You're listening to the back home network, presented by home field apparel. Folks welcome back to Crimson cast or kill it at this week, tons by Galen couple by me when with gaalan and myself together. Forget to Tony excited to talk to Tony and Ronnie about this Purdue becoming it's pretty weak. We gotta have a ton of podcast. Won't talk about our friends over at home field apparel. I know with Gail and we talked about some of the cool produce stuff. They have a can't believe we did
that. They just had a cool. I you refresh, I just got a new pennant. We talked about shirts and sweatshirts, they have Hers, I put one on my mug, Indiana sticker on my Yeti mug. So it's now my Indiana Yeti mug, it's great, drink it with coffee. I'll be coming down with that tomorrow day tomorrow, in the morning, with my coffee in the car, but I'm looking at it right now. I have my bison pennant, which I will be putting up on my wall here in a little bit. It's great.
Indiana pennant. Felt it has that retro look, but it's fantastic. So not just sweatshirts and t-shirts, pennants and stickers. Full Indiana refresh, tons of other colleges. But wow, You want to do that when you can get IU stuff, they've been sponsors of the home network for Years. Big good friends, home field, apparel, check them out. Use the promo code home for 15 percent off your first purchase and it's the first time purchasing just by a ton by a pennant from every every school
and just put it up in your room. Anyway now let's talk to Tony as we get ready for more IU /. Do preview talk All right, Tony, it's great to have you on Manus Purdue week, fired up. You're gonna be down there for the game. Will be at the game together of give me your. We've been kind of doing this Galen talk to Chronic about it. What's your favorite IU Purdue moment over the years?
Oh man, put me on the spot. You know, it's one of my favorites was like the first time I ever created a meme was my seen my junior or senior year college Purdue was bad. Bad and I use really good. And I think we beat them by 37. And I created a meme of. Matt Painter is like oh crap, we got to go down 37 twice in a year or something like that. I thought I was witty. So that was fun to just beat the
absolute are out of them. One of my favorites was actually a loss, it was really like, when I got super into IU basketball, like I grew up in IU, basketball fan but my freshman year of college, Was cream second year Purdue was top five in the country. It was my first game. I went to as a student. I didn't get season tickets. My freshman year mainly cuz I didn't know I can add them to my Bursar when I should have. That's a rookie move, rookie mistakes. And I'll probably never did it
again. Yeah. But you know, I use really bad but Purdue was top five and it came down to a last shot. I you missed it but it was kind of like all right, like I can get behind this. Like this is fun. You know, have ton of fun in the student section and that was kind of like my welcome to like true IU basketball fandom there. So that's one that stands out in my mind and then I mean honestly last year was a lot of fun.
You know, beating him on a kind of last-second, shot with the kid from you know, Lafayette was cool. So my memories pride in our priorities as good as yours. But you know, that's that's mine. And I just gave you three so I guess No, I did this with gaalan so I don't want to recap it too much, but mine goes. I love seeing Glenn Robinson when he came into Assembly Hall, but honestly, I was saying last year, was one of probably one of
my top three as well. And it's it's something that, you know, we've talked about that unfortunately, for as much hatred is there is between IU and Purdue and how good the Rivalry is that the games have not been great. Like it's just the teams haven't synced up, you know. And unfortunately through most of your life time, it's kind of been whenever I you it's exactly like you mentioned like Purdue
was too. Up five, and that year Indiana was 194th and Ken. Palm as a rough year, 10 and 21, but screen second year, a lot of extenuating circumstances, but it's been kind of that way. And then when Indiana got good under crean Purdue was bad. And it's like, we haven't rarely have we synced up, you know, luckily for me I was in, you know, late 80s, early 90s. There was a time when both night and Katie had it going and those were fun for sure.
But it feels like this is really weird, you know, I don't say go. Era. But we're coming back into it, where it does feel like the next couple of years, we could have some runs where Purdue's going to be good. Indiana is going to be good and to be nice to get this rivalry back on that kind of footing. It's also be nice. If we can start protecting home court and Assembly Hall, we get, we got one against them. We got a big one this weekend.
I'm curious. You know, there's so many different ways to attack this this game, you know, Gail and I were talking about it. Our takeaway was kind of that, you know, Edie and Jackson Davis going to cancel each other out and then Then it's going to really rely on everybody else. I'm curious your take on how you view this. Indiana Purdue matchup for what you're seeing on the court.
Yeah, I mean, it's at the end of the day, you know, it sounds goofy to say, you know, with to probably the two best centers and college basketball right now to say it's a guards game, I know. But at the end of the day, like that's what it comes down to. And, you know, Purdue has two freshmen guards. That have seen pretty much unflappable, you know, you hope. That this, you know, that this is an environment they have not experienced before they've experienced Road Big, Ten environments.
