You're listening to the back home network presented by home
field apparel welcome back to Crimson Cask ale and Claudia
Scott Caulfield back with you. Once again, it is the 15th of
September half done with the month, Scott hard to believe.
We've already and week, it's really weak for.
Why do we call it week? Three its week for.
There's no such thing as week zero in football.
I don't understand it. But anyway, we're there,
whatever it is. We're in the third game of the
season for Indiana football is they take on Western Kentucky.
We're going to talk about that on the next podcast.
We're also what less than a half month away from Hoosier
hysteria. We're about a month and a half
away from the start of the college basketball season.
So we got a lot of basketball. Talk about because the schedule
came out last week's. Got we're going to talk about
that. How you doing?
I'm doing good. I mean so is Hoosier hysteria,
then week zero? That would be week zero for
basketball. Well, that's the thing.
It's like, what is, what is week, zero?
I don't get it. I, all I know is that I you
plays Marian University in an exhibition game on October 29th.
And the first real game is November 7th, which is not that
far away. That's less than two months
away. It's hard to believe.
We got a lot of. We have my worst time of year
from a Other perspective coming up here, as everybody knows my
least favorite month, October the month, where everything
slowly starts to die coming here very soon.
So a lot of chords available color leaves that there's two
ways to look at it. Like a lot of people out there
celebrating PSL season and I'm like, no.
Get that away from me. So it's, it's a thing, I don't
know. Anyway, Scott, it's good to see
you again. It's been a little while since
we podcasted anything new and your neck of the woods, No, I'm
excited for the football game, this weekend, I got the, I
listen to your pod about tailgating, I have the Weber Q
if you, like you were talking directly to me and I am ready to
do our first tailgate. So we are in we're in lot 9.
Anybody can come by, we're kind of on the edge right next to
the, or right. Like between a little walkway
that goes up to the stadium, across from the practice field,
just doing a small me, and my two boys and my wife, and I'm
taking a page out of your book. Book I think from a couple years
ago, we're bringing the grill, we're going to grill, a sausage
patties with cheese and pre-made biscuits and then just do a
little biscuit sandwiches and then my son wants croissants
because you know, I don't know, he does.
So we're doing that and that's going to be our tailgate that's
great. Well, I wish you luck.
I will try to make it over to say hi but you know, I can't
you're busy, man. You got a big one.
Yeah, I tend to get bum rushed to some degree at the tailgates.
And, you know, will we will talk At the tailgate stuff on the
football podcast, but we're going to talk mostly basketball
on this one. But before we get to that, just
a reminder that crimes and gas is part of the back home
network. The back home network is brought
to you by home-field apparel, they keep dropping stuff Scott.
I don't know where they find all these designs, but they just
dropped a Virginia collection. That looks.
If I, if I, if any bone in my body was a Virginia fan, I would
be like, electrified right now. I would be giddy.
I would there would be Be sparks flying off of my skin with how
good that collection look but I'm not one of those people.
So all I can do is to tell you folks to go find home-field
apparel on Twitter. I literally have a to-do list on
my computer and one of my items this week is to go into a
no-joke, go to home field apparel.
And by the Blaster Colorado Blaster, the burrito sweatshirt
and Neubert Borough, not burrito, okay?
That's a safe. Yeah, bro.
I think actually yet, though, every to go on please, yes.
Wow, Connor make a burrito shirt, my lips to God's ears.
No, I'm literally as much to do it, says Blatt by Blaster
hoodie, and Colts hoodie. So that's why was one of my to
dues for the week. I don't think Connors gonna make
a burrito hoodie, but I will say there's an opportunity with UC
Santa Barbara to make a tortilla hoodie or a tortilla shirt.
Because if I don't have you all For this.
But like late 90s, UC Santa Barbara had this thing where
they would throw tortillas on the floor during basketball
games. And and it was this big thing
for a little while. And then, of course, the fun
police came in and ruined everything.
But this was a storyline last week, actually, when who was it?
Houston went to Texas Tech and they have now a tradition where
they throw tortillas on the field.
And so there's there is a tortilla apparel market place.
I think that has not been fully tapped and if Going to tap it
its own field apparel so check them out.
Use the code home for 15 percent off your first order.
If you've not been there before, you will find that to try the
corn tortilla. See what happens.
Try the code tortilla and see what you get.
That would be an amazing Easter egg, probably not going to help
anyway, so Lisbon, I'm lot of to do about the Indiana University
men's basketball team as they are in many circles, projected,
to be the best team in the conference.
We don't know if that will actually be the case but that's
what some people think. And there's a lot of reasons why
you might think that a lot of them having to do with obviously
the Big Ten losing some players but Indiana bringing back a lot
of good players. Indiana having a second year
under Mike Woodson. So some stability there and we
look at this season and we see an interesting schedule one that
does not look like the schedules that we've seen out of Indiana
for most of the last decade. Decade Really Scott as Indiana.
They start off, slow and then things really get difficult.
So we wanted to break the schedule down.
We had a couple of questions from folks out there that we
were going to tackle. And so we're going to do that
right now. So we're we start off.
Obviously, you get two exhibition games, we're not
going to really dwell on those Marion on the 29th of October
st. Francis on the 3rd of November
and then you get a weekend off and then boom, you're in it.
