You're listening to the back home network, presented by home field apparel. Welcome back to cruising Cask ale and clavius got Caulfield joining. You here. It is the 20th of November at about 10:30. In the morning, we're recording this the morning of Indiana's, next basketball game, as they're getting ready to take on Miami of Ohio later today. So, we're recording this before that. So if you happen to catch, H it afterwards, don't be confused
but we wanted to talk. We had a chance to get on and give both of our thoughts on what we saw in that Xavier game that Indiana played on Friday. So we're going to talk about that. Scott is with me, Scott, how you doing doing great? Great, awesome. Before we get to that, just a reminder that we are part of the back home network here at Crimson cast. In the back home network is brought to you by home-field apparel, folks, it's holiday shopping season.
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Since November 30th, 2011, they knock off the Xavier Marsters tears, 81 to 79 in a game that was quite a sight to behold in the arena and I can only imagine what it looked like on television. They've already the listeners have already heard my preliminary thoughts because I came back and recorded a podcast that night. I want to hear your thoughts go. Okay, well wow, here we go. So I was watching it with family in Dallas.
Shout out to my family, let me get the big screen TV and Fox Sports 1 and it's like, I had that moment where like we go up whatever like, you know, go up like 722 or something. Like, all right, this is nice. I can hang with family and watch the game, kind of in the background and then it becomes a really tight game. And then, you know, I'm more intently watching not hanging with family. But then in the second half, you know, we get up by like six or
seven or eight. It's like, all right, even my my cousins cousins. Go. You guys got this game? A come on and have a drink and it's like yeah and then all of a sudden to come back to go, you only helped by what they what happens if everyone stopped like this. Like I really wish I really want a. I shouldn't be wishing for easy wins and it would have been nice. Anyway, I Echo a lot of what you said in your and then you called me actually. Sorry I was with family but I
did answer. We talked a couple minutes, it looked on TV, like a great atmosphere. Like you could just tell the fans were into it. You could tell that Say that was a really a true Road game against a team that probably going to make the tournament. I had this thought that I mean to it's like it's great that the NCAA is around so they can take care of guys like Sean Miller and really give them penalties a stick. But I was wondering, you know, Archie is coached a lot of the
players on this team. I do wonder how much of, you know, if there is a call for between Archie and Sean. Who's like, hey man, like I really like FIU like Archie. It gave all the info out and I wonder if Sean had like a bunch of info on IE of just, I wonder, that's a weird mix. It's like hey we're your brother who he fired. Two years ago is going to be coaching the opposition team this soon. In any way you talk a lot about Trace Jackson Davis. He was great.
He was efficient to me, it's like Xavier Johnson is the one who won that game. He is so important. You know, there's moments in that game in the second half where it's, you know, for lack of a term. It's like, it just nut crunching time. Like, it is just We got to do something.
And for as great as Tracy Jackson Davis, is you have to get him the ball and he can still sometimes just kind of be down in the post waiting to do something and they're these moments where it's like everyone's kind of looking like, alright we really need a bucket here. What's going to happen? And Jalen Hood? Should be no, we can talk about him. He's been very good, but he he doesn't have that mentality.
That Xavier Johnson has. And as you said in your post game drive, like there are times that he goes over. The Edge but it's it's getting better and I'm okay with that because more often than not, he initiates something that needs to be initiated you know he has an edge to him on this team that
I think this team really needs. It's very akin to me of like, Draymond in the Warriors like you just, you need somebody on that team who has that edge and Xavier has it and there's going to be some times he might drive us batty but you know having something it's really like a Man, who's like, I'm not scared, I'm not nervous and I think we're going to see that a lot this year where there's moments and big ten games and in tournament games where you know things are slogging down,
everyone's getting tight and the one guy who's not going to be tight as they've your Johnson. Who's also our hasn't missed a three point shot this year. He's 343 you know doing well on free throws like for a guy who shot looks a little funky, he may be one of the best Shooters on our team. Yeah, no, I mean, it's it's a reliable shot and I think people forget that. I mean it. Xavier Johnson is probably going to end up graduating as one of the most polarizing players in IU history.
And I think it's largely because frankly, I don't remember the last time. Indiana had a player that was quite like him. I mean, attitudinally speaking. I guess we'll see. He is close enough but will she was a different type of player? He didn't have the ball in his hands all the time. He didn't really start until his senior year. Ear. And he wasn't this great question. It's a I was I was thinking something similar. Yeah, who mean more akin to late, they've got AJ.
