Latest / Podcast on the Brink / POTB 556: IU's win against Purdue and where the Hoosiers stand through 10 Big Ten games

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POTB 556: IU's win against Purdue and where the Hoosiers stand through 10 Big Ten games · Podcast on the Brink

0:17
Speaker 1: Welcome back to a new episode of Podcast on the Brink.
0:21
Speaker 1: It's Friday, January thirtieth. Indiana basketball coming off its first
0:26
Speaker 1: signature win of the Darren Derreese era. On Tuesday night,
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Speaker 1: the Hoosiers beat rival Perdue at Assembly Hall. Ryan Cras
0:34
Speaker 1: of Inside the Hall is this week's guest on a
0:37
Speaker 1: Podcast on the Brink. Before we get to Ryan, thank
0:40
Speaker 1: you for your support over on YouTube. Thanks for subscribing
0:43
Speaker 1: to the channel. If you enjoy the content there on YouTube,
0:46
Speaker 1: like the video, continue to subscribe to the channel. Really
0:49
Speaker 1: appreciate the support. If you enjoy the show in audio
0:51
Speaker 1: format ou on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, leave us a
0:55
Speaker 1: five star rating and review. Ryan, been a busy couple
0:59
Speaker 1: of days, obviously with I basketball, the big win over Perdue,
1:03
Speaker 1: the commitment from Trevor Manhertz, the third commitment for the
1:07
Speaker 1: Hoosiers in the class of twenty twenty six. Want to
1:09
Speaker 1: focus though, mainly on the Perdue win and kind of
1:13
Speaker 1: where Indiana is halfway through the Big Ten schedule and
1:16
Speaker 1: kind of what lies ahead. But Ryan, you've done such
1:19
Speaker 1: a great job this season with the breakdowns on film
1:22
Speaker 1: session and looking at that Perdue game. You obviously highlighted
1:27
Speaker 1: what Connor Enwright was able to do from an assist perspective.
1:29
Speaker 1: But what was different about this game? Do you think
1:32
Speaker 1: from an IU perspective where they were able to kind
1:35
Speaker 1: of finish out one of these games? We saw the
1:37
Speaker 1: Nebraska opportunity they had earlier in the conference season, they
1:41
Speaker 1: had a sixteen point lead in the second half and
1:43
Speaker 1: kind of let that one slip away. They've had some
1:45
Speaker 1: other games, you know, the Michigan State game comes to
1:48
Speaker 1: mind on the road where they had with a fifty
1:51
Speaker 1: three to three all game, they're kind of midway through
1:53
Speaker 1: the second half and collapsed. This one was different. Indian
1:56
Speaker 1: actually goes ahead and gets the job done, gets to win.
2:00
Speaker 1: What was maybe different in your eyes about this this
2:02
Speaker 1: performance from the Hoosiers.
2:06
Speaker 2: I gotta say I do agree with Darren Deriees post
2:11
Speaker 2: game where he was the first question he was asked
2:14
Speaker 2: was what was the keys to this game? And he
2:17
Speaker 2: said the crowd, And there's more of it than that
2:19
Speaker 2: which I can get to. But I do think they're
2:21
Speaker 2: actually being Probably it was the most attendant game this season. Again,
2:25
Speaker 2: I've not had been at any games with from kind
2:27
Speaker 2: of all reports there most attendant of the season. I
2:29
Speaker 2: think it being Purdue, it being a little bit of
2:32
Speaker 2: a later game, and having the football buzz right before it.
2:36
Speaker 2: I think it was a good atmosphere for that home
2:39
Speaker 2: court advantage that Assembly Hall can bring in a way
2:42
Speaker 2: that maybe it wasn't for some of the other games
2:44
Speaker 2: earlier this year. Right if you think about maybe like
2:46
Speaker 2: a Nebraska or in Iowa, maybe there wasn't quite as
2:48
Speaker 2: much juice in there. But I also think that Indiana
2:52
Speaker 2: was able to, for especially in the first half and
2:56
Speaker 2: for longer stretches at this game, like play their game
3:00
Speaker 2: on both sides of the ball a little bit stronger.
3:02
Speaker 2: I think in when they've played some of these teams
3:06
Speaker 2: that have had you know, more elite you know, top fifteen,
3:10
Speaker 2: top ten teams that they've played, they just offense can
3:13
Speaker 2: really bog down. They're really kind of just stuck in
3:16
Speaker 2: the perimeter. All their little tricks of trying to get
3:18
Speaker 2: space or trying to backcout isn't really working. It's being
3:23
Speaker 2: scouted well, and that wasn't the case in this game.
3:26
Speaker 2: I think they were able to really get some separations,
3:29
Speaker 2: some freedom and getting those all important paint touches, which
3:33
Speaker 2: I think at times this year. When they're not getting
3:35
Speaker 2: those is when they're kind of just having to jack
3:37
Speaker 2: up threes and it doesn't really come in the flow
3:38
Speaker 2: of things. And honestly, too, Talker de Rees sort of
3:43
Speaker 2: re emerging, I think his slump during the one of
3:46
Speaker 2: the toughest, probably Indiana's toughest stretch of the season there
3:49
Speaker 2: in like mid January, really kind of hurt things.
3:53
Speaker 1: And I think.
3:55
Speaker 2: Lamar Wilkerson having to really trying to shoulder a lot
3:57
Speaker 2: of the offensive load made things really for this team
4:00
Speaker 2: at times. So I think it was a combo of
4:02
Speaker 2: a couple of factors. And Nick Dorn's emergence too, I
4:05
Speaker 2: think has been huge. And you think about that starting
4:08
Speaker 2: lineup with tayt and Connor away out and Nick Dorn in.
