You're listening to the back home network presented by home field. Apparel. Welcome back to Crimson Cask ale and caviar joining you here. Along the Scott Caulfield it is a Victorious, Sunday February, fifth of the year. And 23, the Hoosiers. Pull off something they've never done in their history, which is vide, number one ranked for do team at home, and they do so by 5:00 yesterday, tremendous seen one of the more exciting environments that I've seen in Assembly Hall and long time.
And I lost my voice as you can probably tell. So you're going to get a very lower register Galen klaviyo during this podcast. Hopefully, hopefully it works for you. Is that's about the best I can say. But anyway, Scott, good to see you. I got a chance to have lunch together yesterday, it was a great start to what ended up being an amazing day. For a pair of IU fans that happen to podcast on the team, didn't get a chance to see you
at the game. I got like captured by the Don Fisher thing at halftime, and I was like that, that by the time that ended it was like, oh crap, I don't didn't do my normal rendezvous with Scott, I hope I'm and then we almost lost down the stretch. I'm like, I jinxed all of this, my God, this is all my fault. So, thankfully that worked out, but it's good. To see you again. How you doing? Good to see you too.
Yeah, no II caught. The Don Fisher thing kind of from the tunnel and then went down looked and see you there and I still needed some time to kind of cool to get out and just kind of cool my head for a little bit and then and then get back in. Now, it was yesterday was awesome. I mean, that's that's why I you basketball has a hold on a lot of us. That's why it has the fanbase. It does. I will say this, it was awesome getting out to see people you and I we could, we went to lunch.
It was kind of A great progression of a day we went out. It's kind of a quiet place with our friend Tony and Ronnie and his wife and then went to Yogi's it's like art we step it up that we ramp it up and yogis was was lit, Yogi's all over and there was like seven or eight. People came up, came up to me at Yogi's. Who listen to the podcast? It's great.
Like I'm not going to dwell on it, but it is really nice and I unfortunate was not able to go to switchyard afterwards, want to get back and see the wife and kids just had been gone, you know, coming out earlier just, you know, Want to be the fam, but it's all. It's a guy, had this in Vegas to his can take a minute. Like, it is really, always, very nice to hear people who come in and just say, hey, we love the
pot. I'm sure people, there's people who don't, and hopefully, they don't listen or think they can find other ways. But it's, it's really nice because in a weird way like this, maybe this is life advice. I don't I don't check up much On Us online and we get we get some good reaction on Twitter and all that but I don't go into other forums. Like I just don't do much searching for Crimson cast after you and I Do this.
Not because I don't care, just because I'm also not like, you know, I don't do a lot of Google searching of myself like I use Twitter just to pull out information. I don't really. If you follow my Twitter account, you know, I don't really get into the engaging much. As there is a weird spot like, will do these pods. I really enjoy it obviously.
And then it's like, it kind of, in my mind, goes out in The Ether because I just, I go live my life and spend time with my kids and, you know, go to page two games. So it's like there's a weird part where weeks and months can go by in a hub. Like is anybody even listen to this? Like cause I don't actively Really search the, the feedback. And so it is really nice. We go out and be like, hey, I really enjoyed it.
You I drove down and listen to it and it's like because because I know how much I enjoy the podcasters that I listen to. And so I just want to say, I really appreciate it for everybody who listens everybody who comes out, everyone who says something and yeah, Yogi's was lit. It was great. And they went to the game. And yeah, breaking news, we won. It was awesome. No, it's Goose, quite an experience. And before we talk about that, just a reminder we're brought to
you by home-field apparel here. The back home network and people are listening because the Yogi's it was a lot of Hope. A lot of them filled out. There is amazing walked by another person younger person who had the bomber jacket and I was wearing mine and it was like spotting someone else that knows the secret handshake kind of thing, you know.
No it was great. You can get on the internet fast and you can click through quickly it's right well no or you can be you know just a slightly larger human in order an Excel instead of a large that It was what got me, a new one but now it was great seeing so much home field gear out there yesterday is all over the place. I mean really? And that's because it's awesome, great Designs, Great fabrics.
And just kind of a cool factor that you don't always get with large company manufactured goods it's a lot more homey as the case might be or at least the name, they actually do some great stuff outside of I you as well. They just Unleashed their mystery boxes.
Again that that happened yesterday, email went out to everybody that was on the list and you get to buy T-shirts at a discount but you don't know which one you're going to get, but it's okay because there's like 300 different schools that you could possibly get through that process. So anyway, home field, apparel.com, use the code home. Get 15% off your first order again, that's home-field apparel.com. All right, Scott, let's dig into
the game. I you came in, you know, it was wild watching the betting line before this one started and As we've talked about a lot, the betting line is essentially a measure of public sentiment. You know, it's not it ends up being very accurate in a lot of ways. What was fascinating about? This one, I made me a little nervous was how the line started at Purdue - one and a half.
And then it was Indiana, minus 1 or minus 1 and a half, and then I went back to Purdue, then went back to Indiana again and I think it's settled. Indiana - one and a half. Yeah, by the time, the game started which was interesting.
