You're listening to the back home network, presented by home
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cast or kill it at this week, tons by Galen couple by me when
with gaalan and myself together. Forget to Tony excited to talk
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I know with Gail and we talked about some of the cool produce
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We talked about shirts and sweatshirts, they have Hers, I
put one on my mug, Indiana sticker on my Yeti mug.
So it's now my Indiana Yeti mug, it's great, drink it with
coffee. I'll be coming down with that
tomorrow day tomorrow, in the morning, with my coffee in the
car, but I'm looking at it right now.
I have my bison pennant, which I will be putting up on my wall
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Indiana pennant. Felt it has that retro look, but
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and just put it up in your room. Anyway now let's talk to Tony as
we get ready for more IU /. Do preview talk All right, Tony,
it's great to have you on Manus Purdue week, fired up.
You're gonna be down there for the game.
Will be at the game together of give me your.
We've been kind of doing this Galen talk to Chronic about it.
What's your favorite IU Purdue moment over the years?
Oh man, put me on the spot. You know, it's one of my
favorites was like the first time I ever created a meme was
my seen my junior or senior year college Purdue was bad.
Bad and I use really good. And I think we beat them by 37.
And I created a meme of. Matt Painter is like oh crap, we
got to go down 37 twice in a year or something like that.
I thought I was witty. So that was fun to just beat the
absolute are out of them. One of my favorites was actually
a loss, it was really like, when I got super into IU basketball,
like I grew up in IU, basketball fan but my freshman year of
college, Was cream second year Purdue was top five in the
country. It was my first game.
I went to as a student. I didn't get season tickets.
My freshman year mainly cuz I didn't know I can add them to my
Bursar when I should have. That's a rookie move, rookie
mistakes. And I'll probably never did it
again. Yeah.
But you know, I use really bad but Purdue was top five and it
came down to a last shot. I you missed it but it was kind
of like all right, like I can get behind this.
Like this is fun. You know, have ton of fun in the
student section and that was kind of like my welcome to like
true IU basketball fandom there. So that's one that stands out in
my mind and then I mean honestly last year was a lot of fun.
You know, beating him on a kind of last-second, shot with the
kid from you know, Lafayette was cool.
So my memories pride in our priorities as good as yours.
But you know, that's that's mine.
And I just gave you three so I guess No, I did this with gaalan
so I don't want to recap it too much, but mine goes.
I love seeing Glenn Robinson when he came into Assembly Hall,
but honestly, I was saying last year, was one of probably one of
my top three as well. And it's it's something that,
you know, we've talked about that unfortunately, for as much
hatred is there is between IU and Purdue and how good the
Rivalry is that the games have not been great.
Like it's just the teams haven't synced up, you know.
And unfortunately through most of your life time, it's kind of
been whenever I you it's exactly like you mentioned like Purdue
was too. Up five, and that year Indiana
was 194th and Ken. Palm as a rough year, 10 and 21,
but screen second year, a lot of extenuating circumstances, but
it's been kind of that way. And then when Indiana got good
under crean Purdue was bad. And it's like, we haven't rarely
have we synced up, you know, luckily for me I was in, you
know, late 80s, early 90s. There was a time when both night
and Katie had it going and those were fun for sure.
But it feels like this is really weird, you know, I don't say go.
Era. But we're coming back into it,
where it does feel like the next couple of years, we could have
some runs where Purdue's going to be good.
Indiana is going to be good and to be nice to get this rivalry
back on that kind of footing. It's also be nice.
If we can start protecting home court and Assembly Hall, we get,
we got one against them. We got a big one this weekend.
I'm curious. You know, there's so many
different ways to attack this this game, you know, Gail and I
were talking about it. Our takeaway was kind of that,
you know, Edie and Jackson Davis going to cancel each other out
and then Then it's going to really rely on everybody else.
I'm curious your take on how you view this.
Indiana Purdue matchup for what you're seeing on the court.
Yeah, I mean, it's at the end of the day, you know, it sounds
goofy to say, you know, with to probably the two best centers
and college basketball right now to say it's a guards game, I
know. But at the end of the day, like
that's what it comes down to. And, you know, Purdue has two
freshmen guards. That have seen pretty much
unflappable, you know, you hope. That this, you know, that this
is an environment they have not experienced before they've
experienced Road Big, Ten environments.
And, you know, the one time they really experienced kind of some
hostility was at Rutgers and they were a little bit rattled.
So you would hope that, you know, Indiana's guards have
experience playing and this exact environment and game and
you know, obviously they have the home fans where produce
guards are freshmen having experienced this environment
before. But at the same time, I'm in
those. Those did seem unflappable, you
know, they're they're tough and they're number one in the
country for a reason. So, yeah, I mean, I think, I
think Edie and Jackson Davis, obviously play a factor, um, you
know, that being the team's two best players and, you know, it's
really just going to come down to like, how does each team
guard those guys? And then beyond that what are
the others do? Because, you know, you know, the
doubles are going to come in from there.
You just got to say All right, does we were talking about this
last night and assembly call? Like ball has to move quickly
Mike Woodson noted against Maryland he thought the ball
stuck and Indiana's often suffered because of that.
So if their post doubles on TJ D he does a great job of finding
guys but it's got to be find them quick reversal and then
hand the feet gotta be ready to shoot.
Miller cop, shoot the damn thing.
Yeah but quit passing a wide open.
Three pointers to take a one dribble pull-up with a guy in
your face. Like just Shoot that thing.
And so yeah it's it's really interesting.
