So PostmanE writes up a great Morning After and we have more than 25 comments. I can honestly say I'm shocked no one mentioned the biggest play of the game:
With about 6:39 on the clock, we closed the deficit to 5, had Wisconsing reeling on offense and played 34 seconds of lock-down defense. After a missed shot, the rebound was knocked out of bounds leaving one tick on the shot clock. All we had to do was play 1 second of defense and block out. If you all remember, we didn't. We got out-hustled, Wisco got the offensive rebound, drained the clock another 20-25 seconds and put the league back to 7. It was the absolute back breaker after seizing some serious momentum.
That play is a microcosm of this team against quality competition. It has nothing to do with Sampson's coaching ability nor does it have to do with any singular individual player. It was about effort and defensive awareness. There is only so much Sampson can do as a coach. I'm not sold on Sampson either in the long term, but he sure as hell doesn't deserve the majority of the blame. Coaches coach. Players play.
Eamonn
· 1 year ago
Good stuff, b_side.
CutterInChicago
· 1 year ago
First, PostmanE is almost 100% spot on. b_side: Nice post. Well said and I think you've hit the nail on the head.
HoosierSmitty
· 1 year ago
Great point and I agree. That play had me going crazy. It started a string of offensive rebounds for Wisconsin. It totally broke this team's spirit and no one stepped it up the rest of the game. It was a sad ending to a nice comeback attempt.
SocksShortsSwish
· 1 year ago
Kudos to b_side, a great post.
How big does this loss make the @ Illinois contest? Here's the five games left that will be somewhat tough games. @ILL vs. Wisco vs. MSU vs. Purdue @ MSU
At Illinois is first on the list. This game has the potential to bring the team together, to give them a reason to play for each other.
I watched last night's game in a bar, side by side with the Duke-NC St. game. I hate Duke, and think the 3rd Circle of Hell is reserved for Paulus, but look at that team at timeouts and after a foul. They like each other. They depend on each other. They've got their arms around each other. That's what this team doesn't have, and that's something that could develop at Illinois.
Without "that", this is a classic IU team that loses in the 2nd round.
PB
· 1 year ago
God I wish every player on our team had the heart of DJ White.
Scott
· 1 year ago
Very disappointed in this game. The Hoosiers aren't as good as I thought they were. I think Purdue has a very good chance to come to Bloomington and get a win. Too many turnovers. Our defense is horrible. Deandre Thomas needs to learn what a foul is. A.J Ratliff needs some minutes. He provides some athleticism that IU needs. Plus he can shoot. Sampson needs to do something fast, or this team is nothing better than a 6 or 7 seed. Very disappointed.
Disco Briscoe
· 1 year ago
Flat out...IU is being out coached! We have the talent (except at the 4). Wisc runs an offense, its effective and we sure as hell couldnt stop it. You can call it boring or slow but they get good looks and are in position to rebound and get second chance points.
I'm tired of reading about Ratliff and I'm sure others are too. I also want to see him play more but he is not the savior in any way and when he is in he doesnt play well enough to deserve more PT.
I really don't know how Sampson won at Oklahoma. When we hired him I thought if he could win with crap like Hollis Price and McGee (or whoever was on that team) then it should be easy here. I havent seen the tough hard nose D and rebounding that was his trademark and have not seen any improvements to the Mike Davis O.
Too much was given to Gordon's wrist. If the wrist was that bad he wouldnt be able to do anything with it...yes I saw a 2 handed follow up dunk as did you. If anyone out there has hurt a wrist they can attest. All the trainer had to do was tape it up instead of putting a thick, slippery, ace bandage soft cast on it.
If anything happens to DJ we are bottom of the big ten heap. Well I hope better than Northwestern.
Great blog even though it sounds like I am going after you on a few things. I think we all are more than a little frustrated with the last 2 games and how this season is starting to play out. Keep up the good work.
T
· 1 year ago
D.J. played great.
Other then that, Wisconsin really took it to us. #45 on their team did EVERYTHING little to help that team get the 'W'. Every intangible play he was somehow invovled and made it positive.
I don't think Gordon is a sure thing. If he goes pro no doubt he'll be a top five pick, but he doesn't have that 'it' factor. The thing that Kevin Durant has. The thing that LeBron has. The thing Kobe has. That "i'm going to rip your soul out" drive in him. He's passive. In the NBA at best I see him being a Robin to some great players Batman. (Like Pippen was to Jordan, or Tony Parker is to Duncan)
One last note: This years team is no doubt more talented then last years, but last years was tougher. Wilmont and Calloway wouldn't have allowed this game to get that far out of hand. This year it seemed that DJ was the only one who was trying to WILL the team back in the game for a while.
And did it seem like to anyone else that Steve Lavin was flirting with Erin Andrews? I mean I wouldn't blame him, but it was still a little strange, was the game that boring?
kelin
· 1 year ago
E- First I echo 99% of what you are saying the part I disagree with is....dude you should spend an entire FREAKIN' week on IU's offensive "scams" not "schemes. In fact they are offensive, to me as a IU fan and a kid who grew up on watching average players play above average games given they never stopped freakin' moving!
I will do my best to not post for the 1000th time HOW much I hate IU's "OH" fense but I wil just make a few statements: * Thank you Barack and Hillary cause I missed most of the game...lucky me * After IU runs EJ from one side of the court to another with ONE lame ass screen, he just stands there. * I am going to say it and I don't care who hears it...Mike Davis was a far better offensive coach than KS. ...there I said it. * From what I did see late in the second half of the game, IU got beat the same way UCONN beat them....coaching!
Now my firestorm.......should KS be fired over this loss...NOPE.....BUT KS is proving to me what others have said about him....great tough recruiting coach and likeable...but cannot coach a team in a big game and to a title.....When Mike Davis outschemes you it is bad.....
Can anyone say in the NCAA tourney given the talent we have is KS better than.... Calapari, Roy Williams, Self, JT3, or Howlin.....That is our immediate disadvantage. I will go as far to say at this point....... Izzo, Ryan, Matta, and Painter...are better coaches....please someone prove me wrong.
We are the MOST talented team in the Big Ten and we are losing because "we do NOTHING" on offense. To help me remain youthful and hopeful, I will expect IU to make the NCAA tourney and advance to the second round. I will enjoy EJ while we have him and appreciate DJ more.
I could go on but I have a snow day to pray for.....
Sherron Wilkerson
· 1 year ago
Dude, try some xaxnax before the next tough road game, we weren't playing @ Northwestern for Christ sake, we were playing the best defensive team in the big 10 in a place where we have barley scored 60 for the last 10 seasons. I swear the world is not coming to an end over this loss
Hoosierfan27
· 1 year ago
It was very hard to watch the game last night. I have grown up watching IU teams that were known for their ball movement and intelligence. They sometimes weren't the most athletic teams but they were smart and won games because of it. Wisconsin proved how brains and efficient offensive execution win basketball games last night. As the big ten season goes on I have a strange feeling that my confidence in this team is going to dwindle. I will be surprised to see this team get past the sweet sixteen if changes aren't made on the offensive side of the ball. I don't know where the blame should be put but I think the majority of Hoosier fans will agree that Kelvin may not be the right man for this job. They are running basically the same terrible offense that Mike D implemented. And there was little to no improvement from the UConn loss. Why? Also, the lack of another big, complete lack of a point guard, Gordon trying too hard, turnovers, and the minuscule brain of Jordan Crawford are leading this team to an early NCAA tourney exit. The only consistency has come from THE MAN down low DJ White. He has been one of the most enjoyable players to watch all season and has made me proud to be a Hoosier. I hope this prediction isn't true but like I said my confidence is dwindling.
Sherron Wilkerson
· 1 year ago
You all are crazy if you think that we can hang with ANY team with ANY size whatsoever, its not that hard to see. We cant guard anybody with 2 players over 6-8 with some talent and play at the same time, period. I mean who is going to guard them after DJ? The answer is, uhh nobody. Its not that surprising and defiantly not anything to get that upset about, especially on the road when EJ is hurting. Maybe our bad schedule gave some of you a false since of security, that and many of you on here feel like AJ Ratliff is good for some reason. Outcoached? Please. Try watching a game and using some common sense next time before getting your pannies in a bunch over road loss to the best Defensive team in the Big 11.
kelin
· 1 year ago
Sherron-
Seriously, if you think this is all attributed to Wisconsins defense give me a drink of what you are drinking.....if we had an ACTUAL offense with all the fire power we have I wouldn't care who was guarding us, you can't stop everyone. We are easy to guard cause we do nothing...
Now which of these coaches is sampson better than: Calapari, JT3, Howlin, Ryan, Matta, Painter, Roy Williams, self, Mike Davis, Izzo, oh....and calhoun
Seriously we got outcoached.....AGAIN
JB
· 1 year ago
Ratliff will not help us with his attitude this year. Did you guys see him in late the first half when he was about to enter the game and Sampson decided not to put him in? We need team players, not people concerned about their individual playing time. Plus, he does not play close to his athletic ability!
Mr. B
· 1 year ago
Anyone know if Eli Holman has been redshirted? I know this kid may be a bit under weight, but he's at least 6-9. I mean he can't be that bad, every preseason article about him was positive. Anything would be better than the situation we've got now.
Slim Shady
· 1 year ago
Outcoached. Out hustled. KS said earlier this season he was adjusting his offense to fit the players he has, which means play 1/1 for nba scouts and make silly errors. He also told Eric that he had the freedom to do his thing at Indiana and that's why Gordon came here. I feel bad for the best player in the Big 10, DJ, the only one who cares. And tell me again how the lame strength of schedule wouldn't hurt us?
02 Alum
· 1 year ago
I couldn't agree more with this entire post, except for the take on Ratliff. This dude mailed it in last year when he couldn't even keep his grades up to play his senior year. His attitude is quite obviously crappy, and I'm pretty sure that's why Kelvin isn't playing him. As our team has demonstrated in the last week, athleticism doesn't buy you a thing. The sooner Kelvin's boys realize that, the better off we will be.