4:12
Speaker 2: All of a sudden, you got Connor enright who was
4:18
Speaker 2: able to actually break down the defense getting the lane,
4:20
Speaker 2: and then you got three guys shooting at an elite
4:23
Speaker 2: level with some decent size around that, and you got
4:28
Speaker 2: actually Read Bailey making shots at the rim, which has
4:30
Speaker 2: been a little tricky for him a time. So yeah,
4:32
Speaker 2: there are a number of things that I think I
4:34
Speaker 2: think played into this. But all that said, they still
4:38
Speaker 2: had to stretch in that second half where I think
4:40
Speaker 2: they kind of just let the air out of the
4:41
Speaker 2: ball the last couple of minutes, kind of hoping to
4:43
Speaker 2: glide in instead of keep running their stuff and keep
4:45
Speaker 2: going at it. And for as important of a win
4:49
Speaker 2: as it was to kind of actually beat someone of
4:52
Speaker 2: Merit this year, finally there are still that full forty minutes.
4:56
Speaker 2: I don't think we've quite seen from this team yet.
4:59
Speaker 1: Yeah. I do think though overall, it was a step
5:01
Speaker 1: in the right direction, because when you have so many
5:03
Speaker 1: opportunities where you come close and you can't break through,
5:06
Speaker 1: I think you kind of need that experience beating a
5:09
Speaker 1: better team to actually now you can maybe draw from
5:14
Speaker 1: that and the next time you're in that situation you
5:16
Speaker 1: can figure out how to attack and win the game.
5:18
Speaker 1: I do agree with you. It almost seemed like in
5:21
Speaker 1: those last five six minutes that they were I don't
5:23
Speaker 1: want to say they were playing not to lose, but
5:26
Speaker 1: they were maybe a little bit more tentative and not
5:28
Speaker 1: taking some of the shots that really got them that
5:31
Speaker 1: lead earlier in the game. And I think the willingness
5:33
Speaker 1: of Connor Right to step up and make that three
5:36
Speaker 1: pointer from the wing really is kind of what set
5:39
Speaker 1: this game over the edge. I mean, they obviously missed
5:41
Speaker 1: some crucial one in ones I think could have down
5:44
Speaker 1: in the stretch. I think they missed three front ends
5:46
Speaker 1: of one on ones that could have given them a
5:48
Speaker 1: bit of a more comfortable lead and maybe close the
5:50
Speaker 1: game out a little bit differently, But I think having
5:52
Speaker 1: that adversity and being able to prove to themselves that
5:55
Speaker 1: they can break through against that, you know, top level,
5:58
Speaker 1: you know produe is all accounts. May maybe fall out
6:01
Speaker 1: of the top fifteen right after this week, but after
6:04
Speaker 1: this three game losing streak, but they're a top ten,
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Speaker 1: top fifteen team for most of the season. They were
6:08
Speaker 1: number one at one point. So really good win for Indy.
6:12
Speaker 1: And I want to talk a little bit about Nick
6:13
Speaker 1: Dorn because you mentioned him there. But really these last
6:17
Speaker 1: two games necessitated by the injury to Taton Connorway for
6:22
Speaker 1: those who maybe haven't followed as closely these last couple
6:26
Speaker 1: of weeks, but Connorway injured in that Iowa game, comes
6:29
Speaker 1: out the next game against Michigan, I believe, and tries
6:34
Speaker 1: to give it a go. I think only logs two
6:36
Speaker 1: minutes and the next game at Rutgers plays sixteen minutes. Actually,
6:40
Speaker 1: I thought really gutted it out that game and had
6:43
Speaker 1: two key layups in the second half that really kind
6:45
Speaker 1: of helped Indiana take control of the game for good
6:49
Speaker 1: in a kind of a crucial spot. But then I think,
6:52
Speaker 1: what's kind of happened there is they've realized that with
6:55
Speaker 1: an ankle you probably just need to rest it a
6:58
Speaker 1: little bit more and not try to keep going there,
7:01
Speaker 1: so they decided to sit him out for the Purdue game.
7:03
Speaker 1: And so it's basically as you mentioned Connor and right
7:06
Speaker 1: at point. But the interesting thing is now Indiana becomes
7:10
Speaker 1: much more difficult to guard with Nick Dord in the
7:13
Speaker 1: starting lineup because you have to account for three guys
7:16
Speaker 1: who can really space the four make three pointers at
7:20
Speaker 1: a high rate, and you also have the threat of
7:21
Speaker 1: end Right as a passer can make the occasional three
7:25
Speaker 1: point shot. And then Read Bailey I thought, I think,
7:28
Speaker 1: for the most part, has been a pretty strong passer. Offensively,
7:32
Speaker 1: this team feels like it can kind of take another
7:34
Speaker 1: step forward. Not to take anything away from Connorway because
7:38
Speaker 1: he is their best threat off the dribble, but I
7:41
Speaker 1: think even when he comes back, now I think you
7:43
Speaker 1: have to look at this as maybe the way you
7:45
Speaker 1: go offensively. Indiana right now sitting at fourth in the
7:48
Speaker 1: Big Ten in terms of points per possession, fourth best offense,
7:53
Speaker 1: pretty good shooting the three ball, second best rate in
7:56
Speaker 1: the league almost thirty seven percent or second on two
7:58
Speaker 1: point field goal percentage. So the offense is humming along
8:01
Speaker 1: pretty well. In these last two games, I think really
8:04
Speaker 1: have kind of shown what this team can do from
8:06
Speaker 1: an offensive perspective with Dorn, Wilkerson, and DeVries On in
8:10
Speaker 1: the lineup together, agreed, and so.
8:13
Speaker 2: It will be interesting to see going forward when Connorway
8:16
Speaker 2: is a little bit more healthy. How they distribute minutes.
8:19
Speaker 2: It almost reminds me of what's happening in the front
8:21
Speaker 2: court now, where it almost seems like who starts who's
8:24
Speaker 2: playing better in the first ten minutes of the game,
8:26
Speaker 2: when DeVries kind of gets Alexis and minutes maybe starts him,
8:29
Speaker 2: maybe uh, you know, starts read Bailey, and then you
8:33
Speaker 2: kind of you kind of just see what happens, and
8:34
Speaker 2: maybe going forward is better to have those three shooters
8:38
Speaker 2: in the lineup with whatever point guard's got it going,
8:41
Speaker 2: or because connor Way is working back a bit, maybe
8:44
Speaker 2: you feel more comfortable now not having him in as much,
8:47
Speaker 2: letting Connor Enright get some more minutes and they can
8:50
Speaker 2: kind of trade off as he gets more healthy, and
8:52
Speaker 2: that could be kind of a way to swing at two.
