NCHoosier32

we don't agree on much, but i do think we both miss the good old Hoosiers days! i decided i'm not even gonna argue with people on the board anymore. it's just not worth it. that said, as one poster who is considered negative, it doesn't mean i don't enjoy IU bball. i hope for excellence from my sports teams and am often critical of poor play or coaching. i just struggle to say nice try or good effort when i see a bad product. i don't go around punching babies or cursing the world because of it. i still look forward to every game!

i don't think we'll lose, but dang! suddenly i'm just a little nervous... letdown after the big game... students gone... we are 113 in NET and they are 120. we are 12.5 point favorites. i thought the focus was winning this one big, but now i just hope we win!

this is where i am. when you talk about expectations, i don't see why we can't get to a point where we aren't sweating out whether we get into the tourney or not.

i don't like it at all. i still feel like a win is a win, but that's just not true with today's metrics.

absolutely needs to be a lopsided win as do the next two after this.

there are however currently 7 B1G teams ranked or getting votes and we are not one of them

just wanted everyone to know that Mr. Pessimistic here voted yes and yes.

agreed. that's why i don't like complaining about them often. i mean sometimes it's fine, but when you complain every game, i feel like it kind of desensitizes it. and it's never a good look to fans of any other team. they just see you as whining.

it was so much fun in the Hall yesterday! i promise you i yelled at Dickinson and Self about as mush as possible. high level game in a great atmosphere. if you would have told me we'd lose by 4 going into the game, i would have said i'd take it. after having a 13 point lead in the second half, and losing it, it's tough. i had quite a bit to drink, but thinking back it just seems like we gradually let them back in right? not a major meltdown. Mbako's 4th was a pivotal moment for sure. i just can't see Banks or Walker as a 3 offensively. loved the shortened bench and heavy minutes by the starters. we better not blow any games to bad teams though. i mean i know we will on the road in conference, but we gotta pull a couple off and defend our homecourt from here. have a hard time understanding why we can't finish between 2nd - 5th in the conference.

like it. i'm still a little flabbergasted that Cupps was voted MVP of the game.

to each their own. everyone vote for whoever you want, but i do like stats/numbers and when people vote for a guy who didn't play to make a point, in this case it will skew the final numbers a little right? don't you guys do a formula that will wind up giving X credit for finishing 2nd in this one and knock Malik down a little instead of being 2nd?

i'm sure they'll try to keep that status quiet until the last minute. i'd love for him to at least be able to play, but gotta wonder how he'll be in the first game back and what chemistry will be like.

Hmm...

so... i am so pumped to start my long weekend in Bloomington and definitely wearing the candy striped warm-ups pants to the game, but i just read a good article previewing the game and the more i think about it, the less optimistic of being very close. in my mind our big strength is negated with their bigs. of course you can say our bigs are the best duo they've seen so far too. we'll see, but i don't like the idea of if they negate each other, i have more faith in their guards than ours. i will be behind the Kansas bench with candy stripes and yelling at Hunter Dickinson.

i can't imagine dealing with chemistry issues this far into a season. as much as i always wanted as much talent as i could get as a coach, i can't imagine brining a kid in at this point and playing him in front of my guys who had been there all preseason and season.

no kidding. that is a scary thought.

no doubt our best shot at reaching the best this team can be is a good XJ. what stinks is that i still think we look better in some ways without him the way he was playing on both ends pre-injury. we need him back and we need him playing smart.

don't know how anyone could disagree. of course my negative side is sitting here thinking we are going to waste the one season that we have him. here's to hoping i'm wrong!

i don't think anything could ruin this weekend for me, but Good Lord losing by 20 at home could come close. i don't expect a win, but for some reason feel like it could happen since it is at AH and we do have talent on this team. i think we will end up on the wrong end, but please let it be competitive at least!

sad thing is we don't beat teams like that by a ton. it's been close games.

love it! should be an awesome environment!

the other thing is, if it's turning into a trainwreck, run the starters right back in as soon as you see it comin. call a timeout. do something!!!

I am good with an 8 man rotation for the most part. You're basically saying cut Sparks and Gunn out. I think it's fine for them to get very limited minutes as 9 and 10, but whatever. I think the bigger issue is I don't like anyone other than Mbako at the 3 and I'm not even sure I love him there. I think any time you have more than 2 of Reneau, Ware, Sparks, Walker, Banks in, it's a horrible mix. So maybe roll with XJ, Galloway, Mbako, Reneau, Ware, then sub Cupps for any of the 3 guards and Walker for a big as your first subs? Then sub the guard back in for a different guard and sub Banks in for the other big? Then you'd have to get Ware or Reneau back in pretty quickly after that though. I don't know, but the current plan ain't workin.

what about Ball St.?

oh, and keep your best guys on the floor as much as possible regardless of position.