Revised Prediction: #4 seed. Bounced 2nd round by Kansas State. See ya EJ.
Tom
· 1 year ago
this is a poorly coached team, plain and simple.
and i know some people are still flying high from the minnesota game, but stemler really sucks.
T
· 1 year ago
Kelin:
I'd say Sampson is a better coach then Self. Self is a better recruit, but until he gets into a final four I don't buy it.
As for this years Hoosiers. In the grand scheme of things, I still don't think this is the end of the world. This team has the ability to reach the final four, or they could get bounced in the first round, thats just how it is.
Matt
· 1 year ago
What hurts i think is Eli Holman being hurt. I KNOW I KNOW he is raw, but bottom line is we could be using his long arms and body... And by now with the possible experience he would possibly have by now i htink he could be helping us out A LOT... OUR little teddy bear is not good, he has digressed, STEMLER AHAHAH IS A JOKE, MIKE WHITE OHH POOR MIKE WISH HE WAS 5 INCHES TALLER. SO, IN THE END WHY NOT GO TO A 4 GURAD LINEUP. ARMON, Eric i should stay another year GORDON, AJ/CRAWFORD, ELLIS, WITH DJ IN THE MIDDLE AND RUNNING TEAMS INTO CRAMPS. to me it sounds like a no brainer. HELP WHERE IS ROB SENDEROFFFFFFFFF
Pete
· 1 year ago
Sampson is doing a very poor job with this team. Let's hope the NCAA finds enough dirt on him so we can fire him and get a real coach who doesn't cheat.
ronb
· 1 year ago
I know you all want the old and tired motion offense but give it up. It is not going to happen! So take a look at the box score. Take out Gordon and White. The rest of the team was 5 for 27 or 18.5% and 1 0f 14 from three land or 7.1%. We lost because we could not make shots. Bassett who was leading the big ten from 3 was 0 for 5. He,Lance and everyone had open shots and they were terrible. IU has not beat WU at their home since 1998. Bo Ryan is 57 and 2 against big ten teams at home. Go look at your pre season projections. Did any of you really think we would win at Wisconsin or Michigan State? Making shots is IU's problem and until everyone starts shooting better including Ratliff, who you all think is our savior, this team will have problems getting wins on the road. I know everyone wants to blame coach but the players lost this game. Ratliff has to play and act like a senior before he deserves playing time. He has done nothing on or off the court to just get playing time because he shows up. He and others need an attitude adjustment before they get to play. He has been over rated his whole career and having an attitude will not help his team or him. There will be life after Wisconsin.
CoveyDale
· 1 year ago
wow I had no idea that this team would miss Earl Calloway and Rod Wilmont this much.
angry rant: IU doesn't have a true point (Earl) or any guard that knows how to rebound (Rod). I mean, how hard is it to box out your guy? I know Stemler kinda has to be on the floor with the ineffectiveness of both Mike White (though I at least liked his aggressiveness) and DeAndre Thomas (not a D-I player) but Lance couldn't throw the ball into the ocean. I'd really like to see his Big Ten shooting statistics over his career at IU, I'd be shocked if it was anywhere better than 30%. You hit and miss sometimes in recruiting and Stemler was a miss.
EJ and DJ can have good games statistically (as they did last night) but if Tone and Armon don't score, than IU won't beat anybody. Why did Jordan Crawford play like five minutes last night? I thought we really could've used him considering we scored what, 49 points?
Frustrating. Just like '96 and '05 this team entered the season with ridiculous expectations and haven't even come close to reaching them. What's most disappointing is watching this team play and then watching Purdue play. It would've sounded ridiculous a couple of weeks ago, but I would much rather watch the Boilers and have their young core and head coach.
jgongora86
· 1 year ago
The one thing that really annoys the living heck out of me is that we did not see a glimpse of a different offensive plan being carried out. I could understand that we lost while trying to incorporate a new offensive scheme ( aka picks on the paint so eric gordon could utilize his speed so he could an extra second to shoot the ball), but instead we saw the same exact crap for the wisconsin game. Every team in the nation knows how to play against us, and its a little to easy for them to figure us out. I originally thought that Coach Sampson was going to make this a great team.. If the defense was good as last year I wouldn't be worried, but its nowhere close. I loved coach ,but I'm going to be honest guys. I think he's on the hot seat if nothing big happens in the tournament. Also I don't like how he has an attitude problem with the media, and is always so upset and acts like a jerk when someone asks him about phonegate. I personally don't think phonegate itself is a big deal, but at the same time he put himself in that situation and he's going to have to learn to take it. I hope he can turn it around, and not be stubborn to stick with the same stupid game plan.
IndianaJoe
· 1 year ago
The mental lapses on this team kills me. It allows teams like Wisconsin with unathletic players to dominate us. A quick example was when Crawford was guarding hughes or flowers can't remember which one, Butch goes out for the screen, doesn't screen, but slips it. Crawford was waiting for the screen, he thought dj would step out and hedge, Crawford just stood there and watched hughes/flowers go in for an incontested layup. I don't know who to blame these mental lapses on: the coach or maybe IU players are just dumb. I don't know. On a different note, someone mentioned before about the boring motion offense. Coaches should do whatever works. It could be because IU's shitty defense but Wisconsin had some really easy uncontested layups. I don't think IU got one all game.
Sean
· 1 year ago
I agree with all points made in this article, which is well crafted I might add. Just sitting around with my roommates last night I don't know how many times we we're screaming at the TV for them to move. Coming off of a tough home loss, that should've been an ideal learning opportunity for us, you cannot afford to continue to make the same mistakes.
And what was with the one pass (if that) and shoot. They are by no means the Phoenix Suns. Kelvin has relied on his talent, instead of coaching that talent. Something has got to change.
The only positive is that DJ played great. Nobody else gets it.
HoosierSmitty
· 1 year ago
Our next five games: v. Northwestern @ Illinois @ Ohio State v. Wisconsin v. Michigan State
Can anyone say OUCH. I had use losing both of these road games and holding serve at home, but now I don't even know about that.
Any IU fan who isn't a little bent out of shape after the past two games isn't much of a fan, in my opinion. It's extremely disappointing to see the results of the last two games. It's not that I didn't think we would lose to Wisconsin, but get embarrassed? I did not expect that.
Steve
· 1 year ago
Its obvius sampson cannot coach, he still lets stemler shoot threes and also lets mwhite shoot. if you miss a defensive assignment three times your a$$ should be on the bench. if you take a bad shot not within the offense you set your a$$ down plain and simple. the offense has no movement and the defense does not know how to rotate and the coach does not know what to do. this is not the big twelve!!
kelin
· 1 year ago
I don't think anyone on here wants the Motion offense back....BUT....we want some consistant and purposeful motion in the offense.
After I woke I said ok...what is the biggest differences in IU and Wisc? IU has better talent and athletes IU has better scorers IU has better post play and ball handlers
I could go on...but then where is the difference.....Wisconsin executes there "stuff" better than IU executes there "stuff".......Put IU's talent in Wisconsin's offense and you would have a team that has 4 guys averaging double figures and you would have better post play from IU's 4 spot...
Why....Mike White and Deandre Can score when given the "opportunity" to do so...coming of screens in the post, mix matches created by screens etc. Neither of them cannot score without some type of movement.....
So it boils down to coaching.....We are 20 games in and we have no identity.... are we a fast breaking team? tough minded defensive team? What do we do, night in, night out.....when you go play MSU, Wisconsin, and PURDUE....you know what you are going to get EVERYNIGHT....rebounding, swing offense, tough d, etc etc.....
What do you get when you come to play IU.....DJ and EJ?
Steve
· 1 year ago
EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
deedubbadoo
· 1 year ago
Last night was terrible to watch. I had to catch myself because I thought we were back to running that Mike Davis offense. You know the one where screw around setting screens 25 feet from the basket only to let the shot clock wind down and hoist up a contested 3. Seriously with the talent this team has, 10 minute scoring droughts should be a thing of the past. A constant reminder of how not to play, however last night there it was. People standing around, staring at Gordon, waiting for him to save them, or watching DJ work his ass off rebounds, while no one helps. DeAndre sucks, worthless on the glass, can't hit a bunny. Mike White not a scorer but at least he will get down there and bang. Finally, Stemler, oh Lance, how I long for the day that you prove you are worth all of the minutes you get. I am not talking about the 3 you hit at MInnesota, not going to lie that was a big shot but, you can't rebound to save your life. You don't box out, you can't hold onto the ball, tell me why you get so much PT. Is it because you hustle? Because you sure as heck can't shoot like you were supposed to be able to do when we brought you in here.
That covered the front court, hats off to D.J. for yet again playing his ass off with no help down low. This brings me to the backcourt, especially Ellis and Armon, they were nonexistent. Stupid pass after stupid pass, only to be followed up by a pulling up for a three on a fast break. Seriously, this is not the AND1 tour, there is no cohesiveness with the team right now. Everyone wants to go 1 on 1 and make a flashy pass or throw up a contested fade-away. Part of it is the players attitude and part of it is Sampson's fault for not having a resemblence of an offense last night. Memphis can get away with a freestyle offense because they have the size and atheletisim to get second chance shots. That isn't going to work for us, we have to get into our set early and get good shots.
I knew this is what was going to happen, we started off the season on a tear, faced a good team in Xavier and got crushed! Then we get back on track with okay wins, then back to back losses against a rising UCONN team and WIsconsin. Granted Bo Ryan is like 103-6 all-time in the Cole Center but we were out coached, out classed, and out played in every facet of the game. We have a lot of growing to do and March will be here before you know it. For me I am going to enjoy the time I have left with EJ and DJ, and pray that Sampson figures out how to coach.