8:54
Speaker 2: But yeah, I Connorway to me is still the best
8:59
Speaker 2: player at getting to the rim on this team. But Enright,
9:04
Speaker 2: I think at times has been a better decision maker,
9:07
Speaker 2: a little bit more sure with the ball, and he's
9:10
Speaker 2: got that long term relationship with the rees and he
9:13
Speaker 2: really wanted this kid on the team. And I think
9:17
Speaker 2: that perdue game, if there was any your waiver around
9:20
Speaker 2: that that sold you. I really do think if you've
9:22
Speaker 2: been observing this team the whole year, you know he's
9:25
Speaker 2: had other moments where he's he's had some great plays
9:28
Speaker 2: and he's really putting all that on the line. But
9:30
Speaker 2: the fact that he guarded Braden Smith, who had what
9:35
Speaker 2: I think more turnovers and assists are very close. He
9:37
Speaker 2: had five five turnovers, four sister or the other way around, maybe.
9:41
Speaker 1: So yeah, pretty something similar to that. I always two
9:43
Speaker 1: of eight on threes too, so he really could he
9:46
Speaker 1: really never it never he got some numbers, but it
9:50
Speaker 1: never really felt like he was comfortable or in command
9:53
Speaker 1: of the game, if that makes sense. Like Bennett starts.
9:55
Speaker 1: When he came to assembly Hall, I felt like, you know,
9:57
Speaker 1: he kind of was comfortable the whole whole night and
9:59
Speaker 1: kind of got a groove and he wasn't going to
10:01
Speaker 1: be denied, whereas Smith had some moments he's he's too
10:04
Speaker 1: good of a player to hold on completely. But I
10:06
Speaker 1: thought for a guy going out there to play forty
10:09
Speaker 1: minutes in right especially, that was his impressive performance on
10:12
Speaker 1: both ends.
10:14
Speaker 2: Agreed, Agreed, So yeah, well we'll see how they kind
10:17
Speaker 2: of wrap this up going forward.
10:18
Speaker 1: But yeah, Dorn too.
10:21
Speaker 2: To get back to him, I feel like as he
10:25
Speaker 2: worked back from his injury and started getting some more
10:27
Speaker 2: minutes and kind of took Josi Miles out of the
10:30
Speaker 2: rotation for a stretch here, it was like corner threes,
10:34
Speaker 2: you know, he had a great percentage for both corners,
10:37
Speaker 2: was okay from the wings, didn't really take any So
10:39
Speaker 2: I was like, all right, this guy is just a
10:41
Speaker 2: corner three point shooter. But as the season has evolved, here,
10:44
Speaker 2: all of a sudden, he's hitting like these step back
10:46
Speaker 2: wing threes. He did it in the Rutgers game, and
10:48
Speaker 2: he did in the Purdue game, he's you know, at
10:51
Speaker 2: times he's driven a bit. I'm like, I don't really
10:53
Speaker 2: know if his game off the bounds is that good,
10:55
Speaker 2: and then he's doing it against Purdue and I'm like, okay,
10:58
Speaker 2: So it's it's interesting because I I feel like most
11:01
Speaker 2: seasons and you look, this could be a couple of
11:03
Speaker 2: games stretch. Obviously, we'll see how the rest of the
11:05
Speaker 2: seasons plays out, but it's rare to get like this
11:08
Speaker 2: kind of an emergence. I feel like at least the
11:11
Speaker 2: last several seasons of all of a sudden, somebody's kind
11:13
Speaker 2: of like popping like this, and January going into February,
11:16
Speaker 2: we're like, whoa, this guy's actually a huge contributor right now,
11:21
Speaker 2: and in a way that was not as expected, I think,
11:25
Speaker 2: even like before the season began, although I guess there
11:28
Speaker 2: was some chatter about him in practice being sort of
11:31
Speaker 2: the most dead eye shooter of anybody on the team,
11:34
Speaker 2: and maybe it is proving true because he's shooting what
11:37
Speaker 2: forty five percent from three point range? Now, yeah, he's
11:41
Speaker 2: and I want to say he's like topping all the
11:43
Speaker 2: big ten night maybe now he's top.
11:45
Speaker 1: Top five or six from a percentage perspective on three
11:48
Speaker 1: points in Big ten games. I mean you mentioned that
11:51
Speaker 1: step back there was there was two plays that were
11:54
Speaker 1: just kind of like really impressive from him on the shooting.
11:58
Speaker 1: There was the one and obviously in the second half
12:01
Speaker 1: that was kind of later in the game that was
12:02
Speaker 1: like off the dribble, I think he stepped back and
12:05
Speaker 1: took the three pointer. But there's the other one that
12:07
Speaker 1: you highlighted in film session. I think I mentioned this
12:10
Speaker 1: to you kind of offline, but we're in right got
12:13
Speaker 1: the rebound and Dorn like anticipated that he was going
12:17
Speaker 1: to find him, and he took two pretty quick steps
12:21
Speaker 1: back to get himself behind the line. And you know,
12:26
Speaker 1: you see guys like step into a shot. You don't
12:28
Speaker 1: normally see guys step back like that and make the shot.
12:33
Speaker 1: His just his form and his release, I mean, he's
12:35
Speaker 1: he's a pure sher And to have you know, Tucker Devrees,
12:39
Speaker 1: Lamar Wilkerson and Dorn on the floor at the same time.
12:43
Speaker 1: Those are guys, I feel like, are all legitimate guys
12:46
Speaker 1: who can make five, six, seven threes in a game.
12:49
Speaker 1: So that that's really hard for opposing defenses to plan
12:52
Speaker 1: for and guard. A lot of teams too, that are bigger.
