Bummed by my Indiana Hoosier Basketball Team, 2021

After watching my Hoosiers push ranked Illinois into overtime and losing, and accruing their 8th loss versus just one more win (9), I watched the end of a 1983 classic game with the IU Hoosiers of the younger Bob Knight versus the Iowa Hawkeyes of Lute Olsen. IU lost that game, too... In Bloomington.

 

Ahh, it's been hard. I have complaints about Archie Miller by now.

 

We have won a few good ones this pandemic plagued season, most recently upsetting a highly ranked Iowa team in Iowa City. Michigan State and Michigan games have been postponed/cancelled.

 

Winning against the Illini would have left us 10-7. Not too bad, with mostly respectable losses...

 

We have now lost in OT to ranked Florida State, Wisconsin, both on their home floors. And now the Illini, first loss at home to them since 2010. Back when Tom Crean was scrambling...

 

The women are doing better, but are still disappointing to me, while ranked nationally...

 

But these men: ugh. Let me list the disappointments:

 

1. Joey Brunk, upperclassman big man transfer from Butler. Maybe lost for the whole season with back problems? He is recovering from surgery 5 or 6 weeks ago, end of December 2020. He has not played a minute. We do not have enough big men, especially after Justin Smith transferred to Arkansas... He would have been his best as a senior, inconsistent as he was over his tenure with IU, a tremendous athlete but now deserted. So our front court depends on a 6'6" freshman Jordan Geronimo off the bench. He helped versus Iowa, but is not experienced enough... We need Brunk, and needed Smith.

2. Jerome Hunter. First big man off the bench, benched with Coach's Decision this last game. That we lost in OT. He would have been the difference, right there.

3. Rob Phinesee, PG. He shot twice and missed, fouled out. Ineffective. He was been disappointing a lot this season, and he is normally my favorite player. Sometimes he needs to be much more aggressive on offense.

4. We miss too many free throws. It has cost us a few games.

5. We give up too many three pointers, and when we (IU) overcome that we cannot capitalize with our offense.

6. Armaan Franklin barely touched the ball in OT two nights ago, when IU scored all of three points in the last five minutes, having fouled out two of the best Illini. Get him the ball, he has had some breakout play, when given the chance.

7. Trayce Jackson-Davis, best player on the team, was not patient enough to make his inside shots. And, as pointed out by former IU guy Dan Dakich, he does not always get back on defense fast enough.

8. Aljami Durham, the only senior playing, is not consistent enough.

9. The other three freshman have done some good things at guard, but they all mess up, too. Leal needs to shoot more, that is for sure. I love Galloway's aggressiveness. He missed some time with back issues. Lander has been young and weak, with some points of hope surfacing here and there.

10. Race Thompson has been as good as we need him, but a poorly designed offensive possession in OT the other night lead to him charging on a desperation move.

IU has been close to having a really good season, but not close enough.

9-8 with more or less 8-10 games to go, against pretty tough competition.

We should be 11-6, at least... But fate has lead to a bubble team, in a crazy time of empty arenas...

The pandemic killed last year's likely NCAA team, the first time in four years, and a career shutout for two IU seniors.

Brunk, Smith, now Hunter.  (Article says the Coach may hold him out for a while).

Guys not on the court, and the ones left on it have underachieved. At least we are not Northwestern. But we still have to beat them. 2021 may still be a good year... but it will require better play for the next month, hopefully deep into March.