Moyet was a little bit like him in terms of just the but but again it's not a great comp because Moyet didn't have the ball in his hands that often he didn't initiate things. We never never seem to go out of control as much as Xavier can. Yeah, I mean he really is it almost feels like player that just I know this is what we're saying but it's like he's a player that Just don't have a lot of in our history, right?
It's just he's very much a player that is on a different team or I mean I know he came to the Big East like he feels like a guy from a different conference which I know he is and that's right. Refreshing Point like it's well you're plugging him into Big Ten it's like this is really different. Well, I think, you know, it's clear that I think one of the first things that we saw with the Woodson era was and we talked about this before.
There was a clear need to change the attitude of The players on Indiana's basketball team it had to become more competitive, it had to become more focused on fight and that's the thing. It's like you go back and we talked about this in the last podcast that we did together about men's basketball. You look at Indiana's defensive performance under Archie Miller, a defensive first. Coach a guy whose entire Rozonda trois from a coaching perspective is having a great
defense. And they got progressively worse in the four years that Archie Miller was at IU in terms of conference defense and Mike Woodson comes in and they become number one. Now, some of that scheme, but a lot of its attitude and a lot of it really does flow from Xavier Johnson and his like, he is intimidating. Not just to opponents, but I think to some degree to his own teammates. It's in a slightly different way because it's like, wow, that dude is completely into the
game. And we need to match that intensity. And that is honestly, I think almost every good basketball team has somebody on the floor that is able to do that because you just the likelihood of getting five people who have that attitude individually that just come together and happen to have that attitude is very rare and so you really do need someone as kind of the I don't think you could have five players like that on any right? Not gonna happen. But it's like that doesn't.
That's like Being like the early Pate you, the 04-05 Pacers like Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson's. Like you just, you know many of those, it doesn't work different re totally different reasons but no, he's, that was my main takeaway from the game is, you know, we can talk about Trace, he is awesome. I'm not minimizing it.
But to me, it's again because he has the ball in his hands, but he Xavier to me is like the linchpin of this team and he makes things go. And there's Just moment where he's just like, I think intimidating is a great word that you use that. He's just like I'm getting the lane like I'm just like no one's doing anything. I'm gonna get to the Lane with the ball and then we'll see what
happens. I call either drive it or I'll pass it. But like, I'm just, I'm going to make something happen and you can tell that like the IU players know what's gonna happen. But more importantly, like, you could see. I'm curious, we were there, but, like, I could see it on TV Xavier. The Xavier players were like I can't stop this dude, the guy. It's like they almost do like we're this guy is going to get where he wants to go, and he's going to push around to get there.
It's It's yeah, he makes things happen so much. Yeah, I mean. And and look, I said this on the podcast couple days ago, but when he came back in after being subbed out in the first half, it was like a switch flipped with this Indiana team in the way that they approach things. And that was really from that point forward, that was where they started to get back in the game and really started to Take Over Control of the game from Xavier now. All that said, I bet you know I cannot Watching.
Trace Jackson Davis up close in person in a foreign Arena going up against a 69 guy and a 7-foot guy and just maneuvering through them. Like, they were traffic cones. Leo like he was driving a cab between skyscrapers was poetic to watch Indiana in this game. Hit 26, two-point, shots, Trace Jackson, Davis hit half of those himself.
He had 13 of the 26 total makes that Indiana had from M2 and 13 of the 30 total makes that Indiana had from the floor, you know, to score 30 points and pull down six boards on the road, only turn the ball over three times, only pick up one Foul Play. 37 minutes was just, I tip my cap to trace Jackson Davis, and, you know, the I've thought about this. It's like, you know, with Trace Jackson Davis, like, where was he going to get better in terms of his game?
Because he had been a pretty steady player off. Sensibly in terms of efficiency, in terms of rebounding over the course of the first three years. Now, it's very early, but I'm noticing two things. Very, very specific about Trace Jackson Davis, a his touch around. The rim is Sublime now. Like, it was pretty good last year, but whereas, there were a lot of close up shots and contested shots that were bouncing off the rim and out.
