10
Network that helps us with that. You know, we we can organize like when and where we want to get in and out of and then then our travel coordinator takes care of a lot of the details and getting it booked and all that. I'd say the difference between announcers and refs is refs are running around for 40 minutes, if if not two hours where, you know, I'm, I'm slamming a McDonald's breakfast burrito and I'm going to the arena and then calling the game. That's.
That's not to say that there there aren't days where it can feel like a little bit of a grind getting from site to site. But I will, I will. I will never complain about getting getting to do what we do. But I'd say as far as like the physical, the physical taxing definitely harder on an official in the news for the announcement. Oh yeah.
I wonder if you mess up a name Not, not that you ever have but if you mess up a name it's like the whole the whole state doesn't stop and look at you where it's like if you're a ref and you make the wrong call it's like that's that's rough We'll get off the refs. I I'm. I'm curious when you're looking at your docket for the season and you look at kind of the games you're doing what are some of the what are some of the venues in the big 10 that you're like oh man, I'm excited to go there.
Like whether it's the town the place that you know what a place you like. Dude, I'm. I'm excited. I get to go here twice this season. Assembly Hall, obviously. I know. There you go. There you go. Yeah. And why? And why is it Assembly Hall? Yeah. What's your favorite place and why is it Assembly Hall? That that, I assumed, was going to be the question. Yeah, no, I was, I was leaving it open. You could be like, I like going to Maryland or Rutgers or, you know.
Yeah, no, I I do really, really like coming to Assembly Hall. My, you know, maybe another Big 10 fan base will listen to this and yell at me next year. But my sister did go to school at Indiana, so I do have a soft spot in my heart for coming to Bloomington. My sister's older than me so when I was going through college search and all that stuff I I'll I'll now break Indiana fans hearts. But I chose Ball State over Indiana. Ball State has a really good communications program.
So like I you may not know that the Co host of our of my podcast, Galen, is a professor at IUA, part of their media school. But it's like we went to, we went to school together, we were both at the student radio station and did media things. And it's like I think at that time we were still borrowing like Ball State's truck for games. Like Ball State was just like Indiana and Galen have really built that out.
But even when I was going to school, I was kind of like, man, Ball State really has a great communications program. So you know, you you, there's nothing wrong with Ball State at all. Chirp, chirp, you know. Hey, chirp, chirp. There you go. We fly. Whatever.
We're going by now. But yeah, no, I I think from from from going to games when my sister was a student there gave me an appreciate appreciation for Assembly Hall and we would usually have Nosebleed seats and feel and hear some of the noise. But there's nothing like that first game that I did at Assembly Hall where you're down in it And it was not it was not a marquee game. I think I I had the Jackson State game that was my first game at Assembly Hall.
But it it it energizes you immediately. Just just being in there, being surrounded by the noise that bounces off the walls of the boat that is Assembly Hall. As I know you're on Indiana Pod, you can be totally honest, like, where would you rank? Just kind of in the games you've done, like the three loudest arenas in the Big 10? And Assembly Hall does not need to be in there if it's not. No, it it is, it is, it's it's up there with Breslin and Mackie, which would be the top 3 for me.
Illinois has has gotten close to that a couple of times having the student section right there behind the benches. I've always thought it would be interesting if we flipped our broadcast position because we're we're opposite of of that. It would probably be not safe for work, but I think it would be an interesting perspective to have to be over on that other side, one closer to the benches but two right in front of the
student section. Not saying I want that that'll happen but they they have a fun set up. They're kind of similar to to what Breslin is where you're across from the the student section in that way. But no, those those would be the top three for me. I'm trying to think if I I actually, I haven't done a game at Wisconsin yet. I've done Wisconsin on the road, but I haven't, I haven't had a game at Cole Center for for Wisconsin home game, so I'd probably probably need to get
there. You know, one that's underrated is Nebraska. And I think, I think Big 10 fans are starting to realize that with the season that Nebraska had. I I was there a couple of times late last season when they started to play well in February and they were selling it out and it it felt like you're in an NBA arena going to PBA. So that would be that would be one that's kind of on the cusp of of breaking through.
