You're listening to the back home network presented by home field apparel. Welcome as Crimson Cask ale and Claudio Scott Caulfield back with you. Once again, here it is. March. Happy March Scott the This used to be the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, man, what happened to us? But no, the weather is nice outside. You've got tournament play going on. The women are in the Big Ten Tournament right now.
They actually knocked off Rutgers yesterday and they've got a date with Maryland. Again. It's very important today. So there's good basketball being played. Just not by the men's team right
now. And so we're going to talk about that will talk about the big loss to Rutgers this past Wednesday. And we will also discuss the overall situation with the men's basketball team and kind of figure out where things go from here before we get started, like to mention that home field apparel is a presenting. Sponsor of crimson cast, as well as the whole back home network. You can then adjust have had a friends-and-family sale here
recently. They've always got these little sales that are popping up and they continue to add great merchandise to the overall collection. They've been doing some really nice basketball. Hands here lately. They had to pull a few weeks ago. They had Kansas this week. And that's going to be a lot of fun. Kansas Scott. I feel like is one of those basketball brands that you can be an IU fan and root for Kansas and not feel like you're doing anything wrong.
Like, if you're rooting for Kentucky. It's like, what on Earth is wrong with you? If you're rooting for North Carolina or Duke. It's like, wow, you're a sellout, we do. But Kansas is like every year they have a legitimate chance at winning a national title and you don't feel that. Thought that far off from the Indiana brand overall. They're like, you know, the Adidas partner that doesn't mind, you know, the cheating and so forth.
So I guess we can just kind of salute them and buy shirts from home field, apparel featuring The Kansas Jayhawks, but many other options out there and you can use the code home, Home2, get a discount on your first purchase. So again, check out home field apparel.com and you'll find many things there that you will enjoy. So go and check them out. If you haven't already Scott, hi, how you doing? Yeah, then we play Kansas next
year. So it's kind of messed up to is like, now, we can't really be a Kansas fan next year. It's too bad. Yes. I know the, you know, actually playing teams makes it harder. Yes. Yeah, playing good teams. Is it as a novelty? I'm good, man. It's that this is very, very select. Few. Like one of my very good friends, Teddy out in l.a. Who listens to the pot of a group with a friend named Rose. We went to Kings Island his kids or high school kids. I remember we did, they grow.
Beast and she had never been on a roller coaster. We hit the first downhill, we go down and then we like hit the clink and starts going up again. And she's like, we gotta do it again. Like, it's been here for years, but it's like, that's how I feel with this pod is like, we gotta do it again, have to do this again. I will prefer those listening in the car with young kids. I'm getting very close to like getting rid of the Scott doesn't curse moratorium. So just be be prepared.
Have the mute button, ready to rock and roll. I feel like cursing is somewhat needed after a game like this. I love how I love Allah. Oh, this is somehow a burden on you. And yet, I'm the one. I'm the one that has to go in and put all the Beeps in. I'm the one that has to produce the podcast. So your big burden is, oh my brain feels better because I used a bad word. Whereas it's like, oh great. Let's create 30 more minutes of work for Galen while he produces
this thing. So I please unburden yourself, sir. As it should be. Thank you. I appreciate it. Here's my question for you. We'll talk about the game. I just I got to know because for me, it was laughing. My answer was I just had to laugh. You were, you were sitting at happened. Kind of right in front of you? What were your thoughts, and feelings as Ron Harper jr. Dropped his nuts on the assembly. Hall floor.
I mean, did you buy? Did you see the Run Harper jr. Like licensed sweatshirt with him doing that? They're just serious and go right. Go right now, too. Twitter go to run our for juniors, Twitter and you you're gonna if you go to run, Harbor Juniors, Twitter, he's actually already like this was yesterday. He's got a who's your daddy hoodie?
And a t-shirt collection. That's available that he's selling, which commemorates him carrying his package along the assembly hall floor after hitting that three and I I haven't ordered one yet. I'm considering it. It seems like a great holiday gift that you might be able to give to somebody. Yeah, it's it was I say this, I'm looking at it now guys why it's wild, isn't it? That is not a sponsor for the podcast. Got to say, we're not, we're not fans of this.
I will say, it's interesting, like I this is the kind of n IL I respect because not only does he have a, who's your daddy package delivery, but I guess we'll call it that. That t-shirt, but on the same merch page, he's got a down, goes number 1 shirt of him beating, Purdue with that last second shot. This is, well done this whole thing. I'm actually I'm pretty impressed with how this has been set up. So, anyway, my thoughts it's funny.
I earlier on, I think probably at that seven minute, Mark when Indiana was going through there now, traditional offensive death spiral in the second half. I said to myself. I'm really concerned about the prospects of being up by two at the end of the game with Ron Harper, jr.
And Geo Baker on the other team. And so when Stewart hits the three, finally and Indiana ties it up and Rutgers inbounds it and it goes to write to Ron Harper, jr. And they've got one guy defending Ron Harper jr. I'm like, he's gonna hit the shot because that wasn't even a question. It was just like, how much time will be left after he hits this shot, and Sure enough. It it went that way. It was very predictable.
And it was I have to say, you never like to see players like celebrating in in that manner, in your home gym, but he deserved it. He that he hit the shot and there's not a whole lot. You can do about it at this point. Yeah. I mean, you know, he hit the shot. He won the game. He took down, I you he took down Purdue. He owns the state of Indiana, but I will say watching him the second half. Laughs. I would whisper I brought my buddy and neighbor Robert down to the game.