And, you know, the one time they really experienced kind of some hostility was at Rutgers and they were a little bit rattled. So you would hope that, you know, Indiana's guards have experience playing and this exact environment and game and you know, obviously they have the home fans where produce guards are freshmen having experienced this environment before. But at the same time, I'm in those. Those did seem unflappable, you know, they're they're tough and they're number one in the
country for a reason. So, yeah, I mean, I think, I think Edie and Jackson Davis, obviously play a factor, um, you know, that being the team's two best players and, you know, it's really just going to come down to like, how does each team guard those guys? And then beyond that what are the others do? Because, you know, you know, the doubles are going to come in from there. You just got to say All right, does we were talking about this
last night and assembly call? Like ball has to move quickly Mike Woodson noted against Maryland he thought the ball stuck and Indiana's often suffered because of that. So if their post doubles on TJ D he does a great job of finding guys but it's got to be find them quick reversal and then hand the feet gotta be ready to shoot. Miller cop, shoot the damn thing. Yeah but quit passing a wide open. Three pointers to take a one dribble pull-up with a guy in
your face. Like just Shoot that thing. And so yeah it's it's really interesting. I'm super excited. I mean, it's a great opportunity for Indiana to kind of exhale a little bit, you know, this season has been an up-and-down ride and you know looking at this game in November you thought Indiana would obviously be the favorite and that's not the case. And so a great opportunity in front of them and you know it's one of those games you can already, kind of feel the buzz
here. Like in Indianapolis like it's just like, you know, I've got some co-workers on either side of me that are pretty you guys and you know, we've just kind of been like going back and forth and it's like one of those things where like you're kind of trying to be nice about the other team, but you're also like, hey, we want to beat you. So yeah. It's just fun. It's exciting. No no. I can. You can feel the buzz in India. It's and I'm super excited to get down to Bloomington early
tomorrow. It's funny. You mentioned that it's like going into this year. I got to say I was dead wrong about Purdue. Like I looked at, you know, they're lost to Saint Peter's last year. I was like, damn. That was devastating. I wasn't sure they'd be able to get off the mat. I was like, that's a young team. It's based around ET, like he's going to be easy to stop, you know, he is become really good like it's I don't want to sit here and praise Purdue, but I will for a sec with ET.
Like it's too easy. I got a guy 74. Like he's you know huge like he's unbelievably good with his footwork with how he gets rid of the ball, you know? Uh Why is this a little bit more? You know what have you seen him do differently this year versus last year? That has allowed them to be as good as they are? To be honestly getting more minutes. You know, he was he was a dominant Force last year when you look at, you know, his / 40
metrics. And I think I think I was laughing, Purdue put a graphic out before the season started or maybe after last season of like / 40 metrics, there's like Zach eating and Shaq the only two players. That had these numbers that were performed. Yeah. And I was like, that's a good Feast ever seen. Well, yeah, like / 40 like, if but he's only playing 20 minutes. Well, now he's playing a lot of minutes.
And his dominance is, you know, multiplied or Amplified, and know I mentioned it. I think I might have mentioned it to you on the last pot is I think Matt painters. Loyalty that treyvion last year could have cost him a national championship. And it's so weird to say because
treyvion is so good. And so, Painter was loyal to him and played him because he was capable of putting up 20 points at night but Zaki is a dominant force that we have not seen the likes of in college basketball and a long time and as you mentioned guys, got great feet, he's got great touch, he can go over both shoulders, he passes extremely well, he he's in shape, he gets up and down the floor for his size, very well. Like, the guy is the runaway National player of the year for
a reason. He's a very, very good basketball player. And You know, Mike wasn't touched on yesterday. He's like somebody in the NBA is going to take flyer out on him and the probably gonna be pretty happy that they do just based on his production. Now, he's not, is he gonna be able to guard screen and rolls and all that very well, no. But he's so big man. He's just, he's hard to stop and I'll say this. Matt Painter has done a great job of building a system around
him. Yeah. Did you go to the game last year against Purdue? I did not. I watched it for my house so I will say for you And others who I was there last year. Not bragging, but just, if you haven't seen Ed in person, I cannot wait to talk to you at halftime of the game. It's unreal. How big he is in person? It's like, we know a guy 74, like, we're aware that like his big, dude, when you see it in person, you're just like, oh my God, like it is, it is mind-boggling.
Just like when I go to NBA games, and I'll see like, you know, yanis for Kevin Durant, it's like what it's just like theirs so long, this is like taking that At a little bit bigger and then bring it to College. It is, it's mind-boggling how big the dude is when you see him in person? Yeah, I I did get the chance to see him at the Big Ten Tournament. Okay. All right. It felt. Similarly, you know, it's like how do you and how do you stop that?
Like because you know everybody's like you just got to push him out early. Do your work early? It's like he is so big that there's not a guy in Indiana that has the muscle to just move him, you know? And that's what's hard about him and then the other thing with him is that, you know, it's not like Purdue just takes Zack Ed and planning some on the Block and just he sticks his arm up, they run action after action. After action, he sat down
screens spinning ceiling. Like that's the thing is they run great actions to get him the ball in spots that he wants to get them and they're hard to stop. Because if you try to stop that action, then you got Fletcher lawyer coming off, his down, screen wide open, he's knocking down shots at a good clip. So they're tough man. Yeah. No, it's very true. You mentioned no be able to move them. Who do you think guards, et tomorrow?
Like I'm talking to her friend about this and it's like it it's a tough question. I think I'm a I think I know the answer but I've yet. What do you think? Yeah, I think you start tjd on them and, and then only solely because he's big. He's the biggest guy I use got. I do think that if he picks up an One, you switch and you've put race on him. I think believer. New has the size to guard him, but he's Fallon 25 times per 40
minutes. So I know it's, you know, it's hard to expect much out of him just because if he's fouling, you know, the likes of Maryland guys, what the heck is going to do against this 7-foot for Behemoth in the paint? So you know, I think they'll switch it up. I think the very and that's what I Talked about with the assembly call, guys was you know, theirs. There's a lot of different ways to guards a key and I think Indiana should try them all.