You got Morehead State here in Bloomington on Monday.
No, that's not that good of a game.
Obviously, you go back and look at what Morehead State did.
Last year they were a decent team.
They were 118th and Ken Palm. They went 23 and 11.
And, you know, this will be an interesting game.
I think, you know, maybe maybe calling it not good as a little
bit premature because that's a team coming in.
That didn't lose a whole lot at least unless they were people
that wanted to transfer portal that I wasn't aware of, but they
bring back a lot of minutes. Lot of starting experience.
The one guy they lose tray Halliwell was a sub. 100
offensive, rating guy. So maybe they, you know, they do
lose some, three-point shooting with him, but that's a team to
kind of keep an eye on its kind of a sneaky opponent to have to
start off with. They get a truly bad opponent in
the second game, Bethune-Cookman, who was 9 and
21 last year, that's a meac team that is that's on Thursday of
that week, but that All Leads up to the Lowing week when they get
their first really interesting test.
They travel to Cincinnati to take on Xavier.
It's an FS1 game. We knew this game was happening.
They take on Sean Miller, who, of course, his brother had
something to do with, I you for a little while, they're in the
Cintas Center, which I don't know if Indiana's ever played in
the Cintas Center, they probably played at Xavier at some point
in their history. I didn't look it up before the
podcast. I'm sorry.
But I'm looking forward to this game Scott because, you know,
Xavier even in Seasons, where they aren't.
Is always pesky last year. Definitely was like that for
them 23 and 13 didn't make the tournament, but did make a
tournament and won that tournament, you know.
So this is a team that is is not to be trifled with and will be
an interesting look given that they're gonna have a new coach
and they do have some nice pieces coming back from last
year. Yeah, I mean last year you know,
they're ranked 53rd and Ken palm and Sean Miller obviously has
had success. Is Xavier in the past, you know,
this is the Gavotte game so you can't really, you know, this is
this was schedule as part of the, the that Gavotte game
schedule. But this is though these are the
kind of games that I like Indiana to have on their
schedule kind of playing mid level or higher level Regional
opponents you know this game you know games against Cincinnati.
We had some Steel Games Evansville for a while.
Like these are the kinds of games that I feel like have been
lost for and we'll talk about some of the higher profile games
that we knew are coming up as well but I feel like I have been
Lost, you know, we obviously lost like the Kentucky matchup
but it is kind of I don't want to cause a dreamlike lower level
but just you know not complete top Tier 1 but some of these mid
level. Yeah, you know, roundabout state
of poems. So this is a great game and I
would hope that in the next couple years we can play Xavier
against. It's a fun it's you know, it's
fun to play teams are that close to you and kind of get a little
bit of something going on there, but it is that the Sean Miller
thing is interesting, not just because Archie was here, but you
know it's I can't think of a Lot of history of a mid-major coach
having that much success at a program going on leaving, and
then, coming back to that same program.
Yeah, well and it's interesting because, you know, when Miller
left Xavier, it was a different program than what he's coming
back to you. Because I don't think that you
can call Xavier a mid-major, I mean, they are a very major
Conference Team. The Big East is a major
conference and, you know, Sean Miller Last coached there in
2009 when they were in the Atlantic 10 and they were at you
know this is where I get a little bit pedantic with my
definitions of what is a mid-major you've had to deal
with my stupidities on this in the past but like somebody like
there was a post the other day where someone tried to classify
every non power 5 team as a mid-major, he can't do that.
That's not how it works. Like the Mountain West is not a
mid-major conference and and so on and so forth, but Xavier
definitely a major conference Steam, I agree with you about
these are the types of matchups. I'd love to see Indiana play
more, you know, I have fond memories of that series that
they played with Cincinnati back in the early 1990s, with Bob,
Huggins was there. And that was, that was a really
kind of curious series, and it's like, wow, I wish we got more
stuff like that. It's always kind of
historically. Been Kentucky Louisville Butler,
nor Dame but you miss out on the Xavier's and the st.
Louis has and teams like that, that are in the neighborhood,
but maybe you don't like bring them over dinner.
That often So yeah, love that, that games on there, and Xavier
could be sneaky good. I mean, they, they were pretty
good offensively last year all things considered.
And if we go by Ken Pon, they're all like five spots worse than I
you, by the time, the season was over.
And of course they won the NIT, a weird game.
Following that two days later in your backyard up at whatever,
they're calling it a Banker's Life or what is it called?
Now, the bridge Fieldhouse game game bird field house.
Yes, feel like coal. And heard is going to come in
and like, you know, throw a brick through my window if I
don't get the name right. But but if they play Miami of
Ohio in Indianapolis, and this is what that we used to have
these one-off odd games in India, all the time and, you
know, it's a way for indeed fans who, you know, don't want to
make that spooky drive that you all complain about that to come
down to Bloomington and back to, we have the Hoosier classic.
Like they're used. Are the Indiana classic.
What we can be a good thing. Who's your classic was an indie?
The Indiana classic was in Bloomington?
Yes, I remember the years we had both of minutes.
We have these weird little to team tournaments for night was
like yeah we're not gonna go to Vegas or we're not gonna go to
Hawaii, we're just going to play an Indian Bloomington and we
have a UTEP in those. And we have like there were not
they were not pushover School. Stanford was in it one year and
the 89. Yeah.
