Jerod Morris

On Saturday afternoon, Indiana was outscored by 30 points on 3-pointers by Minnesota en route to a lifeless 21-point loss that didn’t even feel that close. After the game, our crew broke it all down on The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show.

On the mics: Jerod, Ryan, and Chad

Among the topics discussed:

— Why Race Thompson’s brief but productive appearance was the one bright spot on an otherwise gloomy afternoon.
— Who is to blame for Romeo only getting six shots?
— Where the game turned in the first half — and why it was indicative of a recurring Indiana problem.
— Why the 3-point discrepancy tells the story of this game, and not just because one team made shots and the other one didn’t.
— Archie’s postgame comment that at least offers some hope that something will change moving forward.
— Why Al Durham didn’t play well today, but at least showed the kind of fight in the face of adversity that you want to see.

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.

Listen to the podcast here:

Or watch the video:

[Read more…] about [485] IU-Minnesota Postgame Show: Indiana Comes Undone At 3-Point Line Yet Again

This week on Assembly Call Radio, we discuss the recent impact of De’Ron Davis, highlight some keys to beating Minnesota, and try to fix Indiana’s issues with poor starts and lackluster home crowds. And much more.

On the mics: Jerod, Andy, and Coach Tonsoni (and then #ChatMobber Megan for the post-show festivities!)

• [00:28] In Segment One, Jerod uses his Banner Moment to highlight De’Ron Davis’ remarkable run of assists over the last three games. Then the guys dive into Indiana’s keys for beating Minnesota on Saturday.

• [16:49] In Segment Two, the guys discuss Indiana’s poor starts to first halves and, since the calendar turned, to second halves as well. What can be done to fix this? We offer our ideas, and Coach shares some insight from his experience dealing with it on his own teams.

• [31:17] In Segment Three, we address the most common question from this week: what, if anything, can be done to address the lackluster atmospheres Indiana has had at home this season? It’s a complicated question with a multi-layered solution. We share some of our thoughts.

• [45:51] In Segment Four, we answer your questions: Who is our IU valentine? And why does it seem like Archie is getting outcoached so often during Big Ten play?

And then hang around after the final segment for a special AC After Dark guest appearance by Megan, who recounts her experience with Comfort Option … which eventually leads to some feisty Coach remarks that will almost assuredly come back to haunt him as sound drops in future episodes.

All of that and more on this week’s edition of Assembly Call Radio.

[Read more…] about [484] Talking Poor Starts, the Lackluster Home Atmosphere, and Keys to Beating Minnesota

In this week’s edition of Basketball 201, Ben and Jerod reflect on Indiana’s two-game losing streak to Iowa and Ohio State.

First, they review a couple of clips that show how Ohio State knew exactly what Indiana was going to do defensively and ran specific actions to exploit it. This led to a larger conversation about what it takes to succeed with a defense like the packline that requires intricate precision.

Then, they look at a couple of clips from the Iowa game that show how effective De’Ron is as a passer, and how his vision and subtle set of passing skills helped to create open looks for his teammates.

[Read more…] about Basketball 201: How OSU Exploited IU’s Defensive Strategy (Plus: De’Ron’s Passing)

On this week’s edition of Banner Monday, Jerod answers a flurry of mailbag questions and then Mike DeCourcy joins for his weekly segment talking IU and Big Ten hoops.

[Read more…] about [483] Banner Monday: Mailbag and Big Ten Roundup

On Sunday afternoon, Indiana fell short in a critical, close-to-must-win game against Ohio State. Slow starts to each half and sluggish offense throughout the doomed the Hoosiers to their fourth straight loss and ninth loss in ten games.

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

On the mics: Jerod, Ryan, and special guest host Chad Schwartzkopf

Among the topics discussed:

— The strong play off the bench by Indiana’s junior duo of Devonte Green and De’Ron Davis.
— The not-so-good day for Justin Smith.
— Why Juwan Morgan didn’t score well today, but still did a lot of good things for Indiana.
— Breaking down the rough days for Indiana’s young backcourt of Al Durham and Rob Phinisee.
— Did Archie makes some tactical mistakes down the stretch that hurt Indiana’s chances of winning?
— Another weird day for Romeo, who started and finished well but really drifted out of the game in the middle.

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.

Listen to the podcast here:

Or watch the video:

[Read more…] about [482] IU-Ohio State Postgame Show: Slow Starts, Sluggish Offense Doom IU to 4th Straight Home Loss