They they obviously get up for a big game and they I think they they deserve a lot of credit there in Lincoln for the the environment they have. Yeah, no, the the seeing it on TV, it looks, it looks pretty cool that's that's a goal of mine. Like you said, you haven't been Nicole. Like I'm I'm trying to get to I want to get to all the Big 10 arenas. I've been to a good number of them but I'd like to get to all
of them. The the one that not to throw shade but it's like the the one that seems like it's just not a great college venue or is like too big is like I think it's value city now where where Ohio State plays like it just it always feels dead in it. They also have the the weirdest camera angle. It's like for a relatively new arena it's like it is the worst angle for a camera of any big 10 venue. But it just it feels it it feels very just kind of like antiseptic like it just doesn't
feel like a great venue. At least that's I've I've not been there for a game how it sees on TV. Yeah. No. And there's, I think there's there's some truth to that from from what I've been told from people that have been in the building for the the real big games it it can be a good environment but obviously they they struggle a little bit there with moving on from football season at Ohio State sometimes.
But you know another one that's that's underrated is, is Northwestern. It's it's the perfect size. I was I was there for the overtime game against Illinois this year and that's probably the loudest venue I've been in this season You know Mackey is loud at its peak Breslin Center.
I did the the Tennessee exhibition there where it it got crazy loud felt like an earthquake and and we mentioned assembly Hall too but Northwestern the the the in state crowd and how that game went with the shot making it it kind of felt like a state championship game and the fact that it's a A7 or 8000 seat arena whatever it is the the floor shakes and it's it's really really cool to to be in there when it's at its peak. Actually, I was there for the
Indiana game last year. I I didn't call the game, but the the famous Boo Boo we push off with with with Galloway Garden. And that's when I really started to realize that Northwestern is starting to build this into a place not only where their own fans are coming, but obviously there's a lot of alumni from the Big 10 schools in Chicago. No I know. I've noticed that just on TV like it used to be four or five years ago. I mean that was just that was Assembly Hall.
NI mean there's just a there's a lot of IU grads in Chicago and they just they would load that up and it's it's starting to change based on the success Northwestern has had. Yeah. The Boo Booey push up.
There's also like that game Jalen Hood Shaffino had a half court shot which was really close and they were shooting off like steam from the back of the the the goal and it's like did that affect I I don't know if it would have gone in but it's like can we just stop shooting stuff off that have pieces that are connected to the goal while balls are still alive in the air and anyway wouldn't wouldn't have affected the season I don't
think. But you know it's it's it's not fun losing to to Northwestern. So you you mentioned football, I will ask this question. You know, going into next season, who do you think the breakout team will be? Who do you think the best new coach in the Big 10 is? And tell me why it's Kurt Cignetti in the IU Football Hoosiers. I I figured that's where you're leading me. Indiana. Indiana football is definitely leading the offseason and in trash talk. Yes, I I mean, I I love it.
I I love the fact that the coaches come in there and said that I'm doing this interview at Lucas Oil Stadium because we're going to be here for the Big 10 title game next year. Yeah, no, I I I just real quick to interrupt like I love it. I, I was at the game in Assembly Hall where he came out and was like you know produce sucks and like Michigan sucks. Ohio State sucks. And like, it's, it was funny, The few, like, little things I saw from Michigan, Ohio State
fans getting kind of pissed. And it's like, dude, what what do you want us to say? Like, oh, we're we're excited to lose. Like we're playing a game. Like, yes, we want to beat these teams. Do I think we're going to beat Michigan and Ohio State next year? No. But, like, our goal should be to want to do that. Like, it was really funny seeing the reaction. Like, how how can you say that? It's like, well, because we want to win at some point. Like, yes, we've sucked.
