Three Things We Learned: Eastern Washington

Well that certainly something and I'm furious. I had to rewrite this multiple times, as the first draft just said "THIS TEAM IS BAD" three times. That's not necessarily false, but it's also not really helpful.

ONTO THE LEARNINGS.

• This team is fundamentally flawed in a way that cannot be overcome in practice. They are not big enough. They are not physical enough. They are not tough enough. These are not trends that get reversed during the course of the season. At least not typically. When the game came down to the wire, Eastern Washington bullied their way to the rim time after time, hooting and hollering, psyched to be doing what they were doing. Indiana, on the other hand, looked beaten in their faces (save for Yogi Ferrell) and continued to not show the kind of heart and hustle that wins tight games.
• They played very badly tonight. Between poor shooting, defensive lapses, and careless mistake after careless mistake, Indiana did not play fundamentally sound basketball and kept Eastern Washington in the game long after they should have been out of it. I'm sure the fatigue of a young team playing their third game in five days played a role, but there is absolutely no excuse to not overcome that. If this is a team that will crumple at the first sign of adversity, than how on earth have we progressed from last season?
• Yogi Ferrell is the best and most complete player on this roster and it isn't close. I'll close on a bright note. This kid played his heart out tonight on both ends of the floor. He made a couple bad decisions at the end and I've seen him be crucified for it on social media, and that's not fair. He was the only guy with a pulse as the game wound down, and at 6'0" on his best day, he's somehow become our best post defender. And that speaks volumes about this roster.