Monday, February 27, 2006

Indiana: NCAA's?

While not likely at this point, it is still a possibility. Win at either Purdue or Michigan, and then pick up a couple of wins in the Big Ten Conference Tourney, and I think they'd be in. The RPI (at 44 before the last two wins) and Sagarin (37) numbers are still not bad, and there's enough meat in non-conference schedule to keep them in at-large contention even with a 8-8 conference record. Playing Duke & Connecticut close and the whipping of fellow at-large hopeful Kentucky (sans DJ White) may be the sort of iconography that keeps Indiana in the Selection Committee's mind. But with a hungry and well-coached Purdue team waiting and Michigan not choking on its own lack of execution at this time of year make getting a victory pretty unlikely given this club's road history. But the possibility is still there.

Ryan ruminates on the ridiculous idea of the next Indiana head coach having to be an Indiana alum. I only have two words to add: Cam Cameron.
Is that what you want, people? Mediocrity at best, even if is home-grown mediocrity?

I'll plug the College Bloggers' Poll one more time, which is a great idea, but maybe it'll take off next season:

I don't agree with this guy on few points (and man, he sure looks like a toolbox) , but he is sort of right about this point:

However, the flub that hurt the most occurred in the process of recruiting Indianapolis’ Robert Vaden. Many coaches felt that Davis steered Vaden toward a prep school his senior season. His transfer likely cost his team a state championship and scarred Davis’ relationship with many Indiana prep coaches.

Davis didn't ever get a good relationship going with the local talent base and the Indiana High School coaches. He stated on more than one occasion he was going after the best talent, and ended up whiffing on Luol Deng and Charlie Villaneuva, and got Josh Smith who skipped the Hoosier experience. I remember during this time Davis was musing on how to get the next Tom Coverdale, and I thought to myself: "Just get the top two or three Indiana Mr. Basketball candidates." It's not hard, just recruit the best local talent, and outside of Greg Oden & Sean May, I don't remember him doing that. And I don't agree with Gregg Doyel's (at cbs sportsline) savaging of the Indiana Fans for cheering Mike Davis in his last home game. His best evidence to the contrary is only that at the end of the Connecticut game, the Hoosier Nation was depressed, quiet, and filing towards the exit. So?
We can wish Davis well, and want him to part ways with Indiana with class, and still be looking for a better head coach. I scratch my head. I really don't know what Doyel is on about.

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