Um, and when the game actually got underway, you started to think, wow, I think Vegas actually really undersold, how much Indiana might win because it was such a tremendous start for Indiana. I don't know that I've seen them play that, well, offensively in the last four or five years. I mean, that stretch of time, basically the entire first half to put 50 points on a Purdue team that Prides itself on playing slow and to hit 60. 82% of the field goals that were
attempted. I think, actually, with a couple minutes left in the half, it was at 67 or 68 percent. I mean, this Indiana team was absolutely locked in from the get-go. They were getting contributions across the board. They were doing a lot of things to Purdue that we didn't think they were going to be able to do. I mean, you, and I, when we talked on the preview podcast, we talked about how well, they're not gonna be able to turn pro do over that Purdue at
12 turnovers. I think it was in the first half ended up with 16 for the game. You know, oh, well then, you know, they're going to not going to put Trace Jackson, Davis on Zack, ET. Well, guess what? They pushed Rick Jackson Davis. One sec ET but they really did a good job in that first half of making, it very hard for Purdue to do what they like to do. And Purdue honestly was they look like they were in danger just getting run out of the
building in the first half. What was your reaction watching? All of that do down for that first? 20 minutes? Yeah it was a great start. I was sitting with Jared of assembly call which is awesome. And but yeah, the first I visited him like we won the
first five. Let's just keep winning five-minute segments and then there's two moments you out of a timeout, Purdue, inbounds the ball, Ed like kind of shoulders into Jackson, Davis, get to foul and it was almost a moment of like the Russians cut for me to Rocky for like he gets a fouls like, oh, we got he got a foul and then Purdue immediately took him out and he played about as normal Madam. Then it's not like amazing but it's because it's kind of
moment. Like, oh, like, we were up I think like 11 or so at that point. However, 12 and it's like We we could stretch this like this is we are now up 12 play well with Edie going to the bench and you know I said the Jared a couple times to like and I mean this it all you know produce a very good team they never looked shook like you know a mid-major tea but I was like this is about as shook as I think Purdue's ever going to look like their guards
didn't. They're both really Smith and lawyer both really good but they were getting frazzled by the pressure and then that that's true. Reidy went out Purdue has had a really weird lineup out there like that it was I could feel the Purdue. It was as a fan of IU who gets very funky with like what are
these lineups? And I have the same feeling in the second half for IU, but it's like we were up by 12 or 13 and Purdue had no Edie. And I think, you know, I think Fletcher Warrior was on the bench, right? Like, maybe Braden Smith on the bench, he was just a funky line up. I'm like this is and I think the next time down Purdue me like tried to pass it to the wing and it went out of bounds and it's just like they they don't seem
to have a plan. Here and I will say we're get to the second half like I knew Purdue was going to come back like they are a steady team and again they never looked shook but they look to shook, his produce going to but my one knock for any proof and listening is at that point where we kind of extended the lead a little bit and kept it above 10.
And Edie was out like at their heart of hearts, this is what scares every Purdue fan about the tournament is because there are moments when he dies out in this team. Looks pretty pedestrian. But no we we pushed it we ended on a high but as Jared pointed out to me it's like it's like man, look like we almost won the game in the first half, we have an 85% win probability, but then the second half came and we we
can get to that. Like we came out a little bit flat assembly Halls, little bit flat and then Purdue just started working their way back in. But no, the start was, was simply went 12 one run. Yeah. I mean, that was exactly the start you wanted to have. Yeah. I mean it was, it was It's certainly one of those situations where Indiana, new and executed in a way where it's like, we got to put our foot on the gas early on with this team.
And as much as this team got criticized early this season for slow starts, you know, whether that was against Northwestern or whether that was against them, in any of the other teams that we've talked about there have been some games in the season where I us come out loaded for bear. And, you know, this was one of those games.
The game at Iowa is one of those games and it's interesting because I do think, as well as Indiana played, as you said, it was clear that there was going to be a different style of play. The dominated in the second half part of it. I think, was that the, of course, because it's the Big Ten. The officiating changed.
I mean, in the first half weirdly, the more liberal fouling calls, that were being whistled by the officials were helping Indiana a little bit, because Woodson did a really good job of rotating, who was out there. And you know, continuing to put pressure on things, they were dropping down, really heavily on Edie and making it hard for him to get clean catches, or put the ball on the floor. They were doing a good job of forcing bad entry passes.
We also shot 83% for the line and produce shot 58 percent. Well, you levitate like they were missing shots and they weren't well, that's great. And look they were rattled. And you know what I mean? Trace Jackson Davis mentioned in the postgame press conference. That was the most electric crowd that he's been in front of since he's been at IU.
And I agree that To me was a crowd that, you know, is right up there with Michigan 2013. You know, there's a few other crowds that that compared and it's tough, you know, it's I think of myself as an assembly hall Somali a sometimes, you
know, where I can. I've tasted so many different vintages of assembly whole crowds, you know, from very pedestrian games where the crowds just looking at their phones to games like you had last night, and that was one of the best vintages of Assembly Hall from a Neck, electricity standpoint I've ever seen. And it was clear, that Purdue was rattled. It was also clear though. That what Indiana did in the first half? Offensively was not going to be sustainable.
There was no way they were going to shoot over 60% from the field and you know as it turned out the Purdue came out in that second half and really do immediately was like look we're going to re-establish what our identity is and that is we're going to play through, Zack Edie. We're going to figure out ways to get him the ball.
We're going to punish you for essentially over playing and they also did some pretty subtle but I'll settle I guess maybe the wrong word but some well-thought-out things on defense you know Indiana got several baskets in the first half on that action where Galloway would curl around at the high post, get the basketball unimpeded in the middle of the lane and you know shot a couple of Runners and had a couple of nice passes out of that and crew just shut that out
entirely in the second half. It became such a Grind and Indiana. And this is, you know, it's something that I'm not you can't criticize them for because they shot 40% from three but they basically stopped shooting threes in the second half. Like it was like the perimeter game just disappeared entirely because they were so desperately trying to re-establish Trace Jackson Davis in the game and that allowed Purdue to track back into it.
I didn't realize the Scott, but the last nine and a half minutes of the game. It was two possessions like the never got above two possessions. Spread but Purdue never LED in that whole time and never even tied. So it's just a roller coaster down that entire second half the thing that I noticed. So we had, you know we sit kind of right right near the end of one of the baskets.
And so we had cruel offense coming to us the first half and, you know, definitely the pressure that our guards were putting on the Purdue guards was affecting the way they are able to get the ball to Edie. But Jackson Davis is also doing a really good job of keep, not letting ET getting Exactly where he wanted in the post. Although Edie is, I mean, you know, not not gonna sit here and talk about 80 too much but he's unlike almost any other player. I've seen it.
I let much like you. I do love to, I don't want to give you the mantle of Assembly Hall, Somali. I love that idea. I also feel like I got in the crowd well, and I have a good in say, I was the only Somali you got multiple small EA's, you know, it's a great. It's a great take. I'm just very jealous. Pull that out. I'm not sure. Either ZD is so He's so big but he is so good. Actually, I'm not sure. I've seen somebody like that size that skill level and Assembly Hall before it's wild.