We're so they're talking. It's like I've not seen a high level player kind of meander that much during a game. Like, Ron Harper jr. Looked at times disinterested looked like he wasn't running because he wasn't, and I was saying, like, I don't know why, like, they were running his own.
I was kind of joking. I wonder if they're running his own just because Ron Harper Geno's want to run and play man-to-man defense, but it's like go at him like move the ball to that side of the zone and just pound the ball against. Like double team him make him move on offense. Like he was, he was his offense, is kind of like, I'm just going to stand here and wait for an open three. And I'm going to crush every open three.
But it was a bizarre game to watch, but it's something it's on, I you to take advantage of that and they did none of that. It is also, you know, we've had discussions back and forth like it is just, I'm kind of scattershot stuff. It's like there is so much out. Alpha and Xavier Johnson, which is great, but it like it just shines out to a point where it's like, this guy is such an outlier on this team. In a positive way that he just does so much.
You know, my moment where I'm like, the season's over was where I was. I just saw Xavier push Milady. Okay. The into the, into the bench. I didn't see the punch afterwards. I was just like, that's the end of the season, but I'm thinking like that only happens because I, again, I'm not on the team. Obviously, you're big big surprise here, but it's like you're just watching. It's like Xavier. You wonder if he's feels like, I'm the only guy doing anything like, I've got to make something.
He's the only one who felt like, who you can see acting like, this is the end of our season that we've got to do something and it's like, all right. I'm just gonna put like, I'm just going for the ball doing whatever. I mean to me. Xavier cemented a spot in my kind of IU fan. I was like that guy's just busting his ass hard at the entire game, but it is.
It's wild seeing it against some of the other players where I know they're trying another busting hard, but it just doesn't it. Is show the same way. But on defense mean, Xavier is just all over the place. It is anyway, that that play to was also a kind of a wild end of
the game. Yeah. It was one of those things where that whole last minute was just crazy and it was one of those games where I you had the opportunity to kind of salted away at the end of the first half beginning of the second half and of course, they didn't. And you just felt like the trajectory of the game was going to be kind of like the Purdue game where it's like, Anna's got this lead. They let it get away.
And then they're either going to have to make a play or a couple of plays down the stretch or they're going to end up losing. Well, you know the Purdue game. We kind of got the first half of that equation and unfortunately in this Rutgers game we get the second half of the equation but it was it was a very odd game in a lot of ways in that it was a game where Rutgers look like.
They were going to really have trouble maintaining any semblance of a normal offensive structure and then all of a sudden and they started hitting shots because Indiana was doing a poor job of guarding them. There were a lot of confusing decisions made as far as leaving Ron Harper jr. On switches and what you ended up with was a game where you got dominated essentially by, I would say, two guys Harper jr. With 19 points, and he shot 548 from three, but also all marui
with 12, rebounds and 13 points. And and there I you just didn't have an answer. In the paint that was trying as hard. And I think what your point is well-taken, like you looked at Xavier Johnson and Johnson did not have a great offensive game, you know, he but he was at least trying to do some things and this was the fourth straight game. Where he scored in double figures. It was, you know, it was not a great game from a turnover perspective.
But a lot of that was his teammates not doing a lot to help him out in a lot of stretches. And It just to me, I guess, across the board outside of Xavier Johnson. You looked at the contributions that I you made for the totality of the game. And it's really hard to point to anybody and say, wow, that players effort and energy level really stood out, you know, offensively Parker Stewart and Miller cop essentially no. Showed again. I do think Parker Stewart
deserves some credit. He had a couple of decent defensive possessions, and obviously, even though he missed a few leading up to You did hit the shot that tied the game that kind of got lost in the shuffle there, but he does deserve credit for continuing to put shots up, Miller.
Cop just was essentially a no-show offensively for most of the game and then, you know, it was confusing because race Thompson was kind of his steady overall, self wasn't exemplary, but certainly, you know, yes, he made some mistakes on defense, but he had the toughest defensive assignment. And then Trace Jackson, Davis had an awesome first half and you're like, hey, this is great. You're seeing traced.
Jackson Davis, like come out of this funk that he's been in and then he just essentially didn't show up in second half again. I mean, it would like was was getting double-teamed, you know, certainly Rutgers was making it difficult, but a, there was no adaptation by race or by Trace Jackson, Davis to try to get out of where he was at, and do something different.
And there was no adaptation by Mike Woodson to try to do something different, because they obviously made a concerted effort to take J Stax and Davis away. And so it's, I would love to know how many touches he had in the Can have yeah, like, I don't know, but we're talking about that. The game is like, I don't know. He scored like, what? Two points. I think it was for, but but, you know, the two of those were free
throws. Yeah, it's it was, it was one of those games and we've seen a lot of these very left and 10 touches, probably. I mean, I, it may be more or less than that, but it was another one of the games that we've seen out of Trace Jackson Davis down, the stretch. We're opposing defenses, are just like, look, you're not going to beat us with the relatively Limited.
Limited arsenal of moves that you've got, you know, you if we are not able to take it away in the first half and that's our primary thing to worry about will just focus on taking it away in the second half and dare somebody else to beat us and I you just hasn't been able to because even, you know, Xavier Johnson, like ultimately, he either is able to spot up and shoot from three or he finds lanes and drives to the basket.
Well, teams, I think have found that In many cases, they're able when they're doubling the post on Trace Jackson. Davis to just as easily. Take away. The driving lanes that Xavier Johnson has been utilizing and then it's like now, what. So it was it was a real good summation of most of the offensive issues that this Indiana team has had over the course of the Season or at least over the course of the second half of the season.