Those are rolling in right now, like he has figured out how to take like eight percent velocity off of what he puts up. There. And that's just enough to keep it in the cylinder and put it in right now, through granted three games to against Bad competition. His offensive rating, which is essentially a points per possession for an individual player is 150 .5, like that is one and a half points per possession, used.
That is nuts, Scott like that? Is that is not human and if he can and he's not going to keep that up, I'll be. That would be very, very shocked if he kept that up. But you think about last year and you think about the, the top, Players in the game and the number of people who had an offensive rating that were that high, you know, was just very,
very minimal. I mean, you look over the course of the Season Keegan Murray had the highest individual offensive rating in college basketball last year, and that was 130. 1.2 Zack Edie was second and he was a hundred and twenty two point six. Train tracks and Davis was no slouch last year. You know, I think he was in like the top 60 or something. Like, That in offensive
visually. But if he can be that efficient scoring the basketball, that's going to make a huge difference for Indiana in terms of what their actual ceiling is. And that would be a huge leap forward for his game. I'm gonna go back to what you said about like the traffic cones in the downtown. Like to me, I came away from it being like he, it's an eel. Like he is just so slippery. So so easily moves around in a tight space with and making
space for himself to move. You're right about the touch. He is now perfected. The I'm going to go up and under the basket and just do a reverse layup and it looks Unstoppable. I mean he's also continuing to play these. Guess it goes without saying, we talked about it, a good amount last year, but I mean, this was a tough Arena. You had a crowd with with officials that you mentioned were calling, kind of weird things. You had a tough front line for Xavier.
He had one personal foul he's playing in the post, he's doing, you know, blocking shots like he's Not playing passively at all and he gets away with women, not get away, but he comes out of the game with one personal foul, it's bizarre and you know, for as much as I've been on me, like he needs to shoot farther
out and expand his game. I will change my tune a little bit and say this like he's he's now playing very much like a guard in the post and what I mean is like when you think about like he meant he was a key to your, with your Kofi cockburn from last year, like Jew. Timmy on Gonzaga, think the other post players in college basketball, The ball.
They play very much a back to the basket style and even early on Trace did that you passed him and kind of, you know, go up with a left hand and do a little Skyhook or trying to make a play. Now, he's very much kind of he's getting the ball. A couple couple feet out and he's facing and then he's finding like, you know he's finding that way around with its Up and Under or over like he is
attacking like a guard. He's just doing it from the post and if you're doing that that's a different it's a different way of playing the post. He's just he's not Playing it like Zack Ed at all and it's it's so it's so great. But I mean, it is so nice to just have that we know what, he's going to provide every single night.
It's not always going to be an offensive rating of 198, but what we just talking football about things not being replicable, like everything he does is going to be replicable in almost every situation and his ability to get to the basket and get good looks is just, it's awesome. I mean, he's just amazing and and I still say when I see him live, I'm not seeing him live this year.
But last year for me, the thing, when you see him live, that honestly blows me away more is his jumping ability. His second jump and his defense like the way that he plays defense protects the rim without fouling is is unbelievable. I go down. He is the best post defender in the country. The other thing, I'll note that I think it's kind of slipped under the radar just slightly.
And again it's very early in the season but offensive rebounding has suddenly become a thing that this team is really focused on doing. And again, Trace Jackson Davis like if you look at the early returns he's made a big jump in terms of his offensive rebounding numbers. You know, last year his offensive rebounding.
Percentage was, you know, as respectable was 8.3, it was, it was a little bit higher in his first two years, but it wasn't that big of a focus for Indiana last year this Our Indiana Trace Jackson Davis with an offensive rebounding percentage of 20.7 which is ninth in the country so far. And it was a huge part of why Indiana won that game versus Xavier. And it's been something that they've done in two of the three games.
I mean, they rebounded really well off offensively against Bethune-Cookman and they think their offensive rebounding, percentage is a team against Xavier was 36.4% overall on the season their offensive Rebounding percentage is about 35% right now which is almost top 50 and that's a big leap forward. And you know, we talked a lot Scott about what was this team going to do to up their game?