He's amazingly good at getting position where he's not getting a three-second calling, or he's right on the edge of the lane, but still really close. But you can see the pressure. He puts on teams because in the second half, he's going away from us but it's like, he's getting slightly better
position. I was telling Jarrod like it, it's not because we're not our pressure on the guards a little bit was not quite at the level of It was but it's also it's like this is tough for Jackson. Davis like you have a 7-foot for 290-pound guy leaning on you for 40 minutes. Like at some point you're going to wear out and then it's like G and you saw this, he saw them. Start moving like maybe race
played a little bit on either. Like they started his mission up a little bit because it's like uni Jackson Davis to also be effective on the offensive end and like pushing ET around on, you know, to make sure he doesn't start with the best position like that wears you out after a time and it does put you in a very tough spot. I think.
He did a very good job of getting great position early on, and it's just like, he's one of those dudes where it's like, man, I'm watching the entire first half like Jackson Davis is out playing ET and then you look up and it's like, ETS got 23 and 12 years like and it's like his stats just dwarf Jackson Davis. It's like, I'm here watching the game and Jackson Davis is out playing him, but yeah, you knew Purdue was going to chop it out.
I thought reading austrians peace in the Indy star this morning. He Had a great analogy of like you know, Indiana was taking Purdue blow-by-blow, and it did feel very much like a boxing match where in that second half
Purdue's coming back there. Taking blows like Indiana felt like the boxer who's like, it's not fair that just try to hang on because they made some shots back, but it's like, but you did feel like this is you know, the other guys are starting to get some power, starting to hit somebody shots. It's like we can't let them have that killer shot and to your
point. I was saying this to, it's like, I just thought, like, you cannot let Get the lead and Indiana's credit they never did like Purdue never LED after the first few know 10 seconds of the game and it felt like in in that game had Purdue gotten the lead. It would have been harder to
close that out. I know what happened last year where Purdue got the lead in the thinnest, he came back and hit the shot and that was great and we might have done the same thing but it did feel like it was nice that Indiana really kind of there's only and I'm to be fair there was only one or two possessions, I believe we're Purdue came down with into It was always like within four or five and I think only one or two
times. They came down, once they hit a three, they're taken the lead and and credit goes to Indiana. They made the plays they had to and you saw, I heard you guys in the postgame talk about Jalen's a jiffy. No, I mean that is that's what it's like to have an MBA style player as your point guard, where he is able to create a layup, a very tough layup but a layup completely out of thin air. He's he's the shot clocks running out. Not much is going on.
He breaks a double team and gets to the rim and finishes. That's unbelievable. It's interesting.
I mean, you think about it like one of the reasons why Indiana was able to play so effectively against Purdue on on the defensive end of the floor, in the first half, is this was the first game, it felt like maybe since the Rutgers game maybe since the Ohio State game, where the size of the guards defending the perimeter against Purdue were able to make it difficult to Get Ed the ball and well, you know where I think painter deserves credit and where I think Edie deserves credit is in
the second half. Not only did they really focus on getting him the ball and putting him in different positions and, you know, essentially taking away some of what Indiana was trying to do defensively in terms of denying entry passes, but they also started letting the guards drive into the vacancy that was being left on the opposite side of the lane, and Guards were able to hit some of those layups. I mean, it was it wasn't a lot of them.
But even when they missed them, it was essentially just like a past that happened to hit the rim. Now, one of those was a goaltend that didn't get called on Zack, ET, and that was a frustrating thing because, you know, he goaltend Zone 1, he knocks the ball out of bounds, only for Purdue to be given the ball inexplicably.
There were a couple of other places like that but you know, it said you brought something up that there was a lot of talk on the Reddit last night on college basketball regarding He who played better Ed? Or Trace Jackson Davis, and it's tough because, look, I don't know how many opposing players have come in and thrown a 33 and 18 up in Assembly Hall. I mean, that's, that's an insane number, you know, three blocks on top of that, the only three blocks that Purdue had it's a
while. It's a very, it's a very good. And this is the thing. It's like Trace Jackson, Davis and Zach EDR. Very different players in terms of what they have to do for their team. Which makes it very difficult to try to effectively compare their
games. And you know, when I look at this, and I think Mike, Woodson actually hit the nail on the head, it's like, look, these were two All American players that, you know, essentially played each other more or less even and are, you know, I you Supporting Cast was slightly better. But, you know, we think about
what Zaki does. That Katie is, is such a security blanket for Purdue because you can very much Utilize the throw it up at the rim and have him grab it because he's bigger than everybody else approach. And that's very hard to guard against.
He is he is the receiver Tres Jackson, Davis, a lot of times is the receiver, but a lot of times is trying to also, or has to be the facilitator, has to be the guy passing out of the post, has to be the guy that resets the offense as opposed to being the place where it's always going to go.
And that is, I think a really interesting thing, because when you talk about like who's the, who's the And Player of the Year. Evie is, if Purdue didn't have Ed, they would not really exist as a team this year. I mean, there's a lot about that team that really wouldn't work, but you can say the same about Trace Jackson Davis. I mean, you know, that's that's where it gets hard. And the thing about it is, Edie has to play at this level in
order for Purdue to be good. And I don't know that that's necessarily always the case with Trace Jackson Davis, but Trace Jackson Davis, Has more to do to get his teammates involved in the game. It's a very different dynamic between the two players I think ultimately people will look at ETS stats over the course of the season and say that's clearly the player of the year and that may ultimately be the case.
And I'm sure if the roles were reversed would probably be arguing for that, but I think it could almost make an argument that Zaki T is the best player in the Big Ten. But Trace Jackson. Davis is the most valuable player in the Big Ten and understanding the differentiation this game to me, kind of encapsulated that as much as Thing. Yeah, it's awesome. They guard each other for as much as they did.
You know, we went to race a little bit, but I would say, 80% of the time Trace was guarding, Zach, ET and, and vice versa for a lot of it. And, yeah, I mean, it was also fun. Having I, you come to us in the second half off offensively where there is two times where, you know, you could see in Jackson Davis like he wanted to post her eyes, a key D and it's like he's you could see here. He wanted to go at him, he was up for the challenge.