And unfortunately for Indiana, it happened in a game that they just could not afford to have this type of a performance in. Hey, look, I mean, one of the things in this game that I think is interesting. Indiana's played pretty well. Overall this season against slow tempo teams. And then these games were, there hasn't been a huge amount of possessions. Indiana's. Defense is generally been able to make the deal the difference.
In this one. They allowed over a point per possession to Rutgers and there just weren't that many possessions in this game overall. And that's that's I think that was probably the biggest problem like this game plan. Probably should have resulted in a narrow victory for Indiana. All Things Considered. But in this case, you had Ron Harper jr. On the other team who not only wasn't afraid to take those shots at the end. But knew that he could make them. And I think everybody had an
idea that he could make them. And so the whole plan of just like well, it's grind, this out ends up, not working because you come up against an opponent who's shown several times this season now that they're able to win those types of games? Where his Indiana isn't always able to Yeah, I mean and sometimes you know, the simplest answer just is the answer where I mean you go six from 21 43. It's just like, that's just not good enough. You just can't do it.
And a lot of those were wide open looks. I mean, I was thinking this in the Minnesota game that, you know, we had Minnesota dead to rights and they came back and I was thinking that whatever were down 10 on the road. It feels weird on 10. It's like, it feels like it's just over. Why can't we come back and say? Oh, yeah, because Minnesota to started hitting Three and we just we don't do that. Like the games that we do that were rough. Rob, fantasy went nuts hitting
threes. We we almost we beat Purdue like the game were Parker Stewart went like, you know, 648 from three. We, you know, damn near beat Syracuse in a, you know, a hundred and ten point double overtime game, you know, why did Rutgers come kind of storming back in the second half because they were hitting threes.
It really is tough at its. I mean, I hate the, you know, you gotta hit open threes, but you just got to Well, like it was the first Parker Stewart Miss. I like, you know, we're talking about it. Like Woodson was going to take some crap. It's like, he ran a great play. Like, Parker Stewart, had a wide open three, top of the key, and he Mission at some point, a lot of those threes were wide open. They were good place to get threes. And we just, we've got to be
able to shoot better. We've got to be able to make threes. And it, this is why this team is flawed and is always going to have this problem. This year is I mean teams that just start hitting threes. We can't compete. We just can't and like teams can come back. Teams, construct leads. We don't have that ability to come back and or stretch leads because outside of two or three games this year. We're just not a consistent. Three-point shooting team.
Yeah. No, it's I think the biggest problem you got two people in the starting lineup, who just, they're there to hit shots. You mean Stewart and copper there to hit shots and they're just not hitting shots. And then it's not I'm not even looking at it as a criticism. It's just a reality. Like this group of players has not shown an ability to hit the shots that they're supposed to
hit. And unfortunately for Indiana, there's really nobody else on the bench who can come in and do those things without taking a big chunk of Defense off the table. And so you end up with People say well, why are like, this was a game where? Yes, you probably should have had Geronimo in the game.
You probably should have had Tomorrow Bates in the game, but they've been worse offensively than cop and Stewart have been and so it's not even a matter of well Woodson should have sat those two guys down because yes in a vacuum, he should have but you're not bringing in anybody that's going that shown the ability to do any better over all over. The the course of the season. And at least the course of this last couple of weeks worth of games.
And you know, what's interesting, is when you talk about three, pointers in particular, since the Penn State game Indiana in all of their games.
They hit six. 3s. 3, 3, 4, 3 is 5. 3 is 5 3, 6. 3 is 5 3 is 10 threes against Minnesota and then back to 6 against Rutgers and when you look at what their opponents have done in, Many of those games they just as you said, been outscored from the ark and it's just what you know, this was a relatively consistent thing that I you was able to rely on in several games. They've certainly Fallen apart in a lot of their their losses or the close games that they've had from three.
And what I guess is really problematic is In the starting lineup right now, the way it has to be a situation where you've got outside shooting opening up the lane. It's really the only way that this particular approach works and when that's not happening, it just makes it so much easier on the opponent's and Indiana. Just has no second options.
In terms of trying to generate offense, that, you know, they don't get to the Lane particularly well and they don't use athleticism to put themselves in positions where they're getting a Tremendous number of foul shots or, you know, being a or able to convert a tremendous number of foul
shots. So I do worry about, I guess the overall prognosis for the remainder of the season because what we're seeing out of this Indiana team right now is essentially what they've been doing for the last month and a half. I think the Hope was that the games against Maryland Minnesota had awoken them and gotten them out of this slump that they'd been in but Essentially. No, I think what the Rutgers game showed us was that this is a team that is essentially kneecapped offensively.
I don't know. I don't think there's a way to fix it because they're not going to play anything, but good teams from this point forward and good teams have shown, they can shut Indiana's offense down and at that point, the biggest Advantage Indiana's had, which has been their defense becomes much less of an advantage, because they simply can't keep up with the scoring of the opposition.
Yeah, I mean if you go basically this calendar year Mike, I was going to take it from the Purdue game, you know, from the Purdue win. We've only beaten three teams, Maryland, Minnesota Penn State, all who are sub 80 and Ken pom. So you look at that. It's like, alright, this team hasn't shown ability to beat anybody. It has to beat moving forward. Yeah, you know, just hasn't done
it, since January 20th. If you go to the beginning of the year, you know, it's week, two teams, Ohio, State and Purdue. But then you only add one more team, we can be eaten as Nebraska. You know, it's it is Bleak. But yeah, it's you know, you look at that, Maryland. Minnesota as like art, maybe they've woken up. Sadly could also be maybe. Maryland Minnesota has aren't that good and maybe we're just we're just the tenth best team in the Big Ten and there they
12th in the 14th. Best team in the Big Ten and were able to beat teams at that level. Yeah, man. It's you know, I don't know if we want to go. I have a negative route and a positive, right? We can go one or the other so you I kind of want to end on the positive. Okay, I don't want to dwell on the negative. But I mean this is can I go bigger picture or like want to like get you you do what you want to go? You're fine. Take us where you want to go.
