The Assembly Call

IU Basketball Podcast and Postgame Show

IU basketball podcast and postgame show

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IU-Purdue Postgame Show: A New Nadir for the Archie Miller Era

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On Thursday night, Indiana dropped its eighth straight game to Purdue. Archie Miller is now 0-6 against the Boilermakers. While this loss only counts as one in the record books, it casts a dark pall over Year 4 of the ever-scuffling Archie Miller era.

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

On the mics: Andy, Ryan, and Coach

Among the topics discussed:

— The many reasons why another loss like this is totally unacceptable
— What Matt Painter did to expose Indiana’s recurring weaknesses
— The macro flaws in Archie’s basketball philosophy
— The few positives to be taken from Race and Armaan’s consistent fight
— Trayce got his numbers, but his defense left Indiana exposed on the perimeter
— Where does Indiana go from here?

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:

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IU-Nebraska Postgame Show: Hoosiers Claw Back to Even in Big Ten Play

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On Sunday evening, Indiana jumped out to a big lead on Nebraska, gave it all back in the second half, but then recovered down the stretch to earn an 8-point victory. The win got Indiana back to even in conference play after six games. After the game, our crew broke it all down on The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show.

On the mics: Andy, Coach, and IUArtifacts

Among the topics discussed:

— The key play by Jerome Hunter that helped Indiana avert disaster
— Another strong night by Al and Rob
— What did Nebraska do to slow Trayce down?
— Big plays by Anthony Leal and Trey Galloway

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:

IFRAME

Or watch the video:

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IU-Wisconsin Postgame Show: Execution in OT Costs Indiana Elusive Kohl Center Win

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On Thursday night, Indiana delivered its best-ever performance at the Kohl Center, but unfortunately still came up short of a win. Wisconsin had the best guard on the court, and it proved to be the difference. After the game, our crew broke it all down on The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show.

On the mics: Coach, Ryan, and Jerod

Among the topics discussed:

— Why this was such a missed opportunity for Indiana
— The atrocious officiating — which didn’t cost Indiana the game, but certainly increased the degree of difficulty
— What Trayce Jackson-Davis did so well tonight, but where we fell short in overtime
— Al and Rob continued their string of better play, but it just wasn’t enough in this one
— The essential contributions from Jerome Hunter and Anthony Leal off the bench
— Plus a long, long after-show segment that twists and turns into a variety of different subjects.

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:

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Hoosier Time Capsule: December 5, 1998

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This IU basketball series will focus on a specific date in Hoosier hardwood history. In addition to game notes, important facts, and highlighted pieces of IU memorabilia, there will also be a focus on pop culture facts (music, movies, TV), other sporting highlights, as well as U.S. and world events. Inspiration for this series comes from the “Random Box Score” series from soxmachine.com.

The Game:

My ticket stub from the game.

#16 Indiana (7-1) vs #10 Temple (4-2), December 5, 1998. Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana. Nationally televised on ESPN.

Pop Culture and Major Events

If you were tuned in to the FM dial, chances are you wouldn’t be able to miss hearing “I’m Your Angel,” a collaboration by R. Kelly and Celine Dion, which stood atop the Billboard music chart for six straight weeks. Moviegoers could take in the recently released re-make of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic “Psycho,” “A Bug’s Life,” and the Will Smith action thriller, “Enemy of the State.”

Gamers would be enjoying the recent release of Star Wars: Rogue Squadron for Nintendo 64.

For a sampling of TV commercials from January of 1993 click here.

Americans would be watching developments in the accusations of “high crimes and misdemeanors” against President Bill Clinton, as preparations for impeachment were in motion. Clinton would become the third president in American history to be impeached later that month.

Outlook

The #16th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers entered the game seeking to upend their first top-ten opponent of the season. Come-from-behind wins had been the theme thus far for a Hoosier squad that had to claw back three previous times for victories.

Question marks hovered over this Hoosier squad entering the season as a concern over front-court play would lead to Coach Bob Knight implementing more three-guard rotations. At the conclusion of the prior season, Indiana lost a huge bulk of their frontcourt — Andrae Patterson, Charlie Miller, and Richard Mandeville — to graduation, plus the transfer of 7-foot center Jason Collier, who transferred to Georgia Tech.

Indiana’s success for 1998-99 would largely depend on the backcourt play of guards A.J. Guyton and Luke Recker, the top two scorers for the Hoosiers during the 1997-98 season.

Temple had gotten off to a quick 4-0 start to their season, including an upset victory over eventual Big Ten champion Michigan State. However, three straight losses had left the Owls reeling heading in to the matchup in Bloomington. Temple’s main outside shooting threat, Lynn Greer, was unavailable due to having surgery on a fractured bone under his eye.

This was the third ever matchup between the two programs. In their previous meeting, Temple defeated Indiana 59-53 on November 14, 1997. An obvious storyline heading in to the 1998 matchup was two high-profile coaches at the helm of each program: Bob Knight and John Chaney. Knight was coaching in his 999th career game.