We've not been good. But like, we're allowed to have a little bit of confidence. Like, what are you going to do, beat us by more? Like, I don't know, it's funny. Right, right. No, I'm, I'm, I'm good with it. We'll we'll see. It ends up being an old take exposed. I'm sure it'll be used against against Indiana if they don't win those games which at some point is is just going to happen.
That's that's the the matter of fact like they're not going to win all those games every single year that Coach Cignetti is the head coach. So at some point somebody will use that. But look people are talking about Indiana throughout the conference because of some of those things and if it's just honeymoon phase talk we can
revisit it in a couple years. But he's he has won in the places that he's been and I think it just it's it's like everywhere it's it's what are your expectations are you are you happy with a bowl game every year if if you're at Indiana or is the Cignetti era failure if they aren't competing with Michigan and Ohio State for Big 10 championship.
Based on the talk from coach Cignetti it sounds like that second option is is where the expectation is is where he wants it to be. But I'm I'm really excited to to see how they can back it up and I know spring ball just got kicked off here so we get to to see all that come into focus a
little bit clearer. No and he's he's done a great job I think cuz I mean we we talked about it a little bit earlier like the the apathy thing as a football star my dogs and it's very we're we're dog heavy here on the podcast always get dogs barking as a season ticket holder for IU for like 15 years. So yes I'm one of the the few and we do a lot of football talk on this pod. You know, the apathy had set it like it just had under.
You know, you had the big the big kick with Alan in 2020 and then just the big kick in the teeth the next season and then it just kind of flat line. It's like I think the apathy had just the IU football fan base has been beaten down for a long time and kind of got excited, felt like the rug was pulled out and like there was genuine apathy this season, which he was like whatever man, I'm I'm out. I think Cignetti has done a really good job of bringing some of that back and he said
expectations. It's like I you know we can have fun with talking about you know Michigan and Ohio State sucking but it's like that's not we are competing against the the Purdue's the Illinois's kind of the the you know Maryland, Rutgers like those mid level teams. Like that's where we're competing against and trying to get six wins, trying to get a ball. Like we can have high aspirations, but we can miss those aspirations, still have successful seasons.
And just important that, you know, at times it feels like
Indiana's just been like. Very aggressively non competitive in football and it's like with with the way that college athletics is going it it's not it's not possible to do that and where things are moving it's like you just you need to be more competitive in in football and it it feels like they're they're making that move and they they did like you know big buyout for Alan and then you know getting Cignetti and and putting the resources there and all the pieces like it's it is
hopefully they can back some of it up but it is an exciting time for IU football at least we feel like we've won the offseason which isn't a game but it's it feel like we've done at least as bet as well as we can do in the offseason. Right, right. No doubt. And not not to look back too much, but I just think about the the margins of last season and I'm sure you've you've covered this on this podcast. But look what Louisville ended up doing and and how close Indiana was to winning that
game. Yeah you can always play the the the hindsight game but if Indiana won that game would there have been a coaching change? I don't I don't know. But you're you're 4th and goal from from the half yard line and Louisville ended up being a a team that was playing for an ACC championship. So that that was the moment for me where things kind of turned last year. Then of course you had, you had
the Akron game. That I think led to to some of the apathy and frustration that that carried into the rest of the season last year. Yeah. I think. I I was there for that late night in in Bloomington and and for overtimes. Yeah, that was, that was, that was a tough game. That was a rough like you won. But that's like that's as bad,
as bad of a win as you can have. And it was, yeah, yeah, I don't want to relitigate last year, but no, it's like that that that fourth of the that thing against like I think there was multiple times where we continued to get stuffed on, you know fourth and one at the goal. I think there was a time before that Louisville game and that Louisville game and it's just like we get down there and it's like we're not a running power team, but yet you just keep jump jamming the ball in.