/end rant
Jerry
· 1 year ago
I was the guy tha t warned of UCONN well before we played them and took alot of heat for it on this site. My point: The flaws in this team were clear a long time ago.
What is dsitressing to me is that I feel it is the coach's job to discern this and try to fix it. My points about his coaching: 1. If Mike White is good enough to start then why doesn't he play later in the game ? 2. No inside post up offense for the guards to draw opposing Bigs out w DJ facing the basket for a change 3. Not enough zone for a team that does not match up with Bigs 4. Gordon still going the wrong way on picks on offense, thus dbl teamed and no roll 5. Ellis 's game is disintegrating and he needs an intervention 6. Why do our guys also collapse on EJ when he drives , he has no outlet 7. Player rotation except for Crawford shows lack of confidence and no chance to improve
The good news:
1. I like the comeback 2. I liked MWhite/Stemler at least tryign to score 3. Its not too late ......................yet
myrddin
· 1 year ago
I don't know that you can say "As [DJ] goes, we go, Eric Gordon or no." IF this team would have matched DJ's gritty performance last night, we would have won by 10. I think the problem is that DJ's play is not elevating the play of those around him. That could very well be a function of the offensive system.
Jerry
· 1 year ago
This may sound crazy but I am more inclined to focus on Ellis as our team's barometer. Why ? He gets rebounds, loose balls, plays defense, gets assists, steals, and can score if the other team tries to dbl DJ or EJ.
To me it is no accident that we lost the last 2 games with Ellis being absolutely manhandled by Robinson and Krabbenhoft. This has not happened all year until now
Brent
· 1 year ago
this was a dissapointing showing but nobody beats wisconsin at their place...it just proves that Davis left us with 27 guards and no forwards...CKS will remedy this in the next 2 years...so as far as this loss goes we are still 7-1 in the league and 17-3 overall...thank god we have NW next because the games at M State and Illannoy are going to be losses
DavidC
· 1 year ago
I'm with those (is it only one other one on here) who doesn't see this as the world crashing down on IU basketball.
We are a very young team. We turn the ball over way too much - very indicative of a young team. We haven't won in Wisconsin since 98. No surprise we go in there and don't get a W.
And I have to disagree about Gordon. When he finally started attacking the rim and looking for his shot, he was racking up points. His long distance three sure did look purty. Aside from his turnover in the first half, he looked good.
My question is - where was Bassett last night? Maybe if he was a freshman I could understand his disappearance but, to me, he was the most glaring omission. Him and DJ could have been playing a little inside-out game and maybe we could've had him shooting threes instead of Stemler.
And finally - AJ. I argued for him getting more playing time but after last night I just don't know. He, somehow, looks lost on defense. He comes in the game and we get a defensive breakdown.
So many new pieces and trying to adjust to everyone's playing styles. If Sampson and the boys can ever get everything worked out and on the same page then people better watch out. Until then, we'll be treated to more games like this - like it or not.
Jerry
· 1 year ago
For what it is worth I have replayed that sequence and AJ did not breakdown on that play last night he came out on his man but so did Ellis whose man then scored . Nevertheless he still is ineffective but now so is Ellis
DavidC
· 1 year ago
Unfamiliarity is breeding breakdowns left and right.
Miila
· 1 year ago
I was at the game last night and live in Madison. I've followed the Hoosiers for many years and have been in WI since '93. The boys did not play well last night that's for sure.
I want some of you to help me a bit here in terms of what goes on in Assembly Hall or any of the Big Ten forums for that matter as I describe what it's like to play here.
UW has a crazy 95-5 record here over the last 100 games, maybe better. So I'm at this game last night and it instantly reminded me of why that is. These fans, for 40 minutes, refuse to allow anything to go down that does not favor this team. I'm not talking about the obvious rooting for this and that. I'm talking NOTHING. They want WI to win 100-0. Every....single....call for the love of Almighty. These people would be just fine if UW had zero fouls, turnovers etc. it's unbelievable. The pressure on these refs is enormous and none other than Bo Ryan leads them all. I cannot in words describe how rediculous it was last night.
Maybe it's just an IU thing, having all those championship banners and all. But it was just hard to watch for 2 hours. So my question is, do we do that in Assembly Hall on a regular basis? Because what I saw last night was just embarrassing. I've never heard a collective 17,000 fans bitch about a 13 point victory. It was amazing.
Let's hope we are playing better come March because right now we are not nearly as good as advertised. By the way, the officiating was stellar last night. It really didn't favor either team but it certainly helped UW with their style of play.
steve
· 1 year ago
It is a joke right now . Sampson is clueless. What does it take for ratliff to see the floor?
b_side
· 1 year ago
Forgot to mention the declining offensive play of Jamarcus Ellis, that other posters have brought up. First off, that block in the 1st half was absolutely redonkulous. You simply can't teach those kinds of things. But let's cut to the chase. ITHers, we definitely have a new "Undisciplined One."
Where is the playmaking ability that made us fall in love with Ellis? I'm talking about the driving and dishing that made Sampson label him as a Euro-type player. Lately, we've seen a lot of driving, absorbing contact and then throwing up an awkward, off-balance one-handed 12 footer. And we don't even need to mention his hideous jumper. Believe it or not, I've actually started to scream "no no no" as soon as Ellis starts making a move to the rim. On top of that, his foul trouble last night hurt bad. We needed his length on the boards after he picked up his 3rd foul. He still finished with a team high 13, but his fouls were very "undisciplined."
Maybe I'm just pissed because I've never seen so many one-handed put backs in my life. Again, we know Sampson has rebounding drills -- that is afterall how EJ injured his wrist. But the onus is on the players to get a body on someone when the ball is in the air.
Mr.Man
· 1 year ago
Thanks for reiterating some tired Wisconsin stereotypes. Did you not see Trevon Hughes blow past Bassett or whip that behind the back pass? That kid is hands down exciting.
And you should cut your team a break. You have plenty of athletes. Those Ellis blocks were amazingly athletic plays. White is easily the most athletic big man in the Big Ten. (What happened to him his sophomore and junior years?) Gordon is, obviously, an explosive freak. And you guys play good defense. Have you not seen Pomeroy's ratings? You just need a few more forwards to grab some rebounds.
Also, if Bassett or Stemler could hit an open shot, you guys may very well have won that game. You're not going to shoot below 20% from outside very often.
Eamonn
· 1 year ago
Hey, I'm always here to irresponsibly stereotype an entire state of people. I grew up in Iowa, and have thus endured too many years of "Oh ... are you a farmer?" to just let Minnesotans and Wisconsinites (Wisconsonans?) and everyone else get by. It's my revenge on the world.
Now go back to your dairy farm, you cheesehead hoser.
(Only kidding. Kind of.)
HoosierSmitty
· 1 year ago
I needed some laughter today. Thanks. That was classic.
Alex
· 1 year ago
My favorite post game quote from Sampson:
"Actually I don't think we played bad tonight. "
Really?
Timmy
· 1 year ago
We didn't play bad tonight; it's just that our shots weren't falling! You media types make me sick. We are 17-3!!
SocksShortsSwish
· 1 year ago
But with no fire in our belly. With no signature win.
Winning at Minnesota is a great win. But it's not a signature win for a team that a lot of people on this site thinks is good enough (at their potential) to get to a Final Four.
Quincy
· 1 year ago
Disappointment all around. This is the time of year that good teams are getting better, (purdue , mich. st. , even minn. u conn) we arent. Yes the weak schedule and teams weaknesses are showing. Plus as K.S. said at half, we had open looks, but werent putting them down, plain and simple... WE DONT SHOOT WELL. 2 good things about this game: "Tone"s. (DE.) block from behind, it was awesome! Erin Andrews... "We love you". Next up. We fell good about our selves, for a short while, Northwestern
Snipper
· 1 year ago
Yes, it was a great block by Ellis, but did you notice who threw the weak pass near mid-court that allowed the Wisconsin to drive to the basket? The same Mr. Ellis.
OldStyle26
· 1 year ago
Outside of DJ, this team is soft, like Quilted Northern TP. Your post earlier this week about the lack of a PF on this team could not have come at a better time, because Thomas, Mike White and Stemler are getting abused right now. No rebounding, no basketball sense, no contribution.
This team is going to end up with probably 3-4 loses in the Big Ten since it is such a horrible conference top to bottom, but they either need to go find the biggest strongest kid playing ball at the Hyper and give him a scholarship or be prepared to lose before the sweet 16. Maybe we can find an extra year of eligibility for Coverdale and Jeff Newton to get our PG and PF spots shored up!?!?!
HoosierSmitty
· 1 year ago
It's time to lash out at someone other than Sampson and the players. Let's hit the media for its inability to ask the tough questions...
Possible Questions To Ask:
Coach, do you run an offense? If so, what offense do you run,? Because we can't exactly figure it out. Please enlighten us.
Response: Uh, Uh, I think we have some things to work on in practice.
Coach, have you heard of a screen? If not, I can talk to my former middle school coach. He can give you a call or you can call him. His number is...
Response: Uh, well, you know my issues with cell phones. Ha ha. But seriously, I think we have some things to work on in practice.
Coach, we heard your teams used to play defense at Oklahoma...what happened at Indiana? I was just wondering because your teams consistently allow easy layups and give up open looks for threes. I mean it might just be me, but it seems like your team doesn't know how to switch or fight through screens. Again, my middle school coach's number is....
Response: Well, our guys have worked really hard this season on getting a 3.0 GPA, but uh, uh. I think we have some things to work on in practice.
Coach, what kind of rebounding drills do you run? I seriously question how Gordon got injured, because based on recent events, I wonder if you've ever run an effective rebounding drill. There are terms such as "block out" and "box out" that most middle school players are familiar with. Again, my middle coach's number is...
Response: Uh, well I think we have to do a better job of practicing hard. Our players need to recognize that they have things to work on in practice.