The Starters for Indiana:

Luke Recker (So.), A.J. Guyton (Jr.), Dane Fife (Fr.), William Gladness (Sr.), Jarrad Odle (Fr.)

The Starters for Temple:

Pepe Sanchez (Jr.), Quincy Wadley (Jr.), Rasheed Brokenborough (Sr.), Mark Karcher (So.), Lamont Barnes (Jr.)

The Game:

To no one’s surprise, Temple implemented their zone defense in an effort to force the Hoosiers to play outside and shoot jumpers. It definitely seemed to be working, as clutch shooter A.J. Guyton couldn’t seem to buy a bucket for much of the first half. By halftime, with momentum going back and forth throughout the first 20 minutes, the Hoosiers clung to a one-point advantage, 30-29.

Temple came out more aggressive from the get go in the second half and stretch a lead to 52-43 with less than eight minutes remaining in the game. The large deficit was the fourth of the season for the Hoosiers, who also found themselves down big against Indiana State, Kansas State, and Notre Dame before coming from behind to win. With key three pointers from Luke Recker and A.J. Guyton tying the game at 58, Indiana looked to gain another come-from-behind victory.

With under 30 seconds remaining, and the game tied 60-60, Temple dumped it down low to Lamont Barnes, who converted a bucket to give Temple the lead 62-60. While nearly everyone inside Assembly Hall including Coach Bob Knight was screaming for a double-dribble violation against Barnes, the basket counted and Indiana found themselves down two with 18 seconds remaining and an Indiana timeout being called.

Knight put a four-guard lineup on the floor (Luke Recker, A.J. Guyton, Dane Fife, and Luke Jiminez) to give IU plenty of shooting options in hopes of tying the ball game or hitting a three for the win. With under 10 seconds remaining, Guyton had the ball behind the arc. Following a fake pass to Luke Recker in the left corner, Guyton drained a three-pointer with six seconds remaining. Temple was unable to convert in the the final seconds and Indiana emerged victorious over the 10th-ranked Owls, 63-62.

The Hoosiers were led by Luke Recker with 15 points, and Kirk Haston, who finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. Lamont Barnes led Temple with 16 points while Rasheed Brokenborough added in 15 points in the loss.

Click here for the full game video.

Reaction:

Temple coach John Chaney on the final sequence: “I don’t second-guess myself,” Chaney said. “We forced them to try to get a shot outside, and they got a good look on a swing pass. We really wanted them to do exactly what they did, and they hit a good shot.”

Indiana coach Bob Knight regarding the decision to go for the win in the final seconds of the game: “I would not bet on getting two against Temple,” he said. “They’re just too tough inside. We had our four best shooters in there.”

A.J. Guyton’s game-winning three pointer to lift Indiana over Temple, 63-62. Source: AP photo

Season Conclusion:

Indiana would enter Big Ten play with a solid 13-2 record. However, consistency would plague the Hoosiers throughout conference season. Michigan State would run away with the Big Ten title at 15-1, and Indiana would settle for a three-way tie for second place at 9-7.

The Hoosiers’ 22-10 overall record would earn them a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament. After taking out 11-seed George Washington, the Hoosiers would fall flat against 3-seed St. John’s, losing 86-61.

Following their loss to Indiana, the Owls would struggle with consistency in their remaining pre-conference games finishing at 6-6. Conference play would prove to be more rewarding for Temple as they would capture the Atlantic-10 title with a conference record of 13-3 (21-10 overall) and be rewarded with a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Temple’s NCAA Tournament run was one of the main storylines that year as the Owls came within one game of a Final Four appearance, losing in the regional final to Duke, 85-64.

Resources: sports-reference.com, Indy Star IU Basketball database, NewspaperArchive.

IU-Maryland Postgame Show: Hoosiers Take Care of Business With Strong Second Half

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On Monday night, Indiana overcome an awful first half performance on offense to dominate Maryland in the second half an earn a much-needed home victory. Race Thompson kept Indiana in the game in the first half, and then Trayce Jackson-Davis took over in the second half. After the game, our crew broke it all down on The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show.

On the mics: Andy, Ryan, and Coach

Among the topics discussed:

— The keys to Indiana’s second half offensive surge
— The importance of Race Thompson’s first half energy and production to keep Indiana in the game
— What the hell was that on offense in the first half?
— The up and down night for Indiana’s guards
— What to make of Jerome Hunter playing the 3
— Which freshmen played well, and which ones struggled

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:

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4 Interesting Takeaways From the Early-Season Lineup Data

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Image source: IUHoosiers.com

I treated myself to a new college hoops toy for Christmas: an account at Hoop Lens.

After spending some time clicking around and analyzing lineup data on the eight top-60 games Indiana has played in (record: 4-4), it seems there are a few things we’ve kinda/sorta* learned about this year’s Hoosiers.

* – The sample size is still pretty small, so everything in here should be viewed with that context.

1. Trayce Jackson-Davis’ impact on Indiana is massive

No duh, right?