I don't know that's it's it is it's in the past. We are moving on. I I can tell I I brought up some some scars there, so my bad. No, no, no, no, no, you're fine. No, you're fine. It's just it is wild like, you
know, I think it was. It was Jeremy Irons, I think was a quarterback of of Akron and it's like, you know, with the way Alan talked about at the end, he was playing like Michael Vick. But then you look at his stats the rest of the year, it's like this is not who this guy is like this is and all credit man, he had a great game.
But yeah it's rough but you look at this coming season you know it's it's got a you have a really good kind of easy lead in like for for Indiana you start with you know FIU at home, Western Illinois at home you should be two and O and then you go to UCLA. I'm going to that game maybe if you're calling it we can we can hook up with the I'm I'm excited to go to the Rose Bowl. But it's like as Big 10 schools go you know it's not Ohio State it's not Michigan.
Like you got to win some Big 10 games. Like UCLA is not a A putt too far, so to speak. You know that's a game that theoretically you you might win like it's not awful and then you're you're home to, home to Charlotte, home to Maryland. Again, I'm not saying you're going to start five and O, but it's like that's not you know, UCLA and Maryland are not what I would call the cream of the
cropper. It's not going to Wisconsin or something like so I don't know, I I look at the the road, it's like I've been saying for a while, Indiana could be 4 and O or you know four and one or five and O and we're not even sure if they're a great team or not. Yeah, I mean you you start playing that game. UCLA has a new code. Chip Kelly leaves late in the offseason. Maryland's is going to have a new quarterback.
So just just on the surface level, I think there is a path where you can start dreaming of a quick start for Hoosier football. What as we talk about football, what what do you as a broadcaster do you have? Like, do you enjoy football or basketball more, or are they the same? Or like do you look, do you look forward to calling 11 sport more than the other? I think my favorite season is crossover season. So November get to do both or. You get to do both at the same
time. You're you're you're right on the edge of conference season starting for basketball and you're you're closing out the final month of football season. So when it's when it's all going at once and you get to have some of those crazy travel nights like we talked about, yeah, that's that's an adrenaline rush for me as an announcer. So no, I don't, I don't really have a preference, honestly. Volleyball would be in my, I guess, big group of sports that
I like to call. That's that's how I started with Big 10 Network and had a chance to do the volleyball day in Nebraska, where they set the the world. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, so, so volleyball would be right in there with the mix. And then I call a lot of baseball too. So I'd say that's that's kind of my core even though I have done water polo and track and field some some of those sports that aren't on TV quite as much for Big 10 network. But those, those would be the
Big four I would say. Are you are you excited for the the West Coast teams and the West Coast trips? I am, yeah. Yeah. I think that, you know, this was somebody was giving me a hard time the other day. I was out there this summer, just on a vacation, driving down the coast. I always wanted to drive the Pacific Coast Highway.
I went from Seattle all the way down to LA, and on my way in Seattle, I stopped by Washington's campus, drove through Eugene, stopped by Oregon's campus, and then went to LA and and saw the other two as well. So it was kind of like an unintentional Big 10 tour. And then a week later, Oregon and Washington got announced. OK, So aggregated here, Connor, Connor Onion actually did the deals to get this done. All right.
Right. Yeah. You you were the Emissary. It's like they weren't following your like your your airplane tail number. It's like we'll send Connor out to get the deal, to get the deal done. Well, Congrats on signing the deal. Well, thanks for bringing those schools in. We appreciate it. Yeah, as as I'm commonly known as Tony Petiti's right hand man. That's that's irony in case nobody caught that. No, I I'm, I'm really excited for it.
I I hope at some point that you know I I get to get to experience sailgating at Washington, being out there on the lake outside of the football stadium. And I'll tell you Austin Stadium is the most highly secured football stadium I've ever been around.
Really. When I went, when I went there for a visit to to Eugene this summer, there were like 3 gates that you have to get through to get into the stadium and nobody was really around that day ended up getting in there, but like you can't climb a fence and just get into Austin Stadium. I think they, I think they have like facial recognition and that sort of thing to try to get through the gates. So I don't know if they've had issues there.