It's fine. I mean, this is this is the thing that I really want to hit is just at a bigger picture and this is the problem that really frustrated me in the Archie are and I probably never adequately set it correctly. I'm probably not going to Adequately, like push it out to
now. But I wrote this down as an Indiana basketball fan, where I think Indiana is where we offer, you know, we offer as a program, the resources we put into it and the fact that our athletic department, we sell ourselves as a historically, great. And, you know, good program and we are a basketball school. This is what I think a four-year run as a new coach to look like the first year. You should make the NCAA tournament. The second year. You should be top five, Big Ten
somewhere in that. Range and be in the NCAA tournament at a higher seat. The third year. You should be in the top three in the Big Ten and pushing for that second weekend of the NCAA tournament. And by year for your at, you know, you're at peak level you are competing for Big Ten titles and you're going to the final four. Now, it's funny. I'm talking to my friend Robert and the way down and he's, he's like your well, but yeah, it's not always linear. It's like, yeah, like pet Michigan.
State could get bounced once as a 2 seed, but then like they come back in like, two years later. They're back up to that level. Like they're not myth like they're not having these ups and downs and like by the way, you can have bad Seasons here or there if you had that nice run, but that's kind of a four-year window.
For me that what I'm very concerned about is what happened under Archie is by year for that tea was not prepared to compete for a Big Ten title or a final four, but it's like, we were just as a fan basic. All we got to do is make the tournament to me. It's like, if you miss your year, one expectations year to expectations, don't change. You know, she don't get a five year plan or Six year plan or a seven-year plan. Now year, one and two. The expectations are kind of the same.
So, next year. I'm again, expecting top five, Big Ten may or may not happen, but I'm still expecting NCAA tournament year. 3 is where it gets tough, where I expect a top three and you're pushing for the second weekend, and I'm worried that we're just going to push all of our expectations as a fan base back, one more year and I'm, you know, this is where I need you to kind of help me find better corollaries, but you look at like, Brad Underwood it, Illinois who took over?
I don't think was a Better or Worse program? I'm not sure they have more or less resources that us. I think they have less. I would have historically, have less to kind of pull from, you know, his first two years were a little bit rougher than you want. But by year three, he was there by your for their fourth seat, 4th ranked team in the country. It can be happening for years.
So that is from a negative point where I'm very concerned that I don't want to see that slide of expectations where by year three or four, it's like, yes, in reality. This team has Archie's fourth year that team had no chance of making the Final Four. But to me, it's like that's not my problem. Like that is a your problem, kind of situation. And those are the Expectations by year for for Coach. So I just I'm just laying that
out there. Now that my expectations are going to step up year over year, even if you know, we look like we're going to be losing 80 percent of our starting five. So that's I don't know. I want to get that out there. Okay. I mean look, I guess I take a slightly different approach on this in that.
The way that the program is set up is very much dependent on what the coach is able to do in terms of selling a vision and what the players that that coach brings in are able to accomplish within the confines of that vision. And I think that, you know, the, when you look at IU, basketball over the course of this last 13, 14, 15 years. There's been a lot of support given to coaches while they're
here. And the coaches have essentially kind of backed themselves into Corners Koreans Corner, that he backed himself into was just really sloppy recruiting practices. As he got further into his tenure. He's kept pulling players in that just did not have the capacity to be complete ballplayers. He, you know, players that were at a certain caliber of above and it up going elsewhere. He was hard to play for for, for several players.
That ended up leading to issues as well Miller, you know, for whatever reason was incapable of bringing in players that were able to rise to an occasion from a personality perspective. And you know, the I think what you're seeing on this roster right now is still largely that now. Yes, you've got some new players that have come in some of the transfers that Woodson brought in and I don't know that they've necessarily worked out either in.
Cases like Xavier Johnson. I think they have but in other cases they haven't now, what does all that mean? In terms of long-term prognosis for the program. I mean, the big issue for Indiana right now is that, you know, despite what look like a good foundation and despite certainly a lot of increases on the defensive side of the ball, which I think would some deserves credit for there.
Really hasn't been much that look as looked different in terms of the output for this IU basketball team. It's hard for me to sit here and just point the finger entirely Woodson, because you are dealing with a roster of players that is largely left over from the previous coaching staff, not completely. But, but largely, and you've got pieces that plugged into that and guess what? They've largely taken on the culture that was already there.
It's more to me. It's less a matter of like output as it is. What's the culture of the program, that's being constructed and does it actually relate to. High level or at least mid-level success. Both of which are things. Indiana hasn't really enjoyed over the course of the last seven, eight, nine years, and I don't know. I mean I was I was positive about it overall.
About two months ago. I was like, wow, looks like Woodson's really gotten this team to buy into this idea that they can win these games that they can perform at high levels. And now I'm not sure that that actually was the case. Now, you know, it's like, okay, was that just an Afterglow effect of having, you know, gotten some confidence having beaten a lot of lesser teams in the non-conference portion of
the season. Because if, you know, you can look at the season from the standpoint of how have they performed in games where it mattered and outside of the Ohio, State and Purdue. You games at home and I guess maybe the Notre Dame game. There's not a lot of games where you can point to and say. Wow in that game where they were taking on this team that was good or in this situation. That was tough. They succeeded, you know, Ken
pom has this thing. If you pay for a subscription where they will rate games based upon how difficult the the opponent and location combination were so that gives a tier 10 games and there's beats here games. Indiana's played in what's see, 567 898 here games on the season. They've only won two of them. One of them was the Purdue game at home. And the other one was the game at Maryland, which I wouldn't exactly point to and say. Wow.
