Rex Hudler Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Indiana still has no offense Trail by 9 with 12 minutes left. After 2 1/2 years of this crap, why would you expect anything different? It's not Davis' fault that they're missing all those shots. Sure it is. As the coach, he has to make sure they are doing what they need to do to get into position to make shots. Tossing up three pointers because you can't get any other shot is not totally the fault of the players (actually very little of it is their fault). However, my friend's a manager and from what he said and what I saw on Saturday, Davis has created an offense. Whatever offense they do have, and I am not sure there is much of one that actually works, gets abandoned every other five minutes for individual play. Everybody decides to stand around and do nothing while the guy with the ball dribbles. If there is an actual offense that works, it is Davis' responsibility to get the players to use it. He recruited the players, how they play is his SOLE responsiblity. The bottom line is, since Game 9 of the 2002-2003 season, any semblence of offensive cohesiveness has disappeared. The long droughts, the turnovers from too much dribbling, the pass a half second too late, the interior passes at guys feet, or at too high of a speed from close range..... all of those things have been going on entirely too long for it to be a fluke or the players fault. I am not a "fire the coach" kind of guy, but I am getting sick of watching this crap. Since January of 2003, this team has been painful to watch. I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that is this team continues to tank it and finishes near .500 again, Davis is gone, and SHOULD BE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasywheels121 Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Davis is gone, and SHOULD BE. Later Bracey. (Don't care about that) Strickland. White. Vaden. Ewing. Killingsworth. Monroe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Now that my rant is done....... let's look for the positive. As pointed out in tonight's broadcast, IU's conference schedule this year should be as easy as it can be because they only play Illinois, Michigan State and Iowa once each. Wisconsin is the only top tier team they will have to play twice. They have young talent. They just have to add more and find a way to get them to play in some way resembling a team. Marshall Strickland needs to grow up and stop playing like an inconsistant freshman. They need to figure out how to incorporate Bracey Wright. He reminds me of Antwaan Randel El in that he is good enough to practically carry the team on his own, yet when he does, it hurts every one else. Bracey needs to find ways to do his thing, yet make everyone around him better. That's what great players do. I think the football program focused on Randel El so much, that it set them back 2-3 years when he was gone. I see similarities with Wright. Damn, I really tried to keep things positive....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palehosefan Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 I don't understand why Indiana doesn't run more. You have all the pieces to be a very solid running team, and the lack of pieces, especially inside, to be a good halfcourt team which it looks to me like they are doing. I think Strickland, Wright, Vaden, White, and Ewing would be awesome in a running style. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxrd5 Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 As pointed out in tonight's broadcast, IU's conference schedule this year should be as easy as it can be because they only play Illinois, Michigan State and Iowa once each. Wisconsin is the only top tier team they will have to play twice. I agree with you. With the exception of the big 3 the big ten is a cakewalk conference. You should win all your home games against these other teams and at least steal 3 away from home. The thing is in order to make the tourney your most likely gonna need 19 wins to get in from the big ten conference. So your gonna have to win alot of games in conference for that to happen. Marshall Strickland needs to grow up and stop playing like an inconsistant freshman. I dont know if he can ever be a very solid player in bigtime college basketball. He has a decent shot but struggles w/ the dribble and really seems lost, which is BAD when its your point guard!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Later Bracey. (Don't care about that) Strickland. White. Vaden. Ewing. Killingsworth. Monroe. First of all............. So what! The short term best interests of the players does not always equal the long term best interests for the program. I think IU completely fell into that trap when they hired Davis in the first place, without looking elsewhere. I'll add that I would have had no problem with Davis being named the Head Coach if he would have earned it. The school should have explored its options and considered Davis a candidate. If after exploring all their options, Davis was chosen, I would have had no problem with his appointment. Instead, he got the job because he was in the right place at the right time. Secondly, that would not be the case. Killingsworth and Monroe aren't good enough to jump to the NBA. Maybe Marco is, I really like him, but I think he is undersized for the NBA. They will be seniors who have already sat out a year. They can't go anywhere else. When coaches get fired, players become very emotional. However, when that emotion subsides and a new coach is brought in, players generally listen and often change their minds about leaving, especially when the realization that if they do, they will have to sit on their ass for a year. Strickland could leave, but again, I say good riddance. More likely though, he would see himself faced with sitting out with only one year of eligibility left and stick it out, rather than sit out a year. Killingsworth and Monroe did not do the same, so he could leave. White would likely be the most likely to go. It would just depend on what coach was brought in and if he thought that coach could get him to the NBA quicker than having to sit out and start over somewhere else. I doubt Bracey would leave, unless someone convinced him he was good enough to jump to the NBA. I honestly don't think he is that good and that he would be back for his senior year, but I could be wrong. Ewing and Vaden are toss ups. My guess is that Ewings father, understadning the business side of basketball would help his son determine what is best for his future. I'd guess that would mean staying and sticking it out. Vaden, I don't know enough about, but again, when facing sitting out a year, decisions