I'm super excited. I mean, it's a great opportunity
for Indiana to kind of exhale a little bit, you know, this
season has been an up-and-down ride and you know looking at
this game in November you thought Indiana would obviously
be the favorite and that's not the case.
And so a great opportunity in front of them and you know it's
one of those games you can already, kind of feel the buzz
here. Like in Indianapolis like it's
just like, you know, I've got some co-workers on either side
of me that are pretty you guys and you know, we've just kind of
been like going back and forth and it's like one of those
things where like you're kind of trying to be nice about the
other team, but you're also like, hey, we want to beat you.
So yeah. It's just fun.
It's exciting. No no.
I can. You can feel the buzz in India.
It's and I'm super excited to get down to Bloomington early
tomorrow. It's funny.
You mentioned that it's like going into this year.
I got to say I was dead wrong about Purdue.
Like I looked at, you know, they're lost to Saint Peter's
last year. I was like, damn.
That was devastating. I wasn't sure they'd be able to
get off the mat. I was like, that's a young team.
It's based around ET, like he's going to be easy to stop, you
know, he is become really good like it's I don't want to sit
here and praise Purdue, but I will for a sec with ET.
Like it's too easy. I got a guy 74.
Like he's you know huge like he's unbelievably good with his
footwork with how he gets rid of the ball, you know?
Uh Why is this a little bit more?
You know what have you seen him do differently this year versus
last year? That has allowed them to be as
good as they are? To be honestly getting more
minutes. You know, he was he was a
dominant Force last year when you look at, you know, his / 40
metrics. And I think I think I was
laughing, Purdue put a graphic out before the season started or
maybe after last season of like / 40 metrics, there's like Zach
eating and Shaq the only two players.
That had these numbers that were performed.
Yeah. And I was like, that's a good
Feast ever seen. Well, yeah, like / 40 like, if
but he's only playing 20 minutes.
Well, now he's playing a lot of minutes.
And his dominance is, you know, multiplied or Amplified, and
know I mentioned it. I think I might have mentioned
it to you on the last pot is I think Matt painters.
Loyalty that treyvion last year could have cost him a national
championship. And it's so weird to say because
treyvion is so good. And so, Painter was loyal to him
and played him because he was capable of putting up 20 points
at night but Zaki is a dominant force that we have not seen the
likes of in college basketball and a long time and as you
mentioned guys, got great feet, he's got great touch, he can go
over both shoulders, he passes extremely well, he he's in
shape, he gets up and down the floor for his size, very well.
Like, the guy is the runaway National player of the year for
a reason. He's a very, very good
basketball player. And You know, Mike wasn't
touched on yesterday. He's like somebody in the NBA is
going to take flyer out on him and the probably gonna be pretty
happy that they do just based on his production.
Now, he's not, is he gonna be able to guard screen and rolls
and all that very well, no. But he's so big man.
He's just, he's hard to stop and I'll say this.
Matt Painter has done a great job of building a system around
him. Yeah.
Did you go to the game last year against Purdue?
I did not. I watched it for my house so I
will say for you And others who I was there last year.
Not bragging, but just, if you haven't seen Ed in person, I
cannot wait to talk to you at halftime of the game.
It's unreal. How big he is in person?
It's like, we know a guy 74, like, we're aware that like his
big, dude, when you see it in person, you're just like, oh my
God, like it is, it is mind-boggling.
Just like when I go to NBA games, and I'll see like, you
know, yanis for Kevin Durant, it's like what it's just like
theirs so long, this is like taking that At a little bit
bigger and then bring it to College.
It is, it's mind-boggling how big the dude is when you see him
in person? Yeah, I I did get the chance to
see him at the Big Ten Tournament.
Okay. All right.
It felt. Similarly, you know, it's like
how do you and how do you stop that?
Like because you know everybody's like you just got to
push him out early. Do your work early?
It's like he is so big that there's not a guy in Indiana
that has the muscle to just move him, you know?
And that's what's hard about him and then the other thing with
him is that, you know, it's not like Purdue just takes Zack Ed
and planning some on the Block and just he sticks his arm up,
they run action after action. After action, he sat down
screens spinning ceiling. Like that's the thing is they
run great actions to get him the ball in spots that he wants to
get them and they're hard to stop.
Because if you try to stop that action, then you got Fletcher
lawyer coming off, his down, screen wide open, he's knocking
down shots at a good clip. So they're tough man.
Yeah. No, it's very true.
You mentioned no be able to move them.
Who do you think guards, et tomorrow?
Like I'm talking to her friend about this and it's like it it's
a tough question. I think I'm a I think I know the
answer but I've yet. What do you think?
Yeah, I think you start tjd on them and, and then only solely
because he's big. He's the biggest guy I use got.
I do think that if he picks up an One, you switch and you've
put race on him. I think believer.
New has the size to guard him, but he's Fallon 25 times per 40
minutes. So I know it's, you know, it's
hard to expect much out of him just because if he's fouling,
you know, the likes of Maryland guys, what the heck is going to
do against this 7-foot for Behemoth in the paint?
So you know, I think they'll switch it up.
I think the very and that's what I Talked about with the assembly
call, guys was you know, theirs. There's a lot of different ways
to guards a key and I think Indiana should try them all.
I think the second he gets comfortable and knows the double
teams coming from the middle or double teams coming from the
post feed or I'm going to I got single coverage.
The second he's comfortable. He's going to know what to do
but if he doesn't really know what's coming or where it's
coming from, I think that's when you have an opportunity to kind
of get him out of a rhythm and a flow and that's when Indiana can
have opportunities to stop him. Yeah, it's almost like we almost
just kept her on the team just as present.