Maybe that's a story that I don't know, but I was just waiting for there to be, like an alligator in a Moat that you had to cross to to get it to Hudson Stadium. Or maybe you were wearing it. Maybe you didn't know what you were wearing. Adidas, like just you had the wrong brand on. It's like Nike. Only like if you had a Nike. It's like the Wizard of Oz. The gates just open and it's like, oh, Connor, come in. Thank you. I should have gone to the Nike store 1st and gotten fitted and then.
Yeah, yeah. If you come with the receipt like over 100 bucks like oh you're you're welcome in come on in No I think it's are you you know were were you happy to see that addition like do you think it's the I think the big 10's in a good spot expanding out to the West Coast. Yeah I I think it was necessary with with what the SEC has done and and just kind of where the the realignment picture has gone better to be proactive than to to have what's happened to some
of the other leagues. So obviously it's it's going to be good for TV. You know I I say that understanding how it benefits the conference and the network that that I cover quite a bit but it's it's not lost on me that it is sad for the PAC 12. You know the the regionality of some of those rivalries were really fun to watch as a college sports fan and that's that's what I am at my core like that's why I got into this. So it's it there.
There are two ends of it is understanding that it is good for the Big 10. It is an exciting opportunity to potentially go out there and cover some games while also balancing that. You know there there are people that lost jobs because of this and fan bases that won't get to see the regional rivalries that that we love in the Midwest like Indiana and Purdue. Yeah.
No it's it's a fair points. When I was with some friends yesterday watching the first round of the NCAA term was talking kind of college sports stuff and it's like I I hate turning into old man get off my lot. I I fully understand everything that happened. I think it's good for the Big 10. It all makes sense. It had to happen. But I do I do lament the changes in college sports because I like you. I kind of like, you know, PAC 12 football which is different than Big 12 football and Big 10
football was different. It was you know, I I even kind of missed the Thomas yesterday. Like I think it's a dumb way to find a national champion but kind of like just having a bunch of bowls and then you vote on it. It's like you have all these different styles. It's like how do we how do we fit this? And it's like, you know, I, I we're not moving back to that. But there is a world where like having an imperfect system was
kind of fun and interesting. And it wasn't perfect, but it's like if you wanted perfection and like you wanted to get it right, you you'd watch pro sports. Like that's where college sports is. Like it's it's different, it's quirky, it's like there's these
little nuances. And I do, you know, there's not a question here, but I just, I do wonder if like rounding all the edges off and turning into a smaller version of pro sports, if you're going to lose some of that, and probably not the money would would say that I'm wrong and people don't mind it, but it does. It does feel different and maybe this is just getting older and seeing things change, but it I, I do wonder if like we'll look up in 20 years and spec man, I
kind of miss. I kind of miss when it was, you know, weird and quirky. Yeah, yeah. No, I I think there will be a lot of things we do miss. I think as as a a fan of college sports I think we'll find new things to love about it and new things to be fodder for conversations like this. But but yeah like the the Apple Cup going away is sad. You know Oregon State, Washington State kind of being left on the outside.
I I feel for those schools. You know Washington State is playing the NCAA tournament right now. So they obviously have some national credibility and and relevance as far as TV sports, but but the markets are smaller and I understand where we're at as ATV industry too.
Yeah no I I feel bad for those schools that have kind of been left behind and and but it's you we we we represent a little bit in this pod but if you go read some of the stories about what was going on with the PAC 12 and their administration like they they didn't help themselves at all. Maybe this is all inevitable but the the PAC 12 leadership and what they were doing, like they they really, I'll just leave it like they really didn't help themselves.
Go go read about it and like see what the the commissioners were spending and the things they turned down and what they were doing. And like they they made a lot of mistakes and that they could have stopped some of the bleeding at any point. Along the way, yeah. No, it's it there. There'll be, there'll be a book written about it. I don't know if, I don't know if you're going to take the lead on it. Not a writer. I'm a talker not a right.