Like they would need to to increase their overall approach to things and it feels like offensive rebounding has become an emphasis on both sides of the Court where they are really focusing, their post players on looking for offensive boards and then they are also really focusing on keeping their opponents off the Offensive board. So they were doing the ladder last year, but they really were not doing much offensive rebounding, as a team last year
or the year before. And, and that has, that's a big change. And I think that could be a huge thing for IU. Because as most of, you know, if you can get boards, especially if you're shooting a lot of two's. Now, you're giving yourself immediately and extended possession and a chance to score again on that possession, which ends up increasing your efficiency. And that's what Indiana really needs to do, if they're going to be a team.
That isn't going to shoot great from outside and I think the jury is still kind of out on that, but it does feel like this is still not a team that has a lot of reliable consistent outside Shooters yet. They're going to have to figure out a way to extend possessions and if they can pick up offensive boards now, suddenly that becomes less of an issue because you can still get a point or two out of a position
even if you miss a shot. Yeah, and I think this again, goes to some smart schematics by Woodson. Because you look, So far this year. Indiana shot. 47, three-point shots. When you look at a team like Texas, who has a higher offensive rating, they've shot 69 three-point shots, having three similar games to Cupcakes one tough game. You know, not only is Indiana, not shooting the three
phenomenally. Well we're also just not shooting a lot of Threes And if you're not going to do that, you have to get multiple shots at to you know, two-point shots of possession. So it's it's good that they're doing that that's going to have to consider. We need to see that. Continue to keep up because that that's I still think the Achilles heel this team. You saw the Xavier game without that ability to, you know, have two or three possessions or you could just, you know, hit a
three. Make a stop, hit a three, make a stop, hit a 3 or a 2 and like get a six or seven point cushion. Just like that. You're going to need to find another way to kind of get some space between teams because that was there was moments in that second half where Xavier. I feel like if Indiana had just gone on a run, they could have ended the game earlier and give themselves a smooth. Half the victory. It just doesn't seem like the offense still has that ability.
The thing that I want to take a, take a lap off. Sorry, go ahead. No go, no, go ahead. Please. There's a I want to take a lap on is I feel like I'm the the you know, mr. Downer in the offseason as we talked about this and we start doing, you know, preview pods and it's like man, you know, God this team is deep and you how are we going to find minutes for everybody and all of this, it's like rounds into shape really
quickly. I know it's early, but, you know, there was basically seven players. That played in the game against Xavier, You Know, Tamar Bates looked, you know, 12 minutes but really no, no real connection there, you know, Jordan Geronimo did not look, do not look ready to play. He's not look, he's ready to contribute at that level. In that game.
It's very early but it is it's funny in the preseason we're always looking at this as like, oh my God, you got the second line you're going to get a ton of minutes out of this like Suddenly It's November 20th and we got 27 million rotation and even That you have race Thompson. Who seems like he might be struggling. Your Miller cop has moments, you know it's funny you Malik renew only played 16 minutes. There's were very very impactful 16 minutes and I hope those numbers.
Go up side, note about renew, I think it's obviously his personality, but I love that. He's getting a year with Xavier Johnson. So I think some of that, you know, doggedness Alpha stuff is going to pass off on him because
you can just see renew as why. Wired that way as well, but it's just, it is striking to see as we talked about, you know, in the three seasons like, well, you know, dancing, Leo, going to play eight minutes or nine minutes like, no, we're gonna have a set of a rotation and all these guys that we thought were going to make huge contributions, like they still might but it's just like, you know, let's not, let's remember
that. Next year, we start doing a ton of you know, Logan dunk, mm deep, Dives like let's just wait and see what the rotation looks like. So I will say this I mean I think race. Thompson did not have a great offensive game in terms. Of the shots that he took, you know, he was 0 for 4 for 3, but he was 2, for 3 from the field and he pulled out. Eight rebounds three of them were offensive rebounds, which extended possessions have three blocks. May need to stop shooting the threes.
Well, we may need well but it down a little. See, here's the thing though. I don't. I don't agree because I think Indiana has to have a third person who's, at least a somewhat of a threat to shoot from three. And I look, race Thompson, has not been very good from three so far this season. He's 149. But I do think he's proven himself to be, at least a better three-point shooter than that, and these were open shots. I think you can attribute a lot
of the mrs. There, to being in a foreign Arena. That was very loud and everything being a bit unsettled by how jacked up the atmosphere was there. Now, I think, You know, you take that game, you put it aside and you hope, okay? Over these next three games can race Thompson.