There was a couple plays, the one play in the first half were for, it's like, you could just see Jackson Davis wanted to dunk. It's like, he's like trying to find a way and it's like, I'm not like you could almost see him go for the hook shot in the come back down. Then he's like, and he dumped, and he got a Duncan and we have the two times. He went up to poster, I ZT it was wild. It was like he's going forward.
He took off a little bit too early and then it's also like, oh yeah, I'm halfway in my ascent and I'm Zach Edie. Still 74 and he's jumping. It's like this is not as easy, but I love the fire. I like the like we're going to go at him and you could definitely see it. You know Indiana was not scared of Purdue.
They did not shrink from the moment it's you know, I'm gonna stop talking about it because I think we need it's still part of the tapestry of this season but it is so hard to reconcile just a point. We don't need to dwell on this but it's like this team had so much aggression. So much like going at Purdue almost a chip on their shoulder. It's like How is this the same team that looked lifeless at Penn State? Don't want to get into?
It's like, that's a tough thing to reconcile with his team is that you see this team here and much of the point with like Ed and Purdue in a weird way, I would say this much like you say you better player and most valuable player produce probably the better team and probably going to have the better season come March, but there's a reality where I look at Indiana and when they're firing on all cylinders and all things are
going. Well, it I feel like Indiana might have a higher ceiling as wild as that sounds were more inconsistent, but it does feel like at times, we are a kind of a higher ceiling team, whether will reach it for five or six games in a row, probably not. But I didn't walk away from the Purdue game last year, feeling, that way this year, I will, I look at it. It's like man when we're firing and we're doing well, we are a really good team.
I think both teams have an argument for having a higher ceiling. Because I think what Purdue does so well and you saw it. Last night is they have a level of consistency and a comfort in what their roles are that, that carries that travels throughout the course of games, and it's what allowed them to get back into it. And you know, they had possessions at the end where they could have tied it or taking the lead what you know,
Indiana is erratic. I think would be the kindest thing I can say about this Indiana team there. If all, you know, any like any combination Of like the top eight players that this Indiana team has if they're playing at their Peak is as good as anybody in the country.
And I don't say that lightly. But this is if you look at the heights of the players on this team and the things that they can do physically, this is one of the most versatile teams in terms of, what kind of looks it can throw at you in the subtleties and how the players that are on the floor,
interacting with your players. There's you know, there's certainly some rawness to the the team but Large with Tres Jackson, Davis, Jalen Hood, Fino, Xavier Johnson, you know, and, and, uh, portray Galloway. And at this point as well, because he really has raised his game a lot the last few games, you know, those players have the ability to go almost anywhere with the basketball and put their teammates in positions where they're in advantageous spots to make baskets or do
whatever. And then even you know, you get down to that next level of role players that to me is Like the fulcrum point right now for the season, you know, we've seen what happens with Malik renew playing at a consistently high level and I thought he was awesome against Purdue yesterday, race Thompson, you know as much as people have been critical of race and a pointed out that he is clearly not the same player and he wasn't even necessarily playing that great
pre-injury. I mean that guy has been a warrior and came up with so many important, you know, kind of in the gutter sorts of plays yesterday including that steel At the end, there is an intelligence and a you just a toughness there that a lot of IU teams have just been missing and it's those sorts of intangible pieces and you throw in you know, Miller comic book. Uh no his stat line is his stat line will not show it. He had six points.
You know, 142 from the lot are for 4 from the line, 14 to flew from the field in 10 years. You look at that like man. That's kind of a, you know, nothing performance from race. It's like, no, he probably won the game, click without race Thompson. He Made the plays. And this is on top of the fact that at a very tough game at
Minnesota on the road. He was the right place went up got fouled, had two free throws that then you know Trace Jackson Davis got that but sack race was instrumental in US, beating Minnesota as well. No. And I'm as guilty as any with five minutes to go I'm kind of like maybe we should have renew instead of racing here but this is why you have race and like shame on me for saying that and he made the right place and you could see it. Like, I'm, I'm watching Purdue in that last possession.
And it's like, they are not even looking at it. They are trying to get a 3. You could see it. They wanted. They wanted to take a 3 and all credit to race, like they ran that play. Once when, you know, Braden Smith goes down the middle and like kicks it out to the side and they couldn't find it, they kick it all around. It's are they don't go to ed2 inside outside but like, they're like Grace is in the perfect spot and he made that play, he made a couple other rebate like
it's, he is anyway, sorry. But it's like, it's so important what he's done, but it's like, he's basically been an integral part of two major wins. The last A couple of weeks after coming back from an injury, where he felt, you know, I'm sure he thought a lot of us did we may not see him again this season? The we're going to finish up the point. I was trying to make though which was, I agree with all that.
I think that the key right now for Indiana is race Thompson, Malik renewed, Jordan Geronimo, Tamar, Bates, Miller cop like what you get out of those players on a night in Night Out
bases. And obviously, you know, if and Wednesday of your Johnson's able to come back in, you know, Add somebody that like I feel pretty good right now about what I'm getting nightly out of Trace Jackson, Davis and Jalen Hurd Cioppino. Yeah, I mean and in yes, they're gonna have bad games here and there, but this is where as a team you have to learn how to win games, you know, with the whole group and going back to the original point that you
made, that's what makes Indiana ceiling so high. And you see what they did in that first half against Purdue, that's kind of the fully blossomed. I you where everything is firing on all cylinders, the only thing that marred That was a couple of stupid fouls, but even then it was a very unevenly called first half. So I don't even know how much to blame Indiana for that when you
and you mentioned foul. So sorry to jump it on fouls but I was actually unbelievably impressed with how we handled fouls like jail hijjah, Fino. Got his second foul with like I don't like 13 minutes to go in the first half and he goes and sits down and credit to Mike Woodson like he doesn't do the yo you have 2008 you're sitting to the end of the first half you know there came a point where it's like I got down like 10 or 11. It's I remember thinking like,
man, you know, Purdue could cut this under 10 and I felt like there was something symbolic about keeping it above 10 at half time, and Valentino came back in and played like, seven, very important minutes, and never got a foul. And I was thinking, I would love to have known. Like, was that him going to Woodsen big? Hey man, I can do it was what's insane? Like, hey man, like this is a moment for you to show me, but he did that, you know, fouls kind of became an issue in that
first half. You had Malik renew. I think with to race got three. But to I use credit it never became an issue. It could have really caused some issues had Malik renew, gotten two, three, four, fouls of race would have fouled out, like we were close but nobody really got into foul trouble, the rest of the game, you know, jail hits, Rafi, do things different. If he gets a third foul in the first half and he sits and then he, you know what?