12:57
Speaker 1: When you've got you know, Dorn and Devrees at three
13:00
Speaker 1: in the four, there's a lot of teams that aren't
13:01
Speaker 1: going to have the mobility at maybe those positions to
13:04
Speaker 1: be able to chase shooters around him. With the way
13:06
Speaker 1: Indiana runs its actions and their ball, their ball moving,
13:09
Speaker 1: and the way they set screens and everything, I think
13:11
Speaker 1: it can be just another wrinkle having all three of
13:15
Speaker 1: those guys making themselves tougher to guard. So the other
13:19
Speaker 1: thing that kind of stood out for me in the
13:21
Speaker 1: first half you mentioned kind of the going back and
13:25
Speaker 1: forth between Sam Alexis and Reid Bailey. You know, it
13:28
Speaker 1: was Alexis that had it going at the Rutgers game,
13:30
Speaker 1: having those six block shots and maybe a little bit
13:33
Speaker 1: of a more physical game. He was the guy that
13:37
Speaker 1: they rolled with. But I thought in the first half
13:39
Speaker 1: against Purdue, Reid Bailey, for all the criticism that he's
13:42
Speaker 1: taken just kind of how he's played for most of
13:46
Speaker 1: the season, I thought he gave really good minutes in
13:49
Speaker 1: the first half, not just offensively but defensively. You look
13:53
Speaker 1: at Purdue's two big guys, Oscar Cluff and Daniel Jacobson,
13:56
Speaker 1: I think they played a combined thirty three minutes and
13:58
Speaker 1: scored five points. So you got to give Rebailey, I
14:02
Speaker 1: think a little bit of credit for playing the post
14:06
Speaker 1: in that game and doing a pretty good job with it.
14:09
Speaker 2: Yeah, And that's the one thing with this Purdue team
14:12
Speaker 2: this year. Well, you know, I guess it's it's been
14:16
Speaker 2: the last two seasons now, but there's not like that.
14:19
Speaker 2: There's not that cheek code with Zach Edy, right, And
14:22
Speaker 2: I feel like that's the one piece of this team
14:24
Speaker 2: that I mean, that dude was scary to play against.
14:26
Speaker 2: He was he was he was a It's just he
14:29
Speaker 2: was just an absolute monster. And and I do feel
14:31
Speaker 2: like Kloff was in a way that you couldn't do
14:34
Speaker 2: to Zach Edy.
14:35
Speaker 1: I mean, maybe you try.
14:36
Speaker 2: To draw him out to the perimeter, you know, if
14:39
Speaker 2: you want to try to do something with him. But
14:41
Speaker 2: I feel like Kloff, anyone knew that they could attack him,
14:45
Speaker 2: and they they got him in switches and they were able,
14:47
Speaker 2: they were able to get after him. And I don't
14:49
Speaker 2: think he has sort of the athleticism or the verticality
14:54
Speaker 2: that has been an issue for Rebailey times this season.
14:57
Speaker 2: So I think I think that was good an Yeah,
14:59
Speaker 2: Jacobson obviously another huge way over you know, seven to
15:03
Speaker 2: four kid playing and this has been a Matt Painter
15:07
Speaker 2: staple for however long now, just getting these super super
15:10
Speaker 2: tall guys. But I you know, he he to me,
15:12
Speaker 2: at least in that game, was not really much of
15:14
Speaker 2: a factor. I do think he had a block or two,
15:17
Speaker 2: but it wasn't, you know, anywhere near what Zach Ed
15:20
Speaker 2: had been doing for that team. So it was a
15:23
Speaker 2: decent matchup. But I also feel like there were a
15:26
Speaker 2: couple of times in that game too where I think
15:28
Speaker 2: because of kluff he did as a lot of days
15:31
Speaker 2: at Davidson. Rather he he can drive the ball, read Bailey,
15:34
Speaker 2: and I think that's been the the trickiest thing with
15:38
Speaker 2: him this year is like fitting in his It's like
15:40
Speaker 2: what they need him to do is not really like
15:42
Speaker 2: his strength, and it's just been a weird mismatch where
15:45
Speaker 2: I feel like he is a really uniquely talented player,
15:49
Speaker 2: but it just hasn't quite fit in as well. And
15:52
Speaker 2: even three point shooting, I mean he's he's barely taken
15:55
Speaker 2: any at all this year, and not that he took
15:57
Speaker 2: a ton last year, but it was at least part
15:59
Speaker 2: of his game and I figured he to me seemed
16:01
Speaker 2: like someone that you know it was gonna be a
16:04
Speaker 2: big shooting threes, and that has not been part of
16:07
Speaker 2: his game either. So but I think against Yeah Kluff,
16:09
Speaker 2: he was able to drive a bed and I wouldn't
16:12
Speaker 2: mind seeing that a little bit more fromhim, just so
16:14
Speaker 2: that it's it's not him trying to post up and
16:19
Speaker 2: some of those things where I feel like is not
16:20
Speaker 2: always something that he excels in. Even though against in
16:24
Speaker 2: this produded game, he at least did make some of
16:26
Speaker 2: those close range shots that he sometimes struggles with.
16:28
Speaker 1: Yeah, he's the guy that you definitely kind of have
16:30
Speaker 1: to keep on the move to make him most effective offensively.
16:33
Speaker 1: He's not gonna be a guy that come back anyone
16:35
Speaker 1: down or you're gonna throw the ball in the post.
16:36
Speaker 1: But if he's in movement, he's also a pretty good passer.
16:39
Speaker 1: So I kind of like what they have going on
16:41
Speaker 1: with Alexis and Bailey just in terms of ride the
16:44
Speaker 1: hot hand. One guy could could play well one night
16:47
Speaker 1: and at least they have two options there that they
16:49
Speaker 1: can go to and ten fouls to give. They're gonna
16:53
Speaker 1: need those against some of the later Big Ten games.
16:56
Speaker 1: Here against teams with legitimate size. Moving on from the
17:00
Speaker 1: Purdue game, Indiana fourteen and seven overall right now, five
17:02
Speaker 1: and five of the Big Ten. They've got this west
17:05
Speaker 1: coast trip coming up this weekend at Ucla on Saturday.