Stopping played great against him last year.
See, I think the guy you didn't mention, I think you got to
start with race on them is is just because I think Jackson
Davis is probably the best guy to defend him.
But similar, to what we're doing with hood, should be no words
like rat. Like there's only so much you
can ask Jackson Davis do, is that you need him on offense as
well. And I my fear with that is, if
you put him on edu put Jackson Davis on Edie.
It's like you're you're probably going to get a foul pretty early
on. And now you just kind of And a
foul for Jackson. Davis for no reason and then he
got to go to race and then, yeah.
You're right. Like, for physically and, you
know, athletically Malik renew should be that answer.
But garment, right? If he ET it's like this this
horrible combination of renews fouling it.
Probably the highest rate in the Big Ten Edie is basically not
fouling at all. It's amazing how he's able to
phallic 1.8 fouls, per 40 minutes in the Big Ten play
being 7-foot for he liked his foul rate.
It's like him and like a bunch of minimally.
Use point, guards around the country.
Top, 5 and fowleri, it's unbelievable.
But this is what worries me for IU.
Is you have Ray stops, who still coming back off of injury.
You don't want to get Jackson, Davis and foul trouble.
And I just it'd be great to see renew play, and, but it's like,
I think renew plays them and gets 5000, you know, 12 minutes.
And then you're like, all right, who plays him, like, you know,
Jordan Geronimo. Yes.
But like, is he healthy? Is he going to be able to play
that? And then it's like we get real
thin real quick and I do agree the guard.
You're going to be an issue to you.
Look at that but it's like I do look at I'm not sure.
We're as deep as maybe we feel like we are.
If we start fouling at the rate we foul and then you have a
problem where it's like I just don't know who guards idiot.
Maybe it ends up being like you know maybe it is.
Logan Duncan who comes in and has a game like der or Kayla
Banks and like honestly it's like that's kind of what dirted
last year like dirt and do much all year and then came in and
played like 20, unbelievably good minutes against eating but
even in that game that's when Peter was doing the Ed treyvion
Williams saying, it's like, he would sub Ed out, that's the
thing is he's playing like 40 minutes a game.
Like he's just, he's playing a ton.
Yeah. And, you know, the best thing
the best team that I've seen kind of guard, ET was Rutgers
and then, you know, Michigan State, just let him get his and
it was a one-point game. They scored 64 points going into
that last possession. Like, is that what you just rely
on? Like hey maybe he misses a
couple you know another big thing with him is that he's his
offensive rebounding. Percentage is 22% number one in
the country. Yeah.
So like you got a box him out like you know the possessions
not finished if Fletcher lawyer shoots it or Braden Smith shoots
like the dude gets a ton of offensive rebounds and part of
that is because how teams Garden, you know, they'll put
their big guy and kind of three-quarter front.
Well, then when the shot goes up, Jackie, Dee's got a quick
turn and seal and he's got an offensive rebound for a dunk.
So like that's part of the strategy to is like, you just
play behind them, hope he misses some shots.
And absolutely every time I shot goes up, just box him out and
you know, that's That's a strategy that teams look at.
So the dude is you know, I've watched every single offensive
clip of his. It'll be an IU film room later
of just some of this actions in ways that you can guard him.
But you know, it's like nobody's had the magic formula.
And that's the way these are very smart basketball Minds that
haven't figured him out. Really.
And here's the thing that I want to ask you about is for us
defensively. I think we have Have a really
good team to defend eating. We have the players, the issue
is we haven't been able to and I know, you know, it does feel
like the calls are kind of going against this and others like
talk about, you know, what's and work on the rescue hard.
All that said, you do the film room, you see it?
I see it, too. Like we foul a lot.
Like we can talk about the rest, like there is some stuff there,
but it's like on the flips end, we foul a lot and a lot of them
are just dumb fouls. We're guys, as I see it, guys
are in the wrong position on defense and they come Pound it.
Then making a dumb foul. I'm curious you, as you see
that, have you seen that getting better throughout the year?
Is that something that is still kind of about the same?
Like, and that's, that's the troubling part with this team is
like, I think this team has the pieces to defend eating very
well, but it's, like, I can't trust that we're going to be
able to do it without fouling. And then now, you got guys on
the bench and now we don't have the pieces, we need, but it
seems to be, that's been our issue.
All season is we're in the wrong spots defensively, and then we
Make stupid fouls to compound it.
Absolutely. But about a half step slow and
it it ruins, everything it real. I mean, that's, that's Malik.
Renews problem is his feet. Get a little Tangled and he's
half step slow. And then his first thing you
want to do is put two hands on a guy to keep him in front of them
and that's yeah. In automatic ding like that's
that's the number one thing that's going to get you a Falco
every single time as two hands on a guy's hips and that's
that's been renewed. Problem.
Leaving your feet like Galloway has a big issue with just
leaving his feet a lot. And then gets himself in the air
and gets himself in trouble because Galloway's were big big
piece tomorrow and he's been in foul trouble, a couple games
recently that he just can't afford to be in because he's
gonna be somebody that's going to have to shut down their
guards. I thought he'd had, I mean, he
was a difference-maker last year against IV.
He, you know, he knew it flavor gum.
IV was chewing, he was in his stuff, he had IV flustered, you
know, he's a big piece of the puzzle tomorrow and he's been a
guy that's got in foul trouble when I thought against me.
When he was really one of the only guards that even showed up
in. So, you know, that's somebody
else that they got to figure it out.
So have they figured out the fouling not really, in my
opinion, you know, game to game it fluctuates and, and, you
know, and like you said, Indiana's got the length and
athleticism to be a very, very good defensive team.
