NCHoosier32

need Mtaco to come out hitting. i believe in Galloway tonight!

beat the SMELLERMAKERS!!!

amen brutha! literally hate them more than anyone. Cowboys...Cardinals...Red Sox...KY...no one close! i miss Hoosier Til Death on this day as well.

Got my gameface on!

okay. kudos to Woodson for not starting X.

why hasn't anyone mentioned Leal being out tonight? just kidding, but Galloway in some kind of back brace?

man i don't know. awful tough to be optimistic here. i just hope Galloway and XJ can do the job Galloway and JHS did on Purdouche's guards last year. if we get a Galloway on fire, what seems to be an improving Mtaco, good XJ, and Edey struggling to guard Ware or Reneau... a lot has to happen though. i wouldn't bet on it.

thanks fellas. this helps my pregame! isn't there one about being #1 at trying hard or something like that?

let's make a push to get this pre game thread up! can people please start posting pics slamming the SMELLERMAKERS? you know like the ones about their cheerleaders being cows, boiler down, etc.? i gotta go walk the dog then i'll get my game face on with some bourbon and be ready to go!

i bet he does. yeah, i have to say again, we probably need him playing and playing well to win. at the same time, he could be our downfall. i'm really fine either way personally. i'm tired of his act and would applaud Woodson not starting him. at the same time, i don't think that will happen and will be thrilled if he plays well! if he's playing like crap, i hope he'll take one for the team and hit Edey in the nuts.

fellas! i'm getting pumped! not super optimistic of course, but dang! this is IU/Purdue!!! i hate the SMELLERMAKERS!

screw the SMELLERMAKERS!!!

F) Xavier Johnson hits him in the nuts

i get the idea. i think my concern is that the best way to stop them seems to be overwhelming their guard so they turn it over and struggle to get big man the ball in good position. zone would make them a little more comfortable i would think. i also think they are a smart, well coached team that might hurt us from outside vs a zone ... then again everyone hurts us from outside when we play MM!

see, on one hand i agree, but on the other hand, it's probably not a great idea to try to beat Edey at his own game. no one is that tall and good enough to beat him at his own game. he can easily guard Sparks and just plant in the lane. much tougher for him to guard Ware or Reneau. will be interesting.

i do think Ware and Reneau have both proven they can hit from 3 and when Sparks or Walker are in it gives Edey and easy matchup when he's on D.

i kind of like the idea for a couple minutes a half, but not sure we'll see it. doesn't seem all that common to take a guy who sometimes doesn't even get into games and have him play important minutes in a big game. i guess in theory he would take Banks and/or Walker minutes. i'm good with that for matchup purposes, but still hope to use Reneau and Ware big minutes.

absolutely. you just have to decide when enough chances is enough. i'll say again, there's no debate that for us to hit our ceiling we need him, but he could also easily help us find our floor. very tough to weigh.

i mean i think we can all be optimistic based on last year right? our guards really overwhelmed their guards defensively. in theory it was JHS and Galloway dominating Loyer and Smith right? XJ should be able to do the same as JHS on that end? have those two guards improved tremendously? i hate the SMELLERMAKERS as much as anyone alive. seems Reneau or Ware would be a tough matchup for Edey. i am for giving Sparks a few minutes a half in this one. really really want to win this one.

i guess in this case, we would be comparing his defense to Mtaco's though right? are we saying MM's was better? where do we see that? blocks? steals?

well, that would mean he got blocked every shot attempt that he didn't score. i'm not sure that's really a bad thing? Mtaco missed one more shot than Ware did.