Hoosier Headlines Oct. 30th, 2011
by Devin S. on Oct 30, 2011 11:15 AM EDT
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PrintIndiana looks defenseless in loss to Northwestern - Post-Tribune
IU gets thumped by NU, giving up over 600 yards. And it could've been worse. I've not seen the defense look this helpless since the Cam Cameron days.
Northwestern takes pity on IU | TIM ETHRIDGE COLUMN " Evansville Courier & Press
The headline says it all. Ouch.
IU wide receiver Damarlo Belcher sits out with suspension | The Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
"Damarlo Belcher's mystery senior season took another twist Saturday against Northwestern. The wide receiver was suspended by IU football coach Kevin Wilson for one game for conduct detrimental to the team."
No Indiana Teams in AP Preseason Top 25 College Basketball Rankings - Yahoo! Sports
Adam Hughes points out the lack of any Indiana colleges, which is a little surprising. I thought ND or Purdue would at least start ranked, even if they didn't stay there.
Kravitz: Cody Zeller takes on heavy load at IU | indystar.com
Bob Kravitz fuels the Cody Zeller=savior fire.
IU Basketball: What will Crean’s starting lineup look like? | IU Insider blog | The Indianapolis Star | IndyStar.com
Hutch predicts Zeller, Watford, Sheehey, Jones, and Hulls. I'm still hoping for Oladipo to crack the line-up, and I think Pritchard is just too valuable defensively to sit - although that might spare him from quick foul trouble.
No. 10 Indiana Faces NU in B1G Showdown - Indiana University Athletics
There's a lakeside rumble shaping up in Evanston for first place in the Big Ten at 3pm (2pm local). The WIldcats, after playing terribly in the pre-conference schedule, now lead the conference at 3-0-1, and the Hoosiers come calling with a 2-1-1 record. A chance for Chicago-area fans to see your Hoosier soccer team live
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Starting 5
Hulls, Zeller and Watford are certainties. I think that there is universal agreement that defense needs to be a strong point with this team. As such, I think that you have to go with Pritchard and a combination of Sheehey/Oladipo at the 2. Maybe you start Oladipo and then the first two off the bench are Jones and Sheehey (for Watford). If you start Watford, Jones and Hulls, you have 3 below-average defenders on the court at the same time.
by hoosierdaddynow on Oct 31, 2011 9:09 AM EDT reply actions
defense first
Nicely said. I totally agree re: Oladipo & Pritchard in the starting lineup. And with both Sheehey & Oladipo on board, if you start one, the other can be the sparkplug off bench.
However, what I do have trouble with is relegating Verdell Jones to the bench. In the Hoosier Hysteria scrimmage, it looked to me like Jones really keyed the fast break that ended in easy buckets for Zeller. And IU needs to maximize Zeller’s quickness for easy buckets. Jones is such an interesting case: in his first year he was a promising point guard* that made plays on both offense and defense. Then it was nice to see Jones bail out the Hoosiers for wins against Pittsburgh and Minnesota a couple of years ago, but those performances have proved to be all too rare. Last season, he was injured a couple of times and seemed to be off for much of the season – and still he looks like one of the best returning off-guards in the conference. If he’s seriously picked up his defense – then Jones should start. If he hasn’t, then he still needs to see a lot of minutes to key our fast break and be our shot-clock bail-out guy. Watford has shown he can’t play the role, and Hulls can only do it in spurts.
*too many turnovers & missed shots- but that’s what you generally get from a freshman point.
Jones
I like Jones, even as I have been frustrated by his shortcomings. Used correctly, he’s a very good player and valuable asset. If he has picked up his defense, then he can and should start.
But the defensive problems with our guards are not something that can be fixed by Zeller’s presence in the post. At least I think that’s the case. One of the primary problems we had last year was not stopping the dribble drive (which is something that Zeller can help with), but rather closing out on shooting guards.
I am concerned with having Hulls and Jones in the game at the same time without having either Sheehey or Oladipo there to provide some perimeter defense. And I’d prefer to have Hulls in the game, because the offense seems to flow so much better with him in there.
by hoosierdaddynow on Oct 31, 2011 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions
It seems like most of the “savior” talk comes from people saying, “how silly those IU fans are for thinking Zeller will be a savior.” No one ever seems to be able to point to the IU fans claiming such a thing. I do think Zeller has a chance to make IU significantly better (at least offensively), not because he’s going to put the team on his back and average a double-double, but because he’s a quality player at our position of greatest need and will force defenses to do more to stop us in the paint. And of course, in his commitment a year ago was seen, correctly, as something that could open the floodgates—the excitement wasn’t based on the idea that he was going to be a Carmelo Anthony-style difference maker.
The Crimson Quarry, SB Nation's Indiana Hoosiers blog
by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Oct 31, 2011 9:58 AM EDT reply actions
John, I completely agree – Cody Zeller looks like a really good player and big catch for a lot of reasons, recruiting being a big one. And hey, he could be great, but just having a good two-way player in the post would make such a difference for a team that has spent the last three years posting up a wing on offense and praying that Pritchard doesn’t get in immediate foul trouble on defense.
Well calling any recruit a savior is a bad idea. And yes I have heard that said from some (uninformed) fans. Sure Zeller’s a great player but expecting him to suddenly carry the team on his back is unfair to the program and especially to him. I realize IU has a history of putting often unfair expectations on a recruit (see: Damon Bailey, Jason Collier, Bracey Wright, et al) so sure there’s going to be a portion of the fan base that will be disappointed when Zeller doesn’t have a 20/10 season while leading the Hoosiers to the Final Four his freshman year. With that said I do expect Zeller to signal a turnaround, as he is a vast improvement over any player at his position that Crean has had in his time here. I’m not sure if basketball has an equivalent to WAR in baseball, but I think having Zeller should mean a few more wins this year.
Everything's more important with bunting.
by Veni Vidi Vici on Oct 31, 2011 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes, Zeller is literally the most talented player to walk through the door since DJ White walked out. He’s also a freshman. What that all means, I guess we’ll find out.
Re: statistical analysis & WAR: there’s several: WARP, EWA, and PER. Although those are all for the NBA. Ken Pomeroy just started a “kPoy” system to measure players, but he multiplies/divides/something by the winning percentage/schedule of the team so it becomes meaningless pretty fast, IMHO. I’ve been doing my own player rating system since 2006-2007, but this doesn’t predict an improvement in wins, which is what I think you’re after.
I really commend you for the thought you put into your rating system
These things intrigue me, but I’m a left-brain kind of guy, so the math never really made sense to me. I like how you acknowledge that there is inherently a subjective element to it, because of the way that you give weight to certain factors. I also agree with your reasoning for giving weight to those factors.
Do you plan to keep track of player ratings for the Hoosiers this year, and will you make those results available for review, digestion and comment? I hope that you will.
by hoosierdaddynow on Nov 1, 2011 7:44 AM EDT up reply actions
Thanks!
Oh, yes. It’s practically a compulsion for me – I was running the numbers last year even with a full-time job, finishing up grad school, and a new baby, so I doubt I’d be able to stop now. Hopefully I’ll be able to be crunch those numbers a little more regularly, as long as John M. doesn’t mind.
Glad you agree with my subjective weightings, I would think most Hoosier fans would agree with giving passing a premium. But you never know.
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