What a huge accomplishment. You want it Marilyn, you know, the of the beads here games, which aren't quite as good. They've played one, two, three, four, five, six of those, and they've won half of them, but the three games that they've won were the Notre Dame game on the road. At game Bridge, the Ohio State game at home. And then the Minnesota game on the road, and everything else has been a game that hasn't lived up to that caliber.
Like they have largely beaten, the team's you would expect him to be, they have largely lost to the team's. You would expect them to lose to, and when you look at the overall resume of the Season, there's just not a whole lot to get excited about. And, and I, it's hard to say whether that is something that is going to change or not. I don't think we have enough evidence yet on the wood.
Something I do think we've got some evidence that Woodson is still very much adapting to the concept of the college game in terms of, you know, who to leave out on the floor, you know, how to call offense woods and seems like a guy who has coached at the NBA for a long time where it's like, well, you're a professional you figure it out. This is definitely not a team of professionals that that is on this roster for IU.
It's a team of college students as one would expect because it's college basketball, but Will he have, will he be able to bring in the players that can play the way that he wants to play and develop them enough? So that he can let things go on the floor? The way that he seems to want to down the stretch and games? And I don't know the answer to that. I'm not terribly optimistic. But I do know that it doesn't seem to be working with this
particular group. And I feel like at this point, hate to say it, but it's probably too late this season to expect anything different from what we've already seen. Like, there's more than enough evidence at this point. That would point to this just being unfortunately. Another kind of lost cause season.
Yeah, you have a tweet. You've used a couple times like this is why we have trust issues, which is great in those in those in those losses, you know, Martha mop lady, patio, at mop lady on Twitter, posted this out, which is just mind-boggling but the peak wind probability. And again, this is a Ken pom. It's that everywhere. But Ken Pon has it in a good spot, you know, pequin probability in our 11 losses. I'm going to run through this Syracuse.
We had a peak win probability of 72%, Wisconsin, 97% Penn State 74% Iowa, 75%. Those are all second half the Michigan. And Michigan, Illinois, don't count because those are first half, don't care. Northwestern 75%, second half, Michigan, State doesn't matter. We lost mean that was not there. But then Wisconsin, 84, Ohio, State, 81, Rutgers 90. Those are all second half peak wind probabilities. Well over 70. 75 percent in all of those. It's mind-boggling that of that.
You have, you know, eight losses. I'm Three off the table because they were first half. And like you can't say, we really ever had a win probability against Michigan at home, but that's, that's a real problem, like it again to your point. Like that's where even if we play in the Big Ten tournament, we get to Purdue. I mean, I'll ask this fan, question to neiu Fan, listening to this. We come out against Purdue, and we play great and we have a eight point lead going into halftime.
Is there anybody? Who's like, I'm, we're winning this game. Like, I have faith that IU is going to close this out. We go to the Big Ten tournament. We get a fifteen. On Michigan in the second half. We're closing this out a book in my second round. Big Ten tournament tickets, like knowing this is where the trust issue comes in and it's it's not just a coincidence. Like this is a pattern like this is what, like, this is not a bug. It's a feature.
This team just cannot close out hand on getting. I think it goes back to the three-point shooting. All all things were talking about, but it's, it's it makes for not a fun basketball viewing experience because you're just waiting for your heart to be ripped out and even the times. It's not, it's the Minnesota games where you're like, damn, a 10 point win. Would have been a lot more fun than what I just went through. Yeah.
Now it's, it's really confusing. It's one of those things where they should know better at this point. They should be able to carry on and capitalize on good first half's. But this is where I think the get out. The coaching difference was very obvious in this Rutgers game, Steve pikul, I think is an excellent coach. I think I Said this last year, like if you lined up the game coaches, the guys who actually do the in-game coaching. He's probably top three in the
conference. I'm actually surprised he's still at Rutgers and that a larger School hasn't snapped him up already because I really respect with that guys, able to do and they do keep in mind. This is a Rutgers team. That was really bad to start the year. Lost. A lot of games that they shouldn't. This is not a team that should have gotten better. It's also a team that barely has a bench like, go look at the minute distributions that
they've had. I mean, it was I think all their starters except one played 35, or more minutes in the game or something like that. Like it was you know that when you look at IU and it's like, well depth probably shouldn't have been that big of a deal here because I use starters should have been able to match Rutgers starters and yet they just weren't over the course of the second half because Rutgers made adjustments, they made defensive adjustments.
They figured out ways to get their Guys open and you just don't see either of those things on a consistent basis in game. Changing sorts of ways that Indiana needs to succeed. So, look, we've talked about this, a lot throughout the course of the year. And what's disappointing is that when the problem started to crop up and really, it was that
Michigan game. I think that at home, where they really started to crop up, it just is like, nothing's really changed, except Indiana getting worse in key situations in most of these games. Since then, that, you know, that's, that's the most disappointing thing to me and I think all the Hope that we had at the beginning of the year. The beginning of the Big Ten season was this team. Looks like it's getting steadily better. It looks like it's you know, you know by the middle of January.
This was a solid single digit team in the NCAA projections and it is not now it is a team that is probably going to miss the NCAA tournament which are going to talk about here in a second. And as you know, to your point, you just can't feel confident about anything that this team does positive because you feel like the of is right around the corner. It's why people got so upset about that.