17:09
Speaker 1: I took some I took a dive into Ucla already
17:11
Speaker 1: for the preview that's gonna go up soon, if it's
17:14
Speaker 1: not already up on inside the Hall when you're listening
17:16
Speaker 1: to this on the Bruins. And then Tuesday night they're
17:18
Speaker 1: gonna play a ten pm Eastern Time tip out at
17:22
Speaker 1: usc That'll be a that'll be a fun one. That'll
17:27
Speaker 1: be a little for the late night late nighters on
17:30
Speaker 1: the inside the Hall. Open thread on the site comment
17:33
Speaker 1: section is going to be hopping. But overall, just Indiana.
17:39
Speaker 1: You look at their metrics, I think their top twenty
17:43
Speaker 1: five in bart Torvik. I'm looking at their Ken Pomp page,
17:46
Speaker 1: they're I think thirty first, they're top thirty five in
17:49
Speaker 1: the net. For as much as it seemed like the
17:55
Speaker 1: sky was falling in that four game losing streak and
17:57
Speaker 1: people thought, well the season's over, let's go ahead and
18:00
Speaker 1: start looking forward to spring football, Indiana's they're in the
18:04
Speaker 1: mix here clearly for an NCUBA tournament birth and I
18:07
Speaker 1: think if they can figure out a way to finish
18:10
Speaker 1: you know, five and five, maybe six and four over
18:13
Speaker 1: the back half of this Big ten schedule, they've got
18:15
Speaker 1: a real chance here to make the NCAA tournament.
18:18
Speaker 2: Well, it's it's just the classic. There's always an opportunity
18:22
Speaker 2: if you're playing in the Big Ten and you got
18:24
Speaker 2: enough games in front of you, because there's gonna be
18:26
Speaker 2: enough of those teams that are gonna be those tournament
18:31
Speaker 2: resume worthy wins if you get them, So it will
18:33
Speaker 2: be interesting, like who if they gotta go about five
18:37
Speaker 2: hundred to the rest of the way, it's like, well
18:39
Speaker 2: they got to have the right wins in there too, right,
18:42
Speaker 2: So yeah, probably, you know, but there's gonna be some
18:45
Speaker 2: like going to Produce is gonna be a tough one.
18:48
Speaker 2: Going to Illinois is going to be maybe even tougher
18:51
Speaker 2: than that. Right, But these next two with UCLA and
18:55
Speaker 2: USC are those at least how they're projected right now,
18:59
Speaker 2: they're just slight, slight underdogs. So just yeah, right, like
19:06
Speaker 2: there's a forty two percent chance Ken Pom has for
19:09
Speaker 2: UCLA and then forty eight for the USC game, right,
19:12
Speaker 2: and so yeah, seventy four to seventy two and then
19:14
Speaker 2: seventy seven to seventy six is sort of these these
19:16
Speaker 2: projections here, So these are games that they could get,
19:19
Speaker 2: and I feel like on the road this year, obviously
19:22
Speaker 2: they have had losses, but on the teams that they
19:29
Speaker 2: were projected to be better then like they took care
19:31
Speaker 2: of business. They haven't been a team that has been
19:33
Speaker 2: like really bad on the road. Obviously that's not.
19:37
Speaker 1: Of Minnesota, but Minnesota's proven to be better than we
19:39
Speaker 1: thought they were gonna be at the Tame exactly.
19:41
Speaker 2: And look the Michigan State game, I think that second
19:43
Speaker 2: half really got away from them and was not pretty.
19:46
Speaker 2: But that's you know, that's a little bit different than
19:48
Speaker 2: I think playing in either of these two next games here.
19:51
Speaker 2: So yeah, I think these one these ones are are
19:56
Speaker 2: winnable and we'll see. But yeah, from there, you know,
20:02
Speaker 2: you know, there's a Michigan State game at home March first,
20:06
Speaker 2: that could be a big one to grab, right. I mean, heck,
20:09
Speaker 2: they got Minnesota again, could avenge that. But yeah, I
20:12
Speaker 2: think it's we'll just see, because I mean this is
20:17
Speaker 2: just the classic this guy did these januaries for this
20:21
Speaker 2: program have been hellish the last Like I feel several
20:24
Speaker 2: years like they're in the woodsn Era. There was always
20:26
Speaker 2: a big spoon in January, sky is falling, and then
20:30
Speaker 2: they did kind of enough at the end of the season,
20:32
Speaker 2: either to save face. I mean, I guess on every year,
20:34
Speaker 2: but there is at least a little bit of like
20:36
Speaker 2: an uptick, so you just never know. But the opportunity
20:41
Speaker 2: is still there in front of them. And I always
20:43
Speaker 2: feel like two, it's so much easier if you can
20:47
Speaker 2: get one or two of these in the non conference
20:49
Speaker 2: because it puts a little bit of less pressure on you.
20:51
Speaker 2: Right I think of the second year of the wood
20:55
Speaker 2: snarow where they got that win at Xavier. Right now,
20:57
Speaker 2: there are other there are other non conference games I
20:59
Speaker 2: got their doors blown off of. But that was when
21:02
Speaker 2: I was like, Okay, this is one you can say,
21:04
Speaker 2: this is this is good heading.
21:05
Speaker 1: In in Indiana.
21:06
Speaker 2: Just they weren't able to get that win against Louisville.
21:09
Speaker 2: I mean, you know that game, they they really kind
21:11
Speaker 2: of got smoked.
21:12
Speaker 1: That Kentucky game.
21:13
Speaker 2: I feel like that was one that was really right
21:15
Speaker 2: there for them, and because they didn't get that and
21:17
Speaker 2: then they hit this rough stretch, it's like, where is
21:19
Speaker 2: this win? And then yes, as you said, you juxtaposed
21:22
Speaker 2: it against their metrics are good. I mean blind blind tests.
21:25
Speaker 2: If you had said Indiana which started out forty and
21:28
Speaker 2: fortieth and Kembomb had moved up nine spots basically almost February.