aren't always so balck and white. Illinois could have had several players jump ship when Bill Self left. Cooler heads prevailed once Weber was brought in and look at where they are now. It is not as foregone a conclusion as you think that they would all bail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 I don't understand why Indiana doesn't run more. You have all the pieces to be a very solid running team, and the lack of pieces, especially inside, to be a good halfcourt team which it looks to me like they are doing. I think Strickland, Wright, Vaden, White, and Ewing would be awesome in a running style. Just my opinion. see chisoxrd's post as he stole many of my words about Strickland.... I hate to say it, but I am not sure what will work. You would think that they could run, but to do so, you need a floor general that can control things. I don't see Strickland or Wright being that player. My guess is that is the ingredient they are missing that keeps Davis from opening it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasywheels121 Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Ewing and Vaden are toss ups. My guess is that Ewings father, understadning the business side of basketball would help his son determine what is best for his future. I'd guess that would mean staying and sticking it out. Vaden, I don't know enough about, but again, when facing sitting out a year, decisions aren't always so balck and white. I really could see Ewing transferring if that ever happened. This team will turn it around for the BT schedule though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 I really could see Ewing transferring if that ever happened. This team will turn it around for the BT schedule though. Meh. They better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasywheels121 Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Meh, I was in the 2nd row tonight, and I had an awful time watching the game. The off-the court stuff was kind of cool though. Larry Bird and Danny Ainge were directly across from me, and AJ Moye was directly behind me. I actually was talking to him for most of the game; that was pretty kick ass. He was my favorite Hoosier of his class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxrd5 Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Meh, I was in the 2nd row tonight, and I had an awful time watching the game. The off-the court stuff was kind of cool though. Larry Bird and Danny Ainge were directly across from me, and AJ Moye was directly behind me. I actually was talking to him for most of the game; that was pretty kick ass. He was my favorite Hoosier of his class. I really could see Ewing transferring if that ever happened. This team will turn it around for the BT schedule though. Meh, I was in the 2nd row tonight, and I had an awful time watching the game. The off-the court stuff was kind of cool though. Larry Bird and Danny Ainge were directly across from me, and AJ Moye was directly behind me. I actually was talking to him for most of the game; that was pretty kick ass. He was my favorite Hoosier of his class. SO AWESOME HE TYPED IT TWICE!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasywheels121 Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 SO AWESOME HE TYPED IT TWICE!!!!!!!!!! Ah I forgot to edit it out of the other post. Rex quoted me before I re-edited it completely, so I made it a new post. It's out of the old one now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiff Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 UMass-UConn tonight in the "U" Game at 9 eastern on ESPN2. It's gonna be U-some baby. Not really. But it will give anyone interested a chance to see how far the UMass team has fallen. We have Rashaun Freeman and Artie Bowers, but little else. Steve Lappas sucks. He can't recruit, he can't coach, he can't even comb his hair decently. I'll be at the game because I like basketball in general but this is like the St. Joe's game last year, we simply don't have the talent edge or the coaching edge to pull off any kind of upset. You need at least one of them to do something cool like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasywheels121 Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Majerus and USC talking.... Former Utah coach says he's committed to ESPN Rick Majerus expects to talk to USC in the next two days about the Trojans' open coaching job, but is committed to working at ESPN throughout the season. Majerus, the former Utah coach and current ESPN college basketball analyst, told ESPN on Wednesday night that he has had contact with USC, but wouldn't say with whom he's spoken since Henry Bibby was fired Monday four games into the season. The Trojans named assistant coach Jim Saia as the interim coach. USC lost to Fresno State 71-68 on Wednesday, falling to 2-3 this season. The Bulldogs are unbeaten in five games. His tenure, however, could be short. Athletic director Mike Garrett told the Los Angeles Times that he wants to move quickly and name a permanent successor to Bibby soon. "It could be 10 days, it could be 14 days," Garrett told the paper. Majerus signed a five-year contract with ESPN. He resigned from Utah last January due to health reasons. Majerus said he told USC that he had signed an ESPN contract and was loyal to the network after it had gone out of its way to make him feel comfortable. "I would not leave ESPN until the end of the season, irrespective of anything that might happen," Majerus said during halftime of ESPN's Notre Dame-Indiana game. "That would be a deal breaker for me." Bibby had five winning seasons and three NCAA appearances at USC before being fired. Majerus has always spoken highly of the USC job but was always respectful of Bibby's standing as head coach. Majerus has a fondness for Southern California and recently tried to purchase a home in the area. He did buy a house in Milwaukee recently to be near his mother. But the USC job has always been appealing to him. Garrett mentioned Majerus' name among others after Bibby was fired. Pepperdine coach Paul Westphal, a USC alumnus, is also expected to be a strong candidate for the position at season's end. "We go after the best people," Daryl Gross, USC senior associate athletic director told the Times. "We consider him one of the best people, and we need that type of impact." Majerus said USC is a "terrific academic school." Majerus talked about his seven academic All-Americans and his high graduation rate. He said the academics, location and athletic success on the football field make USC a special place. But he is respectful of Saia's position. "They have hired an interim coaching staff and given them complete authority," Majerus said. He said he didn't expect the new coach to come on board until after the season. That is not likely to be Saia. "I think [saia] has a great chance to show his wares," Garrett told the Times, "but never did I say he had a chance to vie for the job. ESPN anchor Rece Davis asked Majerus if he could pass up the USC job if offered. "I don't know that yet, because I like coaching, I miss ... when I went to the Wake practice and I went to the Georgia Tech practice and the Michigan practice, and I saw these kids and the coaches putting them through the drills, I really missed the coaching part of it," Majerus said. "I have enjoyed the analysis, and like Dickie V says, 'I've won 'em all'; my winning percentage has really gone up on the set there. "I just am in a quandary, though, and [the talks with USC have] been very preliminary. And I can't be much more thorough than that with you." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlliniKrush Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 IU's offense is just painful to watch sometimes. I'm not an IU fan obviously, but at times i actually say out loud "what the hell are you doing?" after a possession with 2 passes and a 3 point prayer shot with 2 seconds left on the clock. I just don't understand it. We're at the college level, aren't we? I don't know what the solution is, but i mean if you watch an Illinois game (just to use an example), we have so much movement away from the ball, so many screens, so many passes...now i realize the motion offense requires a lot of movement but the players still have to buy into the system and do something every time down the floor. It is very rare to see us use all 35 seconds and then have a s***ty shot to show for it. There's almost always an open shot. People say we are three point reliant...but when you can shoot WIDE OPEN threes all the time, you might as well take them. No reason IU can't do some of this. IU has enough talented guys to be able to get off some better shots than they are right now. Not UI talent, but talent nonetheless. And i agree with Rex, it's Davis' fault more than the players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlliniKrush Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Illinois at Georgetown tonight, 6:30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasywheels121 Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Buckeyes won't play in NIT or NCAA tourney COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio State men's basketball team won't play in the postseason NCAA or NIT tournaments this season, the school announced Thursday afternoon. The Big Ten said the Buckeyes would still be allowed to participate in the conference tournament. The school also said that coach Thad Matta has been given a one-year contract extension to make up for the lost opportunity. "Because we have self imposed a ban against postseason play in 2004-05, we have granted head coach Thad Matta a one-year contract extension," athletic director Andy Geiger said in a release. "It is intended to show our confidence and appreciation for the manner in which he and his staff have dedicated themselves to Ohio State. The one-year extension will add an opportunity for postseason play lost this season. "I want to make it perfectly clear that Thad Matta and his staff had nothing to do in any way with the activities that have led us to impose sanctions against our program. We are very pleased with their efforts with the Ohio State men's basketball team since their arrival in Columbus." Matta's original contract was for seven years, beginning with the 2004-05 season. He will now be under contract at Ohio State through the 2011-12 season. Geiger said the self-imposed sanctions are a result of a $6,000 payment former coach Jim O'Brien made to a recruit, in violation of NCAA rules. The investigation of violations is ongoing, and further sanctions are likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan99 Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Its not like they were going to make the NCAA tourney anyway. Michigan did the same thing following the fallout of the Fab 5 when they weren't a tourney team either. I want to see one of these schools do something like this when they have a great team (either football or basketball) but you know that would never happen. Turning down a crappy bowl or imposing a ban on postseason play when it doesn't matter means nothing to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Honda Civic Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Illinoise having some problems with GU, down 4 w/ 9:35 to play in the 1st Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan99 Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Illinoise having some problems with GU, down 4 w/ 9:35 to play in the 1st Illinois leads by 7 at halftime. Georgetown fans started chanting overrated in the first half of the game. If your going to chant it, you may want to wait until your team is actually in control of the game to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlliniKrush Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Pretty ugly half, took a nice lead into the half though. I heard the overrated chant...yeah.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Honda Civic Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 (edited) I don't know what team that was playing for the first 15 minutes, but thank god the #1 team in the country decided to show up and relieve them. Anybody else think Augustine was shooting like he has money on GU? Edited December 10, 2004 by Gene Honda Civic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesoxfan99 Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 I don't know what team that was playing for the first 15 minutes, but thank god the #1 team in the country decided to show up and relieve them. Anybody else think Augustine was shooting like he has money on GU? Yeah, Augustine has played pretty badly tonight. I really wish he would go up and try to dunk the ball rather than put up those weak layups. When you try to dunk the vast majority of the time if its blocked a foul gets called. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnB Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 we really looked ugly the first 15 minutes or so...but give props to georgetown, they were playing quality defense too. We found our game soon enough though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlliniKrush Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Illini play a real solid 2nd half, beat Georgetown 74-59 Next up, Oregon at the UC Saturday, i'll be there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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