Minnesota game, you know, for all the people that said, well, hey, we should just be happy that it was a road win and this and that. And it's like you're missing the point here. That's not a good Minnesota team and it just demonstrated Indiana's inability to embrace success, to put themselves in a position where, hey, we've done something good. Now, let's build off of it as opposed to. Hey, we've done something good.
We can stop playing. Now, or we can stop adjusting what we're doing to what the opponent is doing. And that is probably the biggest thing culture-wise that has to change long term. Because this is what we saw in the Archie Miller era, you know, this has been a carbon copy of what we've seen out of Archie's teams. It's part of the DNA of this program. Now, it's just like you, you are going to find a way.
Even if you accomplish something in the first half of games for your opponent, to take that away from you, and that is Is definitely something that's disappointing. Anyway, let's go ahead and talk mention. Sorry, but the only thing that changes, the only thing that has changed since that Michigan game is when the opponents are Penn State, Maryland or or Minnesota. That's when we can get with me.
It is really, it becomes a team where if I was looking at this just, you know, we were just talking about teams to make the tournament and your team's the Big Ten. If I didn't ever watch them. As looked at me like, oh, yeah, like they can, they can beat bad teams. They can't beat anybody better than that.
Like, that's that's what the Looks like since January well, carry some water for you because I know we want to talk about March. So, you know, let's talk about also talking about March means we got to talk about our friend Ed fang over at the power rank. It's coming up now that he's gonna be publishing, his new bracket wisdom. You want to win your March Madness, pool Gala, and I do one. I don't know who normally wins seeing me and Galen, but I normally don't win.
I'm terrible at actually picking hooty-hoo win. So I'm looking forward to the bracket wisdom. I really am. Yeah, that's no. So, Ed Fang. He's going to write the book on. How to win your pool, you want to do? It is daily podcast, Series. Bracket wisdom is going to start back again on March 7th, and we'll get, you ready to crush your pool. Look at that.
You're gonna crush your pool. You're gonna, you're gonna be the Ron Harper jr. Of your pool, you're going to make a T-shirt and you're just going to be able to carry those those babies down there. So, check out the bracket wisdom series, which appears on the football analytics Show podcast. And as friends of the power rank, you can hook up with them. Just sign up for the power rank of power rank.com.
AC the power rank.com AC its sports, betting advice with a PhD Edge. So you understand what you need to do to bet on analytical level and you're ready for March? Galen is Indiana ready for March. Well depends on what you mean by that. Scott. So here's the thing. There's been a lot of work going to the dark web and looking for an IT Bracketology again, like this is such a dirty feeling.
I mean, you still grow looking for like, you know, illicit drugs and and IIT projections, I mean there's a possibility that yes, you're going to have to do exactly that. Here's the thing and this has become as it often is unpopular of me to say but Indiana is not out of the NCAA tournament. Playoff picture for a jury selection picture. They're just not. I know people want to bury them and look I'm disgusted. I'm very disappointed in how Indiana has played. I'm very disappointed in this
string of losses. I am not, I can't in good conscience. Look at Indiana's resume and say, Well, they're not going to make the NCAA tournament at this point. I think it's become very fashionable to exclude them. But honestly, they're in a mix with a bunch of other teams that could be switched around by one Victory. And so when I look at Indiana right now, what I see is this I see a team that if they go up and win at Purdue they're going to be in the NCAA tournament.
Regardless, that is a Very to me, it's a very straightforward equation and and here's my rationale for that. If they win that game, they'll be 10 and 10 in the conference and they'll be 19 and 11 and they'll have a road win at Purdue which is considered a very good win. I mean, you know, I think Wisconsin's one at Purdue and that's the only team that's one. There's your Indiana would become only the second team to win at Purdue All Season that
carries a lot of weight. And I think for the NCAA tournament selection committee at this, Point. All they're looking for is a pulse from some of these teams that are on the bubble and whether it's at the close of the regular season or in the conference tournament, if you can show you can win games away from home, particularly against teams like Purdue that tells the committee. If we put this team in the NCAA tournament, they're not going to
embarrass us or themselves. They're going to be able to play well away from home, you know, Indiana's, what's going good for Indiana right now, I guess is this is a, they still That game on the schedule and I know everybody's dreading it. I'm dreading it. I don't really want to watch it. But reality is it's there and it's actually an opportunity for Indiana if they can take advantage of it.
The second thing that's really helping Indiana is that because of the way Indiana's lost these games, the power rankings like them, you know, the like torvik doesn't get used necessarily in the selection process, but they are still, I think 23rd in torvik, you know, Ken Palm does. Is generally get looked at and even with the losses, their 47th, and they're right in the mix, with other teams that are under consideration for at large
birds. Now, they're kind of at the bottom of that list, but like, an SMU, for instance is ten spots below. Indiana, Miami is 13 spots below. Indiana. VCU is below them, you know, there's a couple of other teams. Creighton is 67th in can pop. So what Indiana's managed to accomplish in terms of how they've played. Holds up fairly. Well, if you look at the actual Power Rankings, but the flip side is their non-conference strength of schedule was horrible.
And they just haven't won that many games. Like you said, the last time they beat a team that wasn't, you know, clearly going to miss the NCAA tournament, was when they beat Purdue. And that was January 20th, and you have to go all the way back to January, 6th to find the last time before the Purdue game that they beat a team that's going to
go to the NCAA. A tournament ultimately, the only wins they have against teams going to the NCAA tournament, for sure, right now our home game against Ohio, State and a home game against Purdue. And I think if I'm the committee, I'm looking at that and I'm saying, you need to show me more, like, if you'd won, if they won that game at Ohio State. I don't think we're having this conversation. If they'd won the game wanted at one of the two Wisconsin games.