And, you know, it's interesting because Miami of Ohio was pretty
bad last year and they lost a lot.
They were, they were one of the worst defensive teams in the
country. But, you know, overall, nice
test that. I like the fact that it's, you
know, it's the Sunday after that Xavier.
Our game on Friday. So they're going to do the
Xavier game and it's kind of a tournament turn around at that
point. So, you know, that's, that's a
nice prep. They get a couple days off and
then they get a couple more games in Bloomington.
One of them against Little Rock as you know, and again, this is
a team that's kind of been on the periphery of things for a
while. Now obviously Chris beard coach
there a while back and, you know, this is a Little Rock team
that is, you know, has not been that great recently.
They were 328th in Camp home. Last year, they were actually
worse than Miami in terms of defense and, you know, they
don't bring a lot to the table. I expect that to kind of be a
walkover for this IU. Team Jackson State, that Friday.
Also a really bad team and then a few days off and then the big
one as I, you gets North Carolina again, are we like,
contractually obligated that you we have to play either North
Carolina or Duke at home in the ACC.
Big Ten challenge. I know there have been other
teams but it feels Feels like every year it's either,
duke-north Carolina, I'm not complaining, it just always
feels that way. Well, and I, again, we are a
homer podcast. I'm assuming most people
listening to this, or relative IU fan, so I can be a bit Homer
ish, but this is where I will say, you know, we can and I've
been guilty of this too. That, you know, we're not living
up to expectations and we're not, you know, a tier-one
Blueblood program, but it does seem like every year whenever
Indiana has any kind of a pulse, It's like you know you know the
first year with you Marco Killingsworth have a bit of a
pulse like hey we got Duke at home in the Big Ten ACC
challenge you know the year that you know, we were ranked.
Yeah we beat Kansas. You know we started the year
doing okay we do g and an OB it's like then we had UNC that
year in the Big Ten ACC Challenge and this year you know
we're projected to be the best team in the Big Ten we get U and
C. So it like for all you know, for
all those people who you know, any other fan of the listening
to this it's like this is why we do know that we are kind of the
cream of the Big Ten is because any time we have any kind of a
pulse. It's like we don't draw Virginia
Tech or, you know, Syracuse like we're drawing North Carolina or
were drawing Duke. The only time that it didn't
quite work is like one of those first cream years.
It was like, Hey, we're going to send you to Cameron and watch.
You just get completely annihilated.
But no every time. Yeah, we're halfway good, we
draw the like we draw one of these two teams in the ACC, as
opposed to Purdue, who draws, Clemson or Florida State or two.
Right now, right now. Yeah.
And I know Indiana Drew Florida State.
I'm just joking. Calm down, Purdue people.
You get guys, get so uptight about everything.
It's crazy. But anyway, that'll be a fun
game. Indiana, North Carolina, it's
possible. Neither of these teams will be
as good as people think that they are.
It's possible Indiana's, not the best team in the Big Ten.
And even if they are, they may struggle.
It's possible that North Carolina, making that run, you
know, to the to the national title game is not a harbinger of
them being able to put together a full season.
That was a pretty quick. Questionable team for most of
last year, in terms of even getting into the tournament.
But still it's one of those games where you kind of throw
the records out the window, because it's going to be fun and
right in the middle of the week, almost certainly a 9, or 9:30
p.m. tip. So, late night question for
everybody here, starting about question for you though.
Yes. So in, I'm just going to go off
of ESPN's way too. Early top, 25 standings today to
get to, to get to my question here, North, Lana is ranked 1 in
that game. The end question is going to be
this. What do you project the rankings
of Indiana and North Carolina into that game?
I will tell you that North Carolina starts the season,
possibly one, two or three but their games are unc-wilmington
sharp Charleston, Gardner-Webb James, Madison Portland and then
they come to Indiana. So they have a relatively easy
Runway before they get to us the way too early top 25 has
Indiana. At at 15.
So based on those things based on our schedules, do you think
both teams are undefeated? And what do you think the
rankings are coming into that game?
It's tough. I wouldn't be surprised if
Indiana had one loss. I mean, I think losing Xavier is
definitely a possibility. I think, for the sake of this
argument, I think both teams will come in undefeated.
And I think that, you know, I could see if Indiana's if
Indiana is undefeated. I think they probably come into
the game ranked like my eighth or ninth and I think Any North
Carolina, as you mentioned by virtue of where their ranking is
is probably ranked number one and because they will have done
nothing. They're not going to lose to any
of those teams that you just rattled off.
So yeah that would be so be a top-10 matchup basically
provided I use able to hold up their end of the bargain and
that's pretty exciting. That's a that's a really
intriguing matchup that's going to get a lot of attention.
That's the that's the Marquis game that ESPN's looking for.
Yeah, that's gonna be fun. I think that's going to be a fun
night. Eh.
A fun atmosphere? Yeah.
Do you think probably? Yeah, I think so.
The number of people who have called me asking for tickets and
I'd like what who do you think I know that I could like, I'm
gonna Divine ticket that game? You know.