But yeah, just, you know, once I start mixing guys in and Off the
Bench and stuff and now they've To use some lineups.
They haven't really used all season with Kayla Banks.
Coming into the mix and CJ gun comes in sometimes like just not
a lot of flow. You Know, Tamar Bates is
somebody that gets it lost a lot on the defensive end and you
know that with one guys lost it throws off the other four.
And that's the big thing. And that's another thing with,
you know, you've got Trace Jackson, Davis.
That's kind of your rim protector down low.
You don't want to get him in foul trouble because you can't
keep your guy in front of you and now he's jumping to block
shots or there's a I'm off to ET.
There's just yeah, you got to be one well-oiled machine everybody
on the same page on the defensive end especially when
you're trying to stop somebody. Like Purdue who's very, very
good offensively. Yeah.
I mean this is something Gail and I talked about so I hate to
recache it. But I think it's just a very
valid point like this this game against Purdue just highlights
the difference between where Indiana is and where Purdue is
at in that you look at a guy like you know tomorrow Bates,
you know, like I'm just going to go through the last Six games of
his offensive rating, you know, 60 against Maryland 123 against
Ohio State 0 against Minnesota, 187 against Michigan State, 0
against Illinois, 0 against Wisconsin versus like, you know,
Fletcher lawyer, his offensive rating in the last couple games,
85 104, 123 10 to 80 to 140 41, 42.
It's like, I think, No, not good.
I Think You Know, Tamar Bates is probably more athletic than
Fletcher, lawyer and maybe has a obviously, a high, maybe a
higher ceiling. But like, Purdue is just locked
into this. Like, when guys are even off its
like he still had Fletcher, Laura still has it offensive
rating of, you know, 80s to 90s. And then when he's good it's
like 100. Plus where's Tamar Bates?
Not picking on him. It's just like it is this roller
coaster when he's great it's like insane.
Like Michigan State 546 from three and you almost Swish like
it doesn't work this way. It's like you could like Bank
some of that like just save 20 points of that offense and
braiding for Michigan State. Let's bring back to the Maryland
game and it's just that kind of inconsistency and it's what's
fun and frustrating about this IU team is their ceiling.
I mean, they're sealing when they are playing on all
cylinders. It could be higher than Purdue
like it's wild to say. But like they are unbelievably
when they're all. Shooting together, it just
doesn't happen enough and it's like rarely, does it happen
where his Purdue is just steady and their steady to be fair like
they're steady is as good as a car.
Almost our ceiling. I feel like we have but it's
like we just can't get everybody all on the same page and that's
what's both fun and frustrating with this IU team, especially
against this Purdue team or they are just just rock solid and
it's like their floor is so high.
Whereas we just seem to be oscillating and it's kind of
like like he said, look there's are we going to get tray?
And Tamar both having great games at the same time.
Yeah, once that I'm going to give you that at least bodes
well for tomorrow but even you know, our best guard and Jalen
hitch. Fino, at home point nine, six
points per possession used 51.6 from the floor away Point, 59
points per possession, 26.8% from the floor, you know.
So even you know, home road splits which isn't breaking news
at freshman struggle on the road a little bit but when that's
when that's your guy, That's kind of your steady Force that's
leading the charge right now because Javis Xavier Johnson
being hurt. Like, that's not great.
You know, that's that's not really want you where you want
your point guard to be, you should more.
So be like that even Keel, like, you know, a Braden Smith is
just, he's not going to have a lot of great games at.
Wow, you but he's not going to have a lot of terrible games.
You were like, man, get him off the floor and I'm not, by no
means. Am I saying like we need Braden
Smith instead of jail entropy? No, that's not what I'm saying
at all. I'm just saying to your point
of, just the fluctuations. We see with this Indiana team
rather than just, like, Purdue is just one steady force that
night in night out. You basically know what you're
going to get from all all Five Guys on the floor.
When you mention Jalen Hurd Cioppino like, I look at him as
he's, he's really the key for this and that you trace at this
point, it's like, all right. Tres is gonna go for 20 and 12
just like it's, that's a whole other discussion, like it's
wild. But like I have, unless the Big
Ten decides to foul him out in the beginning of the game, like
they did last, Against Purdue but barring that he'll get his
and he's going to be really good, you know, I look at hoods
Ruffino and yeah, he's going to struggle on the road.
Should be better at home, so it should Bode better for him here.
But I think he's in a tough spot because unlike, you know, Braden
Smith is able to when he's not playing well, he's able to kind
of lean on other players and he just doesn't shoot as much.
Any kind of takes a step back and that's why his offensive
rating is better in those poor games.
Hood Chaffee? No is not wired that way.
That's also why he's an apostle NBA lottery.
Pick is like, having that ability back, I'm just going to
shoot through this. Like, that is a different skill
set. It is tough and games, like
Maryland, where you go, you know, 1412.
But in his defense, you know, in that game against Maryland.
It's like, who do you want who Cioppino passing off to like
Miller cop who's kind of not shooting you know, Trey Galloway
who's basically not there tomorrow Bates, who's basically,
not there? No, not just like tomorrow,
Bates played, you know, Five minutes as a 60 offensive
rating, goes 1 for 5 from 3. It's like, it's not like, it's
not like you're put your feet on back.
I'm just going to, you know, kind of take a step back and
just distribute. I got usually Distributing to so
I look at who Cioppino is not an enigma but it's just like he's
in a tough spot as well cause you're also asking him to guard
the best player and I don't know what, which, what's your thought
on is not even a question there. It's just, you know, talk about
hood zaffino for a little bit and how important he is in this
game. Yeah, I mean, he's probably the
single most important piece for for Indiana, you know, because a
to prevent Jackie D from getting the ball where he wants it.