I think the second he gets comfortable and knows the double teams coming from the middle or double teams coming from the post feed or I'm going to I got single coverage. The second he's comfortable. He's going to know what to do but if he doesn't really know what's coming or where it's coming from, I think that's when you have an opportunity to kind of get him out of a rhythm and a flow and that's when Indiana can
have opportunities to stop him. Yeah, it's almost like we almost just kept her on the team just as present. Stopping played great against him last year. See, I think the guy you didn't mention, I think you got to start with race on them is is just because I think Jackson Davis is probably the best guy to defend him. But similar, to what we're doing with hood, should be no words like rat. Like there's only so much you can ask Jackson Davis do, is that you need him on offense as
well. And I my fear with that is, if you put him on edu put Jackson Davis on Edie. It's like you're you're probably going to get a foul pretty early on. And now you just kind of And a foul for Jackson. Davis for no reason and then he got to go to race and then, yeah. You're right. Like, for physically and, you know, athletically Malik renew should be that answer. But garment, right? If he ET it's like this this horrible combination of renews fouling it.
Probably the highest rate in the Big Ten Edie is basically not fouling at all. It's amazing how he's able to phallic 1.8 fouls, per 40 minutes in the Big Ten play being 7-foot for he liked his foul rate. It's like him and like a bunch of minimally. Use point, guards around the country. Top, 5 and fowleri, it's unbelievable. But this is what worries me for IU. Is you have Ray stops, who still coming back off of injury. You don't want to get Jackson, Davis and foul trouble.
And I just it'd be great to see renew play, and, but it's like, I think renew plays them and gets 5000, you know, 12 minutes. And then you're like, all right, who plays him, like, you know, Jordan Geronimo. Yes. But like, is he healthy? Is he going to be able to play that? And then it's like we get real thin real quick and I do agree the guard. You're going to be an issue to you. Look at that but it's like I do look at I'm not sure. We're as deep as maybe we feel like we are.
If we start fouling at the rate we foul and then you have a problem where it's like I just don't know who guards idiot. Maybe it ends up being like you know maybe it is.
Logan Duncan who comes in and has a game like der or Kayla Banks and like honestly it's like that's kind of what dirted last year like dirt and do much all year and then came in and played like 20, unbelievably good minutes against eating but even in that game that's when Peter was doing the Ed treyvion Williams saying, it's like, he would sub Ed out, that's the thing is he's playing like 40 minutes a game. Like he's just, he's playing a ton.
Yeah. And, you know, the best thing the best team that I've seen kind of guard, ET was Rutgers and then, you know, Michigan State, just let him get his and it was a one-point game. They scored 64 points going into that last possession. Like, is that what you just rely on? Like hey maybe he misses a couple you know another big thing with him is that he's his offensive rebounding. Percentage is 22% number one in
the country. Yeah. So like you got a box him out like you know the possessions not finished if Fletcher lawyer shoots it or Braden Smith shoots like the dude gets a ton of offensive rebounds and part of that is because how teams Garden, you know, they'll put their big guy and kind of three-quarter front. Well, then when the shot goes up, Jackie, Dee's got a quick turn and seal and he's got an offensive rebound for a dunk.
So like that's part of the strategy to is like, you just play behind them, hope he misses some shots. And absolutely every time I shot goes up, just box him out and you know, that's That's a strategy that teams look at. So the dude is you know, I've watched every single offensive clip of his. It'll be an IU film room later of just some of this actions in ways that you can guard him. But you know, it's like nobody's had the magic formula.
And that's the way these are very smart basketball Minds that haven't figured him out. Really. And here's the thing that I want to ask you about is for us defensively. I think we have Have a really good team to defend eating. We have the players, the issue is we haven't been able to and I know, you know, it does feel like the calls are kind of going against this and others like talk about, you know, what's and work on the rescue hard. All that said, you do the film room, you see it?
I see it, too. Like we foul a lot. Like we can talk about the rest, like there is some stuff there, but it's like on the flips end, we foul a lot and a lot of them are just dumb fouls. We're guys, as I see it, guys are in the wrong position on defense and they come Pound it. Then making a dumb foul. I'm curious you, as you see that, have you seen that getting better throughout the year? Is that something that is still kind of about the same?
Like, and that's, that's the troubling part with this team is like, I think this team has the pieces to defend eating very well, but it's, like, I can't trust that we're going to be able to do it without fouling. And then now, you got guys on the bench and now we don't have the pieces, we need, but it seems to be, that's been our issue. All season is we're in the wrong spots defensively, and then we Make stupid fouls to compound it. Absolutely. But about a half step slow and
it it ruins, everything it real. I mean, that's, that's Malik. Renews problem is his feet. Get a little Tangled and he's half step slow. And then his first thing you want to do is put two hands on a guy to keep him in front of them and that's yeah. In automatic ding like that's that's the number one thing that's going to get you a Falco every single time as two hands on a guy's hips and that's that's been renewed. Problem. Leaving your feet like Galloway has a big issue with just
leaving his feet a lot. And then gets himself in the air and gets himself in trouble because Galloway's were big big piece tomorrow and he's been in foul trouble, a couple games recently that he just can't afford to be in because he's gonna be somebody that's going to have to shut down their guards. I thought he'd had, I mean, he was a difference-maker last year against IV. He, you know, he knew it flavor gum.