It's like if you want to be fair every time you seem to move down
closer better like your seats have gotten so good and it's
you're like I don't know how. Then next thing I know you're
still on the bench or you're in the new Stan section or it was
fun. That was a good time anyway.
So This is where the schedule really picks up for Indiana.
I mean, you figure, you know, Xavier is kind of the one tough
Island in November, but then the moment that North Carolina game
hits, their next game is Saturday, and I got to go to
Piscataway to take on Rutgers, which has been essentially.
It's become the new Williams arena for IU.
It feels like like it is taken over for the barn, the rack not
a friendly place to play and you know, it's like You can look at
Rutgers and you can say well it's it's probably not going to
be as good of a Rutgers team as it was last year.
You know, they lose Ron Harper. They lose Geo Baker.
I believe, you know, they think Caleb McConnell's gone as well,
but got to have such a great coach in Steve pikul like he has
proven. I think over and over again,
that he's able to do more with less.
I'm just really fascinated to see what this Rutgers team ends
up doing. Because at this point, it's
Like, you know, they've made the tournament two years in a row
and they did that largely because they had two, those two
players I mentioned right at the beginning, Baker and Ron Harper,
those guys being gone, that is probably going to set them back
a little bit. And while you hate having to
travel to Piscataway right after playing North Carolina,
especially if you win, like, that's a tough emotional, High
to come down from your, this might be the right time to catch
Rutgers their first Big Ten game as they're trying to get their
legs under Her them. I just it's hard to get really
excited about Indiana's chances in that game, given how badly
they've played on the road there in recent times and Rutgers
might be coming in with just one loss.
And it was wild as they play all their games before that at home,
except for the ACC game at Miami.
So every other game Colombia sacred sacred, heart UMass,
Lowell Temple, writer Central Connecticut, and then at Miami.
So I mean, there are eight of their first nine.
It looks like a ride home. Yeah, it's not great.
You know. But hey, look, you wanted you
want to challenges and you want to win the Big Ten like that's
the kind of game you're going to have to win and so you know if
you get done and that's something that I timing will go
through the like we're going through this but you know, I
talked a little bit about this coupling assembly call.
It's like, you know, we do have to change our mindset as fans a
little bit too. Like if we're going to compete
for a top three or four or, you know, people are talking about
winning the Big Ten, but you just want to say you want to be
a top three team in the Big Ten. These are the Games.
You have you got to basically win both of these games.
Like yeah, it's not easy but the schedule gets immensely harder
at the back end and you can't put yourself in a hole if you
expect to be really competing for a Big Ten title.
So it's like, this is where, you know, you're a team that has
expectations and expectations means that you don't get to be
suddenly like at Rutgers is too tough of a putt for us.
Like no, you got to win pretty much this and the Nebraska game,
right? Yeah.
It's it's an it's an inch got. We've got four off.
Still be coach in Nebraska. This time, I'm not sure he might
be coaching Nebraska, basketball, that might be good.
That might be the way that they get out, of paying him to buy
out. It's like, hey, Scott
reassignment, we're gonna. What do you, do you like the
whatever they're gonna remember what their arena is called?
But anyway, the Indiana gets Nebraska at home that game after
I mean, Nebraska was really bad last year.
It's hard to see them taking a big leap forward this year and
it's and I guess it's a decent consolation prize for Anna that
that's their home game. They get a little bit of cushion
there. As you know they got to play
that game very shortly after they play that game on the
Wednesday of following, that weeks that's December 7th.
Then they hit the road again for a neutral site game in Las Vegas
against Arizona. And I mean, I'm going to this
game. You're going to this game, we're
excited about this. We might be doing some stuff
with the fans out. There will be get ready.
They'll be, they'll be some pot, they'll be some stuff while
you're how I want to keep a little bit of No, I don't want
the fans to get too comfortable. You know, I mean, if they just
expect that, we're going to be doing things with them, then
then, you know what's next? We can't, we can't have
complacency in the Crimson cast fandom here, but but man, you
know what a game and what it again.
So many people have talked about how much this feels like a
different type of Indiana schedule, like, it is clearly
set up in a way that is meant to test Indiana, early and often.
And this is what, we're just trying to go to all the teams.
Sean Miller coached that's like, where else is he coached at?
We're not playing games a complaint or something like that
that we could tie. That's funny.
You know, the, in this Arizona team is really a fascinating
team because they were not particularly old team last year,
only one senior on the roster that they lost, you know, a
couple of guys to the draft. Obviously mathurin is no longer
there but they only lost four games all year including the
NCAA tournament and you know, this was a team I'm that they
want on the road at Illinois last year, they, they blew out
Michigan on a neutral Court. Last year, they've beaten
Wichita State on a neutral Court last year, and they just ran
through the Pac-12. They were 18 and 2 in the
conference, they won the Pac-12 title, you know.
So, I think, Tommy Lloyd, slid, right in and did a lot of really
good things with a program. That a lot of people were like,
you know, where are you going with this?
I mean, the previous year under the last year in the Sean
Miller, there were 17 and 9 and the year before that.