If they won, one of the two Wisconsin games, if they'd won the game at Northwestern, you know, even though that wasn't necessarily, you know, that wasn't a Irwin. It's a road win and it they would already have guaranteed themselves a 500 record in conference. They've had so many missed opportunities down the stretch and now they're out of opportunities except for the Purdue game. If they lose that game.
Now, I do think they're going to end up in a situation where they're going to have to beat Michigan and because that's now with Michigan. Losing the Iowa last night. That's almost certainly who they're going to play, and they're going to have to go out and beat Purdue or excuse me. Wisconsin in the 18-game the following day. I don't have faith in them beating Michigan.
Let alone beating Michigan followed up by beating Wisconsin. So, you know, essentially the whole season at this point, really feels like it's riding on this Purdue game because again, I'd love to I'd love to say look, we've got evidence that they can win on a neutral floor against good competition. I don't think we've got that at
this point. So it's hard to, you know, given not just the overall history of IU in the Big Ten Tournament, but also given Their history against the teams that they're going to have to play you. It's hard to look at that Big Ten Tournament match up and see anything other than a game. That looks a lot like the game. Indiana played against Michigan at home. A couple of months ago, which was not a very pretty exercise. I have one thought, two questions. First, it just kind of yes/no
questions. If they beat Purdue at Purdue, do you think they're like, are they in hard stop? No matter what happens if they in the in the Big Ten Tournament, I think they They are I think a team that's coming off a win in March at Purdue, which is one of the probably three or four toughest places to play in the country. This year that pushes you to a 500 record in conference gives you a season sweep against a team.
That is at the worst. Probably a two seed that is going to be enough for the committee to say, you know in comparison to some of these other bubble teams. We feel like Indiana should be in the field. So that's I think that yes there for their info. Stop. If they win on Saturday, if they lose on Saturday. Do you think two wins is enough to get them in? I know where theoretically, you know, theorizing, but like, do they, they be Michigan.
They beat Wisconsin. The question is, obviously, is that enough? Yeah, that would be enough because, for this reason, they have a neutral Court win against a prospective NCAA tournament team in Michigan.
They have a neutral Court win against a minimum two seed in Wisconsin, who won the Big, Ten title outright and that would mean that theoretically that point they're 11 and 11 in overall conference play and even if they go out and lose the next game and you know, at that would that would probably be against I'm not even sure who that game would be against at this point. I guess if you look at the seed calculations for whoever the four seed would be here, so would be either.
So be Rutgers or Iowa, maybe which that's actually kind of a winnable game. But even if they lost that game, both of those teams are going to the NCAA tournament. I think at this stage Rutgers is the only one where the that win for them at Indiana. Should have put them in. They've got one more game at home against Penn State. They'll be 12 and 18. Conference, they'd be 18 and 12 on the season. Even if they lost to Iowa. I think they'd be in the NCAA tournament, given everything
else that they've done. But yeah, for me, winning two games and then a loss against one of those teams in the semi-finals of the Big Ten, that would be, that would not be a problem. I think Indiana would would, you know, from that be able to get into the NCAA tournament? We talked about two wins in the Big Ten Tournament. Like it's no big deal when you know, I like I'm Trying to think
when was the last time? Indiana, won two games in the Big Ten tournament was a 2002. Well, I was talking with a friend this morning and it's like, it was like, do we need to win two or three? You know, if we lose to Purdue when two or three, it's like we've made the Big Ten final. As many times. We made the final four in the last 20 years. So it's like those are kind of off the table. But here's my positive thought for IU fans. I can't believe I'm taking this side. I love it.
You know, I remember talking to people at Bankers Life or game Bridge Field House going into that Notre Dame game and people were down because we just lost the Syracuse game, the Wisconsin game and it's like, okay, but like if we win this game, like if they can beat Notre Dame, we're back on. We beat Notre Dame that people feel better.
And then we lost Penn State. It's like, oh no, but they went out and beat Ohio State and if people were kind of really getting nervous after the Iowa lost than we beat Purdue. And probably myself a little bit too much include. It's like, okay, this This is like that show that like, the faith, the leadership. And man. It's like, we didn't know, two days later. It's like, oh, shit, we're gonna lose the Michigan. But the point is, and I was guilty of this, a little bit
too. Right after the Rutgers game. You took a breath. And it's like, okay. We are not out of the NCAA tournament. I know we're all looking at this game, at Purdue is an L. But it's the reason we were so - after the Iowa game is, we are looking at, like, it's like, oh shit. We got a paper due and Mission, we're gonna lose back-to-back home games. Well, we didn't and this is the the flip side. I'd is, I'm not saying it's easy. My joke is always like hope is
not a plan. But in this case, you got to kind of hope that this team could do things that they haven't shown, they've been able to do in two or three months, but like there are still out. There are still doors open like we are not having this podcast after a season-ending loss, go out and win a game like and like but you said it, you said it fantastically a couple minutes ago that like they've kind of
used up all their other options. Like this is the last they backed themselves into a corner and this is not the Easiest one, like, would have been much easier to just go ahead and, you know, win that game at Wisconsin, where I give you a 20 point lead, like cash that one in or go ahead and beat at Northwest. There's a lot of easier ways to get there but you still got one left and, and that is the
positive side of things. Is you go out and win this game, you're in the NCAA tournament, and you've washed away a lot of the sins. So to speak of the last two months, but you got to go do it but you can still do it. I mean, it's, it's not impossible. Teams can go to Purdue. And when you look at from a Our point of view. That's the other thing that I really hope to see is honestly outside of Purdue just hating IU /. Do really has nothing to play
for in this game. I mean, they're big 10 seed is set, you know, they, again, they hate. I you, the fans have everything to be fired up for, but from a Purdue team that kind of locked in where they're gonna be. I mean, there are two seed in the NCAA tournament. They maybe have an outside shot at a one, but that's going to happen in the Big Ten Tournament not against. I you they don't. We have everything to play for. So when you look at it from a effort and like who's got more
to play for kind of thing. And that's something that you look back at games. Like. Oh, yeah, we'll make sense. Like they had everything to play for like that should matter. So, that's the positive spin is like, you have everything to play for Purdue outside of just wanting to kick your butt, not getting swept by you.
