Renovations and a New Name For Assembly Hall

Hoosier fans got some big news yesterday. Fred Glass announced that the Mecca of college basketball will be getting a much needed facelift, thanks to a $40mil donation. The renovation includes new restrooms, escalators in the lobby, a new titantron/scoreboard, and some better seating. The updates will make the 40+ year old icon more up to date and fan friendly, but won't take away from the iconic building as being one of the most intimidating places for opponents to play. I'd say Hoosiers are pretty stoked about the new additions, but there's one issue that has some mixed feelings...and that is the fact that they decided to rename our beloved Assembly Hall to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. (pronounced Scott). I have to admit, I'm one of em who is not very happy about the name change.

 *Photos courtesy of Inside the Hall

I know, I know, it could be worse, but I'm more of a traditionalist when it comes to my IU basketball, and I think the only name change I could ever accept would be if it included something to do with Coach Knight. In my PERSONAL opinion, I think it's kinda self centered to put your name on that building even if you donated the $40mil. Don't get me wrong, it is awesome that somebody would donate that much cash, but in my eyes it's kinda like saying, "look at me, look how great I am." Personally, if you can afford to give away $40mil, then you can afford to not care if you get recognition or not, especially if it's out of the kindness of your heart. I understand that nobody knows whether the name thing was offered to her, or if it was her stipulation, but if it was offered, she could've humbly turned it down. Either way, like it or not, we all have to deal with it. It still says Indiana on the jerseys, and one thing is for certain.....it is, and always will be, the greatest college basketball team on earth.

IU vs Nicholls State-7:00 BTN IU-27.5

Sorry to all my readers this is being done on the iPad...kind of tough for formatting purposes and such. Anyhow, on to the prediction for the game tomorrow and what we need to do to win (which shouldn't be much by all estimations). As everyone has said leading up to this game, Nicholls is awful in almost every category. We could sit around and try to make up a statistic that fits them well, but there simply is not one positive thing I have looked at thus far. Not only should we win by 28, we should beat this team by 40/45, but CORRECTLY. What I want to see tomorrow night:

• No possessions taken off- Sometimes, we have a tendency to get sloppy and take possessions off against weaker opponents. We have reached a critical juncture in the season and this cannot be stated enough. From now on, every game is a learning process, no matter the opponent.
• Ball movement/passing improvement- We are one of the worst teams in the nation when it comes to assists per game. See if we can win by finally beating a team by taking care of the rock and finding some nice combinations.
• Feeding the ball inside- If we can't get the ball inside this game and see progress, yikes. Strap up for the rest of the season because it's gonna be a wild ride. Noah and Luke should be licking their chops tomorrow. 

Tomorrow is not only about winning a basketball game, but doing so in a way that is conducive to how we want to play for the rest of the season. Sure there will be some nice dunks and flashy plays, but take it with a grain of salt. We still have no idea which direction this team is headed in, and the schedule is what it is. That said, let's show up and have a purpose when we play tomorrow.

Final word- Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall just doesn't sound right...oh well. 

Beer of choice for the game- Blue Moon (+ orange peel)

"I see Bailey, I see Bailey being...being better" Bob Knight 

At a Glance...The Nicholls State Colonels                    

Quick Facts

-Enrollment of 7,093

-Located in Thibodaux, Louisiana

-Member of the Southland Conference

-Official school colors-red and gray
-Founded in 1948

Results Thus Far (2-5)

Wins

Mobile (NAIA Exh) 72-64                                                    

University of Texas at San Antonio 79-73

Nicholls State coach J.P. Piper

Loyola 87-62

Losses
Auburn 54-76
North Texas 78-92

Troy 62-77

Memphis 59-98 

San Francisco 48-77

Kenpom Rating-336th

PPG-66.3 (309) 

Avg. Scoring Margin- -18.8 (339) 

APG-11.3 (253)

RPG-29.8 (332)

Pts. Against-82.2 (329)

Fouls per game-29.7 (351) 

Category Leaders

Dantrell Thomas leads in all categories

Points

G #1 Dantrell Thomas-14.3 

G #4 Jeremy Smith-12.9 

Rebounds

G #1 Dantrell Thomas-4.6

G #4 Jeremy Smith-4.4

Assists

G #1 Dantrell Thomas-2.9

G #21 Shane Rillieux-2.9

On paper, there is not too much to say about this team. In all major offensive categories, Nicholls State doesn't even break the top 200. As shown above, a GUARD out of all people is leading in all 3 main statistical areas. With only two players 6'9 or above, Noah Vonleh should have a field day with the colonels. Heck, it looks like any one of our players could go off against these guys. Even worse for Nicholls is that they foul...a lot! This should be able to help us get to the line early and make some shots from the charity stripe. Just from watching a few highlights on youtube, this team doesn't exhibit much athleticism and should rely mostly on outside shots because they should not be able to penetrate much against our length. Anyhow, the Hoosiers should put them away and early at that. 