They were 21 and 11. Your before that they were 17
and 15. So to go thirty three and four
out of the blue, that's a, you know, even if they have lost
some big pieces, that's a really good game for IU to have to turn
around and play. And I don't know what they're
going to do in that game. I think I you that they haven't
played in a lot of these types of games, specially
back-to-back. I think Arizona is probably got
the nod here, just because they have played in those
environments, but we'll have to see how both teams are playing
going into that 11 in. I wonder, I don't know if this
is right, this is going off of ESPN's, Arizona, schedule of
this will only be Arizona's fifth game, I think they're in.
It's her 10th game. I think they're in a tournament
and I don't have the actual brackets up, but I believe they
are in a tournament in the preseason so that's why okay,
even if that's only three yeah you add two more.
They've only, they will have only played six games and right
now they have four games listed and Indiana be their fists.
So if one of those You figure maybe two or three more games,
but still you're you're looking at Indiana to again.
I don't know if this is good or bad but just something to think
about, you know, this will be Indiana's 10th game.
It'll be Arizona's. Call it like six or seven, you
know, so, just take that back on there and it's worth.
I don't know if all they're tired hairdo us so they'll be,
they are going to Maui, so they get, they get Cincinnati in that
first game. They'll get either Ohio State,
or San Diego State in the second game.
And then we're, who knows who they'll get in game three.
It really depends on a lot of things, so, So it's nice because
I mean, you know, they have, they have a pretty low-key lead
into that, but we're going to get a lot of looks at what
Arizona is doing against some decent competition.
I mean, if they play Cincinnati and then Ohio State back to back
or even if a Place, San Diego State for that matter who's the
other team that they might play in the second round, that's
going to give us a pretty good sense of what we're looking at
with that one. So, but yeah Point.
Well taken and they have kind of an easier path in terms of their
Pac-12 opponents because they also play too.
Games against conference opponents.
Before that Indiana game, then Kansas which is another game
everybody's looking forward to that game is a week later,
Saturday, the 17th in Lawrence. I think I'm planning on going to
that, I'm planning on going to that to first time, Indiana's
traveled to Lawrence, since I think 1993 that was that, that
that famous game, where Jacque Vaughn, hit that, like twenty
six foot three pointer. I've got that game up on
YouTube. For those of you who want to
punish yourselves, but you know, fun fun game.
I'm excited about that one. You know, Kansas somehow
inexplicably has weathered another storm of allegations and
so on and so forth. And Bill self is still there
last, I checked and they've they are the defending national
champions. So you've got a fascinating
thing where Indiana is going to go into a hostile environment.
A place that Kansas lost a grand total of one game last year.
And that was to Kentucky of all Eames, you know, but swept the
rest of the time that it's going to be a challenge for Indiana in
this Kansas game, but that's good.
This is the type of game as we talked about.
Same thing with the Arizona game, these do not hurt you, you
lose on a neutral Court to Arizona, it doesn't hurt you,
you lose on the road to Kansas it doesn't hurt you.
Like those are going to be looked at as good games
regardless by the the selection committee and frankly even buys
long as you're not getting blown out by 30, they're going to
reflect pretty well in the power rankings.
Ins as well. One thing I like about this is
we're doing a home and home. Like, I love that we are playing
in Lawrence, you know? And this would be something if,
you know, Scott, Dawson's listening, first off, scott,
thanks for listening. We'll see you in Vegas, second
thing. It's like, let's do more.
Like let's be the team that you. I feel like Kentucky does a lot
of early season tournament, but they're like always neutral site
team like they're just, we're doing a 14 tournament.
We're doing neutral sites, you know.
Michigan state is always, we're going to play on an aircraft
carrier. We're going to play on the moon
like they're going to play in places that are not basketball
venue. Use, I love if we're like, Hey
we're the team that's going to go into other will do home and
homes like because I feel like not a lot of the top, tier teams
are playing home on homes, maybe just be hard to schedule.
But I do really enjoy that. We're playing this in Lawrence
and not like, in Kansas City in St, Louis or something.
Like I'll end knowing that, it probably means it's an L.
Like it sprouts, it makes it a much tougher environment, but it
also means they get to come into Assembly Hall.
That's awesome. But I really like us playing on
home. It's like this.
So I hope we continue to see more of these high-level
opponents on home court. That's the thing.
I mean, you know, look there were exceptions on all of this
but I just I do love the fact that I use like, let's go and
play people at places. It's good in the long run and I
do think that that'll make a difference, not just in the NCAA
tournament, that will make a difference in the Big Ten to
because when the toughest game you've played away from home
prior to having to travel to Iowa is, oh, you know, we played
in Conseco Fieldhouse. Old house or you know we played
game Bridge in game yet. Sorry gain versus told her to
get that brick out again. Um you know or you know, you go
back. You look at like what was it in
1901? Oh sorry. 2018 like Indiana
played at Seton Hall. They got waxed.
That didn't really help that team certainly but it's like you
need more of those types of games to try to condition your
team and as long as your team's good and you know, that they can
handle. Let even a loss can be helpful
As you move forward. Anyway, moving on, Indiana gets
a little bit of a break that come back.
A couple days later they get Elon at home.
That's I think a game. Indiana should win easily to get
Kennesaw State in the Pam Witten, Classic on the 23rd and
then the Big 10 starts basically.
Well, several days later there's a bit of a gap there, but they
take on Iowa at Iowa. City on January 5th.
What is it? Why are we?