No. There there is a great book out there that they could be written a lot of it.
But I think The thing is is that the the the sands are still shifting like you know not going to ask you like but I I do think we're not completely well I'll ask you if you can agree or disagree and you can take it however you want and then we'll start wrapping up. But like I I think there's still more shifting to come like it there's there still feels like there's some schools out there that are unaffiliated one in South Bend and you know some schools that are like just at
some point have got to figure out how to get in their school Like Florida State doesn't want doesn't is not happy with their set up. You know, the ACC schools are kind of like it just it feels like we got one more round and like we'll get to a 20 and 22 nuts in the SEC and and it'll go from there to it doesn't feel like this is completely done as
it stands right now. No, we've we've got a lot of court time coming if if the Clemson situation this week is any indication of, you know some of those documents going public on how they're trying to get out of the grant of rights, which is their agreement with ESPN, which keeps that conference together through 2036, so. It's also just a wild. That's a wild docket. Like the fact they signed that. Like, I get why ESPN wanted to do it.
It's just while they lock themselves into that and it's I I I understand like you want that long term security.
But it is, you know, it's to a point where you know again it's good for us. It's it's definitely good for you being on the Big 10 Network. But I've been joking with friends that, you know, we're getting to a point for those who aren't fully locked into this where it's like I don't see a world in two or three years where like, you know, when Indiana's looking for Kurt Cignetti or looking for a coach, it's in in, like, you know, Cignetti's 62, so I doubt he
would take another job. But like, let's say he's super successful in three or four years and we do play in the Big 10 title game. And, you know, IU fans are always like, oh, what if he gets poached? I'm kind of like, well, we're at a point where the only teams that can poach him are Big 10 or SCC. Like, as long as Big 10 and SCC schools are doing their job.
Like there, there really isn't a world as I see it where any other conference can poach teams like maybe a Clemson, maybe a Florida State. That's like every other school in the Big 12 and the ACC. Not to be a Dick, but it's like they just don't have the money. Like, and and every year it's going to get exponentially worse where it's like Indiana, even as bad as we are at football, we're making $80 million a year off
the Big 10 network. Clemson's making like 30, and so there's an extra 50 every single year. That's a in three years, $150 million we have, they don't have like there's no world where you know, Oklahoma State can just be like, hey, we're going to pay an extra $35,000,000 to steal a A
coach away from a Big 10 school. So I I think from a Big 10 perspective, it's like that's kind of nice that you're only basically fighting against the same 32 teams and you don't you know the the the world where it's like you're going to lose a coach to Oregon State. Like they're out of the, they're out of the picture now. Like, they're just, they're not going to be able to poach a coach from Indiana. No, that's there's there's a lot of truth in what you said.
I think the only there there's not really an equalizer from the the TV money that comes in through those two leagues. But I I'd say like 1 outlier might be SMU. They they have pretty deep pockets there as far as being able to go to the ACC and not take some of that TV money right
away. They're not taking TV money for like 8 years or something or three years or it's it's a it's a like they're they're again, we're not an SMU podcast, but it's like go go look at it like it's wild, like they are just not taking money. And when they announced it, they immediately got like $120 million in donations. Right, right. So maybe that's the work arounds but you better have deep pockets in your your alumni base to to
to be one of those outliers. But yeah I I think I think that's that's a good point about the hire of Kurt Cignetti is you you almost hired a coach at the perfect age for what you need if if that that fear is that you have success and he leaves. I I I think he said it publicly that he wants this to be his last job and and he wants to win for several years Here's so. When it's it's probably a, it's probably an Indian.
It's probably a fan base thing everywhere where you're always worried about like getting there unless you're at the upper as like I don't think IU basketball. We're not worried about our coaches being poached IU football. It's funny, the fans that that I talked to were always like, we had Kevin Wilson in like the first two years, like, he did OK And it's like, Oh my God, what if he leaves? And like, even with Tom Allen that one year, it's like, Oh my God, what if he leaves?
