Inside the Hall - Latest Comments in Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

Scott — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 07:59:38 -0000

Cup Cake City Baby! Big Ten away games will be an entirely new experience for the new comers.

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

Matt — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:14:34 -0000

Just watching Pitt/Duke at the Garden tonight (12/20) makes me agree with you. What a physical battle - two big-time programs battling it out to overtime. A close loss to a ranked program on a neutral floor at this point doesn't hurt you that bad - but a win would be huge on Selection Sunday. I agree with some of the other posters that even a Louisville (not looking so good now) or a Butler would have been a good test this preseason.

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

HoosierByNature — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:02:02 -0000

Did you look at the schedule before the season started and lament the fact that it was too soft? If you did, you didn't write about it then. I think you, as most people, saw it as a pretty well rounded non conference line-up. A few decent tests with some powder puffs sprinkled in.
My point is that it's hard to tell exactly what you're going to get when you schedule these things in advance. Sure, we could have scheduled a couple more away games, but with all the neutral court games we've played, I'm not all that worried about it.

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

ALH '00 — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 14:11:28 -0000

Agreed that the schedule is week, but games are games, and I like the way they are won, even if the victory was "scheduled".

"Did we really get any better beating Western Carolina by 48? I think not."

Probably. This team is young, so to come out and dominate a lesser opponent shows that they are focused. Also, we got some key players on the bench some minutes. It may not be as big as winning a tough road game, but I definately think the team improved during that game.

"If you don’t play any road games early and learn to win away from the friendly confines, how do you expect to win when it counts?"

Focus. Leadership. We have DJ, and EJ can play like a senior. Ellis has been around. Crawford continues to get better. On the other hand, their "tough" neutral court game against Xavier didn't turn out too well. So, we'll see. It's hard to look too negative on this team when the talent level is so high.

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

Alan — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 08:04:16 -0000

Tom,

Per your 3:52 pm comment: Well said.

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

John — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 02:59:27 -0000

What ever the SOS is I would love to see Hoosier fans stop complaining and JUST INJOY THIS TEAM, as they grow!!!....Why is that so hard for so many people???

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

MPmike — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 16:16:54 -0000

I agree that IU has a weaker schedule this year, but, I heard Kelvin Sampson talk about how the schedule is made and he stated that the schedule is made in advance. UK is down and the Big Ten/ACC challenge is selected by last year's conference finish, so IU can't control whatever happens the following year. However, IU has played two quality opponents (Xavier, So ILL) away from the HAll and Chattanooga gave Tennesee all that they can handle--score was 70-76. We beat them by 20.

If you can remember a few years back when IU didn't make the tournament because of a really tough pre- Big Ten Conference schedule. I believe IU's schedule was ranked in the top 5. IU started out at 2-7 during that stretch and could never catch up and did not have any quality wins. IU ended up 15-14 and NIT bound. So, having a tough schedule can only help when you win games just ask Davidson. Finally, last year Ohio State had a pretty weak pre-conference schedule with the exception of two games-Florida and UNC. Ohio State dominated the conference and ended up in the championship. IU fans can look forward to the the rest of the season with a team that will have better chemistry and loads of confidence.

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

Jay — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 16:15:42 -0000

I should know but I don't, did ND drop us or was it the other way around?

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

David — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 16:11:54 -0000

Steve O, you assume that a team such as Memphis or Duke would want to schedule a pre-conference game against Indiana. In most cases this couldn't just be a one and done situation, you would want a home/home series in back-to-back years. That in and of itself provides a scheduling conflict. And how long does a series like this last? It probably won't be ongoing, it may not even last past the first two years.

It's easy just to throw out random hypotheses here and there and not even begin to think how it all gets accomplished. We all do it.

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

Tom — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:52:47 -0000

You schedule complainers are the people CKS refers to when he says "some people are not happy unless their unhappy". Also goes to whiners in November about lack of defense, rebounding, offense etc. You could have Davis as a coach or be a UK fan. To many spoiled fans.

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

Steve O — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:47:52 -0000

And SD Hoosier, your NFL analogy is quite a stretch. I mean the Patriots played the Colts, Chargers, Cowboys, and Steelers who all lead their divisions and are playoff bound. I'd say the Colts and Cowboys are the #2-3 teams in the league...

Also, there is no RPI or SOS ranking in the NFL, at least one that matters. And you may be right about the Colts schedule being tougher, but the Patriots BEAT the Colts and the Cowboys. SO what are you talking about? Your argument has no relation to Indiana basketball playing a crappy non-conference schedule... And I don't even like the Patriots.

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

Steve O — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:35:35 -0000

My point is, we don't know how we stack up against the top 10 unless we freakin play someone in the top 10. And yea, you might argue the polls mean nothing, but they are still an obvious indication of who's good and who's not. Not that we can change the schedule now, but I would have much rather seen us schedule a team like Duke or Memphis during non-conference play rather than Coppin State. Have you ever heard the phrase "battle tested"? Cause we certainly won't be come March. Also, with the crappy non-conference schedule, if it comes down to seeding us a 2 or a 3, the tourney selection committee will almost absolutely give us the 3. Looking at RPI and SOS are a pretty big part of the process.

But hey at least we've been blowing out most of these undermatched opponents... I guess you can't complain about that. Now we have a chance to accumulate some wins, which also look good to the tourney selection committee... Either way, go IU!

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

Mark — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:36:46 -0000

I agree 100%

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

SD Hoosier — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 14:09:03 -0000

My opinion is that the schedule is hard enough. We had a wake up call against Xavier, and because of that, I think the team was able to respond against Georgia Tech and build up their confidence.

I remember when people complained about how hard Coach Davis seemed to make his schedules, and how it wore on his team. I also remember how a lot of people wished that he'd schedule like Coach Knight, he of the cupcake non-conference schedule.