Again there we contractually obligated that we have to play
at Iowa. The first week of January.
I feel like that is always when that game is and I know it's not
but it feels that way and I get annoyed by it because it always,
I can't remember the last time Indiana won in Iowa City that
early in the season. Yeah, it's not a good, not a
good game for us, but what's interesting, is, then for the
rest of January, not to get too far ahead, but you get this
weird wet, Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday setup, where
basically the entire month of January.
If we play on Thursday, we then play on Sunday at home, or we
play on, Wednesday on the road and then we play on Saturday, so
it just oscillates. We go Thursday some day
Wednesday, Saturday, Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday, all
road games during the week. And all home games during the
weekend. But everything is a two and a
half, two and a half day break. Yeah.
It's a, it's a weird thing. But, I mean, there's some Purdue
fan was complaining on Twitter about o.
Indiana didn't have to play on Mondays.
It's like, seriously, like Indiana's.
Got the the I think the fifth toughest schedule in the
conference. It's it's going to be the Big
Ten West and football shut. Yeah, shut up.
Yeah, you lose? You lose.
Literally all anything everything by just simply At
anyway. So it's it's going to be an
interesting schedule to say the least because it's just
unrelenting and this is one of those things where even with IU
is the top dog in the conference, you know, in the
preseason. It's just, it's a tough row to
hoe because I, you ultimately is, is going to have to face a
lot of tough teams and a lot of tough spots.
They didn't get any favors with the home in a way.
So kind of rattling through these Northwestern at home.
Following week, they get at Penn State that week after that, you
get Wisconsin at home the week after the next game and then
you're at Illinois. Well, that's it's like,
Wisconsin homes. Never great.
And then you got to go to Illinois.
That's a very tough place to play.
The next slate of games. You get Michigan State at home.
You're at Minnesota, Ohio, State at home at Maryland.
That's, that's a, that's a tricky quatrain of games.
Then you get Purdue at home, Rutgers at home.
And then at An at Northwestern Illinois at home and then you
finish off at Michigan State at Purdue Iowa at home and miss,
and Michigan at home. So, it's a, there's a lot there
to try to break down, you know, you don't get Maryland at home.
That's a tough one to only play them on the road.
You know, there's a couple of other teams like that where
you're just like gosh it would have been great to have had that
team twice rather than just once.
But I mean look overall, I'm you know, Every year.
I feel like the same way about I use Big Ten, basketball
schedule. That I feel about the way you
and I pick. I use football schedule.
We are literally always wrong and how many games Indiana wins,
and losses, and what games they win or lose.
There's so much unpredictability.
But I mean, you have any overall thoughts on how this schedule
shapes up. Yeah, males going back.
And, and on CBS Sports, I just had one quick search, looking at
their big 10 preview. You for last season at this
time, in the same year, you know, we were ranked ahead of
Wisconsin and Iowa and their breakdown of Wisconsin.
They don't mention Johnny Davis and their breakdown of Iowa,
they don't mention Keegan Marine.
I'm not saying this is one point of reference but it just it does
beg to give everybody a break, you know, look at this.
Where yes, the homeowner way is top that we really don't have
two home games until the end of the Earth.
I guess, Purdue Rutgers and February, but it's kind of home
away, home away and then you end with that, You know, at Michigan
at Northwestern Illinois at home at Michigan State at Purdue, it
looks rough but it's really tough to look at this without
knowing like who who's the team going to be?
That comes up that were like wow I was not expecting that.
You know? Is it is it Rutgers?
Is it? You know?
Is it Purdue? Is it who knows who's the team
that we think is going to be good?
Is it Illinois where it's like they suck?
Or they're just they're not as good as we expected.
So there's going to be some variance there and I don't think
it's it's so it's very tough to be like well you know it's tough
to play Illinois and Come back against Mitch, I know what the,
what I did is he was going to look like, but my main thoughts
is the Home in a way, it's just quirky.
And then, it seems like at the very end, it just gets very away
heavy on a lot of teams that, you know, look tough.
But you have these kind of bookends where you played
Michigan twice in like, you know, five weeks.
It feels like that's an important slate of games.
You have that, you know, home game against Illinois, and
February 18th. You look at that as like, that
could be a A really key game and those are kind of my main
thoughts but I did think it was interesting that there's no long
breaks for this team. When the Big Ten season starts
and it does seem to be very rhythmic in that, you're kind of
doing this, like I said before, is everything is two and a half
days apart for, basically, a month and a half.
And so, it does feel like if you can kind of, if Woodson of the
staff can get the team kind of keyed up to like, all right, you
know, where I do think sometimes you can get Weird spot.
Like last year we had that Purdue game and it's like you
turn around two days later. You're playing Michigan.
It's like, it's just that the team was a whack.
It's like the other week off. So the next game and you kind of
have these like Peaks and valleys.
It's like chunky and spiky and I do think there's a way that you
can you can probably get this team kind of like.
All right we're going to Peak and then we're going to Valley
and then we're going to Pete. Like we have a rhythm with the
schedule from a day-to-day point of view that I do think is might
be able to put this team on kind of a spot where they can reel
off. Seven, eight, nine in a row.