Coach, what did Mike White do to finally get playing time? Can you please let AJ know what exactly that was. I mean, he might not be the answer, but some playing time might help.
Response: Uh, AJ is a good player and I respect AJ as an athlete, but since I did not recruit AJ and wanted Gordon to be a superstar, I was afraid that given AJ any playing time might bruise his ego. Oh and we have some things to work on in practice.
Coach, have you heard of a halftime adjustment? An adjustment after a timeout. Just a simple question, because I'm not sure if I've ever seen the Hoosiers come out of halftime or a out of a timeout with anytime of gameplan.
Response: Well, I really hate to blame my players, but we just haven't been hitting shots. We seem to not understand how to hit a basket after zero passes and no dribble penetration and no screens and no concept of a team oriented offense. We try to hit 30 foot three pointers and I just don't get it. it works in NCAA College Basketball for the PS3. My son said so. It's really confusing. I thought these video games were simulations of real life, but I guess I was wrong. We even tried the Wii. That was EJ really hurt his hand. He snapped too hard on a move in WWE. We we were taking a training break. Maybe it is time to come up with a new coaching strategy, other than video game simulation. I don't know. I guess we have plenty to work on in practice.
Thanks for you time Coach Sampson.
RW
· 1 year ago
The lack of consistent offense is definitely a problem. As much as I hate to admit it, Brent and Lav were right on with the one and done analogy. In fact there may have been more movement in the Mike Davis offense scheme. It seems that we really lack toughness all around. After the last IOWA game I thought there was a breakthough on what level to play at although we seem to have taken two steps back. It is going to be interesting....Go Hoosiers
dh6
· 1 year ago
we lost in one of the toughest buildings in the country to a very good team. everything will be ok.
kelin
· 1 year ago
The unfortunate thing is ....we all see the level of talent that is on this team but it seems it is not being used. I commend Indiana basketball fans for being knowledgeable. It is easy to sit back and say we should do this or that but when 90% of us see what the problem is and nothing is getting better it raises a red flag.
More than anything I wanted this team to succeed given the talent we have, but it is hard for me to get excited about the remainder of the season knowing we have been all hype and no susbstance.
Am I throwing in the towel on this team.....no....the coach....YES. My like for KS is not enough for me to have confidence in his coaching ability vs any of the solid big ten coaches....INCLUDING Painter....brace yourself but PU could come into Bloomington and beat IU's ass....and it wouldn't surprise me one bit
kelin
· 1 year ago
While I am in a venting mood....If we don't screen for EJ, what will we do for Roth?
SocksShortsSwish
· 1 year ago
No kidding! At least EJ can get to the rim. To me, Roth=Kyle Hornsby II.
Snipper
· 1 year ago
Even with two of the best players in the country on their side, the Hoosiers are a mediocre team at best. The overwhelming reason for their mediocrity is poor coaching. They have no offensive plan, or if they have one it's badly misconceived. Though Sampson is sometimes referred to as a defensive coach, the team plays lousy defense. In the first half last night Wisconsin was running a virtual layup drill; after IU made its run, its hope of completing a comback was negated by total failure to block out on the defensive board. Other than the play of DJ and EJ, this team has little to recommend it. I see a 12-6 Big Ten record at best, maybe 11-7, with a NCAA 6 or 7 seed and a likely first-round flameout.
HoosierSmitty
· 1 year ago
I agree. Look at the schedule. Tough road wins, tough home wins...it's possible we could end up 5th or 6th in the Big Ten, which is sad. How can a team with the two best players in the conference suck this badly?
RW
· 1 year ago
The disappointment is the lack of overall progress also are we hanging our hat on the ball is just not going in for us? Or should we prepare for each team and try to take away some of the things they do well. In that I still look for good things to come and maybe even another year from EJ. Go Hoosiers
Puck Furdue
· 1 year ago
When the lead stretched to 20, did anyone think that KS had simply lost control of the team? The players looked completely shell shocked and were rattled. I know it may seem ridiculous to call for Sampson's head already, but I really don't think he is the guy that is going to lead us to the promise land. With all of the talent and offensive fire power on this team there is no reason to go on long stretches without scoring. ABSOLUTELY NO REASON. Look at teams like Duke, North Carolina, UCLA, Wisconsin AND EVEN PURDUE. They play with intensity on defense, they have offensive systems that can get them easy buckets when they need it the most. They have a rhythm! IU doesn't.
I know it's difficult to win at Wisconsin, but didn't all of you expect to at least see us play better after the loss to UCONN? We played even worse. I look back to the coach and wonder why this team never looks prepared.
Steve
· 1 year ago
A coach can have the best players in the country, but if he does not know how to coach them it will not matter.
kelin
· 1 year ago
No No EJ, after this year get your ass out of town and go to the league. You will learn nothing more at IU, than what you can do on your own or with a trainger.
Jerry
· 1 year ago
Looking at our next opponent and all the knowledgeable comments on this site which I value, I would be tempted to go radical and experiment with Nwestern to shake things up:
1. Start McGee for MWHite, Crawford for Ellis 2. Play zone 3. Rotate players every 4 minutes: 4. Now the brain teaser : How do you rotate players such that DJ & EJ get 4 min rest in the middle of the half and not both be out at the same time ? 5. At halftime I evaluate what worked and pound it 2nd half
Pete
· 1 year ago
Sampson's on a roll. Let's lok at his accomplishments the past 4 months:
1. Ratliff fails to make grades 2. Mackey gets busted for selling crack (not totally KS's fault, I know) 3. NCAA violations come up-probably costs us Zeller, K. Jones, and a a few '09 studs 4. Claims to not know he was on a 3-way call 5. Fails to get the most talented IU team since '93 to play as a "team" 6. No develoment of McGee, Holman or Dre-1/2 our '07 class.
I almost hope the NCAA finds some dirt on him so we can send his sorry @ss back to Oklahoma. My guess is he never coaches again.
SocksShortsSwish
· 1 year ago
Don't think you can blame KS at all for Bud Mackey. Holman is hurt, hard to develop someone with a wrist injury.
T
· 1 year ago
I was pissed about last nights game...but come on. let's all relax a little bit here. Look at the rest of their schedule, it's still not THAT bad. Here'a conservative outlook on the year.
Two against Michigan State (I say split) Two against Ohio STate (split) One @ Tool of I (They' still should win just on account of U of I having no talent...but for being conservative we'll say LOSS) Two Vs. Northwestern (two w's) Home Vs. Purdue (W) Home Vs. Minnesota (W) @ Penn State (W) Home Vs. Wisconsin (W)
So being conservative...they go 8-3 to close out and finish 25-6? That's still a good friggen regular season. What's the worst they finish, 23-8? That's still not the end of the world right?
SocksShortsSwish
· 1 year ago
Not the end of the world. BUT WE HAVE THE TWO BEST PLAYERS IN THE BIG TEN. No reason to lose 8 games, especially with our schedule.
b_side
· 1 year ago
Some of you are hitting the panic button a bit too early. No one said we could turn this around after losing to UConn with a Staples Easy Button.
Here's how I look at our 2 losses (heaven forbid we have 2 losses!):
a) Sampson and the players both overlooked a team playing without its 2nd leading scorer and a key bench player. Sort of a poor man's Ewing theory courtesy of Bill Simmons (man, I love everything that guy writes except when the Pats are discussed, which is ad nauseum these days).
b) Why are we freaking out about this loss to Wisco? It's a road loss. A top 15 loss. I mean, if we're gonna lose, it might as well happen to a good team. Remember Michigan St? The team everyone supposedly fears lost baaaadly to friggin' Iowa. Just an off night for our shooters going 3-21 from downtown.
Socks, it's true that DJ and EJ are probably the two best players in the Big Ten. But you can't play basketball 2 on 5. That only accounts for 40% of the team on the court. MJ and Pippen needed Paxon/Kerr. Kobe and Shaq needed Robert Horry. I apologize for the NBA comparisons, just having a brain fart for dominant college tandems. Point is that for this team to compete, we need contributions from our role players. Here's the good news. Bassett won't go 1-7 every game and Jamarcus won't always be in foul trouble.
Do not fret Hoosier nation. Time is on our side and we will right the ship come March.
b_side
· 1 year ago
edit: I know we lost to Xavier, but obviously discussing the losing streak here.
Klabby
· 1 year ago
Myself and a fellow die hard Hoosier fan drove from Chicago w/ a blizzard unable to stop us from watching our team play in madison. A trip with all the promise of showing fans everywhere, not just the big ten that that this year Hoosiers were the real deal.
Fast forward to the game and we were sorely mistaken. The Hoosiers played uninspired ball from the opening tip. For lack of a better analogy they were flatter then Stemler's jump shot.
The second half run with standing the Badgers beat us every which way and we in no why deserved to win.
I really don't ask much, its not like i can play ball at this level but i would like to believe i have an understanding of the game and what our team needs to do in principle to succeed.
We need to move on offense, Ellis needs to be more offensive oriented, get some help on the boards from the 4 spot, DJ and EJ need to play well every night , and for the love of god play with some intensity!!!
My buddy and i did whatever we needed to see that game. Someone tell me why our team doesn't enter every game with that same mentality to get the W ?