If he starts the second half and gets a quick foul like we could have let fouls get to us and honestly once it got to that point where it's like, oh I'm getting nervous. It didn't become an issue, the rest of the game, and all credit to You and the players for, you know, playing within the game but not having the fact that Malik renew played as much as he did guarding, the guys he did and only had two fouls.
That's awesome. Yeah, I mean some of the things to think about with this game and just kind of in general what we saw coming out of it. The the what, I mean, what I really want to see out of this Indiana team moving forward, is this continued effort at when the offense starts to break down, you know, where can you get Offense restarted.
And and I think this is actually, when I look at Jalen Hurd Jaffe know, and what he's been able to accomplish this far, that's really where he's improved. So much over the course of the last several weeks is, is his ability to just kind of dig in and find spots and get shots up and sometimes the shots aren't great but they do Den dat a loosening impact on where the defense is playing. I also think Trey Galloway's done a good job of this as well.
Like his ability when Trace Jackson Davis was being completely walled off in the post to get his body. In there, you know, he had that great jump. Stop, fake shot at it towards the end of the second half. That was just a crucial bucket and, and probably was the most surprising bucket that we got out of tray Galloway.
I think in a while because it was it was so subtle and it through the defender, completely off that that you know what, you know, Trey Galloway when he's playing at his best can be a you know I'm not a primary score because obviously that's going to be traced. Jackson Davis, but you feel confident with him handling the ball, a lot more.
So at this point than you do with Tamar Bates, handling, the ball because Bates is just so incredibly left-handed and and he's so, you know, he can get some spot shots, you know, from the perimeter off and that's fine. But with the ball, in his hands, you'd rather have Trey Galloway out there and watching him maneuver through that Purdue defense on a number of occasions. Yesterday was really awesome to see.
These are the contributions I use got Keep having and you know I look at it like this, I thought that again fans overreacted to the Maryland loss. It's hard to win on the road in the Big Ten and we just saw Indiana prove that by beating Purdue who was playing on the road in the Big Ten. And I think we're gonna probably going to see that again with this Rutgers game coming up where yes Rutgers has had Indiana's number but it's hard to win on the road in the Big Ten and while Rutgers is
legitimately good. Indiana is legitimately good. But Indiana's only legitimately good if they're getting contributions from people, all over the floor. That's what I've seen out of them. That was what made that five game win streak, what it was, it wasn't just an Indiana was winning, but it was that you would get that core of two or three players doing well. And then you'd have one or two players really chipping in and doing something above and beyond what we normally seeing out of
them. And so, That you know, Indiana's got the second toughest schedule in the Big Ten remaining because of course they do. You know that they've got a there on the road. They've got four Road games, they've got a home game against Rutgers. They've got a home game against Illinois. They've got a home game against Iowa and the road games are, as, at this point, with maybe the exception of the Michigan game. They're all against teams that are projected to be in the NCAA
tournament. And so, you know, again, it's funny because as we About on the last podcast, you were worried that they were going to lose both of these home games and be behind the eight ball going down. This very difficult, stretch in conference play. Well, they haven't done that. Now, are they going to win the second one that to me, is the next acid test for this IU, basketball team? It's like, are you just had a huge win against your biggest rival?
Who was number one? Now, can you turn around against the team that's had your number for the last four years? Basically. And can you pull off a victory at home? Home in a game that you are going to be projected to win, you're going to be favored in but you're going up against the team that literally has no respect for. You doesn't fear. You isn't concerned about what you do because you haven't
demonstrated anything. You know this is this is going to be fascinating to watch because ultimately I've been so impressed with how Mike Woodson has galvanized the team around this idea that they need to have a tougher mentality that they need to ask more of themselves that they need to. You know, give something a lot of the criticisms of Mike Woodson earlier in the season, with his substitution patterns, you know, certainly he made some mistakes and I'm not absolving
him of those mistakes. But I'll also say he put players in a position where they could execute and they didn't execute and the big difference. Honestly, over the course of the last month has been the players have started executing, you know, very rarely. Have we seen at least at home a player go out there. Get significant minutes and not contribute something. Even Kayla Banks, who regrettably. We didn't.
See in the second half yesterday came in for seven minutes in the first half because of the Fowler's shoes and really gave
some tremendous contributions. Probably should have had a couple more points than he ended up having, you know, Woodson has really settled in on a small group of people that he feels like, he's going to get something out of and he hasn't really worried about trying to integrate the people who aren't in that group and where it's going to matter down the road for Indiana here, against Rutgers.
And then beyond is Will the players react to and take advantage of the opportunities that Woodson's giving them by putting them on the floor by contributing the Maryland game was troubling because a bunch of guys didn't contribute but to watch so many different players contribute in the ways that they did against Purdue says, okay? This team is on the precipice of being able to do that more consistently and on the road. And that's what I'm really going to be watching out for the next
couple of weeks. Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned Caleb Banks, he had a great look, just great contribution in the first half just all effort. Making things happen. I thought he was use a big part of it and you Trey Galloway, it's interesting. You know, that's all, you know, you know, at this point Trace checks and Davis is good for his, you know, 22 and 12. Which, by the way is, like, it's mind-boggling to think that this just were assuming a double-double every night out of him.
But we are, you know, outside of a couple of bad shooting games, Jalen Hood should be, no is also pretty solid.
And then yet, like you said, it's kind of the rest of the group is, you're wondering where they're going to fit in, but trig outweigh start to put Together in the sense that he's got that little floater when he takes, it's like, I'm very confident going in. Like he's starting to build pieces of his game where like I'm very confident that he can do that like Miller cop when he shoots I'm confident he's going to make, he just got a confidently shoot it and you
know be aggressive when he's shooting but yeah Trey Galloway is putting together a game where it's like, yeah that little curl screen. You gotta you can't let him have that because he will hit that floater 100% of the time and looking ahead to Rutgers You took the words out of my mouth. I'm fascinated by this game. It's in a way. It's like I wish we had, you know, Minnesota at home just to get another Victory and keep moving on.