Yeah. That's the gonna be the big
question and look, I think this is not the strongest Big Ten
that we've ever seen and I think if Indiana is going to be the
strongest team in the conference, it's really at this
point. Just knowing what we know about
Indiana at this stage and yes, they could get better but this
is not going to be. This is not a national
championship contending, Indiana team and I hope I mean, could
it, could they win a National Title?
I'll be sure. I mean, North Carolina was
literally one game away from winning a national title.
Despite not having a very good season, it's all about when you
catch fire and if you get the right breaks, you know, so I
would not expect Indiana or any team in the Big Ten this year
to, like go 18 and 2 in conference play or anything like
that. But going through the schedule
and I'm not sure if you've gone through and like tabulated your
wins and losses yet or anything like that.
Scott, I haven't that's fine. We'll save yours till later my
preliminary read on this. Seeing everything, the way that
it's set up is Indiana. Going 14 and 6 in the conference
and 23 and eighth overall. You know, I think that that is
very, very good. That's a very that would be I
would if I could sign a contract right now that said yes you're
going to go 23 and 8 and 14 and 6.
I think tell me where to put the pain, seriously my loss is right
now for IU in conference would be at Iowa at Maryland, at
Michigan at Michigan State at Purdue and And I don't know.
I think I missed that one. Now, that's probably Indiana's,
probably not running the table at home and they're probably not
also losing all six of the road games that I just mentioned.
So, you know, your mileage may vary on where the losses come
from. But I think 14 and 6 would be a
great record for IU given how they struggle to even get over.
500 in conference play. Basically for the last decade or
you know slightly less than the last decade. 2016 excluded of
course. But I You know that, you know,
and I would throw in, I think they lose to Arizona, I think
they lose to Kansas neither of those games are unwinnable.
But you know I think that if those are there to non
conference losses or if you drop one of those and you throw
Xavier in a North Carolina and is one of them, even if they had
like one more non-conference, I think it's entirely possible,
this team finishes, the regular season with single digit losses,
which would be a huge leap forward for IU.
And would mean that they not only played some really good
teams, but it beaten some of them as well.
And they could actually be a protected seed in the Big Ten
Tournament. Like, hold my God.
Laughs, we could have a shot at wait.
Look, it's get. Just go ahead.
I was gonna say, looking at schedules and just where teams
could be. I know we're not a Michigan
State pop, but I just have to bring this up if you haven't
looked at their schedule and we know that Michigan State
schedules hard, but like, they could either.
I wish we played them so early in the Big Ten because I think
they could be just completely off the rails like Schedule is
they play Northern Illinois. Okay then they play Gonzaga on a
aircraft carrier. They play Kentucky in.
Indianapolis, they play Villanova in East Lansing, then
they play Alabama in the Phil Knight Invitational, second
round, the play either Yukon and Oregon.
If they win those, they could theoretically play Villanova
again or North Carolina and then they come back and play Notre
Dame. I mean, that's the schedule
where they could literally be like two and seven going into,
you know, the game against Northwestern.
Yeah. It's It's interesting because
like, you know, last year was not a typical Michigan State
team. They, you know, they made the
NCAA tournament which was typical but they struggle, they
didn't play that strong of a non-conference schedule.
I mean, the two games they played against really good
competition. They they got boat raced in both
of those almost like they forgot to schedule.
Some of these last year's is put it all on this right, schedule.
Me, that's a, that's a murderer's, where there's, it
reminds me of you did a podcast talking about like Indiana's,
90, 91 92, 92 93 season. It's like, you go through the
schedule. It's like there's no like
there's just no easy games. Like oh I Kentucky in the next
week. Oh the next week they played
Cincinnati was ranked fourth in the country and then it's like,
oh they had UTEP but you might forget you tip was ranked 18th
it every day was supposed ranked.
Like this is kind of anyway, who cares?
Others can stay, but it's just like this goes to the point like
Michigan State. I have faith.
That Israel will somehow turn it around, like he'll use this to
make that team stronger, but this could, that could break it
to me, who knows what they're going to look like when you get
when you get to him in November. Yeah.
Especially I mean And how weird the last few years have been for
Michigan State and just covid and everything else.
Just if they don't have that same head of steam that they've
had every year when they've had those types of schedules and
have been able to deal with them.
So yeah, I'm with you on that 100%.
And look, I really don't know what to expect out of the Big
Ten this year, who's going to be good, you know, who's going to
struggle? You know, the there's a real
good likelihood. It's not going to be a great
Wisconsin team. It's going to be a questionable,
Ohio State team produce going to certainly take a couple of steps
back. From, you know, their greatest
season in history that they had last year.
And so there's just a lot of variables with this big tens and
IU is one of the big variables itself.
I mean, last year wasn't great. It was good enough that they got
into the tournament barely, you know, they finally did something
in a postseason tournament. They want a couple of games in
the regular season but it's hard to say for sure.
Like yeah, Indiana's back. I mean, we got we got a question
from our buddy, Ross. It for the for the podcast which
was basically looking at the IU basketball schedule, are we
back? How long were we gone?
How long are we staying? Feel free to add any additional
back commentary. I mean it you could look at this
the roster and say I use back, you can look at the schedule and
say I use got some problems coming up here because they've
got such a tough schedule. And that shouldn't feel unusual
for IU fans, but it is because it's just not the way I use
scheduled under the last couple of coaches.