Jerry
· 1 year ago
I agree about the panic rhetoric but what I think we are all saying and feeling is that we do not play good basketball even when we win. We just are not progressing and getting proficient at anything as a team. I would rather see the 5 losses Purdue has and progress than fewer losses and regression
Hoosierfan27
· 1 year ago
It was very hard to watch the game last night. I have grown up watching IU teams that were known for their ball movement and intelligence. They sometimes weren't the most athletic teams but they were smart and won games because of it. Wisconsin proved how brains and efficient offensive execution win basketball games last night. As the big ten season goes on I have a strange feeling that my confidence in this team is going to dwindle. I will be surprised to see this team get past the sweet sixteen if changes aren't made on the offensive side of the ball. I don't know where the blame should be put but I think the majority of Hoosier fans will agree that Kelvin may not be the right man for this job. They are running basically the same terrible offense that Mike D implemented. And there was little to no improvement from the UConn loss. Why? Also, the lack of another big, complete lack of a point guard, Gordon trying too hard, turnovers, and the minuscule brain of Jordan Crawford are leading this team to an early NCAA tourney exit. The only consistency has come from THE MAN down low DJ White. He has been one of the most enjoyable players to watch all season and has made me proud to be a Hoosier. I hope this prediction isn't true but like I said my confidence is dwindling.
PB
· 1 year ago
i don't think Sampson is doing a terrible job with this team as many others commenting seem to think. Bo Ryan is 104-6 (give or take a few wins) at home. He's a hell of a coach and has a smart, tough and talented squad. We played flat and yes, we were outcoached, but a couple tough games in the middle of the season shouldn't take away from our impressive 16-1 start. We couldn't have been 16-1 with terrible coaching.
We have a good coach. The problem is we are very young right now and it's tough to get these kids to come together in the face of adversity. We lost to a couple good teams and we can regroup and still take this conference.
DJFADE
· 1 year ago
The number #1 mixtape dj in the world is DJ Fade from cashville
A lot of people on here are making some good poings...too many for me to comment on but I think this is more serious....not sure who said it but....even when we win, do we see a big improvement on offensive movement.
For some of us, all we want to see is some basic offense stuff....screens, cuts, back cuts, movement of at least 3 players, hell at this point I will take two........I watched EJ in h.s. and his high school team made the game so easy for him, cause they ALL were a threat given the amount of movement they did including him.
I hate to keep repeating myself, someone predicted 25-6 for IU is cool but is 25-6 and a NCAA 1st or 2nd round bounce OK? Is not winning the Big Ten or Big Ten tourney OK? Hell no, not with this team and talent...at this point....who will win the Big Ten....
1. Wisconsin 2. MSU 3. Purdue 4. IU
Yes the players play but the coaches should coach..I hope like hell a player, reporter, or coach reads any of this....and drops a note to KS with the words screen and move on it.. In few weeks that same Wisconsin team will come into Bloomington doing the same damn thing....what will we do.....the same damn thing...pass...dribble dribble .....shot clock running down...ball screen...shot...and prayer.
hoosier
· 1 year ago
Ok....first of all I will hear not sit hear and tollerate any thought of Purdue getting a win in Bloomington. How many times in the last few years has Indiana been entered as a "contender" for the Big 10 race 6 or 7 games into the season, and then turned out a mid conference stand still. Purdue is on this boat. Look at the schedule.....@ Michigan State - this is one you need for a title run -loss. IIlinois at home....who can beat Illinois...maybe northwestern. @ Iowa....probably thier 2nd best win...come on. @ Penn State....wow they beat a basement team. Iowa...Ohio State...Michigan at home.....not that hard to accomplish. Win over Wisconson at mackey....best win. Now then...... I'm almost sure Ohio State and/or Michigan will return the favor. I don't see them beating Michigan State.....and no way in hell will they beat Wisconson at home. I don't know if they've played minnesota...but that won't be an easy win. In Bloomington it will be a good ol' ass kickin'. Mark my words. So that pussy 1st half big ten schedule with one loss will easily turn into 5 or 6. Not going to win the title. So fuck purdue.
The hoosiers are streaky. Its fusterating. The only good teams we've played we've gotten beat by, but I believe the weak schedule was an attempt to try and build confidence and mesh this unaquainted team together. We lack talented size. I thought we'd get something out of Eli other than a red shit....but it was probably for the best. We need size to with the Big 10. In 01 we had jefferies....newton....leach....and....odle. 4 decent rotatable players between 6'10 and 6'11. This year we have a 6'9 PF...a 6'6 center. A 6'6 center will not win the big 10 or at least it shouldn't. For this team to be sucsessful we will have to TAKE BETTER SHOTS. We wouldn't of beat wisconson if it wasn't for poor shot selection. We also need to fire on all cylinders. Crawford is a fantastic player. He needs to show up. We need him to contribute consistently. Anyway....I knew from the time I got my schedule we'd loose @ Wisconson. I am more pleased with our road wins at Michigan, Minn, and Iowa. Thats a big step from a team that hasn't won on the road in a long time. If we get Illinois and Ohio State on the road we will be in good shape. I have faith in this team. They haven't been playing very well in the big 10 and we've won 3 games on the road....we are still tied for number one in the big 10. The only thing we have to do is when we are given an opportunity we need to take it. Everytime we have to chance to take the bull by the horns we blow it.
Go Iu
mkeBrian
· 1 year ago
RE: Miila's ..BINGO! ...part of his Post:
I was at the game last night and live in Madison.
Because what I saw last night was just embarrassing. I've never heard a collective 17,000 fans bitch about a 13 point victory. It was amazing.....
You hit a homerun!
Attitude WINS Games! The Badger fans and players BELIEVE in Coach Ryan's philosphy....Bo Ryan is a desciple of Bobby Knight and Dick Bennet lineage. it shows in the team effort every time they hit the floor!
GO BADGERS!
Hoosierfan27
· 1 year ago
Crawford is a fantastic player? LMAO
Jerry
· 1 year ago
I like coach Sampson and think he was the best proven ( Tony Bennett was not yet proven )and available coach for the job. I still do. None of us know what the coaches see in practice and in games that focus their strategy , style etc. When recruiting an "off the bounce" style helps land big time players.
That said , so many of us are smart observers of the game and clearly see stalled progress on both ends of the floor as well as mental intensity that a major change is needed.
I would suggest to Sampson that he stand back, start with a blank sheet, and reengineer the team's style of play and player rotations to see before too late if there are styles we actually are more effective at.
My top changes would be to consider:
1. ZONE about half the game with zone press and zone traps thrown in Why ? reduce fouls, reduce mismatches athletically, improved rebounding 2.PLAYER ROTATION : Start Mcgee and Crawford WHy? youthful enthusiasm, atheletic, offensive minded, can play zone 3. OFFENSE: all you guys have several right ideas
kelin
· 1 year ago
Jerry I think you are right, the problem is I don't know if KS has given it any thought? I token zone and zone press would help protect bad defenders on a few series and lead to some easy baskets. I know McGhee is raw but he sure as hell isn't any worse than Mike White and Stemler and he could add "something"
I also think Ellis needs to be encouraged more to look for his shot...EVERYONE is keying on EJ. I just don't understand some of the decisions that are being made as it relates to how this team plays.
My biggest fear is the expectations for this group will get pissed away because of coaching and my childhood hoosiers will continue to be the Hoosiers I LOVE, more than my adulthood hoosiers.......
b_side
· 1 year ago
Ellis needs to look more for his shot? I respectfully disagree. Besides EJ and DJ, Bassett, Crawford, Stemler and even Ratliff are far better shooters.
Jamarcus' role is clearly defined: when his head is in the game, he is our stat-sheet stuffer (credit to Clark Kellogg). Ideally we get 10 points, 8 boards, and 5 dimes from him. Maybe a steal, a block or two, and some sound defense.
From an offensive standpoint, I do like his slashing game -- barring the fact that he is not out of a control and throwing up a one-handed knuckle ball. Bottom line is that I prefer him to be our offensive facilitator. He's shown great chemistry with DeAndre in the pick-and-roll, but that's been non-existent as of late. If he's gonna "look for his shot," I think we'd be far better off with him slashing and dishing off to the open man when the defense collapses.
CB in OR
· 1 year ago
At a small press gathering after practice today, Kelvin Sampson asked himself the first question of the day. He wanted to know why the Hoosiers haven’t played particularly well in their last two games.
He gave this answer.
“I thought that last year’s team got to a point where they just got better. But they played about as good as they are going to play most nights. I just haven’t seen this team do that. But, you know, when you get to that point, at some point the coach has to take responsibility. I have not done a good enough job with this team to get them to play the right way, whether it’s defense or offense. For me, and I speak for myself and the coaching staff, we have to do a better job coaching this team. That’s really what it comes down to.”
POSTED ON HOOSIER SCOOP
Jerry
· 1 year ago
Kelin ..........you are brilliant. You were one that probably did not trash me abotu my Uconn warning.
B_Side .....also brilliant , I mostly agree
CB in OR ..........Thanks for sharing with us that Sampson is brilliant
Now lets see him, the staff and the players get to work !
kelin
· 1 year ago
B-side.... I think my mindset of ellis looking for his shot more was to create those playmaker opportunities.....good point though..I guess I am desparate for something more than just standing around.
I hope that KS listens to himself and not against N'western but against real competition put his money where his mouth is......and coach this team better.
I am SURE someone within that staff reads this blog....just a gut feeling I have....
Oh well spoke too soon.....just read the hoop scoop article and thankfully someone asked an offensive question and here is the response...
When asked whether making a change means implementing a new offense:
“You know what, I don’t know how to explain that to you, son. I just don’t know how. I’ve been doing this for 25 years and I’ve had a lot of teams that needed to play better. I don’t like the way we’re playing. I don’t like the way we’re headed with this thing. A new offense? Nothing wrong with our offense, it’s how we’re running it.
Jerry
· 1 year ago
I guess this could be true but I donot like the tone of this answer. We cannot coach the offense and defense to fit what we know about our team ? Are we that limited ?
I would say yes we are limited since we are very predictable right now and teams can clearly game plan for us.
Again , I like the coach but the coments on this site are really samrt about our game. Listening would be a virtue
kelin
· 1 year ago
Jerry....I think another interesting thing is...I believe teams game plan to stop EJ and DJ and not our offense...which is easier to do given what measure of offense we run. Which is why you see EJ struggle a git here lately. They can spend countless of hours working help D vs. EJ and forcing him to make and take tougher shots. I coached h.s. basketball for 4 years and it was so much easier for me to game plan to take away one player than to control a good offense.....