There has to be pressure on the guards for produce guards, and,
you know, the second you sag off and let an easy entry pass
happen, Jackie's gonna score. No, I mean, the guard pressure
is just as important, if you can push them from 20 feet to 25
feet off the line, makes that pass that Much harder makes
Akita maybe have to catch it as knees rather than in his pocket.
Like there's different things. So you know just defensively
alone he's going to be important.
And then when you look at offensive ly, He's a guy running
the show, you know, he's, he's a lot of times, my quotient gives
us point guards. The freedom to call sets out, so
he's got that opportunity and then the ball screens, you know,
the best way to be Zeki to put him in a ball screen after ball
screen because he wants to play Drop coverage and he's going to
drop 8 to 10 feet into the lane and you're going to have pull up
opportunities and down Hood, Phoenix been pretty good with
the pull-up game and he's pretty You love the balance.
Didn't have a great game. I was saying it's Marilyn doing
that. But with that said, He's going
to have to knock those down to beat Purdue and to keep Purdue
honest in those ball screen coverage is because then you
come off that ball screen and now Zach, he wants to cheat up
just a little bit because you've been knocking down that shot.
Now, you've got Trace Jackson Davis behind them and you've got
a lot. And so there's just a lot of
variables there in jail in which we know is gonna be the one
coming off the majority of those ball screens.
And he's gonna have to make reasoned decisions.
So, extremely extremely important for him to have a good
game. So how do you see this all going
playing? And it's a 4 o'clock start, it's
going to be a wild atmosphere. There is a part of me that's a
little bit concerned, you know. This team psyche is always a
little bit worrisome, you know, they went through the the
doldrums they have that, you know, sometimes against
Maryland. It looked like, you know, that
game was there for the taking. They didn't quite take it
either, they were playing bad. My biggest concern is if we
start off a B flat and the crowds like, ooh, it's like I
was talking to Galen about this, you know, if we if you know,
Edie gets couple dogs Jackson, Davis gets a foul.
It's like, you know, 3:47 and then we come out in this A3 and
like, bring hits a three. It's like, you could have the
crowd starting to be like this. Really, what's good?
What's going on? I do wonder if it's going to be
almost too hyped. That said is like, I don't quite
know where this is going because like North Carolina was pretty
lit and that place was pretty. Jacked up and they came out and
just knock their doors off. But North Carolina, had a lot of
stuff going on. I'm just curious.
How do you, how do you see this playing out?
And I guess I'll also ask you like what's so for me?
That's my concern is, if it feels like we're a little bit
too hyped and then produce gets off to a quick start.
I wonder how it's going to affect like, what are you most
concerned about also? Yeah, that would, that would
certainly be up there as a high concern.
I remember last year. Pretty got off to a really good
start. I think they got up like eight
to ten and then rocker fantasy came in and knock down those
quick threes and all the sudden. Now you had a six to eight point
lead. So you know, it's not doomsday
if it happens but you would hope with the crowd behind you and
just the buzz around the game that I you would get off to a
good start and make it certainly make me feel a lot better if you
had an eight to ten point cushion before, you know, things
go wrong but you know, at the end of the day, I think, I think
obviously the atmosphere is going to be awesome.
I think it's great for the state of basketball just in this state
of Indiana that these two teams are both ranked playing each
other for the first time in quite some time.
You know, I kind of mentioned this last night on assembly call
is like to me this is an opportunity for like a Miller
cop Legacy game because when I'm if I'm Miller cop and I look
back at my time, I didn't Deanna, it's like what's his
legacy. Right now and I'm not trying to
crap on the kid but like, you know, there's not been a game
where he like, went out there and just tore it up and you're
like, we won this game because of Miller cop, and I'm not
saying that has to be his role. But as a senior who you have a
great opportunity in front of your in the starting lineup,
you're probably one of the last options.
They're really looking at stopping, especially given
recent performance, he can have opportunities, they're gonna
double the post and he's got to be ready to shoot.
So for me, Me. I made a prediction that, you
know, this is going to be like the Miller cop Legacy game.
Like this is an opportunity to wear.
Like, if you knocked down five, six, threes in this game and you
be number one on your home floor.
Like, people will remember that. And I don't know why I like that
came to me or, like, I just been thinking, like, what's, you
know, what are people going to remember him by?
It's like, decent shooter, you know, that's kind of it, and
that's fine. Like, going wrong.
Everybody knew me as a decent shooter.
You basketball team, I'm living the dream, but I just, I feel
like he is an X Factor. I guess, is what I'm saying is
that, he's like the Mason Gillis of, you know, last weekend or
last game for Purdue like not, somebody really are keying on
but once one or two goes in my gets hot and, you know, he's
kind of fiery. He's got a little bit of fire in
them, you know, can talk to talk some trash and whatnot and like
feel like he kind of thrives on that.
And so I'm that's a piece that I'm just interested in.
Seeing what happens because I know he's going to get
opportunities because Purdue Purdue is 100% doubling.
Trace Jackson Davis, they double the post, that's what they do.
And so there's gonna be opportunities and I'm excited to
see what that looks like. It's so funny because I asked
Gail and I had a similar question on our pot about, you
know, like who could be the rod fantasy of this game.
And he gave one came up with Miller cop to, and I think it's,
I made the case for race Thompson, but I think Miller cop
is the answer and to your point kind of looking through his game
data. Indiana.