Everyone knows that Trayce has the biggest impact on the Hoosiers’ overall play. But do you realize just how big the impact is?

In the 460 offensive possessions and 554 defensive possessions Trayce has played in, Indiana has outscored its high-major competition by 0.09 points per possession.

In the 112/117 possessions Indiana has played without Trayce, opponents have outscored Indiana by 0.33 points per possession.

That’s a massive swing of 0.42 points per possession. In other words, Trayce is the sun around which everything orbits this season and he needs to play as many minutes as he can reasonably handle.

2. Race and Armaan have been Indiana’s other two most impactful players … also by a lot

Here’s how the individual on/off data looks for all of Indiana’s players:

  • Trayce Jackson-Davis: On +0.09 / Off -0.33 | +0.42
  • Armaan Franklin: On +0.04 / Off -0.14 | +0.18
  • Race Thompson: On +0.05 / Off -0.11 | +0.16
  • Trey Galloway: On +0.03 / Off -0.02 | +0.05
  • Anthony Leal: On +0.04 / Off +0.01 | +0.03
  • Al Durham: On +0.01 / Off +0.1 | Same
  • Rob Phinisee: On +0.01 / Off +0.02 | -0.01
  • Jerome Hunter: On -0.18 / Off +0.10 | -0.28
  • Khristian Lander: On -0.23 / Off +0.06 | -0.29
  • Jordan Geronimo: On -0.43 / Off +0.04 | -0.47

A few observations from this data:

  • It’s clear who Indiana’s three best players have been this season. The eye test matches the data.
  • It’s really tough to win in the Big Ten when your senior and junior guards are providing a negligible impact.
  • Lander and Hunter are both being counted on to provide offensive punch on the bench, but it’s not happening. The lack of offensive output makes their defensive struggles untenable. (We knew Lander would struggle defensively. The question is: with more consistent minutes, could he find a better offensive rhythm to offset his defense struggles?)
  • Does Anthony Leal warrant a little more run? It’s a small sample size (53 possessions), but lineups with him in the game have at least treaded water, which is better than can be said for Hunter, Lander, and Geronimo.

3. Al and Rob playing together has been suboptimal so far this season

Based on the data above, you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that Indiana’s best four-man combination that has played significant time together has been Trayce, Race, Armaan, and Trey.

In their 122/124 possessions on the court, they are outscoring opponents by 0.25 points per possession. All other lineups are being outscored by 0.05.

But who is the best fifth man to pair with them?

So far, it’s been Rob Phinisee.

Indiana is dominating opponents by 0.52 points per possession with Rob, Armaan, Trey, Race, and Trayce playing together. It’s only 37/40 possessions, but it certainly blows away the alternatives.

In double the amount of possessions that Al has played with that group, Indiana’s offense has really struggled. Overall, the Hoosiers have only outscored opponents by 0.10 points per possession

Neither lineup has a huge sample size, so I wouldn’t read too much into the data, but the difference is pretty stark.

The lineup that Indiana ended last night’s game against Penn State with was Rob, Al, Armaan, Race, and Trayce. Here’s how that group looks in 117/115 possessions:

That group is only +0.07 … but it certainly came through when it mattered most!

The takeaway here, which shouldn’t be surprising given their early-season struggles, is that Indiana hasn’t been nearly as good with Al and Rob on the court together this season.

When Al and Rob play together, it means that one of Armaan or Trey is off the court and you lose something that no one else on the roster has been able to replace. When Armaan leaves, you lose your most consistent backcourt scorer. When Trey leaves, you lose your most consistent halfcourt playmaker. Both are also solid, willing defenders.

This is why Indiana has been better with Armaan and Trey on the court together:

That offense is nothing to get excited about, but they compensate with solid defense.

Perhaps the Penn State game will signal a turnaround for Al and Rob. But until we see more consistent production from the two of them, Indiana seems better off minimizing the impact of their inconsistency by only have one on the court at the same time alongside Armaan and Trey.

4. No, Indiana shouldn’t try to play small.

One idea I’ve seen suggested, and even considered myself, is the possibility of Indiana playing small. This would mean playing just one of Trayce or Race, then surrounding them with four guards/wings.

The thought would be that this would open the offense some. The risk, of course, is that you sacrifice a lot of defense.

The numbers back this up.

Here’s what it looks like when Indiana plays with Trayce but without Race:

And here’s what it looks like when Race plays without Trayce:

Yikes!

The problem with the “play small” theory with this particular team is that Indiana just doesn’t have enough guards/wings who are playing well enough offensively to offset the clear drop in defense. Plus, how would it affect Trayce’s offense without Race on the court to handle the most difficult defensive assignment in the post?

Until Jerome starts playing better, or both Al and Rob start producing consistently on offense, or Khristian Lander finally gets his sea legs, Indiana needs to play Trayce and Race as many minutes as they can handle.

***

What other takeaways do you have from this data? Or what questions do you have that I could dig into the data to answer?