I hate to say it but KS comments sound a LOT like Mike Davis.... "i'm not sure"....."I just don't know".......
We are 20 games in and we "still" don't know who this team is? We don't have a label other than DJ and EJ as I have said before....
I don't like saying it and I know most of us don't like hearing it but....Purdue...has label...it showed today at Illinois....home or away...senior or frosh....THEY PLAY HARD every game every play......will we go to Illinois and get after it....we will see....
Now I will go and wash my mouth out with soap cause I just complimented Purdue again...
hoosier
· 1 year ago
You all can take your bitchin' and shove it up your ass. If you don't like Sampson....if you don't believe in this team.....grab your panties and route for purdue...we don't want ya we don't need ya.
kelin
· 1 year ago
Hoosier...you might want to go back and look at some game film then read a lot of these post......I think you will find a lot of the analysis on this blog is pretty good....KS agrees.....
hoosier
· 1 year ago
What do you know about Kelin? Your just some jerk off.
All Comments
With about 6:39 on the clock, we closed the deficit to 5, had Wisconsing reeling on offense and played 34 seconds of lock-down defense. After a missed shot, the rebound was knocked out of bounds leaving one tick on the shot clock. All we had to do was play 1 second of defense and block out. If you all remember, we didn't. We got out-hustled, Wisco got the offensive rebound, drained the clock another 20-25 seconds and put the league back to 7. It was the absolute back breaker after seizing some serious momentum.
That play is a microcosm of this team against quality competition. It has nothing to do with Sampson's coaching ability nor does it have to do with any singular individual player. It was about effort and defensive awareness. There is only so much Sampson can do as a coach. I'm not sold on Sampson either in the long term, but he sure as hell doesn't deserve the majority of the blame. Coaches coach. Players play.
b_side: Nice post. Well said and I think you've hit the nail on the head.
How big does this loss make the @ Illinois contest? Here's the five games left that will be somewhat tough games.
@ILL
vs. Wisco
vs. MSU
vs. Purdue
@ MSU
At Illinois is first on the list. This game has the potential to bring the team together, to give them a reason to play for each other.
I watched last night's game in a bar, side by side with the Duke-NC St. game. I hate Duke, and think the 3rd Circle of Hell is reserved for Paulus, but look at that team at timeouts and after a foul. They like each other. They depend on each other. They've got their arms around each other. That's what this team doesn't have, and that's something that could develop at Illinois.
Without "that", this is a classic IU team that loses in the 2nd round.
A.J Ratliff needs some minutes. He provides some athleticism that IU needs. Plus he can shoot. Sampson needs to do something fast, or this team is nothing better than a 6 or 7 seed. Very disappointed.
I'm tired of reading about Ratliff and I'm sure others are too. I also want to see him play more but he is not the savior in any way and when he is in he doesnt play well enough to deserve more PT.
I really don't know how Sampson won at Oklahoma. When we hired him I thought if he could win with crap like Hollis Price and McGee (or whoever was on that team) then it should be easy here. I havent seen the tough hard nose D and rebounding that was his trademark and have not seen any improvements to the Mike Davis O.
Too much was given to Gordon's wrist. If the wrist was that bad he wouldnt be able to do anything with it...yes I saw a 2 handed follow up dunk as did you. If anyone out there has hurt a wrist they can attest. All the trainer had to do was tape it up instead of putting a thick, slippery, ace bandage soft cast on it.
If anything happens to DJ we are bottom of the big ten heap. Well I hope better than Northwestern.
Great blog even though it sounds like I am going after you on a few things. I think we all are more than a little frustrated with the last 2 games and how this season is starting to play out. Keep up the good work.
Other then that, Wisconsin really took it to us. #45 on their team did EVERYTHING little to help that team get the 'W'. Every intangible play he was somehow invovled and made it positive.
I don't think Gordon is a sure thing. If he goes pro no doubt he'll be a top five pick, but he doesn't have that 'it' factor. The thing that Kevin Durant has. The thing that LeBron has. The thing Kobe has. That "i'm going to rip your soul out" drive in him. He's passive. In the NBA at best I see him being a Robin to some great players Batman. (Like Pippen was to Jordan, or Tony Parker is to Duncan)
One last note: This years team is no doubt more talented then last years, but last years was tougher. Wilmont and Calloway wouldn't have allowed this game to get that far out of hand. This year it seemed that DJ was the only one who was trying to WILL the team back in the game for a while.
And did it seem like to anyone else that Steve Lavin was flirting with Erin Andrews? I mean I wouldn't blame him, but it was still a little strange, was the game that boring?
First I echo 99% of what you are saying the part I disagree with is....dude you should spend an entire FREAKIN' week on IU's offensive "scams" not "schemes. In fact they are offensive, to me as a IU fan and a kid who grew up on watching average players play above average games given they never stopped freakin' moving!
I will do my best to not post for the 1000th time HOW much I hate IU's "OH" fense but I wil just make a few statements:
* Thank you Barack and Hillary cause I missed most of the game...lucky me
* After IU runs EJ from one side of the court to another with ONE lame ass screen, he just stands there.
* I am going to say it and I don't care who hears it...Mike Davis was a far better offensive coach than KS. ...there I said it.
* From what I did see late in the second half of the game, IU got beat the same way UCONN beat them....coaching!
Now my firestorm.......should KS be fired over this loss...NOPE.....BUT KS is proving to me what others have said about him....great tough recruiting coach and likeable...but cannot coach a team in a big game and to a title.....When Mike Davis outschemes you it is bad.....
Can anyone say in the NCAA tourney given the talent we have is KS better than....
Calapari, Roy Williams, Self, JT3, or Howlin.....That is our immediate disadvantage. I will go as far to say at this point.......
Izzo, Ryan, Matta, and Painter...are better coaches....please someone prove me wrong.
We are the MOST talented team in the Big Ten and we are losing because "we do NOTHING" on offense. To help me remain youthful and hopeful, I will expect IU to make the NCAA tourney and advance to the second round. I will enjoy EJ while we have him and appreciate DJ more.
I could go on but I have a snow day to pray for.....
Seriously, if you think this is all attributed to Wisconsins defense give me a drink of what you are drinking.....if we had an ACTUAL offense with all the fire power we have I wouldn't care who was guarding us, you can't stop everyone. We are easy to guard cause we do nothing...
Now which of these coaches is sampson better than: Calapari, JT3, Howlin, Ryan, Matta, Painter, Roy Williams, self, Mike Davis, Izzo, oh....and calhoun
Seriously we got outcoached.....AGAIN
Revised Prediction: #4 seed. Bounced 2nd round by Kansas State. See ya EJ.
and i know some people are still flying high from the minnesota game, but stemler really sucks.
I'd say Sampson is a better coach then Self. Self is a better recruit, but until he gets into a final four I don't buy it.
As for this years Hoosiers. In the grand scheme of things, I still don't think this is the end of the world. This team has the ability to reach the final four, or they could get bounced in the first round, thats just how it is.
enough dirt on him so we can fire him and get a real coach who doesn't cheat.
projections. Did any of you really think we would win at Wisconsin or Michigan State?
Making shots is IU's problem and until everyone starts shooting better including Ratliff,
who you all think is our savior, this team will have problems getting wins on the road.
I know everyone wants to blame coach but the players lost this game. Ratliff has to play
and act like a senior before he deserves playing time. He has done nothing on or off the
court to just get playing time because he shows up. He and others need an attitude
adjustment before they get to play. He has been over rated his whole career and having
an attitude will not help his team or him. There will be life after Wisconsin.
angry rant: IU doesn't have a true point (Earl) or any guard that knows how to rebound (Rod). I mean, how hard is it to box out your guy? I know Stemler kinda has to be on the floor with the ineffectiveness of both Mike White (though I at least liked his aggressiveness) and DeAndre Thomas (not a D-I player) but Lance couldn't throw the ball into the ocean. I'd really like to see his Big Ten shooting statistics over his career at IU, I'd be shocked if it was anywhere better than 30%. You hit and miss sometimes in recruiting and Stemler was a miss.
EJ and DJ can have good games statistically (as they did last night) but if Tone and Armon don't score, than IU won't beat anybody. Why did Jordan Crawford play like five minutes last night? I thought we really could've used him considering we scored what, 49 points?
Frustrating. Just like '96 and '05 this team entered the season with ridiculous expectations and haven't even come close to reaching them. What's most disappointing is watching this team play and then watching Purdue play. It would've sounded ridiculous a couple of weeks ago, but I would much rather watch the Boilers and have their young core and head coach.
Crawford just stood there and watched hughes/flowers go in for an incontested layup. I don't know who to blame these mental lapses on: the coach or maybe IU players are just dumb. I don't know. On a different note, someone mentioned before about the boring motion offense. Coaches should do whatever works. It could be because IU's shitty defense but Wisconsin had some really easy uncontested layups. I don't think IU got one all game.
And what was with the one pass (if that) and shoot. They are by no means the Phoenix Suns. Kelvin has relied on his talent, instead of coaching that talent. Something has got to change.
The only positive is that DJ played great. Nobody else gets it.
v. Northwestern
@ Illinois
@ Ohio State
v. Wisconsin
v. Michigan State
Can anyone say OUCH. I had use losing both of these road games and holding serve at home, but now I don't even know about that.
Any IU fan who isn't a little bent out of shape after the past two games isn't much of a fan, in my opinion. It's extremely disappointing to see the results of the last two games. It's not that I didn't think we would lose to Wisconsin, but get embarrassed? I did not expect that.
After I woke I said ok...what is the biggest differences in IU and Wisc?