But on the flip side, like this is a really nice litmus test for this team the and it's like the perfect opponent. It's it's like that, that same time line between Purdue and Michigan. Last year, you got Purdue and Rutgers and then it's like it's a team that everything you said, has no respect for us is not going to be might even be less scared than Purdue coming in. Because we at least we beat Last year, we played a really tough at Mackey.
Like we've shown no ability and do that to Rutgers. They're not going to be rattled and it's like, it's this is great that like there's another hurdle being put in front of this team right away and I'm fascinated to see how they come out. I'm going to be bummed if they come out flat and let Rutgers push them around. I don't think that's going to happen. And I now see a path where they win both these games and they've really kind of changed the paradigm.
Of the season and where this team could go and yeah, it's really cool. It's cool. But yeah the the Rutgers gave to me is just I'm not eating not ready to totally break it down and preview it yet, but it is fascinating to me how that game is going to play out and how Indiana is going to look and go about, you know, preparing an
attack in that game. Yeah, it's going to be interesting and I think just largely one of those situations where that look, all of this is to say Indiana has to play at a
level of intensity that matches. What we saw in that Purdue game, they're not always going to have the assembly whole crowd and and, you know, when you look at and I guess what I was trying to get at earlier, as you look at these two teams Purdue is the consistent, one Purdue is the one that's going out and putting out really good efforts and taking care of themselves and games were one or one thing or another thing. Isn't working Indiana's. Not quite there yet.
Indiana when everybody's going off is so hard to beat. But they still have a tendency to fall into bad habits, that's going to be the challenge for this Indiana team, the rest of the way. I mean, they've at this point, they've more or less put themselves in a position where unless they literally lose out there, going to go to the NCAA
tournament. You know, they have enough wins, they have enough of, you know, enough overall momentum right now but this team, never just had the ambition of making the NCAA tournament. You know, this, this team was talking about winning a Big, Ten title was Talking about making a Deep Run in March. And we've seen where, and how the pieces can work at their maximum, you know, impact.
Now they have to start doing it more consistently and that, you know, it can't just be traced Jackson Davis because he will wear out eventually the, you know, the way that he's playing, I don't see how it's sustainable, you know, and so much is on his shoulders. He's got to start getting more help, Jalen a jiffy. No, yes, you're going to have the occasional bad game from him.
But that's a player who is really starting to come into his own and really starting to, I think not just be a reliable option for Indiana every night. He's be asked to do three or four different things I talked about this with, with Jared on the podcast last night. He's a player that I think a lot about you fans will struggle to ever fully embrace, the way that they've embraced, some former IU players, but he right now, I
look good. I look is unreal, he is and I look at him and I see See a player that could absolutely hit another gear over the last third of the Season, you know, and I think we saw, we saw some of that in this game. We saw some of that in the Ohio State game. And yeah, you're going to have a Maryland every now again, but that will make a huge difference.
And ultimately, you know, if you have two players that play like that on a nightly basis, it's a lot easier than just having one playing like that on a nightly basis with Tres Jackson Davis. And that's where, if you get this tree Galloway every time out You're going to win a lot more games than you lose and we'll see what happens with it. But that's really I think of as many and I actually we talked about this on the pregame pod the 11:40 team was kind of like this.
They had you know a really efficient score in the post and they had players that had never really hit a certain level of potential and then they all started hitting on all cylinders from the beginning of February until losing to Kentucky in the sweet 16 that year. And the I think this team has a higher ceiling than that. At team did, to be honest with you, but I also think that this team probably has more to overcome to get to that ceiling. Then that team.
Did you said something that I want to highlight real quick, you mentioned just talking about you Indiana, and how they've got to get the consistency down. If they can get that consistency, they can you know, play better and but but you know, but they're solidly in the tournament.
And this is, you know, I'm guilty of this at times as well, but I think this is the trouble with a fan base where we've been outside looking in. In so long on the tournament and in a way in 2012 to, you know, we happen to the tournament a while but it's worse now because we've had so many more stretches of not making the tournament that, you know, that Maryland game. It's like, you look at it and I think it's hard for a lot of IU fans to sometimes reconcile,
just remember. And again, I'm in this Camp to that, you know, when you mention a team like you can play really well at home and as a little bit inconsistent but has the pieces that could be there. It's like yeah, that's what if 32 a six seed in the tournament looks like, like, I know that from the outside looking in, it's like Jesus. All these teams are so good and like, they're just crushing, it's like, they'll go look at like the resume of a four seed
in the tournament every year. Like they have weird stretches, their inconsistent and like there's the teams that are the one seeds are the one scenes for a reason because they're like Purdue and they go on 12-game winning streak like most of the teams in the tournament have highs and have lows and it is weird. You have to kind of recalibrate and remember like this is kind of Profile.
If we beat Rutgers and we kind of finished top three in the Big Ten, like this, the profile, the 45C, like this is, that's what it is. Like, four or five, see teams pissed away games every year. Like, that's what? That's why they're not one seeds as why there are the tournament and less time we pissed away game, but it's like it is, it's just like when you're outside looking in, you think everyone above you is like in this lofty air.
It's like it's really only three or four teams that are in that like man they had a they crush it this year, everyone else has a bunch of questions. If you go into that fan base that they're freaking out, just we haven't had a 14 profile for so long. It's like I'm not sure we can look at it like oh, this is what it is because we think it's something better than that. It should have like a 12-game,
winning streak. Well, sorry, go ahead, no. All that's well taken and the other thing that I think being on the sidelines for so long you lose track of is the n-c-double-a tournament is not like it used to be last year in the regional finals. Here's what you had, you had a one seed, attend seed, a five seed. Seed a 15 seed and eight seed, a four seed and a two seed, what does that tell you? It tells you that it's not. I mean the resume is important but what really matters is how
you're playing at that. Time of year are things coming together for you? Have you figured out your identity, and yeah, there's some luck involved, you know? And you could have a great season and have it all go awry. Surprisingly, because you ran into a bad matchup or you could be, you know, I mean Illinois last year was a good. Sample of that. Like, you know, they have a they
have a pretty good year. They have a surprising loss in the Big Ten Tournament they end up as a four seed in the NCAA tournament. They run into Houston in the second round and lose this stuff happens. It's hard to Tennessee. Last year was the same thing there in a Michigan and who thought Michigan that Michigan team that lost to Indiana blew a 15-point lead in the last 10 minutes of the game would make it to the Sweet 16. My point is, yes, it's easy to get overwrought.
