Indiana Hoosiers

14Red

14Red

Well-known member
Wanted to start a thread about Hoosier basketball. Quite a season last year, big ten championship, the steady leadership of Yogi Ferrell as he capped a brilliant IU career, the emergence of freshman Thomas Bryant, the hi wire act of Troy Williams.

Actually, the Hooisers may be BETTER in '16-'17. They had a really good group of young players last year, and although Yogi and Troy are gone, the team may actually be more inside driven and not a reliant on the 3 ball. Juwan Moran and OG Annobe return to the front court along with Robert Johnson in the back court. Pitt transfer Josh Newkirk may provide some stability at the guard position in Yogi's absence. James Blackmon Jr. returns after being injured early in '16. His loss wasn't as big as many people felt, but he'll certainly be welcomed back as he can provide some scoring from the guard position.
 
 
Hoping the Cream and Crimson is finally back to contending on a year in and year out basis!
 
thavoice said:
Hoping the Cream and Crimson is finally back to contending on a year in and year out basis!
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I certainly think we'll be ok with Tom Crean as the coach. He's been able to recruit some of the big time players, and the team has been pretty successful overall the last 5 seasons.
Like alot of storied programs, IU fans have unreal expectations IMO. Anything short of a final four is a failed season by many people and that's just not realstic these days. There are so many good programs out there year after year.
 
14Red said:
I certainly think we'll be ok with Tom Crean as the coach. He's been able to recruit some of the big time players, and the team has been pretty successful overall the last 5 seasons.
Like alot of storied programs, IU fans have unreal expectations IMO. Anything short of a final four is a failed season by many people and that's just not realstic these days. There are so many good programs out there year after year.
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A final 4 shouldn't be unrealistic for a program like IU.
 
eastside_purple said:
A final 4 shouldn't be unrealistic for a program like IU.
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Not every year EP, some of the fans like North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky and Indiana have unrealistic expectations. Men's college basketball has as much parity as ever. There are not shoe in's anymore. The 3 point line and shot clock, along with the large talent base across America and even some foreign players have leveled the playing field in college hoops.
 
14Red said:
Not every year EP, some of the fans like North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky and Indiana have unrealistic expectations. Men's college basketball has as much parity as ever. There are not shoe in's anymore. The 3 point line and shot clock, along with the large talent base across America and even some foreign players have leveled the playing field in college hoops.
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You're not a very competitive guy are you? I guess you never get disappointed having low standards and expectations.
 
UNC, Duke, and UK fans have unrealistic expectations? Lol Duke and UNC have multiple NC's very recently, UK has one and is there every year.
 
XavierMenForever said:
IU is not an elite program and hasn't been for 3 decades. A Final Four would be an amazing season for them. Just another good season for the likes of the true blue bloods though.
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I don't think that's an entirely fair statement. Indiana was in the national championship game in 2002, which wasn't that long ago.
 
eastside_purple said:
You're not a very competitive guy are you? I guess you never get disappointed having low standards and expectations.
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Realistic purple, realistic. The days of college basktball dynasties are over. The blend of 4-5 year players coupled with one year wonders, the shot clock and 3 point line make it very difficult for teams to win year after year. You can build quickly, but it can be over in a season.

There are so many tunnel vision, blind fans who think their teams should be in the national championship picture every single year. There is just too few of those situations out there.

The thing I appreciate is a team who gets to THEIR top level, not necessarily a championship. The IU team of last year is probably the best example I can come up with. They were picked to be 4th/ 5th in the big ten at best. Maryland/ Wisconsin/ Michigan State even Iowa was picked to be better than the Hoosiers. But this IU team, lead by a 4th year senior, Yogi Ferrell, after an up and down non-conference season, losing a starting guard, went on to win the big ten outright. I think it was one of the best examples of a team exceeding expectations that you could ever find in school history.

Give me a chance purple, I'm a pretty good guy. I know what I'm talking about most of the time. And it's sports, not life and death.
 
A school like Indiana should have expectations of a final 4. But I guess it's nice guys like 14red are content with seeing a bunch of guys try hard while losing and maybe improving to the point where they lose a little less later in the year.
 
Obviously IU is a historic basketball program that invests a lot of resources because it identifies as a basketball power, so of course it's fanbase is going to have very high expectations.
 
eastside_purple said:
I have no problem with high expectations annually from fans of IU basketball.
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They you're setting yourself up for alot of disappointment. It's sports, you don't win all the time. The EFFORT to win should be there, but to EXPECT to win is unrealistic.
 
eastside_purple said:
Spending by alumni equals raised expectations. That's exactly how it works.
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The university of Texas football spends a ton of money, they don't seem to be winning very much.

In fact, I'd say all college sports teams have raised expectations, that's what they do. I'm just being realistic in that there will be a team finish first, and an team finish last. I like to talk realistic expectations.
 
14Red said:
The university of Texas football spends a ton of money, they don't seem to be winning very much.

In fact, I'd say all college sports teams have raised expectations, that's what they do. I'm just being realistic in that there will be a team finish first, and an team finish last. I like to talk realistic expectations.
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Spending by alumni equals raised expectations.
 
14Red said:
The university of Texas football spends a ton of money, they don't seem to be winning very much.

In fact, I'd say all college sports teams have raised expectations, that's what they do. I'm just being realistic in that there will be a team finish first, and an team finish last. I like to talk realistic expectations.
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And that's why Mack Brown was pushed out and Charlie Strong is on the hot seat. As ep said, higher expectations.
 
I thought it would have been obvious boosters don't give that kind of money simply out of the goodness in their hearts. We're talking millions of dollars here, not just $100 for the local high school booster club.

You might give $100 to the local high school booster club simply as a nice gesture to support the kids you know in your community without any really big expectations attached. You don't drop $35-$40 million without some expectation of big-time winning, and a seat on the team charter plane to at least a Sweet Sixteen/Elite Eight kind of game.

If you're not on the team plane, because the team didn't get there, guess what you're going to do? You're going to have a little talk with the AD about how the school isn't going to get any more $35-$40 million donations.

Then, guess what the AD is going to do? The AD is going to have a conversation with the coach saying his job is on the line. That's how the deal works.
 
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