IU has better talent and athletes
IU has better scorers
IU has better post play and ball handlers
I could go on...but then where is the difference.....Wisconsin executes there "stuff" better than IU executes there "stuff".......Put IU's talent in Wisconsin's offense and you would have a team that has 4 guys averaging double figures and you would have better post play from IU's 4 spot...
Why....Mike White and Deandre Can score when given the "opportunity" to do so...coming of screens in the post, mix matches created by screens etc. Neither of them cannot score without some type of movement.....
So it boils down to coaching.....We are 20 games in and we have no identity....
are we a fast breaking team?
tough minded defensive team?
What do we do, night in, night out.....when you go play MSU, Wisconsin, and PURDUE....you know what you are going to get EVERYNIGHT....rebounding, swing offense, tough d, etc etc.....
What do you get when you come to play IU.....DJ and EJ?
That covered the front court, hats off to D.J. for yet again playing his ass off with no help down low. This brings me to the backcourt, especially Ellis and Armon, they were nonexistent. Stupid pass after stupid pass, only to be followed up by a pulling up for a three on a fast break. Seriously, this is not the AND1 tour, there is no cohesiveness with the team right now. Everyone wants to go 1 on 1 and make a flashy pass or throw up a contested fade-away. Part of it is the players attitude and part of it is Sampson's fault for not having a resemblence of an offense last night. Memphis can get away with a freestyle offense because they have the size and atheletisim to get second chance shots. That isn't going to work for us, we have to get into our set early and get good shots.
I knew this is what was going to happen, we started off the season on a tear, faced a good team in Xavier and got crushed! Then we get back on track with okay wins, then back to back losses against a rising UCONN team and WIsconsin. Granted Bo Ryan is like 103-6 all-time in the Cole Center but we were out coached, out classed, and out played in every facet of the game. We have a lot of growing to do and March will be here before you know it. For me I am going to enjoy the time I have left with EJ and DJ, and pray that Sampson figures out how to coach.
/end rant
What is dsitressing to me is that I feel it is the coach's job to discern this and try to fix it. My points about his coaching:
1. If Mike White is good enough to start then why doesn't he play later in the game ?
2. No inside post up offense for the guards to draw opposing Bigs out w DJ facing the basket for a change
3. Not enough zone for a team that does not match up with Bigs
4. Gordon still going the wrong way on picks on offense, thus dbl teamed and no roll
5. Ellis 's game is disintegrating and he needs an intervention
6. Why do our guys also collapse on EJ when he drives , he has no outlet
7. Player rotation except for Crawford shows lack of confidence and no chance to improve
The good news:
1. I like the comeback
2. I liked MWhite/Stemler at least tryign to score
3. Its not too late ......................yet
To me it is no accident that we lost the last 2 games with Ellis being absolutely manhandled by Robinson and Krabbenhoft. This has not happened all year until now
We are a very young team. We turn the ball over way too much - very indicative of a young team. We haven't won in Wisconsin since 98. No surprise we go in there and don't get a W.
And I have to disagree about Gordon. When he finally started attacking the rim and looking for his shot, he was racking up points. His long distance three sure did look purty. Aside from his turnover in the first half, he looked good.
My question is - where was Bassett last night? Maybe if he was a freshman I could understand his disappearance but, to me, he was the most glaring omission. Him and DJ could have been playing a little inside-out game and maybe we could've had him shooting threes instead of Stemler.
And finally - AJ. I argued for him getting more playing time but after last night I just don't know. He, somehow, looks lost on defense. He comes in the game and we get a defensive breakdown.
So many new pieces and trying to adjust to everyone's playing styles. If Sampson and the boys can ever get everything worked out and on the same page then people better watch out. Until then, we'll be treated to more games like this - like it or not.
I want some of you to help me a bit here in terms of what goes on in Assembly Hall or any of the Big Ten forums for that matter as I describe what it's like to play here.
UW has a crazy 95-5 record here over the last 100 games, maybe better. So I'm at this game last night and it instantly reminded me of why that is. These fans, for 40 minutes, refuse to allow anything to go down that does not favor this team. I'm not talking about the obvious rooting for this and that. I'm talking NOTHING. They want WI to win 100-0. Every....single....call for the love of Almighty. These people would be just fine if UW had zero fouls, turnovers etc. it's unbelievable. The pressure on these refs is enormous and none other than Bo Ryan leads them all. I cannot in words describe how rediculous it was last night.
Maybe it's just an IU thing, having all those championship banners and all. But it was just hard to watch for 2 hours. So my question is, do we do that in Assembly Hall on a regular basis? Because what I saw last night was just embarrassing. I've never heard a collective 17,000 fans bitch about a 13 point victory. It was amazing.
Let's hope we are playing better come March because right now we are not nearly as good as advertised. By the way, the officiating was stellar last night. It really didn't favor either team but it certainly helped UW with their style of play.
Where is the playmaking ability that made us fall in love with Ellis? I'm talking about the driving and dishing that made Sampson label him as a Euro-type player. Lately, we've seen a lot of driving, absorbing contact and then throwing up an awkward, off-balance one-handed 12 footer. And we don't even need to mention his hideous jumper. Believe it or not, I've actually started to scream "no no no" as soon as Ellis starts making a move to the rim. On top of that, his foul trouble last night hurt bad. We needed his length on the boards after he picked up his 3rd foul. He still finished with a team high 13, but his fouls were very "undisciplined."
Maybe I'm just pissed because I've never seen so many one-handed put backs in my life. Again, we know Sampson has rebounding drills -- that is afterall how EJ injured his wrist. But the onus is on the players to get a body on someone when the ball is in the air.
And you should cut your team a break. You have plenty of athletes. Those Ellis blocks were amazingly athletic plays. White is easily the most athletic big man in the Big Ten. (What happened to him his sophomore and junior years?) Gordon is, obviously, an explosive freak. And you guys play good defense. Have you not seen Pomeroy's ratings? You just need a few more forwards to grab some rebounds.
Also, if Bassett or Stemler could hit an open shot, you guys may very well have won that game. You're not going to shoot below 20% from outside very often.
Now go back to your dairy farm, you cheesehead hoser.
(Only kidding. Kind of.)
"Actually I don't think we played bad tonight. "
Really?
Winning at Minnesota is a great win. But it's not a signature win for a team that a lot of people on this site thinks is good enough (at their potential) to get to a Final Four.
(purdue , mich. st. , even minn. u conn) we arent. Yes the weak schedule and teams weaknesses are showing. Plus as K.S. said at half, we had open looks, but werent putting them down, plain and simple... WE DONT SHOOT WELL.
2 good things about this game: "Tone"s. (DE.) block from behind, it was awesome!
Erin Andrews... "We love you".
Next up. We fell good about our selves, for a short while, Northwestern
This team is going to end up with probably 3-4 loses in the Big Ten since it is such a horrible conference top to bottom, but they either need to go find the biggest strongest kid playing ball at the Hyper and give him a scholarship or be prepared to lose before the sweet 16. Maybe we can find an extra year of eligibility for Coverdale and Jeff Newton to get our PG and PF spots shored up!?!?!
Possible Questions To Ask:
Coach, do you run an offense? If so, what offense do you run,? Because we can't exactly figure it out. Please enlighten us.
Response: Uh, Uh, I think we have some things to work on in practice.
Coach, have you heard of a screen? If not, I can talk to my former middle school coach. He can give you a call or you can call him. His number is...
Response: Uh, well, you know my issues with cell phones. Ha ha. But seriously, I think we have some things to work on in practice.
Coach, we heard your teams used to play defense at Oklahoma...what happened at Indiana? I was just wondering because your teams consistently allow easy layups and give up open looks for threes. I mean it might just be me, but it seems like your team doesn't know how to switch or fight through screens. Again, my middle school coach's number is....
Response: Well, our guys have worked really hard this season on getting a 3.0 GPA, but uh, uh. I think we have some things to work on in practice.
Coach, what kind of rebounding drills do you run? I seriously question how Gordon got injured, because based on recent events, I wonder if you've ever run an effective rebounding drill. There are terms such as "block out" and "box out" that most middle school players are familiar with. Again, my middle coach's number is...
Response: Uh, well I think we have to do a better job of practicing hard. Our players need to recognize that they have things to work on in practice.
Coach, what did Mike White do to finally get playing time? Can you please let AJ know what exactly that was. I mean, he might not be the answer, but some playing time might help.
Response: Uh, AJ is a good player and I respect AJ as an athlete, but since I did not recruit AJ and wanted Gordon to be a superstar, I was afraid that given AJ any playing time might bruise his ego. Oh and we have some things to work on in practice.
Coach, have you heard of a halftime adjustment? An adjustment after a timeout. Just a simple question, because I'm not sure if I've ever seen the Hoosiers come out of halftime or a out of a timeout with anytime of gameplan.
Response: Well, I really hate to blame my players, but we just haven't been hitting shots. We seem to not understand how to hit a basket after zero passes and no dribble penetration and no screens and no concept of a team oriented offense. We try to hit 30 foot three pointers and I just don't get it. it works in NCAA College Basketball for the PS3. My son said so. It's really confusing. I thought these video games were simulations of real life, but I guess I was wrong. We even tried the Wii. That was EJ really hurt his hand. He snapped too hard on a move in WWE. We we were taking a training break. Maybe it is time to come up with a new coaching strategy, other than video game simulation. I don't know. I guess we have plenty to work on in practice.
Thanks for you time Coach Sampson.
More than anything I wanted this team to succeed given the talent we have, but it is hard for me to get excited about the remainder of the season knowing we have been all hype and no susbstance.
Am I throwing in the towel on this team.....no....the coach....YES. My like for KS is not enough for me to have confidence in his coaching ability vs any of the solid big ten coaches....INCLUDING Painter....brace yourself but PU could come into Bloomington and beat IU's ass....and it wouldn't surprise me one bit
I know it's difficult to win at Wisconsin, but didn't all of you expect to at least see us play better after the loss to UCONN? We played even worse. I look back to the coach and wonder why this team never looks prepared.