21:33
Speaker 2: Basically the beginning of February, they're thirty first. They have
21:35
Speaker 2: a top twenty eight offense. You know, their effective field
21:39
Speaker 2: goal percentage is twenty fourth in the country. They're not
21:41
Speaker 2: turning over much. I mean, their two point field goal
21:44
Speaker 2: percentage is fourteenth in the country. They're a great three
21:46
Speaker 2: pro shooting team. They're thirteenth in the country. And the
21:48
Speaker 2: defense is you know, basically top fifty to fifty first.
21:52
Speaker 2: You know, they're having their opponent shoot a lot of
21:54
Speaker 2: those long twos. Like it's you are right. The metrics
21:57
Speaker 2: you take in the net as well, and you'd throw
21:59
Speaker 2: them with Torvik does like they are there. But that's
22:03
Speaker 2: kind of that dance. It's like, but you still need
22:05
Speaker 2: to get those wins right, and so they will certainly
22:08
Speaker 2: be if they're kind of bubblish, their metrics will probably
22:11
Speaker 2: still look good, but it's better to just get the
22:14
Speaker 2: wins and get in than it is to be sweating
22:16
Speaker 2: it out and being like, oh, you know, having to
22:17
Speaker 2: kind of debate it at the end of the season.
22:20
Speaker 1: Yeah, the thing that feels different maybe than the last
22:24
Speaker 1: Obviously last year was kind of a close call, but
22:26
Speaker 1: in the year before much less so. But the thing
22:29
Speaker 1: that feels different obviously this year is just than the
22:33
Speaker 1: metrics are better, And I think you have to credit
22:36
Speaker 1: the coaching staff and Devree specifically for kind of understanding
22:42
Speaker 1: the importance of they really ran that kN Palm number
22:46
Speaker 1: up to start the season, because they really stepped their
22:48
Speaker 1: foot on the gas and beat some of these teams
22:50
Speaker 1: down pretty good to the point where it helped their metrics.
22:53
Speaker 1: They could very easily have They had like three or
22:55
Speaker 1: four close calls in those early games, beat down ten
22:58
Speaker 1: to fifteen spots and ken Palm. So it really kind
23:00
Speaker 1: of goes to show you how important those early games are,
23:03
Speaker 1: even if they're against Alabama, A and M or Milwaukee
23:06
Speaker 1: or linden Wood. To get those wins comfortably, it really
23:10
Speaker 1: helps your metrics when it's all said and done. Kind
23:12
Speaker 1: of going back to what you were talking about in
23:14
Speaker 1: terms of the wins that they're probably gonna have to
23:15
Speaker 1: get the rest of the way. They have five Big
23:17
Speaker 1: Ten home games left, all of them with the exception
23:22
Speaker 1: of looks like Michigan State. They're going to be favored
23:25
Speaker 1: in those. So if they can figure out a way
23:27
Speaker 1: to mostly take care of business at home and steal
23:30
Speaker 1: one of these road games, whether it be UCLA, USC
23:33
Speaker 1: or Ohio State, I don't think most people think they're
23:35
Speaker 1: going to be able to go to Purdue or Illinois
23:37
Speaker 1: and win. Those are kind of games you look at
23:39
Speaker 1: before the season, I think, along with Michigan and Michigan
23:41
Speaker 1: State on the road and say those are going to
23:43
Speaker 1: be tough to get. But they've got I think eight
23:45
Speaker 1: solid opportunities here to get five or six wins. Whether
23:48
Speaker 1: they can get them remains to be seen, but it's
23:51
Speaker 1: going to make it interesting here the rest of the way.
23:54
Speaker 2: Yeah, So I guess it just all depends on And
23:57
Speaker 2: there's also the tournament, Big ten Turns tournament, right, and
24:01
Speaker 2: that's also that has long been okay, well, they're still
24:04
Speaker 2: the tournament. They could go on a run, right. I
24:06
Speaker 2: feel like in the Archie Miller days that was kind
24:08
Speaker 2: of always okay, well, there's still a tournament here, right,
24:11
Speaker 2: so yeah, they're even beyond that, depending on what the
24:15
Speaker 2: matchup is and who they're playing in the Big Ten tournament,
24:19
Speaker 2: that's also just like one more spot that they could
24:21
Speaker 2: maybe grab another winner two that would be helpful to
24:26
Speaker 2: getting in as well. That's kind of like a sweetener
24:28
Speaker 2: if you can get it. But I I mean you
24:30
Speaker 2: think at nineteen and twelve and ten and ten. I think.
24:36
Speaker 1: I think you look at the the last ten games
24:40
Speaker 1: and you look at you circle Oregon and you circle Minnesota.
24:44
Speaker 1: Those are games they can't lose for sure, because they're
24:46
Speaker 1: if you look at their numbers, those are teams that
24:48
Speaker 1: are kind of towards the bottom half of the top
24:50
Speaker 1: one hundred, especially in Ken Palm. Northwestern is the game
24:52
Speaker 1: you probably have to get to they're sixty two. But
24:55
Speaker 1: other than that, they don't really have any games that
24:57
Speaker 1: can actually hurt them that bad ture. So I just
25:02
Speaker 1: find it hard to believe that unless they like get
25:04
Speaker 1: blown out in like five of the losses and are uncompetitive,
25:07
Speaker 1: that a team with a top thirty five, top forty
25:11
Speaker 1: number in the net Ken Palm and Bart Torvick with
25:14
Speaker 1: a five hundred or better record than the Big Ten
25:16
Speaker 1: is gonna get quite left out, right. I also think
25:18
Speaker 1: about this, also think about this. Darren Devrees was on
25:21
Speaker 1: the bubble, was the last team out last year at
25:23
Speaker 1: West Virginia, and there was like a national outcry right
25:26
Speaker 1: that he should have made it. So do you think
25:28
Speaker 1: they're going to leave him out two years in a
25:29
Speaker 1: row if he's like on that final line that has
25:33
Speaker 1: to come in the chapter two? Okay, So yeah, we'll
25:35
Speaker 1: keep that in the back of our mind if it happens.