A little bit about, I use results on a game by game. You have to look at it a little bit more broadly than that. And the trend line for this team is pointing in an upwards Direction. Now, how high up it gets, I
don't know. A lot of that's going to depend on how they're able to circle the wagons, because it's going to be really hard to get up emotionally for another game on the schedule, the same way, they got up for this Purdue game, but if they can bottle, what they did in this game, in terms of how they played with each other, that we'll have a really positive impact on what they were able to do the rest of the way, anyway. Anything else before we wrap up? No. Well, we have some big news to
announce. So, we had a lot of the Assembly Hall crowd here this weekend, meet and greet Gail. And I have decided to do an event together. This coming Tuesday, and I'm really proud. You took some time and coordination, you know, we have a great venue. So we're going to have a meet and greet on the North Concourse of Assembly Hall. Now, I think they're selling tickets for this. It's, we're going to, we're going to open the doors around like 5:30. I think the tickets already went
on sale, so I apologize. And I'm not sure, I talked to, I you like they might have another event going on, like, possibly an event on the court, but there will be a meet and greet at probably around, like, 7:30 for Scott and Galen at Northside, and I'm joking. But we're going to work and came together. So, yeah, this is a. I didn't know where you were going with that. So there we go. No, yeah, we this, we have one game a year. Where Scott gives you this year, dr. We did Arizona.
We do. Derek, let's that didn't count though because that wasn't an assembly whole affair with a good record in these games to, I mean, we saw the Creighton game together a few years ago and you and yep. We we try it. Yeah, yeah yeah. Generally generally the these are winning games.
So this is a good idea. But now actually if anybody is around and we do normally meet up on the North Concourse on, that little kind of Sky Bridge area of a some of those of you who want to come over at halftime and say hi. The Rutgers game by all means do. So we booked Assembly Hall at their, it tickets are on sale, I do the secondary markets, a real event. I gotta say as much as I might have complained about this on
the last podcast. There's much as I complain about 9 p.m. starts and and how difficult those are on my psyche and complain about 6:30, then to you can't. I kind of do though. It's so like if you're a if you're a person with kids or you have a job and you don't get off work until like 5:00, And I don't mean in Bloomington. That's one thing I know in in the apples you have to leave work early. It's really hard to do. Everything you need to do then turn around.
Get to the stadium by 6:30. Now you know, it could be worse like we talked about Butler's playing games at like 6 p.m. because of the Fox television deal. But yeah it makes for an interesting transition but I'm looking forward to it. I, I'm curious not just to see how the team reacts. I'm really curious to see how the crowd Crowd reacts. Yes. And I'm curious to see if they are because of the one problem.
I think with a Tuesday early evening game is that it just you're not quite in the mood for basketball. It's like someone saying walking into your office at like 3:30 in the afternoon and say, hey, let's go. Get a steak dinner, you're like I I don't think I can do that. Like, I need, I need my steak and like, 7:30, like I know I'm going to sit there and eat a T-bone at 3:45 in the afternoon. It just, it's No apps, yes, straight to say. Um, but you know, so I'm worried.
It'll take the crowd a little bit of time to get worked up. And I also a little bit concerned about the, the, you know, where the team is at emotionally, but I think we'll find out pretty quickly. I said that before this Purdue game, it's like, you know, we're going to find out real fast if Indiana's into this game and they absolutely were and look, I think, you know, since that Northwestern game, they've done a much better job of coming out and getting into the games right
away. It's just, they got to do it again here and this Rutgers Um is no joke. I mean, this Rutgers team was down six and a half in Madison Square Garden to Michigan State this weekend. And, you know, I when I saw that game on the schedule, I was like God. I mean, I mean Purdue gets to
play Penn State in the palestra. Which is not their home court and Michigan state gets to go and not play in the rack when they play Rutgers. And and yet matter, it didn't matter, you know, the Rutgers ends up winning that game and it's going to be really fascinating because Got they have a really tough stretch coming up, they got Indiana on the road and then they got Illinois on the road.
And these next to that is, that is a huge combination and that'll really decide what direction they're season goes, but not should be good. I'm sure. We'll get the crowd fired up. Maybe we could give everybody like a can of, or maybe a cup of coffee or something walking in and just try to get everybody. Artificially buzzed a little bit. I did want to say, one last thing, the court storming at the end Let's talk about it. Okay. I have a heart. I have a very hard take on it. Go ahead.
And this is, this is changed over time. My take is, I'm 100% fine with it. Like, you get to be in college for four years, you know, you only have your, for, no matter, you know, we you and I have seen a bunch of great games. We've had great moments, and like, but we only got to be at IU as college students in the college seats for four years, and you only get a very short time to do it and so that, you know, all of these Rules is what
sucks about baseball at times. Like all these rules, you can't do this, can't do that. It's like, you're here for four years. You're 19. You don't care about like tradit, you care about attrition, it's like have fun with it and I would say this, take that out of it, as you mentioned, with Osterman, in your preview pod, you know, number one, team coming to play an assembly hall. Doesn't happen all the time and then us beating them that number one.
Team has only happened in Assembly Hall, wet like four times and then it also being Arrival. I mean, this is something that we may never see again in our lifetime. Just that the combination of Purdue being number, one, being arrival and beating them. Like, there's a lot of things here going on. I mean, we haven't been the number one team in the country in Assembly Hall since Kentucky. Is it just, it doesn't happen that often. It's a cool moment. Yeah, we're both ranked. Who cares?
That that's my take is who cares? We're here to have fun like let's have fun with this. No one as long as no one's getting hurt and no one's, you know, being aggressive or hurting the other players. I'm % fine with it. That's my chain. Yes, I agree with all of that. I just there's a couple different things I'll say on this. First of all, I mean, you hit the nail on the head.