IV was chewing, he was in his stuff, he had IV flustered, you know, he's a big piece of the puzzle tomorrow and he's been a guy that's got in foul trouble when I thought against me. When he was really one of the only guards that even showed up in. So, you know, that's somebody else that they got to figure it out.
So have they figured out the fouling not really, in my opinion, you know, game to game it fluctuates and, and, you know, and like you said, Indiana's got the length and athleticism to be a very, very good defensive team. But yeah, just, you know, once I start mixing guys in and Off the Bench and stuff and now they've To use some lineups. They haven't really used all season with Kayla Banks. Coming into the mix and CJ gun comes in sometimes like just not
a lot of flow. You Know, Tamar Bates is somebody that gets it lost a lot on the defensive end and you know that with one guys lost it throws off the other four. And that's the big thing. And that's another thing with, you know, you've got Trace Jackson, Davis. That's kind of your rim protector down low. You don't want to get him in foul trouble because you can't keep your guy in front of you and now he's jumping to block shots or there's a I'm off to ET.
There's just yeah, you got to be one well-oiled machine everybody on the same page on the defensive end especially when you're trying to stop somebody. Like Purdue who's very, very
good offensively. Yeah. I mean this is something Gail and I talked about so I hate to recache it. But I think it's just a very valid point like this this game against Purdue just highlights the difference between where Indiana is and where Purdue is at in that you look at a guy like you know tomorrow Bates, you know, like I'm just going to go through the last Six games of his offensive rating, you know, 60 against Maryland 123 against
Ohio State 0 against Minnesota, 187 against Michigan State, 0 against Illinois, 0 against Wisconsin versus like, you know, Fletcher lawyer, his offensive rating in the last couple games, 85 104, 123 10 to 80 to 140 41, 42. It's like, I think, No, not good. I Think You Know, Tamar Bates is probably more athletic than Fletcher, lawyer and maybe has a obviously, a high, maybe a higher ceiling. But like, Purdue is just locked
into this. Like, when guys are even off its like he still had Fletcher, Laura still has it offensive rating of, you know, 80s to 90s. And then when he's good it's like 100. Plus where's Tamar Bates? Not picking on him. It's just like it is this roller coaster when he's great it's like insane. Like Michigan State 546 from three and you almost Swish like
it doesn't work this way. It's like you could like Bank some of that like just save 20 points of that offense and braiding for Michigan State. Let's bring back to the Maryland game and it's just that kind of inconsistency and it's what's fun and frustrating about this IU team is their ceiling. I mean, they're sealing when they are playing on all cylinders. It could be higher than Purdue like it's wild to say. But like they are unbelievably
when they're all. Shooting together, it just doesn't happen enough and it's like rarely, does it happen where his Purdue is just steady and their steady to be fair like they're steady is as good as a car. Almost our ceiling. I feel like we have but it's like we just can't get everybody all on the same page and that's what's both fun and frustrating with this IU team, especially against this Purdue team or they are just just rock solid and it's like their floor is so high.
Whereas we just seem to be oscillating and it's kind of like like he said, look there's are we going to get tray? And Tamar both having great games at the same time. Yeah, once that I'm going to give you that at least bodes well for tomorrow but even you know, our best guard and Jalen hitch. Fino, at home point nine, six points per possession used 51.6 from the floor away Point, 59 points per possession, 26.8% from the floor, you know.
So even you know, home road splits which isn't breaking news at freshman struggle on the road a little bit but when that's when that's your guy, That's kind of your steady Force that's leading the charge right now because Javis Xavier Johnson being hurt. Like, that's not great. You know, that's that's not really want you where you want your point guard to be, you should more. So be like that even Keel, like, you know, a Braden Smith is just, he's not going to have a lot of great games at.
Wow, you but he's not going to have a lot of terrible games. You were like, man, get him off the floor and I'm not, by no means. Am I saying like we need Braden Smith instead of jail entropy? No, that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm just saying to your point of, just the fluctuations. We see with this Indiana team rather than just, like, Purdue is just one steady force that night in night out. You basically know what you're going to get from all all Five Guys on the floor.
When you mention Jalen Hurd Cioppino like, I look at him as he's, he's really the key for this and that you trace at this point, it's like, all right. Tres is gonna go for 20 and 12 just like it's, that's a whole other discussion, like it's
wild. But like I have, unless the Big Ten decides to foul him out in the beginning of the game, like they did last, Against Purdue but barring that he'll get his and he's going to be really good, you know, I look at hoods Ruffino and yeah, he's going to struggle on the road. Should be better at home, so it should Bode better for him here.