Find Confidence from three because I think the worst thing that could happen is if various Thompson just says you know what, I can't shoot the three anymore because then that takes something that could help spacing on the floor. Out of I use bag of tricks not much like Miller cop, where Miller cop did not have a great offensive game. He was 1 for 4 from 3, but the 13 he hit was a critical. Three late in the game. When Xavier felt confident in
leaving him. Because they didn't think he was going to hit the shot. And so you know as tempting as it is and as much I think over the course of the last several years to look at race Thompson, Missing those shots and saying you got to stop shooting those realistically speaking. I think you know, you look at the guys that took threes in this game. Jalen Hurd, chafee, no. Xavier Johnson Miller copper, he's Thompson and Miller, Malik
renew. And maybe you throw in one of the guards Off the Bench. Like, those guys have to keep trying to shoot, that's probably not going to be. Indiana's, bread-and-butter, and most games. And it shouldn't be, because they've got perhaps the most efficient scorer this year in college basketball, in the post and Trace Jackson Davis, but where you give Trace Jackson Davis space is by, at least being willing to shoot from outside and eventually having those go in.
And so look, it's always going to be a work in progress. I think for this team and you put it in that respect. It's like there really isn't a good third and fourth, three-point option. I mean, who'd should be no, it has not rounded in the shape yet his three-point shooting and I mean Hitler. That was his third. Game and he had a really bad offensive game.
He was 0 for 8 from to. He did hit that three which was a shock but again, Jalen atrophy, no, it's easy to focus on the bad shooting and not you don't. And then you don't realize, you had five rebounds, he had four assists, only one turnover, he had two Steals and you know, I mean he was not the best point guard on the floor. Last night. He that was certainly I think a learning experience for him but that is the type of play he didn't. I'll say this, I watched him a
lot in that game. He did not look scared. He did not look intimidated. He did not look daunted by having this all of those shots and that's what Indiana needs. Like they say that you can't have frankly and no no offense to him but you know, Rob fennessy would miss a couple of shots and immediately crawl into a shell offensively.
And it was just like, well, we can't we're not going to see Rob even try a layup at this point and, you know, that that's where Indiana has to get over the hump mentally and realize that this and this is where I Going back to your original point about the rotation, I look at it. The opposite.
Having nine players who can contribute doesn't mean that you're going to have nine players that are going to contribute every game and to be able to survive bad offensive performances by three of your starters and still win. A tough road game against a Big Ten Or scuse me, a Big East, like tournament Contender on the road. That's a, that's a big deal. Like that's a flexibility.
And that's a that's a lineup thing that Indiana just hasn't had the last few years where if they were getting a bad game, offense will be from one of their starters. They wouldn't have been able to win the game. And so look, I I always say with these sorts of things. It's November, you gotta wait for things to round into shape a bit. But I'm really pleased with how Indiana was able to have a game where everybody was not firing on all cylinders. And, you know, they got me.
Renu to come in Off the Bench and play great. They got tree Galloway to come in and even though, we didn't contribute offensively from a scoring perspective, he got them four assists right off the bench and gave them really steady minutes. I mean played 22 minutes and was was kind of secretly the other reason.
I think why Indiana was able to pull back and eventually Take the Lead because he offered something that their original lineup wasn't offering in terms of defense and in terms of positioning that that's great, dad that Flexibility is really really. It's buoyant to me as a fan and as someone who watches this team because I just haven't felt like they've had that kind of thing before.
And even the I take like a Jordan Geronimo who played five minutes, frankly looked out of his element pretty much the whole time. He was out there to, you know, you don't have to have Jordan Geronimo having a great game because now you've got another option who can come in and spell. So that's where I will choose to be optimistic on these things. And now they get three games
essentially. Subpar competition, with Miami of Ohio, and then the two games following against Little Rock and Jackson State to fine tune a bit more to let guys get confidence and shooting before the really heavy stuff. Starts the week after that. When you the thing that I want to agree agreed and on a positive note to the thing that really like about this team that's going to be fun this
year. Is we're coming from that era with our cheese teams where the teams did always seemed like they didn't know what they were doing. Doing, but they seem tentative. And there was moments where it's like, oh this this crowd is too much for this team and they're just they're not, they don't have that Alpha mentality, and this team is littered with it. Like we mentioned Xavier Johnson, you mentioned like, you know hood cheffy? No doesn't look scared. Malik were new, just not look
scared at all. Like Tres Jackson Davis doesn't have that same kind of alpha that like Xavier does but he's not scared. Like he doesn't come in and get nervous like race Thompson. Like there's very few guys on this team that I would say, you know, the moment doesn't freaks them out. Tree Galway comes in, he could start playing. And that that's something that
we haven't had in a while. A team of guys were I'm not really nervous about any road game in the Big Ten, whereas previous years, it's like, you know, the teams are going into Michigan State Sakai. Well, that's that's a tough environment that's got, you know, that's going to be really tough for them to overcome that. That crowd it in a weird way. It almost seems like this team thrives a little bit on.