They don't really have much to play for so go win the gate like you can still there, still it out, there still a door that says NCAA Tournament, it hasn't been boxed in like it's tougher. It's a tougher door to open but it's there and that's the positive way as we still sit. Here were one win gets us in.
I mean, we have a history of not making those winds but let's like go get the win and I will say this team has done it in the past where nobody really expected us to win that Ohio State game after a Penn State loss. We did it. Nobody expects us to win the Purdue game. We did it. Those are both Assembly Hall, fully aware of that. But like this is a little bit harder, it's Mackey. But Do it. Like, that's the positive spin. Is there still a very much a real shot at doing it?
You just this team has to kind of step up and do it and they've shown no ability. Overall. I mean the you? Yes, you're right. They did come back and beat Ohio State and they, you know, but I bet. And I get it, I get it. And look, I want to be optimistic. But I also it's funny. Like somebody asked me, you know, it was, I think it was an assembly call because I was on that after the Minnesota game and they were I can do as your
heart rate come down. Yes. I'm all right and go up like I expect this and I'm at the point where I want you to do well, but this this vintage of IU basketball, you just expect that they're going to come up short when it matters and I think they deserve credit for beating Purdue this year. They needed to do that.
I think the idea that they're going to find the internal fortitude that is frankly been lacking in this team and this program for several years now to suddenly figure How to go up and win in Mackay for the first time in a decade. In this circumstance, even with Purdue technically not having. I mean I disagree that Purdue has nothing to play for.
I think Purdue is there. They are playing for seeding, not in the Big Ten Tournament, but in the big dance at this stage and this is a disappointing, Purdue team. I think it's actually kind of hilarious that a Purdue team that's got the best offense in the NCAA that, you know, this was their golden year when they had all of the pieces in place and they have a lottery Pick and they've got these Twin Towers. Down low and they've got a great outside shooter there.
They're in danger of like dropping off the to line in the NCAA tournament. They're not going to win the Big Ten regular season. They're not probably the favorite to win the Big Ten Tournament. They have blown it. This is actually I think a kind of a hilariously disappointing produces and now it's significantly more successful than anything. I you is done over the last nine years. So yeah, you know, so don't I'm speaking out of this purely out
of spite. As opposed to any, you know, perceived feelings of moral superiority. But, but I do think that this Purdue team as disappointing in context, as this season has been, and the fact that they have lost two straight games. Now, to close out the season and they've lost three of their last six. They're looking at this and they're saying, you think we're going to lose to Indiana at home. No, you know, we want to finish 14 and 6. We want to get our 25th win of the regular.
Season. We want to put ourselves in a right mental set. As we go into the Big Ten Tournament. I think they're going to come out and be absolutely fired up. It's senior night at Mackey Arena. It's, you know, you're talking, you know, beating Indiana is not going to when you any awards at home at this point, but it's still it's a better win than it would be a bad loss. And yeah, so as far as produce concerned, they've got a lot to play for just doesn't, it's not
anything with seating. Just more pride and hey, let's get the season back on track guys. We're not going to lose three straight for the first time. I mean, they lost two straight for the first time this season. The idea that they're going to suddenly turn around and lose. Three straight seems a little bit unlikely. I mean, yeah. Yes. I'm trying to take the positive attitude and then you can't just come back at a Visser. A me with facts and figures and
things things that are true. But yeah, it's, those are all the real things. And yeah, if I'm betting, I've been saying for a while, I'm taking Peru and whatever, whatever, whatever line they have for news, probably going to cover it and that's based on my feeling. But again, it's like it's, you play the game and theoretically, you could win and it's get it done. Yeah, that's kind of what it comes down to. As you've, this team has put themselves in a spot where it's
like, this is the hardest. This is the hardest out for you to figure out, but you did. That's what you got to do. Yep. Anyway, that'll wrap it up for us. Our thanks to the power rank. Our thanks to home-field apparel, or presenting sponsor and our thanks to all you folks for listening as Indiana heads into march, with the same level of uncertainty that we are used to seeing in March, as for yet. Another season.
If Indiana does make the tournament, they're going to have To do some work in this month to actually get there and all we can hope is that what we've seen is not an indication of what we will see over the course of the last couple of months. And so that'll that'll be our big watch item here. Good luck to the Indiana women as they try to secure home court through the first couple of rounds of the NCAA tournament. Big game against Maryland today.
If you're listening on Friday as we record this and hopefully for the women they can turn it around and get themselves. Victory against an NCAA Tournament down team, and you know, in Korea improve their seating capabilities as they head into things. So, for Scott, I'm Galen. Thanks for joining us here again, on Crimson cast. And we will catch you folks on the flipside Hoosiers. Play on Saturday versus Purdue will keep an eye out on that.
Will be back early next week. Bring back the Bison. So long, everybody.