But I think he's in a tough spot because unlike, you know, Braden Smith is able to when he's not playing well, he's able to kind of lean on other players and he just doesn't shoot as much. Any kind of takes a step back and that's why his offensive rating is better in those poor games. Hood Chaffee? No is not wired that way. That's also why he's an apostle NBA lottery. Pick is like, having that ability back, I'm just going to shoot through this. Like, that is a different skill
set. It is tough and games, like Maryland, where you go, you know, 1412. But in his defense, you know, in that game against Maryland. It's like, who do you want who Cioppino passing off to like Miller cop who's kind of not shooting you know, Trey Galloway who's basically not there tomorrow Bates, who's basically,
not there? No, not just like tomorrow, Bates played, you know, Five minutes as a 60 offensive rating, goes 1 for 5 from 3. It's like, it's not like, it's not like you're put your feet on back. I'm just going to, you know, kind of take a step back and just distribute. I got usually Distributing to so I look at who Cioppino is not an enigma but it's just like he's in a tough spot as well cause you're also asking him to guard the best player and I don't know what, which, what's your thought
on is not even a question there. It's just, you know, talk about hood zaffino for a little bit and how important he is in this game. Yeah, I mean, he's probably the single most important piece for for Indiana, you know, because a to prevent Jackie D from getting the ball where he wants it. There has to be pressure on the guards for produce guards, and, you know, the second you sag off and let an easy entry pass
happen, Jackie's gonna score. No, I mean, the guard pressure is just as important, if you can push them from 20 feet to 25 feet off the line, makes that pass that Much harder makes Akita maybe have to catch it as knees rather than in his pocket. Like there's different things. So you know just defensively alone he's going to be important. And then when you look at offensive ly, He's a guy running the show, you know, he's, he's a lot of times, my quotient gives
us point guards. The freedom to call sets out, so he's got that opportunity and then the ball screens, you know, the best way to be Zeki to put him in a ball screen after ball screen because he wants to play Drop coverage and he's going to drop 8 to 10 feet into the lane and you're going to have pull up opportunities and down Hood, Phoenix been pretty good with the pull-up game and he's pretty You love the balance. Didn't have a great game. I was saying it's Marilyn doing
that. But with that said, He's going to have to knock those down to beat Purdue and to keep Purdue honest in those ball screen coverage is because then you come off that ball screen and now Zach, he wants to cheat up just a little bit because you've been knocking down that shot. Now, you've got Trace Jackson Davis behind them and you've got a lot. And so there's just a lot of variables there in jail in which we know is gonna be the one coming off the majority of those ball screens.
And he's gonna have to make reasoned decisions. So, extremely extremely important for him to have a good game. So how do you see this all going playing? And it's a 4 o'clock start, it's going to be a wild atmosphere. There is a part of me that's a little bit concerned, you know. This team psyche is always a little bit worrisome, you know, they went through the the doldrums they have that, you know, sometimes against Maryland. It looked like, you know, that
game was there for the taking. They didn't quite take it either, they were playing bad. My biggest concern is if we start off a B flat and the crowds like, ooh, it's like I was talking to Galen about this, you know, if we if you know, Edie gets couple dogs Jackson, Davis gets a foul. It's like, you know, 3:47 and then we come out in this A3 and like, bring hits a three. It's like, you could have the crowd starting to be like this. Really, what's good?
What's going on? I do wonder if it's going to be almost too hyped. That said is like, I don't quite know where this is going because like North Carolina was pretty lit and that place was pretty. Jacked up and they came out and just knock their doors off. But North Carolina, had a lot of stuff going on. I'm just curious. How do you, how do you see this playing out? And I guess I'll also ask you like what's so for me?
That's my concern is, if it feels like we're a little bit too hyped and then produce gets off to a quick start. I wonder how it's going to affect like, what are you most concerned about also? Yeah, that would, that would certainly be up there as a high concern. I remember last year. Pretty got off to a really good start. I think they got up like eight to ten and then rocker fantasy came in and knock down those quick threes and all the sudden. Now you had a six to eight point
lead. So you know, it's not doomsday if it happens but you would hope with the crowd behind you and just the buzz around the game that I you would get off to a good start and make it certainly make me feel a lot better if you had an eight to ten point cushion before, you know, things go wrong but you know, at the end of the day, I think, I think obviously the atmosphere is going to be awesome.
I think it's great for the state of basketball just in this state of Indiana that these two teams are both ranked playing each other for the first time in quite some time. You know, I kind of mentioned this last night on assembly call is like to me this is an opportunity for like a Miller cop Legacy game because when I'm if I'm Miller cop and I look back at my time, I didn't Deanna, it's like what's his
legacy. Right now and I'm not trying to crap on the kid but like, you know, there's not been a game where he like, went out there and just tore it up and you're like, we won this game because of Miller cop, and I'm not saying that has to be his role. But as a senior who you have a great opportunity in front of your in the starting lineup, you're probably one of the last options.
They're really looking at stopping, especially given recent performance, he can have opportunities, they're gonna double the post and he's got to be ready to shoot. So for me, Me. I made a prediction that, you know, this is going to be like the Miller cop Legacy game. Like this is an opportunity to wear. Like, if you knocked down five, six, threes in this game and you be number one on your home floor.
Like, people will remember that. And I don't know why I like that came to me or, like, I just been thinking, like, what's, you know, what are people going to remember him by? It's like, decent shooter, you know, that's kind of it, and that's fine. Like, going wrong. Everybody knew me as a decent shooter.
You basketball team, I'm living the dream, but I just, I feel like he is an X Factor. I guess, is what I'm saying is that, he's like the Mason Gillis of, you know, last weekend or last game for Purdue like not, somebody really are keying on but once one or two goes in my gets hot and, you know, he's kind of fiery. He's got a little bit of fire in them, you know, can talk to talk some trash and whatnot and like feel like he kind of thrives on that.
And so I'm that's a piece that I'm just interested in. Seeing what happens because I know he's going to get opportunities because Purdue Purdue is 100% doubling. Trace Jackson Davis, they double the post, that's what they do. And so there's gonna be opportunities and I'm excited to see what that looks like. It's so funny because I asked Gail and I had a similar question on our pot about, you know, like who could be the rod fantasy of this game.
