Jerod Morris

On Friday afternoon, Indiana fans got exciting news as Trayce Jackson-Davis announced he is returning for his senior season in Bloomington. As we do, we immediately pulled together an emergency podcast with respected voices to break down the news and what it means.

Featured in this episode:

• Rick Bozich on why Trayce’s return makes Indiana a Big Ten contender
• Scott Agness on the behind-the-scenes story at the Combine and what Trayce needs to show NBA scouts next season
• Tony Adragna on how Mike Woodson might alter the offense to make Trayce less of a fixture on the block
• Ryan Phillips on what this means for Malik Reneau’s freshman season and what a fair bar for success will be

Plus Jerod Morris hosting and pulling it all together.

[Read more…] about 🚨 Emergency Pod: TRAYCE IS BACK

On Wednesday afternoon, Steve Kroner from the San Francisco Chronicle was kind enough to give us about 20 minutes of his time talking about the Saint Mary’s team that Indiana will face in the Round of 64 on Thursday night.

We cover:

• The broad context of Saint Mary’s basketball, and why they won’t be feeling like an “underdog” of any kind against Indiana
• What we learned from their three games, including one win, against Gonzaga
• What to expect stylistically from the Gaels on both sides of the ball
• What kind of big man is Matthias Tass? And will he be matched up against Trayce Jackson-Davis?
• The interesting story of Tommy Kuhse and the challenges he will present for Indiana
• Logan Johnson’s change-of-pace role on offense and his potential as a defensive matchup on Xavier Johnson
• What it’s looked like when Saint Mary’s has struggled this season
• What does Saint Mary’s do defensively to force so much isolation ball?
• Why this Saint Mary’s team is so comfortable at the end of the shot clock

And more.

It’s an insightful discussion, and we really appreciate Steve taking the time to share his knowledge with us ahead of Thursday’s game.

Listen to the podcast here:

Or watch the video:

[Read more…] about Get to Know Saint Mary’s with Steve Kroner of S.F. Chronicle

On Tuesday night, Indiana won its first NCAA Tournament game since 2016, beating Wyoming 66-58. The game may have been ugly from an aesthetics and shooting standpoint, but that was beauty in Indiana’s grit and togetherness, and in the continued dominance of Trayce Jackson-Davis.

After the game, our crew broke it all down on The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show.

On the mics: Jerod, Andy, Ryan, and Coach

Among the topics discussed:

— Trayce’s fantastic performance on both ends
— The critical impact of Jordan Geronimo in both halves
— Why this was a strong performance from X despite lower scoring output.
— Why did Parker Stewart play 37 minutes? (There are two very good reasons.)
— Can Indiana get Race and Trey back on track?
— Why this was one of the best-coached games of the season.

We also point out a few meaningful moments you may have missed, go inside the numbers, and hand out our game balls. All of that, and more, on this edition of The Assembly Call.

(Music provided by Bob Thompson — die-hard Hoosier fan and longtime Assembly Call listener.)

Listen to the podcast here:

Or watch the video:

[Read more…] about IU-Wyoming First Four Postgame Show: The Trayce and Jordan Show

On Tuesday afternoon, Cody Tucker from 7220Sports.com was kind enough to give us about 25 minutes of his time talking about the Wyoming Cowboys team that Indiana will face in the First Four tonight.

We cover:

• The broader context of Wyoming hoops, and why they are “ahead of schedule” under their second-year coach
• The vibe around the team, which started strong but struggled late in the season
• Their unique style of offense and the challenges it poses to defenses
• What teams have done to cause problems for Wyoming’s offense
• How Cody anticipates Wyoming will try to defend Indiana’s emergent pick-and-roll game
• Who the X-factors are for Wyoming
• The game-to-game fear that both Indiana fans and Wyoming fans seem to share

And then, right before we’re about to sign off, Cody tosses in a hilarious Bob Knight story for good measure.

It’s a great chat, and we really appreciate Cody taking the time to share his insight with us, especially with such a hectic recent travel schedule.

Listen to the podcast here:

Or watch the video:

[Read more…] about Get to Know Wyoming with Cody Tucker of 7220Sports