I have said it before and I'll say it again, I want to see some heart and hustle out of the Hoosiers from here on out. Wearing the Indiana jersey should be enough to bring out enthusiasm, grit, and just a plain blue collar work ethic on the basketball court. Lastly, I am happy that Crean took a small piece of the blame after that awful loss to Notre Dame. Let's get down to 8-9 men on the court, coach! 

Most Valuable Player prediction- Noah Vonleh

"Some people say you make your own luck by just preparing. That's what we're doing." Kyle Hornsby

The Intangibles 

Just wanted to provide my thoughts on the ND game and where IU stands this season overall. First, the ND game. I hate to harp on the zone defense, but we have not shown any development in that category (being able to score against it). We have had an entire offseason since the Syracuse game and not only did SU pound us again, but we got beat by a less-than-mediocre Notre Dame team that lost to North Dakota State and Indiana State at home. I'm not a big Xs and Os guy, but come on! To beat a zone, you need penetration, movement off the ball, and shifting of the ball. When we were able to penetrate through Vonleh and Sheehey, we were finding early success after ND switched to the 2-3. 

As far as our movement off the ball, you usually see us standing around the perimeter waiting for someone to take a 3 towards the end of the shot clock (if we can't find Vonleh) or sometimes Yogi will dribble to the baseline and jump toward the crowd while he scans the court in hopes of finding some sort of outlet for us to score. These things happen all too often and need immediate addressing by the coaching staff and the players themselves. Currently, we rank 225th in the nation in assists, averaging a meager 11.7 a game. Oh, and we also rank 313th in T/Os per game averaging 15.2. We look rushed, disheveled and just plain upset on the court. At Indiana, it's about work ethic, heart, and playing for something much bigger than yourself. Haven't seen much of these attributes this year, but hoping for more as the season progresses. 

With this team, we are going to struggle in many categories, but we can win if we pull together and play within ourselves to our strengths. Let's figure out how to beat a zone, because other teams are quite stupid if they don't try it against us this year in conference play. I still have tournament hopes and you should too. We are down but not out, Hoosier nation. Let me leave you with a great quote from the general that is very fitting: 

"The will to succeed is important, but what's more important is the will to prepare" 

At a Glance...The North Florida Ospreys 

Quick Facts

-Enrollment of 16,621

-Located in Jacksonville, Florida

-Member of the Atlantic Sun Conference 

-Official school colors are navy blue and grey
-Founded in 1969
-2012/2013 record: 13-19

Results Thus Far

Wins

Arkansas-Little Rock 72-70                                                      

Matthew Driscoll-Head Coach of the Ospreys

Savannah State 66-63

Webber International 109-64

Savannah State...again 65-61

Edward Waters 90-68

Losses 
#10 Florida 69-77
Middle Tennessee 70-77
Southern 78-87
#7 Ohio State 64-99
Alabama 48-76

Category Leaders

#1 Travis Wallace at Florida 

Points

F #1 Travis Wallace-12.4 

G #14 Dallas Moore-10.3 

Rebounds

F #1 Travis Wallace-6.9

F #35 Chris Davenport-5.9

Assists

G #0 Jalen Nesbitt-2.7

G #14 Dallas Moore-2.3

Currently at #247 in Ken Pomeroy's college basketball ratings, you wouldn't imagine the Ospreys putting up too much of a fight, would you? None of us have ever heard of Webber International or Edward Waters (or maybe you have)...but this team came close to nipping Florida in their first game of the season. Granted, perhaps the Gators were sloppy in their first matchup, but it shows you they can compete. Furthermore, they lost a close game to the Blue Raiders AT Middle Tennessee, an extremely tough and unusual environment to play in. The point is, if Indiana shows the same effort and enthusiasm it did against Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, us as fans will see it come out, no matter who the opponent, no matter what the result. That's why they play the game, as they say.

Teams come to Assembly Hall ready to play, ready to COMPETE. Let's do the same this time around and show that Tuesday wasn't indicative of future performance. So far this season, it's not the talent, athleticism or skill letting this team down, it's the intangibles.


"When I crossed over the river, the sign said: 'Welcome to Indiana,' it didn't say a damn thing about Purdue."-Greta York

Seriously, Dakich? 