And he gave one came up with Miller cop to, and I think it's, I made the case for race Thompson, but I think Miller cop is the answer and to your point kind of looking through his game data. Indiana. It's like he's got kind of two games where he went nuts from three. It's like this year against Rutgers at Rutgers as a loss. And that at Syracuse last year, he went 4 for 9, from three had 28 points, whether both losses, you're right, it's kind of, it's there for him.
I think he's going to get open shots. He in a weird way. He fits that fantasy mold were Fitness. He also is kind of like, dude just play ball like stop thinking and like you see that a little bit with cops. To where he gets the ball and it's like, he doesn't his chute, he thinks about it, it takes a drive and kick the step in it's like dude to shoot but you're a great shooter like just shoot it like, stop thinking and play basketball. So in a weird way, maybe it is
going to be the Miller cop game. Yeah, it's gonna be fun. It's great to have this back. It's great to have Purdue back at number one. What are your thoughts on? Where Indiana is the season and where these you know, two games meet its you know from a larger perspective is also my concern is You know, whether it's, you know, I was a tough road game.
It's like Penn State stuff, northwestern's top, like all the losses, you can kind of, there's reason for them, but it's like, you still dug yourself a hole, like, you're still only one game above 500 in the Big Ten. And my larger concern is, you're going into a two game homestand against the number one team in the country and a team that is just had your number 45 years in Rutgers. And just saying, you got to win two of those like they're at home.
But it's like that's that's a pretty tough putt. But if you go into in the next to your now, under 500 in the Big Ten and your stereo to game Road Trip, you're going to Michigan. Michigan has not been great, but it's like that's a road game. We have we not fared well on the road. It's like you're suddenly the season could easily be in Peril. Again, you know, that that's my concern. Is I look at this next honestly, like 72 hours for IU basketball. You know, how do you see the
next couple of games for I you? Yeah. I'll tell you what, I'm not concerned. Okay, love it. Well, you won't probably here in a second. I'm not concerned because the last time I came on this podcast, I you'd lost three straight and it was like, is this a tournament team is, you know, we were just like what happened with this and we rolled off five straight. So, every time I come on this podcast, I'm just, we've set the precedent Indiana, won five straight. I love that.
Let's do it. Yeah, so after we lose the Michigan State on the 21st, I'll come back on. It's right before the next Purdue game and we'll keep it going. But in all seriousness, - yeah, it's a tough home stand here. I'm grateful. It's homestand and not on the road at Purdue at Rutgers, you know? And then you look ahead. Michigan played well last night, beat Northwestern Northwestern. Obviously beat us at home. So we got to go there and play Illinois. Looks better than last time.
We played a mission States always tough and you got Purdue Iowa, Michigan again. So like, you know, your Nebraska's and your Minnesota's or out the window. And so outside of those two, every Game in the Big Ten is a dogfight and you know, everybody says it, but it's so true. It's the best scatter league in the country. By this point, the season, everybody knows what you're
running. Everybody knows what you're going to do. And so there is some concern there, but I will say, when I look at Indiana and who they're playing against outside of Purdue, just because and I could still make this statement, I think Indiana is more talented than every team remaining on their schedule and that does Play a factor now, you have to put that talent to work and you got a gel together as one which, you know, they seem to do in
that five-game, homestand it seemingly you'll get Xavier Johnson back sometime in February late. February, seems to be more realistic and that factors into your talent level of your depth becomes greater. And so certainly, you know, you don't look at that, the remaining games and like, oh yeah, like sure thing. No problem, but the same time to I do look at it and think
there's opportunity here. You know, if Indiana goes on a bit of a tear and they win, let's say, 75% of their remaining games, you've got an opportunity, possibly a, maybe a three seed in the big dance and I've already been scoping out where the Regionals are at and where the the the first and second round are as if I as if we'll have any idea until that Sunday. But I'm like okay well they could go to Lumbus, and then they're going to be in Louisville, like just goofy stuff.
But yeah, that's a long-winded answer saying, obviously, we don't know but I'm cautiously optimistic on where Indiana's at currently the, you know, obviously got to get healthy. It's I think. Trace Jackson Davis is back injury was obviously bothering him more than we knew and once because once he got healthy, Indiana got a lot better and so you can only hope that. Once David Johnson's healthy ones, Jordan geronimo's healthy. Once a race is healthy Indiana.
To get a lot better. Because that's, that's one thing that in each of these losses for Indiana this season, they're missing a key piece or a key piece. Was extremely injured and I'm not using an excuse. There's it had, it's a fact of college basketball, but, you know, if they get healthy at the right time and they start playing their best basketball as they did last year toward the end of the year, like, like you mentioned their ceiling seems to be fairly high, and that's exciting.
The other thing You know, you mentioned the Miller cop game thing. I'm gonna throw this out there. I think there's a world. This is like it's going to sound super easy to pick but also like there's some logic behind it. Tomorrow could honestly be the trace Jackson Davis game, as well, and what I mean by like, he's been amazing.
Like, he's been unreal. He's gone scorched-earth that he's good for 20 and 10 every game, but last year, people forget, but it's a, he had four points in one Rebound. In the game at home against Purdue, he got fouled out, He got three fouls, two or three files. Real early didn't play a lot in. We played 11 minutes so it's not like he had a bad. You just was not able to play because if Ali all but blue. Yeah. But if your Trace it's like you won the that's great.