These are 18 to 22 year olds. There's been no accomplishments of note for IU basketball during their time here and that was a legitimately exciting game. It's legitimate exciting to rush the court, I think it's great. That people are excited about something going on with IU basketball. And the people who criticize this by and large, have just they're living in an era that doesn't exist anymore. Indiana hasn't been successful. Indiana hasn't been a top
program. This this was an upset, Indiana, upset a top-ranked. Purdue team at home. That's okay. Yes. We beat Purdue a lot at home, but we haven't beaten them that much at home in the last, like decade to me. It's heartening that people still come to IU. And they're interested in a basketball program. That's been essentially middle of the road for 20 plus years and I'm excited. 25 plus years, I'm excited that the fans are
still excited. The students were so pumped up this whole last couple of days, you know, to watch campus and Entire Community, kind of get re galvanized in a way that we just haven't seen that often. A lot of the people criticizing the court storm in their heads, it's still 1989, you know, but it's kind of like when I did that little food podcast the other day. It's like hey, I know that you love going to Nix and mother bears and zag grabs.
Maybe try some other things out, I feel the same way about a lot of our fans when it comes to, the way they think about our basketball program. I know you love living in 1987 and 1993 but those don't exist right now.
They just don't. And I hope that they come back games like last night, or what are going to help those times come back, getting the students legitimately excited and enough that they will go Rush the floor because you beat a number one, team helps to re-establish where Indiana was culturally and basketball. That's things have to happen. Make it happen. I'd love to get to the point where you don't rush the floor after you beat number one at home, but that's probably that happens.
I think almost anywhere in college. Basketball at this point. Not just Indiana versus Purdue now, you beat number one. Yeah, so I just have all the fat bald and of all the dumb things though that. I mean, I guess we're Tate's me is, you know, for rece Davis to make some kind of a comment about that after the game is over on the broadcast. It's like, again, Reese, your
image of Indiana basketball. God bless you is of an era that doesn't exist right now and trying to get back up to that as important. The idea that IU is somehow above Of that level, you can't do that.
You can't say that on the one hand, and then on the other hand, you have an opportunity to do College GameDay for number one, versus number 21. And instead you choose to do a college game day for to unranked, ACC teams, like you can't on the one hand say, well, I you should be above that and on the other hand treat them like a secondary or tertiary team, you're probably right. Like, you know, more people are interested in duke-north Carolina because those have been
more successful programs. So I just I look at it all and I say It's it's great that there's that level of energy and enthusiasm among the IU students that they want to rush the court and it was a cool Court storm. This is one of the, the tough legacies of night era gave us a lot of great things but, you know, I remember the court storm. When we beat Michigan State in like 0, 1 or 0 0, you hasten hits the three and that was a great game.
But it also felt like remember that was like, people were taking pictures like, oh my God, we storm the court because like you didn't do that under night and that the problem was like, It's fine in 76 and 81 that you're winning titles. You're winning a tons. Like you can have that arrogance. But you and I lived through the era of like, hey, we have the arrogance, we don't have the winds to back it up, and then night was gone and then it's like that felt very much like, wow, this is fun.
Like, we can beat teams and storm that. Like, do the things that other programs are allowed to do. Like, I don't know, have shoe deals and like real apparel and real recruit, so we can storm the court like. And so it is it's weird that that Legacy Because people really enjoyed it that time, it's like they're taking pictures. It's like and they didn't happen for a while and it's like we've kind of gone back into that.
That's not the way we do things. Like know people wanted to do it and they as early as 2001 movie Michigan State. So I mean that's the truth. You that's not so much joking. Tongue-in-cheek. About doing it all the time. But yeah, it's fun. And this really is a, it's fine. It's just it's great to years and only be produced during the court you're both. It's both an upset. Go for it. So much of the austerity surrounding IU basketball and the asceticism of being an IU
fan. That's how bob Knight wanted it. And bob Knight was able to get that hap to happen because his teams won so many games and astonishing clip and that so you can you can force your crowd to be austere when it comes to, you know, you're not going to have people when body paint and you're not going to have a student section. You're not going to have all those things. You can afford to do that. Rudy, right?
You can afford to do that. That if you're winning games like that, when you're not doing that anymore, it's not a we're better than that or we, you know, we we are more dedicated to decorum than the other two. You're just a team that isn't having fun and isn't winning at that point. And this is the thing that drives me nuts and look, I'm I was weaned in the night era and I understand the perspective of IU basketball being special and it is special.
But I've, you know, one of the things about IU, That's Unique is how rabid the fan base wants to be because of how much it
cares about the sport. And you know, even a team like North Carolina, who has fans all over the place and has been one of the most successful programs their fans come across as if feet and kind of distanced from things and Indiana is not quite like that like Indiana is a lot more earthy and kind of you know it's more of a populist sort of brand the North Carolina is which is very much kind of an elitist brand.
And look, bob Knight had his own little foibles and his own preferences about how he wanted things conducted and that was very much with the Zeitgeist of the time but so much of what Indiana fans from that era have tried to impose upon everybody else is the style of that. With none of the substance that actually made it. What it was. And so that's where I find it really fascinating. I know some people probably not like what I'm saying here and
that's fine. We can agree to disagree on this but all of that said, I look at the court storm and I'm like, man, that's awesome. I'm glad that there's some Memories being formed there, some actual emotional bonds between those students and the team, the program, the success
of the program. Because man, we've had so many classes of students that have come through Indiana, who haven't gotten those moments who haven't been able to enjoy those things, who haven't been able to fully celebrate, that's how you that's why football has so few fans because they've been so few moments like that over the course of time, you know. And you can look at that and say that we're above, that is Indiana. But reality is, that's what helps to form those bonds for the future.
So anyway, that was Wrap that up Scott is always a pleasure and I will look forward to talking with you all coming up soon. Indiana versus Rutgers on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday we'll have the IU Women's Basketball. Show with Amanda Foster big game for the women today as they take on Purdue good luck to the Hoosiers in that one, thanks to our friends at home field apparel and the back home network for Scott. I'm Galen. This is Crimson Castle, catch you folks on the flipside.
Bring back the Bison. So long, everybody.