25:37
Speaker 1: But I think just the last thing I wanted to
25:41
Speaker 1: talk to you about because I hadn't had you on
25:44
Speaker 1: the show since this happened, and you're an IU alum,
25:47
Speaker 1: and I know you don't write about football, and but
25:50
Speaker 1: you've watched this from afar, and you know you've been
25:53
Speaker 1: involved with the coverage kind of behind the scenes with
25:55
Speaker 1: Inside the Hall and helping me out with different things.
25:57
Speaker 1: But obviously a great time for us to kind of
26:00
Speaker 1: into the coverage Indiana Football undefeated since Inside the Hall
26:03
Speaker 1: has been on the day to day beat for the
26:06
Speaker 1: for the team. But I mean you went to IU,
26:09
Speaker 1: you remember, I mean I was there for a year
26:11
Speaker 1: and a half as a student, and I went to
26:15
Speaker 1: a couple of football games, and it was just this
26:17
Speaker 1: experience of I mean, there was really nothing there to
26:22
Speaker 1: write home about. There was it was just a chance
26:25
Speaker 1: to go tailgate and hang out with friends, and you
26:28
Speaker 1: didn't really expect anything from the football team. But Kurt Signetti,
26:32
Speaker 1: what he's been able to do with this program, it's
26:34
Speaker 1: just been incredible. I just wanted to give you just
26:36
Speaker 1: a couple minutes. I'm just kind of curious to hear
26:39
Speaker 1: your thoughts reflect on this and kind of what it's
26:42
Speaker 1: been like following it from as far as an IU
26:43
Speaker 1: alum and someone obviously the ones to see him do well.
26:47
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, if I think back to, you know,
26:49
Speaker 2: my senior year in Indiana, was you want to go
26:52
Speaker 2: tailgate and then you stayed in the tailgate fields for
26:54
Speaker 2: the entire game, didn't pay attention to it, didn't know
26:56
Speaker 2: what was going on. And that was what in terms
26:59
Speaker 2: of like the community around UH Indiana football, at least
27:03
Speaker 2: as I was in it was that's what you did.
27:05
Speaker 2: Right now, they I know, years years later, they're like, Okay,
27:08
Speaker 2: you gotta get out of the tailgate. Last they didn't
27:10
Speaker 2: allow that anymore. But uh so, yeah, that that that's
27:13
Speaker 2: kind of my experience with it is just not you know,
27:17
Speaker 2: paying it too much attention, honestly, at least during the
27:19
Speaker 2: time that I was there, although you know, we did
27:21
Speaker 2: get a little bit at the end of the Happener
27:22
Speaker 2: Heppener year there uh beginning of it. I should I
27:25
Speaker 2: should say which which which? Which was interesting and there
27:29
Speaker 2: there was some good intrigue and some good storylines there.
27:31
Speaker 2: But I guess to fast forward here, I think this
27:35
Speaker 2: this run for me, uh because I wasn't covering it
27:41
Speaker 2: and I don't have like this, you know, almost freaking
27:43
Speaker 2: twenty years now of covering a team. It sort of
27:47
Speaker 2: allowed me to put that the old fan hat back on,
27:49
Speaker 2: which which was fun. It was fun to kind of
27:51
Speaker 2: just be a be a casual with it and and
27:55
Speaker 2: toss the games on it. I mean that Penn State
27:58
Speaker 2: game I remember watching the end of that was just
28:00
Speaker 2: in saying that the Becker catch and then the Omar
28:01
Speaker 2: Cooper junior catch. I mean, I was like, this is it.
28:04
Speaker 2: This is the game that they lose. There's that weird
28:06
Speaker 2: play where the ref got in the way. I was like,
28:08
Speaker 2: this isn't gonna happen for them to day and then
28:09
Speaker 2: they still pulled it off. And to be able to
28:12
Speaker 2: win in the way that they won in the Rose
28:15
Speaker 2: Bowl and then the Peach Bowl. I mean, they just
28:17
Speaker 2: destroyed both those teams. And so you get to the
28:20
Speaker 2: National Title Game and you know, Miami had some dudes
28:24
Speaker 2: for sure, and they got after Mendoza. But it's just
28:29
Speaker 2: like the way that they played all year and they
28:33
Speaker 2: coming through in clutch moments and in big moments. And
28:35
Speaker 2: just although I guess in the National Championship game they
28:38
Speaker 2: were a little less disciplined than they usually are. There
28:39
Speaker 2: were some more penalties and such that you don't see
28:43
Speaker 2: as much. I mean, it happened here and there, but yeah,
28:45
Speaker 2: just like the level of discipline that they played with
28:47
Speaker 2: and just like what Signetti's had, I mean, and you
28:52
Speaker 2: just look back. I mean he's been preaching the same
28:54
Speaker 2: stuff since like Indiana University of Pennsylvania see some of
28:57
Speaker 2: those old videos up online. It's like the same stuff
28:59
Speaker 2: he's been saying his whole and also for this guy
29:01
Speaker 2: just to like shoot a shot, like when he came
29:04
Speaker 2: in last year and everything that he was saying, and
29:06
Speaker 2: you're like, okay, and I mean to actually back all
29:11
Speaker 2: that up, and I know he and sometimes he kind
29:13
Speaker 2: of ratcheted that down this year as he didn't feel
29:16
Speaker 2: like he needed to kind of get in people's faces
29:17
Speaker 2: about it as much and like really turn the tide.
29:20
Speaker 2: But it's you know, the where the emerging you know,
29:22
Speaker 2: I think about that linings. I think that was at
29:23
Speaker 2: the end of last year, like why would I leave
29:25
Speaker 2: with the emerging superpower and just to pull it all off.
29:27
Speaker 2: It's kind of hard to actually like that. It's been
29:30
Speaker 2: a bit and I think as the weeks go on here,
29:32
Speaker 2: it was just such like a crazy thing to happen.