You won the game but it's like you, you were not a big part at that's Rob Fitness. He's win. There's a world where and Trace has some dog in him. Like he definitely sees it, he gets pissed, he gets angry, which I love. There's a world where it if your Tres Jackson Davis and you just can have a dominant game, just put up a ton of Statute, I think he could and you beat Purdue It's like the question of who's the Big Ten player of the year?
Gets a little bit tighter? Because now it's like he's going to have his numbers, but like let's say, Jackson Davis. And again, I'm like he's been so good. But let's say he does go for like 34 and 22 or something. Just some wild game, you know, you leave that being like, all right, like Indiana, beat him and head-to-head Jackson Davis had a better game than TV and I could see the discussion start happening like well tracks and Davis does a little bit more.
He's more athletic like ed7 for it. And if Indiana goes on a run, then like this is a world where you have a game, where your Jackson Davis, you could change the Paradigm of who the Big Ten Player of the Year isn't honestly, the winner of that is probably National player of the year and it's there for the taking and, you know, you mentioned like, Miller cops Legacy. Not that Trace Jackson, Davis needs to worry about it.
His legacy is statistically, is going to be set at IU, but his overall Legacy is going to be Interesting because he's never finished above 500. The Big Ten that's still yet to be seen whether they can do that, you know. So his legacy and I you could be odd. So he's gonna have all the stats and at this team has never been above 500. It's going to be like, that's a, that's an odd Legacy at. I just it's going to be an odd Legacy for a program that Prides itself on winning and Banners.
And you Big Ten titles and national championships to not have any of that. But have all the stats is kind of not what IU basketball. Intrinsically about not saying he's not good. It's just it it puts him in an odd place but if you could have a year where it's like, yeah, but it's senior year man. He won the Big Ten Player of the Year like that. That puts you to pretty Elite. Not a lot of IU players have won that award like I put you in an
elite territory. So I do think that's on the table here to it starts on Saturday. So I could see a world where we just see Jackson Davis coming in totally locked in, which is it almost seems unfair to say because he has been so damn good. The last three, Weeks. But, you know, if you want to win Player of the Year, this is your moment. Like, you're going up against him and it's not even like a guard versus a center, like they're going to be going up
against. If he gets 38 points, he's doing it against eating. And I see a world where it's like I could see Jackson Davis getting himself height for that and be like, this is my moment to show that I am the better player in the Big 10. Yeah, but I don't disagree at
all. I think it's, it's an exciting like to me, like it's what you play for, you know, like you thrive on on the opportunities like this as a competitor and you know, I'm sure that that's not lost on himself, the coaching staff Mike. What's it like? This is what you play for and that's yeah, that's the most
exciting thing. Like, you know, this isn't a game where Mike Woodson has to go in there and wrap the guys up or it shouldn't be, I would hope it's not like, yeah, I don't really Lackadaisical. I mean this is excited and so yeah, Tracy I can Davis is a great opportunity in front of them, you know, if he wants to put himself in that conversation of like legitimate like hey you know, because I thought he could win Big Ten player of the year. Yeah, I think.
Yeah, I think especially the way he's played since January and then you if you take it head to head, there's opportunities there. So you know, I've said a million Sighs. But I'm just pumped like to see what happens. I, you know, I pray, it's not a letdown, you know, or just like, not a game.
Like I envisioned this great game comes down to the wire, you know, going to take some execution down the stretch, you know, the last 30 seconds takes 24 minutes because it's a college basketball game is closed. Yeah, we get together at 9:00 at night. Yeah, exactly switchyard already closed. Yeah. I'm I'm also, I am also, I'm very interested to see how this team comes out against Rutgers to because it's a very quick turnaround.
No matter what happens in the Purdue game, it's going to be an emotional like they win. It's going to be emotional, they lose close, its emotional, they get their doors blown out, that's going to be an emotional, letdown like there's a lot of things keyed up for this Purdue game. I'm very curious to see how this IU team comes back after. Whatever happens against Purdue in the Rutgers game because that game is just as important as this Purdue game, maybe more
depending on what happens. And I mean I'll ask you but it's like I don't think any of us really know how this T like that to me is almost more interesting is like how are they? You know, how their psyche going to be going in with a trucker's game? They're going to come in as locked in because we haven't seen this team have a history of doing that you know last year they just completely kind of no showed that Michigan game. We all were like I lets you
know, Young Big weird. It's like I do think those kind of excuses are have to be gone. Now, if you're going to be the expectations, we have you kind of. So I'm curious to see that turnaround from Purdue to Rutgers also because it's quick, it's like 72 hours.