1. Start McGee for MWHite, Crawford for Ellis
2. Play zone
3. Rotate players every 4 minutes:
4. Now the brain teaser : How do you rotate players such that DJ & EJ get 4 min rest in the middle of the half and not both be out at the same time ?
5. At halftime I evaluate what worked and pound it 2nd half
1. Ratliff fails to make grades
2. Mackey gets busted for selling crack (not totally KS's fault, I know)
3. NCAA violations come up-probably costs us Zeller, K. Jones, and
a a few '09 studs
4. Claims to not know he was on a 3-way call
5. Fails to get the most talented IU team since '93 to play as a "team"
6. No develoment of McGee, Holman or Dre-1/2 our '07 class.
I almost hope the NCAA finds some dirt on him so we can send his sorry @ss
back to Oklahoma. My guess is he never coaches again.
Two against Michigan State (I say split)
Two against Ohio STate (split)
One @ Tool of I (They' still should win just on account of U of I having no talent...but for being conservative we'll say LOSS)
Two Vs. Northwestern (two w's)
Home Vs. Purdue (W)
Home Vs. Minnesota (W)
@ Penn State (W)
Home Vs. Wisconsin (W)
So being conservative...they go 8-3 to close out and finish 25-6? That's still a good friggen regular season. What's the worst they finish, 23-8? That's still not the end of the world right?
Here's how I look at our 2 losses (heaven forbid we have 2 losses!):
a) Sampson and the players both overlooked a team playing without its 2nd leading scorer and a key bench player. Sort of a poor man's Ewing theory courtesy of Bill Simmons (man, I love everything that guy writes except when the Pats are discussed, which is ad nauseum these days).
b) Why are we freaking out about this loss to Wisco? It's a road loss. A top 15 loss. I mean, if we're gonna lose, it might as well happen to a good team. Remember Michigan St? The team everyone supposedly fears lost baaaadly to friggin' Iowa. Just an off night for our shooters going 3-21 from downtown.
Socks, it's true that DJ and EJ are probably the two best players in the Big Ten. But you can't play basketball 2 on 5. That only accounts for 40% of the team on the court. MJ and Pippen needed Paxon/Kerr. Kobe and Shaq needed Robert Horry. I apologize for the NBA comparisons, just having a brain fart for dominant college tandems. Point is that for this team to compete, we need contributions from our role players. Here's the good news. Bassett won't go 1-7 every game and Jamarcus won't always be in foul trouble.
Do not fret Hoosier nation. Time is on our side and we will right the ship come March.
Fast forward to the game and we were sorely mistaken. The Hoosiers played uninspired ball from the opening tip. For lack of a better analogy they were flatter then Stemler's jump shot.
The second half run with standing the Badgers beat us every which way and we in no why deserved to win.
I really don't ask much, its not like i can play ball at this level but i would like to believe i have an understanding of the game and what our team needs to do in principle to succeed.
We need to move on offense, Ellis needs to be more offensive oriented, get some help on the boards from the 4 spot, DJ and EJ need to play well every night , and for the love of god play with some intensity!!!
My buddy and i did whatever we needed to see that game. Someone tell me why our team doesn't enter every game with that same mentality to get the W ?
We have a good coach. The problem is we are very young right now and it's tough to get these kids to come together in the face of adversity. We lost to a couple good teams and we can regroup and still take this conference.
DJFADE
For some of us, all we want to see is some basic offense stuff....screens, cuts, back cuts, movement of at least 3 players, hell at this point I will take two........I watched EJ in h.s. and his high school team made the game so easy for him, cause they ALL were a threat given the amount of movement they did including him.
I hate to keep repeating myself, someone predicted 25-6 for IU is cool but is 25-6 and a NCAA 1st or 2nd round bounce OK? Is not winning the Big Ten or Big Ten tourney OK? Hell no, not with this team and talent...at this point....who will win the Big Ten....
1. Wisconsin
2. MSU
3. Purdue
4. IU
Yes the players play but the coaches should coach..I hope like hell a player, reporter, or coach reads any of this....and drops a note to KS with the words screen and move on it.. In few weeks that same Wisconsin team will come into Bloomington doing the same damn thing....what will we do.....the same damn thing...pass...dribble dribble .....shot clock running down...ball screen...shot...and prayer.
Now then......
I'm almost sure Ohio State and/or Michigan will return the favor. I don't see them beating Michigan State.....and no way in hell will they beat Wisconson at home. I don't know if they've played minnesota...but that won't be an easy win. In Bloomington it will be a good ol' ass kickin'. Mark my words. So that pussy 1st half big ten schedule with one loss will easily turn into 5 or 6. Not going to win the title. So fuck purdue.
The hoosiers are streaky. Its fusterating. The only good teams we've played we've gotten beat by, but I believe the weak schedule was an attempt to try and build confidence and mesh this unaquainted team together. We lack talented size. I thought we'd get something out of Eli other than a red shit....but it was probably for the best. We need size to with the Big 10. In 01 we had jefferies....newton....leach....and....odle. 4 decent rotatable players between 6'10 and 6'11. This year we have a 6'9 PF...a 6'6 center. A 6'6 center will not win the big 10 or at least it shouldn't.
For this team to be sucsessful we will have to TAKE BETTER SHOTS. We wouldn't of beat wisconson if it wasn't for poor shot selection. We also need to fire on all cylinders. Crawford is a fantastic player. He needs to show up. We need him to contribute consistently.
Anyway....I knew from the time I got my schedule we'd loose @ Wisconson. I am more pleased with our road wins at Michigan, Minn, and Iowa. Thats a big step from a team that hasn't won on the road in a long time. If we get Illinois and Ohio State on the road we will be in good shape. I have faith in this team. They haven't been playing very well in the big 10 and we've won 3 games on the road....we are still tied for number one in the big 10. The only thing we have to do is when we are given an opportunity we need to take it. Everytime we have to chance to take the bull by the horns we blow it.
Go Iu
I was at the game last night and live in Madison.
Because what I saw last night was just embarrassing. I've never heard a collective 17,000 fans bitch about a 13 point victory. It was amazing.....
You hit a homerun!
Attitude WINS Games! The Badger fans and players BELIEVE in Coach Ryan's philosphy....Bo Ryan is a desciple of Bobby Knight and Dick Bennet lineage. it shows in the team effort every time they hit the floor!
GO BADGERS!
LMAO
That said , so many of us are smart observers of the game and clearly see stalled progress on both ends of the floor as well as mental intensity that a major change is needed.
I would suggest to Sampson that he stand back, start with a blank sheet, and reengineer the team's style of play and player rotations to see before too late if there are styles we actually are more effective at.
My top changes would be to consider:
1. ZONE about half the game with zone press and zone traps thrown in
Why ? reduce fouls, reduce mismatches athletically, improved rebounding
2.PLAYER ROTATION : Start Mcgee and Crawford
WHy? youthful enthusiasm, atheletic, offensive minded, can play zone
3. OFFENSE: all you guys have several right ideas
I also think Ellis needs to be encouraged more to look for his shot...EVERYONE is keying on EJ. I just don't understand some of the decisions that are being made as it relates to how this team plays.
My biggest fear is the expectations for this group will get pissed away because of coaching and my childhood hoosiers will continue to be the Hoosiers I LOVE, more than my adulthood hoosiers.......
Jamarcus' role is clearly defined: when his head is in the game, he is our stat-sheet stuffer (credit to Clark Kellogg). Ideally we get 10 points, 8 boards, and 5 dimes from him. Maybe a steal, a block or two, and some sound defense.
From an offensive standpoint, I do like his slashing game -- barring the fact that he is not out of a control and throwing up a one-handed knuckle ball. Bottom line is that I prefer him to be our offensive facilitator. He's shown great chemistry with DeAndre in the pick-and-roll, but that's been non-existent as of late. If he's gonna "look for his shot," I think we'd be far better off with him slashing and dishing off to the open man when the defense collapses.
He gave this answer.
“I thought that last year’s team got to a point where they just got better. But they played about as good as they are going to play most nights. I just haven’t seen this team do that. But, you know, when you get to that point, at some point the coach has to take responsibility. I have not done a good enough job with this team to get them to play the right way, whether it’s defense or offense. For me, and I speak for myself and the coaching staff, we have to do a better job coaching this team. That’s really what it comes down to.”
POSTED ON HOOSIER SCOOP
B_Side .....also brilliant , I mostly agree
CB in OR ..........Thanks for sharing with us that Sampson is brilliant
Now lets see him, the staff and the players get to work !
I hope that KS listens to himself and not against N'western but against real competition put his money where his mouth is......and coach this team better.
I am SURE someone within that staff reads this blog....just a gut feeling I have....
subliminal messaging....motion...movement...screening....cutting.....motion....
When asked whether making a change means implementing a new offense:
“You know what, I don’t know how to explain that to you, son. I just don’t know how. I’ve been doing this for 25 years and I’ve had a lot of teams that needed to play better. I don’t like the way we’re playing. I don’t like the way we’re headed with this thing. A new offense? Nothing wrong with our offense, it’s how we’re running it.
I would say yes we are limited since we are very predictable right now and teams can clearly game plan for us.
Again , I like the coach but the coments on this site are really samrt about our game. Listening would be a virtue
I hate to say it but KS comments sound a LOT like Mike Davis....
"i'm not sure"....."I just don't know".......
We are 20 games in and we "still" don't know who this team is? We don't have a label other than DJ and EJ as I have said before....
I don't like saying it and I know most of us don't like hearing it but....Purdue...has label...it showed today at Illinois....home or away...senior or frosh....THEY PLAY HARD every game every play......will we go to Illinois and get after it....we will see....
Now I will go and wash my mouth out with soap cause I just complimented Purdue again...
GO IU!!