In my opinion, what matters most during non-conference season is that the players are taught the system that the coach wants. If they're able to apply that effectively, then it'll help them during conference play.

In addition, having good players who know how to play in that system also matters. We have a lot of young guys in key roles, so I think it's been great for them to get acclimated without getting their butts handed to them. And besides, wins are wins, and they serve their purpose- to build confidence.

To further explain how cupcake schedules don't matter- let's look at the NFL. The New England Patriots, who have been all but crowned Super Bowl Champions (I hope the Chargers or the Colts have something to say about that)- are the only team with a winning record in their division (save for the 7-7 Bills). I think the Colts have played a tougher schedule, given the quality of the AFC South, but nobody seems to care.

So fans, stop whining about the quality of schedule. If the players really know how to play, and the coaches really know how to coach, then it doesn't matter. If there's anything to complain about, how about whether our young players can start growing up and not getting suspended?

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

Calbert Cheaney — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:46:06 -0000

Any word yet if Ratliff made the grades?

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

David — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:28:19 -0000

The Big Ten was weak last year too and yet somehow the Ohio State Buckeyes made it to the Championship game - beating quality teams on the way to the Championship game - Memphis, Tennessee, Xavier and Georgetown.

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

Steve O — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:14:51 -0000

the big ten is weak this year. we could be in trouble in the tourney if we see a pac-10 or big 12 team.

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

Ben Bic — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 12:53:39 -0000

Everyone seems to agree the schedule is too soft. So how does the informion below fit into the picture???

RPI
Rk

10 Michigan State (10),
26 Indiana (26),
27 Minnesota (27),
54 Illinois (54),
64 Wisconsin (64),
86 Ohio State (86),
104 Purdue (104),
204 Northwestern (204),
205 Michigan (205),
216 Penn State (216),
249 Iowa (249),

Ben

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

Joel — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:52:15 -0000

The schedule is too weak. We really don't know how good this team is. Right now its a team with a lot of potential and nothing more. The national rankings reflect our weak schedlue. We won't move up until we play some good teams and beat them. It would be nice to "get tested" a few times before the Big Ten season starts. The only quality win has been Southern Illinois. This schedule makes winning twenty plus games meaningless.

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

Calbert Cheaney — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:42:45 -0000

The schedule is easier this year, but all of those that are complaining about it will be the ones next year complaining about how our schedule is too tough.

NEXT YEAR: Maui Invite-will probably face a top ten team and a decent mid-major. I gurantee we play UNC or DUKE away from home in the ACC/B10 challenge for simple fact of ratings. Kentucky and UCONN will be top 25 teams next year and we will be playing those games away. The Big Ten will be twice as hard next year with Illinois, Ohio St., and Wisconsin all back to being power houses. Next year I will be praying for cupcakes.

BOTTOM LINE: We have four or fewer losses in big ten play, beat UCONN, and have a decent run in the b10 tourney, we are a 1-3 seed. Can you ask for anything better????

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

Zac — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:13:41 -0000

The point that the easy schedule has provided us with an opportunity to mesh the new guys with the veterans is a valid one. Allow me to step out of the box and provide a potential problem that has not been discussed yet (at least I think it hasn't):

Too many home games. Next year with EJ and DJ gone we are going to go through a little bit of a struggle at the beginning of the year. Only next year we will have to play at Kentucky, away for the ACC challenge (maybe..I dont know for sure how that will work) at connecticut, away for the maui invitational and at purdue (god I hate them). This being said I probably would have liked to have this year and next years schedules swapped. The schedule is what it is, though, just a measuring tool to get seeded in the tournament and then anything can happen.

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

wrigleyville — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:06:06 -0000

I don't fault IU for the schedule. They played Southern Illinois on the Road, Xavier the Invitational, Kentucky in the annual game, and Ga Tech in the Big Ten-ACC thing. Not to mention UConn in January.

They can't really plan on Kentucky being bad. I'm not sure how the ACC thing is determined, but in the recent past they've played Maryland and Duke, and UConn is perennially good.

When Indiana was down a couple of years ago, you could have faulted Kentucky for playing a soft non-conference schedule. But it wasn't Tubby's fault that Mike Davis ran the program into the ground.

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

Steve O — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:51:14 -0000

Take a look at a team like Washington State, who right now is ranked like #6 in the polls. Their only "good" win came against Gonzaga. Other than that their non-conference schedule is filled with cupcakes. And like some people have stated before, on paper, before the season started, our schedule looked a little rougher. But it's hard to determine who's gonna do what until the season starts. Too bad we couldnt get Duke or UNC again in the acc/big ten challenge. I would like to see how we fare against tougher competition. But you can't really blame the coaches or staff. The schedule is what it is.

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

BigT — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:48:58 -0000

I agree with what others have said. Yes, it is pretty weak this year, however partly due to teams that are normally good being on the downside.

I am most disappointed in the fact that we didn't play ANY teams in the state. No, Indiana State and Ball State aren't much better than most of our current games, but I think it is important that we keep these rival games going (not so much for IU, but I can guarantee that kids on those teams see it as their chance to gain some glory...)

Re: Is the non-conference schedule too soft? Yes, it is

Eric — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:43:19 -0000

I agree the schedule turned out weak, but when it was put together we had no idea that some of the bigger names would suck. Also 2 of the cupcakes were out of our hands, the Longwood and UNC-Wilmington games were part of the Chicago Invite so we couldn't control them at all. I also agree with whoever said that losing the 2 non-conference games because they increased the B10 schedule had to hurt scheduling.

Long story short, sure the schedule is relatively easy, but I don't fear it will hurt us. This team has too much talent to piss it away!