I almost had to mute the TV last night his commentary was so pitiful and offensive to the IU program. Anyhow, after giving myself some time to think about last night's game and how to accurately assess it, I can't say my view changed much in 24 hours. Attempting to be optimistic (key word: attempting), I couldn't muster up any profound things to say. The offense was stagnant, the leadership poor, we lacked enthusiasm, we still haven't figured out how to play a 'good' zone...I could keep going but I'll spare you right there. With that being said, as we all know the negatives that came out of the game, let me point out a few positives for the cream and crimson: 

1. Noah Vonleh stayed out of foul trouble and played a great game. 17 pts and 6 rebounds and gave us a strong inside presence that seemed to work in the first portion of the matchup. 

2. This----> 

3. Devin Davis continues to show grit and fight in every single contest. We have seen this kind of work ethic in previous players who have been successful throughout their career at Indiana. Prime example: Victor Oladipo. Am I comparing Devin to Victor from a talent and skill standpoint? Absolutely not. Their work ethics and attitude? No doubt. Eric Gordon (father of Eric Gordon Jr.) helped Davis develop at the E3 basketball academy and raved about both his attitude and ability. Hopefully we will see all of it come to a head during his career. Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw6CNUR9Ikc

Quickly, let us review the keys to an Indiana victory from the last post: 

1. Keep Noah out of foul trouble- 3? I'll take it. A few were inevitable.   +1

2. Push the ball -Nowhere near the tempo needed for this type of game and defense.   -1

3. Turnovers- Woah. Hit our average of 16...............   -1

4. Bench play- 9 from ours and 9 from theirs. However, we need it more than others. -1

This isn't rocket science, just fact. We were Terrible with a capital T (something Dicky V may say). Here's to hoping this team has some drive in them and that they come together as one. Hoosier nation and this program are better than what we saw last night. Next? The North Florida Ospreys on Saturday, a team whose ppg, rpg, apg, and field goal percentage do not rank in the top 100! Get it done. 

"Mental toughness is to physical as four is to one"-Bobby Knight 

IU vs Syracuse-7:15 ESPN        Line-IU+5.5

Tonight is a game many of us have been waiting for since the abrupt end of Indiana's tournament run last season. Instead of focusing on the game as a rematch, Crean has preached that the Hoosiers just have to "do what they do" and play the way they know how at the Carrier Dome. It's tough to gauge where the team is after the game against Evansville, two reasons being the Purple Aces shot 29% from the floor and made just 50% of their free throws. A nice victory for the cream and crimson? Yes. However, it was a game in which IU wasn't tested and pushed by their opponents from the south. I walked away from Assembly Hall a happy man but I was also unsure of what was to come that next Tuesday. Before we get into any predictions or talk about what IU needs to do to win, below are the predicted lineups for tonight's BIG/ACC challenge game: 

Indiana-ppg                                                                                                          

Yogi Ferrell-18.1                                   

Jeremy Hollowell-10.0                                                                      

Troy Williams-9.9 

Will Sheehey-11.1 

Noah Vonleh-12.9 

Syracuse-ppg

Tyler Ennis-11.7 

Trevor Cooney-14.3 

Rakeem Christmas-5.1

DaJuan Coleman-5.0 

CJ Fair-18.0  

Keys to a Hoosier Victory:

1. Keep Noah out of foul trouble-Currently averaging a double double, we simply cannot afford for him to lose minutes due to fouls. Until we see someone come in for him and play consistently well, it's hard to maintain my nerve every time that whistle is blown on the big man. 

2. Push the ball- One of the key contributors as to why IU lost last year's game boils down to tempo. We were forced to play a slower game and jack up 3's due to SU's zone defense. Will we have some trouble tonight? Sure. Can the zone be beaten? Absolutely. Let's get some quick outlet passes and use our athleticism to run the court and tire the Orange. 

3. Turnovers- IU is currently averaging, count em, 16 per game. Giving the ball away to a team as talented as Syracuse at home will turn into points at the other end. If Troy can stay calm with the ball and not run through the lane like a bull in a china shop, he could have a great game. 

4. Bench play- In particular, we need a couple guys to step up off the bench. HMP must continue to develop and his length could play a major role on the defensive end tonight. Second, Luke needs to establish himself more as a lane presence and not stand at the 3 pt line. Also, Evan Gordon can apply some great defensive pressure. Finally, if Devin can maintain focus and not get lost in the atmosphere of tonight's game, we could be in for a fun ride. 

Let's all take a deep breath before the game and soak it all in. Tonight is why these guys play the game...a great atmosphere, great players, and two schools that have great traditions playing in the national spotlight. As always, be positive and stay classy Hoosier fans. 

"It's Indiana, it's Indiana"-Tom Crean

"The will to succeed is important, but what's more important is the will to prepare" -Bob Knight  

Logistics- Syracuse, NY is 695 miles from Bloomington. A 10 hour and 28 minute drive.

Arena- The Carrier Dome can hold up to 35,000 fans for a basketball contest and was opened up on September 20, 1980.

Beer of choice for tonight's game- Dos Equis