It's almost like the Reggie Miller Pacers like they kind of thrive on being the enemy like Xavier Johnson for damn sure. Like, I think he really likes taunting. The other crowd and like, finishes a layup, he's pointing at them and like there's, but there's something to that, and that's how you become a good team on the road in conference. And it's just, it's refreshing because we haven't seen that at
Indiana in quite some time. Having a team full of guys where it's like, I don't see a situation. Any point this season, even in Kansas where they're going to be scared, they might be overmatched and they might not They might be the better team but I don't see them going into like, fog Allen and going down, like, you know, 2:45 and like having to have three timeouts to calm their nerves. Like, I just don't see that. Yeah, I'm with you.
I mean look, I think we're going to learn a lot more about this team in the next week and a half in terms of how players are going to be able to establish themselves in particular roles. And and again I think continuing to increase confidence. Malik renew. I really feel like could be a starter right now. If we needed him to be and we don't and that's awesome. And and to allow a player like that the ability to come in when we're needed. So College ready, I know. It's not so good.
Both unreal, both him and hurts your fee. No, just land. And I'll say this, I mean, a couple people were noting, you know, Jalen is your fee knows, likely, not going to be a lottery pick or a first-round
draft, pick with those. Types of shooting numbers in and look, I think it's a long season but I will say I don't it's not necessarily one of those things where both of those players are only going to be here for a year because I do think they still have a lot of growth in their games that that needs to happen as they get ready to go to the next level.
They're both incredibly good college players right now, but just because they look so much more ready for college than freshman that Indiana's had in the past, doesn't necessarily mean that they're automatically leaving. After a season. And that change is kind of the whole equation about how you thinking of Indiana basketball over the course of this. 34, get both of those guys that for one more year next year. That's yeah, that does change.
And we'll look at me, think the kid for Kentucky? I mean, he was a great player, he came back. I mean, Timmy for Gonzaga like I mean there's there's only it is in the ni El era like you know, when I look at the jail own hood should be, no remotely, grow new. It's like those are 300 or 750 thousand to a million dollars. Players in college? Yeah, they might, you know, they're probably not necessarily that if they're not a lottery
pick in the NBA. Now great, if you're a first round pick, you're probably going.
But the point is like it's no longer a complete foregone conclusion with basketball that you're going to lose those types of players and, you know, so that's we'll talk more about that as we go along, but I do think that, you know, the the jail and Hood Chaffee know, immediately to the lottery talk can probably cool it for just a little bit and that's For Indiana and we know we'll have to see how that works out, obviously, but it's something to think about, you know, as
Indiana fans we haven't had enough lottery picks but it's like there's only 14 of them. Yeah. It's like and when Beyond has one and you scoot is second like there's already three or four spots are already taken. So it's really only like seven or eight Lottery spots that people are even playing for this year anyway and there's a lot of good players around the country so I'm with you anyway on that note. Let's what are you expecting real quick? I don't have like two minutes.
What are you expecting? We win that pods between now and North Carolina besides wins. What are you expecting to see between here through North Carolina? Look, I really think that what I'm expecting to see is a continued refinement of this rotation system that Woodson has put in. There was interesting that he had Jalen Hurd Jaffe, no leading that second unit for a while.
And he did that on purpose because hedig Esau who was going to be. The more important player down the stretch in that game and he wanted to give Xavier Johnson little bit. Extra rest. So, you know, I would love to see, Indiana continue to shoot threes and I would love to see Indiana, create an environment where they're not afraid to do that and they're going to have the weak enough competition here where I think they can get away with that and and try to get some guy some confidence.