It's like he's got kind of two games where he went nuts from
three. It's like this year against
Rutgers at Rutgers as a loss. And that at Syracuse last year,
he went 4 for 9, from three had 28 points, whether both losses,
you're right, it's kind of, it's there for him.
I think he's going to get open shots.
He in a weird way. He fits that fantasy mold were
Fitness. He also is kind of like, dude
just play ball like stop thinking and like you see that a
little bit with cops. To where he gets the ball and
it's like, he doesn't his chute, he thinks about it, it takes a
drive and kick the step in it's like dude to shoot but you're a
great shooter like just shoot it like, stop thinking and play
basketball. So in a weird way, maybe it is
going to be the Miller cop game. Yeah, it's gonna be fun.
It's great to have this back. It's great to have Purdue back
at number one. What are your thoughts on?
Where Indiana is the season and where these you know, two games
meet its you know from a larger perspective is also my concern
is You know, whether it's, you know, I was a tough road game.
It's like Penn State stuff, northwestern's top, like all the
losses, you can kind of, there's reason for them, but it's like,
you still dug yourself a hole, like, you're still only one game
above 500 in the Big Ten. And my larger concern is, you're
going into a two game homestand against the number one team in
the country and a team that is just had your number 45 years in
Rutgers. And just saying, you got to win
two of those like they're at home.
But it's like that's that's a pretty tough putt.
But if you go into in the next to your now, under 500 in the
Big Ten and your stereo to game Road Trip, you're going to
Michigan. Michigan has not been great, but
it's like that's a road game. We have we not fared well on the
road. It's like you're suddenly the
season could easily be in Peril. Again, you know, that that's my
concern. Is I look at this next honestly,
like 72 hours for IU basketball. You know, how do you see the
next couple of games for I you? Yeah.
I'll tell you what, I'm not concerned.
Okay, love it. Well, you won't probably here in
a second. I'm not concerned because the
last time I came on this podcast, I you'd lost three
straight and it was like, is this a tournament team is, you
know, we were just like what happened with this and we rolled
off five straight. So, every time I come on this
podcast, I'm just, we've set the precedent Indiana, won five
straight. I love that.
Let's do it. Yeah, so after we lose the
Michigan State on the 21st, I'll come back on.
It's right before the next Purdue game and we'll keep it
going. But in all seriousness, - yeah,
it's a tough home stand here. I'm grateful.
It's homestand and not on the road at Purdue at Rutgers, you
know? And then you look ahead.
Michigan played well last night, beat Northwestern Northwestern.
Obviously beat us at home. So we got to go there and play
Illinois. Looks better than last time.
We played a mission States always tough and you got Purdue
Iowa, Michigan again. So like, you know, your
Nebraska's and your Minnesota's or out the window.
And so outside of those two, every Game in the Big Ten is a
dogfight and you know, everybody says it, but it's so true.
It's the best scatter league in the country.
By this point, the season, everybody knows what you're
running. Everybody knows what you're
going to do. And so there is some concern
there, but I will say, when I look at Indiana and who they're
playing against outside of Purdue, just because and I could
still make this statement, I think Indiana is more talented
than every team remaining on their schedule and that does
Play a factor now, you have to put that talent to work and you
got a gel together as one which, you know, they seem to do in
that five-game, homestand it seemingly you'll get Xavier
Johnson back sometime in February late.
February, seems to be more realistic and that factors into
your talent level of your depth becomes greater.
And so certainly, you know, you don't look at that, the
remaining games and like, oh yeah, like sure thing.
No problem, but the same time to I do look at it and think
there's opportunity here. You know, if Indiana goes on a
bit of a tear and they win, let's say, 75% of their
remaining games, you've got an opportunity, possibly a, maybe a
three seed in the big dance and I've already been scoping out
where the Regionals are at and where the the the first and
second round are as if I as if we'll have any idea until that
Sunday. But I'm like okay well they
could go to Lumbus, and then they're going to be in
Louisville, like just goofy stuff.
But yeah, that's a long-winded answer saying, obviously, we
don't know but I'm cautiously optimistic on where Indiana's at
currently the, you know, obviously got to get healthy.
It's I think. Trace Jackson Davis is back
injury was obviously bothering him more than we knew and once
because once he got healthy, Indiana got a lot better and so
you can only hope that. Once David Johnson's healthy
ones, Jordan geronimo's healthy. Once a race is healthy Indiana.
To get a lot better. Because that's, that's one thing
that in each of these losses for Indiana this season, they're
missing a key piece or a key piece.
Was extremely injured and I'm not using an excuse.
There's it had, it's a fact of college basketball, but, you
know, if they get healthy at the right time and they start
playing their best basketball as they did last year toward the
end of the year, like, like you mentioned their ceiling seems to
be fairly high, and that's exciting.
The other thing You know, you mentioned the Miller cop game
thing. I'm gonna throw this out there.
I think there's a world. This is like it's going to sound
super easy to pick but also like there's some logic behind it.
Tomorrow could honestly be the trace Jackson Davis game, as
well, and what I mean by like, he's been amazing.
Like, he's been unreal. He's gone scorched-earth that
he's good for 20 and 10 every game, but last year, people
forget, but it's a, he had four points in one Rebound.
In the game at home against Purdue, he got fouled out, He
got three fouls, two or three files.
Real early didn't play a lot in. We played 11 minutes so it's not
like he had a bad. You just was not able to play
because if Ali all but blue. Yeah.
But if your Trace it's like you won the that's great.
You won the game but it's like you, you were not a big part at
that's Rob Fitness. He's win.
There's a world where and Trace has some dog in him.