You know, so I think there's some uncertainty there and, you
know, Matt Zimmerman chimed in on Twitter, it seems like
anything other than 0 and 3 against Arizona.
USC, and Kansas would be a minor miracle.
Or is that just the - couch talking, which is an inside joke
that I won't, I won't explain. But but, you know, they're out,
there is a thread where you look at this, and you're like, what
am I going to beat? Yeah, I would say was a savior
in there. It's like, are they gonna go on
the road and beat Xavier? They gonna go on a neutral court
and beat Arizona? Zona they're going to be able to
travel to Kansas again, to beat the number one team in the
country. If you could kind of give over
to negativity here and say that this team is, as been pumped up
two or three weight classes Beyond where they actually
should be. But that's kind of the beauty of
this schedule is that even if they lose two or three or all
four of those games in the non-conference, I think that's a
good enough team, they're going to learn some things from that.
And About to what they're doing moving forward.
I also think there's I think this team did learn some things
last year and it feels like they have coalesced around an idea
about what they are as a team and how they're going to set
things up and move forward. And now it's really just a
matter of how they plug everything in.
And I don't know if it's like, negativity to say well gosh
they're good. They probably going to lose all
those big games anymore than it would be overly.
Positive to say well yeah, they're going to win three or
for or somehow win all four of them.
The thing that concerns me about this schedule and I was
Zimmerman to, I think we could go.
Oh, and three in those games. I don't think that's, I don't
think that's a bad thing. I mean, you schedule, hard
games, you're going to lose some of them and like I said, the
Kansas game is going to be fun and playing it in Lawrence
basically, kind of guarantees that he'll, that's fine.
I mean like, it's fine, but play hard, get a good atmosphere.
It's good stuff. You can learn the thing that
makes a kind of referenced this earlier.
You have to make hay early in this schedule because it does
get tougher. There's just more Road games on
the back end that it tightens up the, you would assume that the
teams are playing in February and March or better.
But you also have to remember this is a team that you know
there's only one year of history with Mike Woodson but last year
this team finished 2 and 7 in the Big Ten they played well to
start and they did not finish well and so and unfortunately
the year before it's not fair it's a different coach but They
finished one and six and on a five-game losing streak in the
Big Ten. This is a team that has a to
know, even the year before was kind of choppy.
But in 2020, they finished one and four, in their last five
games. The team that just has not
finished the Big Ten strong in recent history and it's a
one-year sample size, but it is what it is.
They didn't finish the Big Ten season strong Underwood's and
last year now they turned it around in the Big Ten
Tournament, but they were kind of the wheels.
Were people have to remember Will we were in February, and
March. Last year, with this team, we
were like the wheels were falling off.
I remember Ron Harper, jr. Dropping his nuts on the, on the
floor at Assembly Hall. Like it was not a good situation
and we were losing, you know, we lost five in a row.
So this is this all goes to, you know, it does seem a little bit
easier early, you have to make hay early, because a lot of
things like we've been talking about with football, a lot of
signs point, a A certain way, a lot of you know the everything
with his team is like they're going to probably struggle later
in February and March there just isn't that institutional history
of us going on tears and February and March.
So if you assume we're going to be choppy and you assume the
schedule makes it even choppier. It's like you've got to we're
here because tomorrow we tough but you gotta win games at
Rutgers. Yeah.
No, absolutely. It's it's it's that that's the
kind of thing that has to happen and all To look.
It's what we'll see. We'll just have to see what
happens as we go through things. But anyway, we'll we'll keep an
eye on things obviously as we get closer to the sketch or the
beginning of the Season lot too. I guess toss back and forth on
this stuff but it's cool to be in a position where Indiana is,
you know, at least going to be considered among the top teams
in the conference. Yes.
There's I love that. There's fun games to, I mean,
this is the first time Time in years, you and I have been like,
talking about traveling. You know, I was, let's go to
Vegas, let's go to Lawrence. Like I mean there's and I had
multiple friends of mine, asking me for going to go to Vegas my
buddy, but I mentioned a couple times Teddy who lives out in
l.a., he's going to meet up with us in Vegas.
He's coming out. Like I have friend, a lot of
people around here. Like you're going to Vegas gate.
Like it's been a while since we've had a at least a team.
You know relatively good enough you want to see it but also
locales that are fun to go to and that people want to go and
See us. I think that's that's if even if
we don't you know, win the Big Ten or win a National, go to a
sweet 16 these kinds of things do energized fanbases.
Even if we go we lose as long as it's a relatively competitive
game, the team plays well these are all good things, we'll see
what happens as I you men's basketball will be back in
Action, Hoosier hysteria coming up soon.
And as we mentioned, the first preseason game is less than six
weeks away, which is nuts. But anyway, Scott good chat with
you about this. And we'll look forward to
getting you folks as comments as we go closer to basketball
season for Scott. I'm Galen thank you for joining
us here on the show. Thanks don't feel apparel a
presenting sponsor here on the back home network and thanks to
all you folks who wrote in questions and comments will be
back with more podcasting coming up soon as we continue to cover
IU basketball and IU football. We'll catch you folks on the
flip side, bring back the Bison. So long everybody.