29:35
Speaker 2: I think in real time it was like hard to
29:37
Speaker 2: process that, like Indiana was like a dominant football team
29:41
Speaker 2: and then a national champ like two years into this
29:43
Speaker 2: guy coaching. So it is something I think like as
29:46
Speaker 2: the years go on and and this year goes on,
29:49
Speaker 2: I'll be able to kind of like understand it and
29:51
Speaker 2: kind of digest it more. But yeah, in the moment,
29:54
Speaker 2: it was just it was just crazy. But it was
29:56
Speaker 2: really cool to see and you know, really great for
29:59
Speaker 2: the university and just kind of as people say, it's
30:04
Speaker 2: one of the most if not the greatest stories and
30:08
Speaker 2: like any sport and all of like history. I mean,
30:11
Speaker 2: you know, maybe that's being a little hyperbob, but you
30:13
Speaker 2: get the idea like it's me there, it's up there.
30:16
Speaker 1: Yeah, I kind of found myself found myself with the
30:19
Speaker 1: same kind of perspective. Obviously, I was writing these instant
30:23
Speaker 1: recaps all season for the site, just kind of helped
30:25
Speaker 1: Josh along with his coverage, but I wasn't going to
30:27
Speaker 1: the games or asking questions and press conferences, and just
30:31
Speaker 1: as the season went along, you know, I really until
30:35
Speaker 1: coach Signetty got to Indiana. I watched Indiana football like
30:39
Speaker 1: when it was on, like it was something like it
30:40
Speaker 1: was a Saturday in the fall, and you'd put it
30:42
Speaker 1: on and you know, maybe they'd be competitive, maybe they wouldn't.
30:45
Speaker 1: You know, if they were down two or three touchdowns
30:47
Speaker 1: at halftime, it's like, all right, let's go do something
30:49
Speaker 1: else that you know, there's other things to do. But
30:51
Speaker 1: I really found myself these last two seasons just really
30:53
Speaker 1: locked in and watching this team on a week two
30:56
Speaker 1: week basis and enjoying it from afar. You know, with
30:58
Speaker 1: with basketball is a lot differ for me because I'm
31:01
Speaker 1: obviously taking a press pass going to the games, asking questions.
31:06
Speaker 1: So I've kind of removed my fan hat from that
31:08
Speaker 1: perspective for football.
31:10
Speaker 2: It was just.
31:13
Speaker 1: Really hard to as you mentioned, kind of hard to
31:16
Speaker 1: process it as it all went on. But it kind
31:19
Speaker 1: of felt like once they did what they did to Alabama,
31:25
Speaker 1: I felt like at that point, they're there. They were
31:27
Speaker 1: gonna have a chance to go do the whole thing,
31:29
Speaker 1: because you know, they got over the hump of beating
31:32
Speaker 1: Ohio State and that was I think a lo obstacle
31:35
Speaker 1: that many people didn't think they would get over. And
31:36
Speaker 1: then to crush Alabama, the darling of the SEC for
31:39
Speaker 1: all those years, and then the rematch with Oregon. You
31:43
Speaker 1: could tell the way Signetty was talking going into that
31:46
Speaker 1: game he felt super confident. It was just, you know,
31:49
Speaker 1: I don't think it's hyperbably to say. I mean, maybe
31:51
Speaker 1: not in all sports, the most improbable story. But I've
31:54
Speaker 1: talked to my dad about this, and he obviously goes
31:56
Speaker 1: back to the fit like the late fifties, watching IU
31:58
Speaker 1: football and college sports in general. He says he's never
32:01
Speaker 1: really seen anything that compares to this, and I agree.
32:04
Speaker 1: I mean, to take over the losing this program in
32:07
Speaker 1: college football history, to take it to a national championship
32:10
Speaker 1: in two years, I was just happy for all of
32:13
Speaker 1: the diehard football fans that have been showing up going
32:16
Speaker 1: to games for all these years. You could just see
32:18
Speaker 1: the pride and just like how people turned out and
32:21
Speaker 1: how much they appreciated this team, and also felt like
32:24
Speaker 1: you connected like as the season went along with so
32:27
Speaker 1: many of these guys, because as a season wore along
32:31
Speaker 1: and you heard him do different interviews, you just felt
32:35
Speaker 1: like they really cared and really wanted to win for
32:38
Speaker 1: the school. And I thought that was a special thing
32:40
Speaker 1: about it. So don't want to go too long because
32:42
Speaker 1: we could probably talk for hours on this, but I
32:44
Speaker 1: wanted to give you a chance to open up on
32:46
Speaker 1: it a little bit and get your thoughts on it.
32:48
Speaker 1: Really cool thing. Needless to say, I think it's going
32:52
Speaker 1: to lock us in for the foreseeable future with football
32:54
Speaker 1: coverage over on Inside the Hall. I think it's been
32:55
Speaker 1: a tremendous addition to the site. Been a lot of
32:58
Speaker 1: fun for me just to learn, you know, admittedly wasn't
33:01
Speaker 1: the biggest football guy, and just in terms of learning
33:04
Speaker 1: the game, but to learn more about it in the
33:05
Speaker 1: last year. You're going to continue to learn more about
33:07
Speaker 1: it and we're going to continue to have that coverage
33:09
Speaker 1: and probably sprinkle some more football in here there, in
33:12
Speaker 1: here or there on Podcasts on the Brink. But Ryan,
33:16
Speaker 1: foresee the future on this show, we're gonna be talking
33:18
Speaker 1: to you basketball hopefully some interesting things to go on
33:23
Speaker 1: here down the stretch and they have a chance to,
33:25
Speaker 1: as I said, get back to the tournament. So thanks
33:27
Speaker 1: for taking the time to join us on Podcasts on
33:28
Speaker 1: the Brink this.
33:29
Speaker 2: Week, any time, anytime.
33:33
Speaker 1: Thanks everybody as always to listen for listening to the show.
33:35
Speaker 1: If you enjoy the show, as I said at the top,
33:37
Speaker 1: leave us a rating and review over on Apple Podcasts
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Speaker 1: back soon with another episode of podcast on the Brink.