Like he definitely sees it, he gets pissed, he gets angry,
which I love. There's a world where it if your
Tres Jackson Davis and you just can have a dominant game, just
put up a ton of Statute, I think he could and you beat Purdue
It's like the question of who's the Big Ten player of the year?
Gets a little bit tighter? Because now it's like he's going
to have his numbers, but like let's say, Jackson Davis.
And again, I'm like he's been so good.
But let's say he does go for like 34 and 22 or something.
Just some wild game, you know, you leave that being like, all
right, like Indiana, beat him and head-to-head Jackson Davis
had a better game than TV and I could see the discussion start
happening like well tracks and Davis does a little bit more.
He's more athletic like ed7 for it.
And if Indiana goes on a run, then like this is a world where
you have a game, where your Jackson Davis, you could change
the Paradigm of who the Big Ten Player of the Year isn't
honestly, the winner of that is probably National player of the
year and it's there for the taking and, you know, you
mentioned like, Miller cops Legacy.
Not that Trace Jackson, Davis needs to worry about it.
His legacy is statistically, is going to be set at IU, but his
overall Legacy is going to be Interesting because he's never
finished above 500. The Big Ten that's still yet to
be seen whether they can do that, you know.
So his legacy and I you could be odd.
So he's gonna have all the stats and at this team has never been
above 500. It's going to be like, that's a,
that's an odd Legacy at. I just it's going to be an odd
Legacy for a program that Prides itself on winning and Banners.
And you Big Ten titles and national championships to not
have any of that. But have all the stats is kind
of not what IU basketball. Intrinsically about not saying
he's not good. It's just it it puts him in an
odd place but if you could have a year where it's like, yeah,
but it's senior year man. He won the Big Ten Player of the
Year like that. That puts you to pretty Elite.
Not a lot of IU players have won that award like I put you in an
elite territory. So I do think that's on the
table here to it starts on Saturday.
So I could see a world where we just see Jackson Davis coming in
totally locked in, which is it almost seems unfair to say
because he has been so damn good.
The last three, Weeks. But, you know, if you want to
win Player of the Year, this is your moment.
Like, you're going up against him and it's not even like a
guard versus a center, like they're going to be going up
against. If he gets 38 points, he's doing
it against eating. And I see a world where it's
like I could see Jackson Davis getting himself height for that
and be like, this is my moment to show that I am the better
player in the Big 10. Yeah, but I don't disagree at
all. I think it's, it's an exciting
like to me, like it's what you play for, you know, like you
thrive on on the opportunities like this as a competitor and
you know, I'm sure that that's not lost on himself, the
coaching staff Mike. What's it like?
This is what you play for and that's yeah, that's the most
exciting thing. Like, you know, this isn't a
game where Mike Woodson has to go in there and wrap the guys up
or it shouldn't be, I would hope it's not like, yeah, I don't
really Lackadaisical. I mean this is excited and so
yeah, Tracy I can Davis is a great opportunity in front of
them, you know, if he wants to put himself in that conversation
of like legitimate like hey you know, because I thought he could
win Big Ten player of the year. Yeah, I think.
Yeah, I think especially the way he's played since January and
then you if you take it head to head, there's opportunities
there. So you know, I've said a million
Sighs. But I'm just pumped like to see
what happens. I, you know, I pray, it's not a
letdown, you know, or just like, not a game.
Like I envisioned this great game comes down to the wire, you
know, going to take some execution down the stretch, you
know, the last 30 seconds takes 24 minutes because it's a
college basketball game is closed.
Yeah, we get together at 9:00 at night.
Yeah, exactly switchyard already closed.
Yeah. I'm I'm also, I am also, I'm
very interested to see how this team comes out against Rutgers
to because it's a very quick turnaround.
No matter what happens in the Purdue game, it's going to be an
emotional like they win. It's going to be emotional, they
lose close, its emotional, they get their doors blown out,
that's going to be an emotional, letdown like there's a lot of
things keyed up for this Purdue game.
I'm very curious to see how this IU team comes back after.
Whatever happens against Purdue in the Rutgers game because that
game is just as important as this Purdue game, maybe more
depending on what happens. And I mean I'll ask you but it's
like I don't think any of us really know how this T like that
to me is almost more interesting is like how are they?
You know, how their psyche going to be going in with a trucker's
game? They're going to come in as
locked in because we haven't seen this team have a history of
doing that you know last year they just completely kind of no
showed that Michigan game. We all were like I lets you
know, Young Big weird. It's like I do think those kind
of excuses are have to be gone. Now, if you're going to be the
expectations, we have you kind of.
So I'm curious to see that turnaround from Purdue to
Rutgers also because it's quick, it's like 72 hours.
Yeah. You mentioned it last year, we'd
be Purdue on a Thursday and then just got torched by Michigan on
a Sunday. And so, very similar turnaround,
it's emotional, but like I said, you know, if you truly want to
be an elite team and you want to go to places that you want to
go, like, that's a type of turn around, you're going to Have in
the NCAA tournament, you know, Tuesday or Thursday, Saturday,
you know. And that's one thing that I want
to mention here too is, you know, this is, does Indiana have
a chance to win the Big Ten, probably not, but they have an
opportunity to get a double by in the Big Ten Tournament, which
is huge. You think last year of all those
games they had to play in the Big Ten Tournament then had to
turn around play Tuesday or play on Wednesday or Tuesday or
whatever wasn't. And they had to play Third,
like, you have an opportunity to kind of mitigate some of that
airplane, which was a big was Big Factor last year just
getting the doors blown off by st.