And my thing has always been like, go look at the history. Like there's never been an IU coach who has been poached for a better job. Like, it just hasn't happened. Like all of our coaches have been fired, like or like Steve Weiss left for the NFL. Like, it's just there's not a long history. It's not like we're, you know, Michigan State where it's like you had Saban and you lost him or it's like you like it doesn't happen. I've always like that would be great.
Like if we get a coach poached by Alabama, which I guess we kind of did with Deborah going like a very roundabout way that Deborah was that. It was a coordinator. I'm joking. But it's like if we have our, like if Tom Allen would have gotten hired by Auburn, like that would have sucked at the time. But I'm like, that's a good thing because that means we were good. Like we just normally our coach.
It's it's, I just think it's funny how far we put the cart ahead of the horse where it's like people are already like worried about like what if we lose? Like so then. He hasn't even coached the game yet. Like, let him win 3 before we worry about him going to Alabama anyway. It's but I'm sure every fan base in kind of that midsection is always worried about that. Yeah, by the way, Alabama poached the South Dakota high school coach. That's that's the real roundabout way, right?
That's a fair way to put it. Yeah, that's A and I think it's funny like I I mean, I'm taking it like those are Indiana ties. But it's like he was a coordinator here for one year. Like I'm not sure how deep, how deep his roots are to Indiana. But to me, it's like that was we were in the national champ, we had we had a quarterback, we had Pennix, we had Devore, like that was an IU title to be won right there. Yeah, well, yeah. And in the short term, you win.
I understand you fear you might lose your coach, but but you win. You're having a good time as a fan base for a couple years, but then when it comes time to hire the next guy the the job is more attractive so. You keep it going well, we'll end on this Connor. We don't want to lose you. We love you on the Big 10 Network. We don't want to lose you. So we don't want we don't want you poached by like ESPN or CBS.
So stay with us at the Big 10 Network and stay in this this college ACOs for you're you're a Midwest guy you went to Ball State you live in Chicago. Like, stay with us.
No, I I appreciate that. No, I I love covering the Big 10 and like you mentioned this is the the conference that that I grew up on. So it was it was definitely a pinch me moment when I got to do my first game and I I think I've I've kept that gratitude as I've I've been at this for four or five years now with the Big 10 network. So I'll I'll I'll always be a Midwest guy and the the Big 10 is it's what I feel like is my home conference.
So yeah, it's been a really, really fun run here the last four or five years. No, it's it's awesome to be able to grow up, be able to do it like you're you're you're living the dream that a lot of a lot of people listen to this pod like aspiring broadcasters like you've you've done it. So some point we need to have you on and kind of go through your whole journey. But we went long today.
The only thing that you did that is super smart that you're able to get on is you own connoronion.com like you got your own URL like it's funny. I was actually looking for like our last name like for for my kids. I I had to add like go to my like you couldn't even get you. You got your names like for all. If you're in media school right now like go and get if your name URL is there, go get it 'cause I I pulled that up. That's that's awesome.
Like that's a good pull by you. That's that was advice I got four or five years ago and and somebody made that same exact point like you've got to claim this before somebody else does. And at the time I was thinking like who else is going to claim connoronion.com unless it's like fire connoronion.com or something like that, I I can't imagine why somebody would. Well, again, man, you you don't want apathy like, hey, I mean, not that not that anyone's going to start that website.
At least that means people care about Connor Onion. Like if there's a fight. I'm just totally kidding. No, we No. No, I I I don't. All right. Well Connor, it's been, it's been awesome to have you on. I appreciate you taking the time you're you're getting into the slow season but we look forward to having like love to have you back on maybe beginning of football season. We really preview IU, see what we have, maybe see what games you're doing and then we'll go
from there. Yeah, no, it would love to be back on and I'm glad we could finally make this happen, Scott. Yeah, no, it's great talking to you and look forward to you next time for Crimson Cast. This is Scott signing off.