Yeah. You mentioned it last year, we'd be Purdue on a Thursday and then just got torched by Michigan on a Sunday. And so, very similar turnaround, it's emotional, but like I said, you know, if you truly want to be an elite team and you want to go to places that you want to go, like, that's a type of turn around, you're going to Have in the NCAA tournament, you know, Tuesday or Thursday, Saturday,
you know. And that's one thing that I want to mention here too is, you know, this is, does Indiana have a chance to win the Big Ten, probably not, but they have an opportunity to get a double by in the Big Ten Tournament, which is huge. You think last year of all those games they had to play in the Big Ten Tournament then had to turn around play Tuesday or play on Wednesday or Tuesday or
whatever wasn't. And they had to play Third, like, you have an opportunity to kind of mitigate some of that airplane, which was a big was Big Factor last year just getting the doors blown off by st. Mary's and so I don't want that to be lost either that like yeah, you're not really probably jockeying for number one potential but you are jockeying for two, three, four, and that
plays, a big difference. If you can get that double by in the Big Ten tournament and you know, you only have to win one game to get to where you want to go rather than 3 or whatever, the case was last year. So I think that's important too. To think about as well for Indiana as a jockey for Big Ten. Positioning, no, I completely agree timing. It's unfortunately, the Big Ten title is probably Out Of Reach
at this point. You know, even if you could beat Purdue twice, that gives them, you know, three losses in the Big Ten, you still have for, you need them to stumble somewhere else. I'm just not sure that's happening. I'm not sure. We can beat them in Mackay either. It's a lot of ifs but you are right. Like, I don't think getting if you win the next to the path. For you getting the number two seed.
In the Big Ten is really their you now have you, you you have it. You've split with Rutgers. So I, you know, I don't know what the second third and fourth tiebreak is, but you are right. The big Ten's in a weird spot where it's like, Purdue Rutgers then it's just like, literally everybody else. And, you know, Gail and I were joking with us to like that third through eighth spot could come down to like the 15th tiebreak. Like it means these teams are packed up.
I don't see there being a lot of distance here. But if Indiana beats Purdue be truckers Yul wins in Michigan, I think that puts them at a point where they put enough distance where they're probably comfortably in the three seed without having to worry about tiebreaks. And that's like, as you said, it's a huge thing. Because yeah, that's Saint. Mary's lost was pretty much a schedule loss, but it was of our own doing like all those extra
games at all. That travel partially was the NCAA flying us, you know, from Dayton to Portland in 12 hours but you like you can mitigate that by Putting yourself in a position where the n-c-double-a can screw you and you do that by being double by the Big Ten, and then being a protected seed in the tournament, and then you're not going to get job by the NCAA 100%, And it's there for the taking and that's what's nice. You put yourself in position to take it now, go take it.
Yeah. Well, you're gonna be at the game tomorrow, right? I will. I'm jazzed up, there'd be my first game this season that assembly or no. I guess I went to one of the exhibitions but first real game. Game of the season. Nice. It's going to be one of the few games where I'm assuming. Like, I remember this, the Kentucky game always comes up the Kentucky, Wofford shot game. I saw it at that game. I saw it at last year's Purdue game a little bit for this year's North Carolina game but
it's it's something special. I'm going to be there. Like when people are there with like 18 minutes before the game, in the places like already full. It's like, wow this is we're full of like that's something where Quietly. Indiana fans are kind of show up late, not show up late, but you can a lot of these big games, you know, we'll get there and it's like you know, four minutes of tip and it's like a lot of empty seats. So it fills in but it fills in.
As the game's going there's very few times where it's like 20 minutes pre tip and it's like the place is jammed. And I remember that Kentucky game, just like it was 20 minutes for tip-off and I'm like this place is 100% full, like it was Bonkers and I expect that tomorrow. Absolutely. So telling you, you got to be there 20 minutes, right? You got to be there when the highwomen. That's early. Don't you worry? We will be.
I'll make in college. We used to we stroll in, you know, this under-16 timeout or something like that. But yeah, I'm not, yeah, I'm not knocking nothing game. We were there. And, you know, like you said, there's just an aura. There's a buzz, the pet bands plan, you know, everybody's just into it, and it's just like, like you. There's just a buzz. You can feel it and that will 100% be the atmosphere tomorrow
especially for o'clock game. You know, there's some time to four people get lubed up a little bit and Be ready to go? No, I buddy I didn't mean this at all just to clarify its honestly never the students like students they've done a great job of showing up for football games. The last couple years for basketball games like it. Normally, when the place isn't full, it's like I sit in section F. I look over students or to my, you know, far right. I stare straight at like, the
alumni and the faculty section. And normally, that's the section that's like half full when the tip-off start. So, I'm I've always been Ben, I think the students get a bad rap at IU. They show up and they show up early and they're there for the most part the last couple years have been really, really good. But yeah, I expect tomorrow to be lit. I just opened, come out, good, hoping to get a win and I think so. What's your final prediction? All this talk, all this pod.
What do you think happens tomorrow? Indiana. 70 produce 66 okay, I like it. Does he get two fouls? That's the bigger one. That's the harder one to predict, he's averaging 1.7. So we'll see. I will Tony. It's been great. And you know if we if we lose again we're going to have you on as my God if we go on a five-game winning streak again like I love yes.
After Michigan state will have you on because that gives us 3 and that gives us two in the big like if we get the double by That might get us to the Big Ten title game. So let's do that. And then we win the national championship. This, we've gotten time you heard out here, dude. I mean that happens. Like then all the ni L dollars might need to go to Tony. Let me just call the muddy puddles to you. If we found we found keep my fingers crossed. What are years? We try to figure out what the
hell's wrong with IU basketball. We just got a Time, the podcast right? Damn. Maybe you heard it here first, and we shall see. So hopefully, it's the start of a hellish go for a 10 game, winning streak. Because just went out anyway, really Tony. It's been awesome. I'll see you tomorrow. Everybody out there. Thank you all for listening. Let's go have fun tomorrow. Let's let's beat Purdue what the hell? They were trapped please thank them.
Good to see you man. Until next time, thank you all for listening. This is Scott for Crimson cash signing off.