Mary's and so I don't want that to be lost either that like
yeah, you're not really probably jockeying for number one
potential but you are jockeying for two, three, four, and that
plays, a big difference. If you can get that double by in
the Big Ten tournament and you know, you only have to win one
game to get to where you want to go rather than 3 or whatever,
the case was last year. So I think that's important too.
To think about as well for Indiana as a jockey for Big Ten.
Positioning, no, I completely agree timing.
It's unfortunately, the Big Ten title is probably Out Of Reach
at this point. You know, even if you could beat
Purdue twice, that gives them, you know, three losses in the
Big Ten, you still have for, you need them to stumble somewhere
else. I'm just not sure that's
happening. I'm not sure.
We can beat them in Mackay either.
It's a lot of ifs but you are right.
Like, I don't think getting if you win the next to the path.
For you getting the number two seed.
In the Big Ten is really their you now have you, you you have
it. You've split with Rutgers.
So I, you know, I don't know what the second third and fourth
tiebreak is, but you are right. The big Ten's in a weird spot
where it's like, Purdue Rutgers then it's just like, literally
everybody else. And, you know, Gail and I were
joking with us to like that third through eighth spot could
come down to like the 15th tiebreak.
Like it means these teams are packed up.
I don't see there being a lot of distance here.
But if Indiana beats Purdue be truckers Yul wins in Michigan, I
think that puts them at a point where they put enough distance
where they're probably comfortably in the three seed
without having to worry about tiebreaks.
And that's like, as you said, it's a huge thing.
Because yeah, that's Saint. Mary's lost was pretty much a
schedule loss, but it was of our own doing like all those extra
games at all. That travel partially was the
NCAA flying us, you know, from Dayton to Portland in 12 hours
but you like you can mitigate that by Putting yourself in a
position where the n-c-double-a can screw you and you do that by
being double by the Big Ten, and then being a protected seed in
the tournament, and then you're not going to get job by the NCAA
100%, And it's there for the taking and that's what's nice.
You put yourself in position to take it now, go take it.
Yeah. Well, you're gonna be at the
game tomorrow, right? I will.
I'm jazzed up, there'd be my first game this season that
assembly or no. I guess I went to one of the
exhibitions but first real game. Game of the season.
Nice. It's going to be one of the few
games where I'm assuming. Like, I remember this, the
Kentucky game always comes up the Kentucky, Wofford shot game.
I saw it at that game. I saw it at last year's Purdue
game a little bit for this year's North Carolina game but
it's it's something special. I'm going to be there.
Like when people are there with like 18 minutes before the game,
in the places like already full. It's like, wow this is we're
full of like that's something where Quietly.
Indiana fans are kind of show up late, not show up late, but you
can a lot of these big games, you know, we'll get there and
it's like you know, four minutes of tip and it's like a lot of
empty seats. So it fills in but it fills in.
As the game's going there's very few times where it's like 20
minutes pre tip and it's like the place is jammed.
And I remember that Kentucky game, just like it was 20
minutes for tip-off and I'm like this place is 100% full, like it
was Bonkers and I expect that tomorrow.
Absolutely. So telling you, you got to be
there 20 minutes, right? You got to be there when the
highwomen. That's early.
Don't you worry? We will be.
I'll make in college. We used to we stroll in, you
know, this under-16 timeout or something like that.
But yeah, I'm not, yeah, I'm not knocking nothing game.
We were there. And, you know, like you said,
there's just an aura. There's a buzz, the pet bands
plan, you know, everybody's just into it, and it's just like,
like you. There's just a buzz.
You can feel it and that will 100% be the atmosphere tomorrow
especially for o'clock game. You know, there's some time to
four people get lubed up a little bit and Be ready to go?
No, I buddy I didn't mean this at all just to clarify its
honestly never the students like students they've done a great
job of showing up for football games.
The last couple years for basketball games like it.
Normally, when the place isn't full, it's like I sit in section
F. I look over students or to my,
you know, far right. I stare straight at like, the
alumni and the faculty section. And normally, that's the section
that's like half full when the tip-off start.
So, I'm I've always been Ben, I think the students get a bad rap
at IU. They show up and they show up
early and they're there for the most part the last couple years
have been really, really good. But yeah, I expect tomorrow to
be lit. I just opened, come out, good,
hoping to get a win and I think so.
What's your final prediction? All this talk, all this pod.
What do you think happens tomorrow?
Indiana. 70 produce 66 okay, I like it.
Does he get two fouls? That's the bigger one.
That's the harder one to predict, he's averaging 1.7.
So we'll see. I will Tony.
It's been great. And you know if we if we lose
again we're going to have you on as my God if we go on a
five-game winning streak again like I love yes.
After Michigan state will have you on because that gives us 3
and that gives us two in the big like if we get the double by
That might get us to the Big Ten title game.
So let's do that. And then we win the national
championship. This, we've gotten time you
heard out here, dude. I mean that happens.
Like then all the ni L dollars might need to go to Tony.
Let me just call the muddy puddles to you.
If we found we found keep my fingers crossed.
What are years? We try to figure out what the
hell's wrong with IU basketball. We just got a Time, the podcast
right? Damn.
Maybe you heard it here first, and we shall see.
So hopefully, it's the start of a hellish go for a 10 game,
winning streak. Because just went out anyway,
really Tony. It's been awesome.
I'll see you tomorrow. Everybody out there.
Thank you all for listening. Let's go have fun tomorrow.
Let's let's beat Purdue what the hell?
They were trapped please thank them.
Good to see you man. Until next time, thank you all
for listening. This is Scott for Crimson cash
signing off.