So I should, I want to see race Thompson, take at least three threes each game for the next three games. I want to see the offense continue to try to pull the defense out from underneath the basket because they're going to obviously need to That against North Carolina. And ultimately, I just, you know, more than anything else.
I want people to not get injured and, you know, that's the one thing that I'm worried about with this team is like, let's let's keep everybody healthy through the holidays because that's a gauntlet of games that they start with, on the 30th of November and run all the way through basically through that Kansas game. I mean, you know, you're talking about North Carolina at home, Rutgers on the road, Nebraska at home, Arizona in Vegas, Kansas on the road.
You know, all that happens basically within 18 days who and a half weeks. Yeah, so it's it's it is absolutely health is going to be like The prime thing and keeping people's conditioning while not wearing them out too much. You're fortunate, because you've got a pretty compact schedule here. Three games in what six days and then four games in eight days. But then you've got Saturday Sunday, Monday, Tuesday off before you play that Wednesday night game against North Carolina.
So, you know, I expect them to win all three of these games, comfortably probably about 20, to 25 Point margins, in each of them, And then it's just a matter of get guy's confidence continue to work on defense. Continue to work on all offensive rebounding and I think if you do that you're in pretty good shape. Yep, that's all I got. You got anything? Yep, that's no no I I think you
hit the nail. It's about being healthy but get healthy through that and I'm, you know, the next couple games just be healthy, work those things out. I think getting a little more playing time for renew Hood. Should be know some of the younger guys. Like, I think getting guys like Tamar Bates, I get some of those
guys. A little more time, a little more positive reps in those games would be good and then I will know, I think we're, I think we're playing with house money in that North Carolina. And I think, Gonna be a we cleared the bar, we won the Xavier game. I think it's going to be an awesome area. You're going to have, you know, it's going to be a 20 to top 10 teams or at least you know, to top 12 teams. It's going to be a insane atmosphere.
It's a late game that place is going to be rocking. I can see us winning that game based on the Assembly Hall crowd, but you know, I think the key is, well, that's a fun thing to look at and a game to play. I do. Look it. So, the key is those two big ten games, right afterwards? Like it'd be really good to start the season 2 and 0 like it's to me it's worse. If we beat North Carolina would be in Arizona. But we go go 1 and 1 or 0 and 2. And those big ten games like
that's that's more concerning. Like the Big Ten is what we need to win. While the other games are kind of nice, that's more window dressing. I will say the one player. There's two, there's two other players. I really want to see. Get some major minutes and and continue to develop Trey Galloway for shooting and and entry Galloway has yet to commit
a turnover through three games. And that's a really important point and he's played 15, 19 and 22 minutes in those three games, you know, for him, if he can be a guy who doesn't turn the ball over who's able to distribute effectively who can occasionally score, I would love to see him. Continue to develop his ability to score and shoot and get some confidence there because if he He adds that to his game. Now you've got a whole new
dimension for this. I you team and the other guys tomorrow Bates because you know Tamar Bates, I look like he had made some progress in those first two games and then he didn't take a shot and frankly his defense was pretty shoddy in that Xavier game. He had one very clear, missed assignment. That led directly to a 3, he's such an important potential player for this IU team because I miss has a is a five-star recruit. He's got the body, he's so long. He could be two to four.
Yeah he well maybe not too maybe one two three. But yeah he's like he's got he's got so many dimensions that Indiana needs but he's still not quite there mentally in terms of playing the game and man getting him some minutes in these next three games and getting him to the point where he can just slide right in and contribute something and and be consistent
on both ends of the floor. Like, I love to see that develop because I think they're going to need him and his contributions in that stretch of games between the end of November in the middle of December. Yep. So anyway, we'll see what happens. We'll be back. Probably later on in the week. We'll talk some more basketball will also, certainly be talking IU football. As they just established Indiana as a 17 and a half Point Underdog to Purdue in the old Oaken Bucket game. That's it.
That's a tasty line. Might want to jump on that one but anyway, we'll talk about that later in the week Rhett. Weird. Regret seven days. Anyway for Scott, I've gala, this is Crimson cast. Thanks to all you folks for listening. Thanks for home field, apparel, our presenting sponsor. Thanks to our friends at the back home network. Be sure to check out assembly call as they will have postgame podcast. Check it out catchy, folks on the flip side, bring back the Bison. So on everybody.