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[415] AUA: Recruiting, Player Projection O/Us, and Most Underrated Players of Last 25 Years

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This week on Assembly Call Radio, we turn the show over to you. It’s our first Ask Us Anything episode and, as expected, you didn’t disappoint with your questions.

The show kicks off in Segment 1 (2:08) with commentary on Indiana’s remarkable resiliency and longevity as a program, plus how Archie Miller and his staff appear to be trying to make the 2019 recruiting class an “instant impact” group after focusing on getting a more foundational class for 2018.

In the back half of Segment 1, we cover recruiting, including the importance of Peach Jam and what we’re reading and hearing about DJ Carton’s impending decision.

Next, in Segment 2 (19:31), we venture over to Bart Torvik’s website (http://barttorvik.com/) to check out his player projections for the upcoming season. We go down the list and choose Over or Under Bart’s projected minutes, points, and rebounds for a handful of IU players. Then we talk about who will be vocal leader on this year’s team. One name is obvious, another may note be.

In Segment 3 (35:26) we dip into IU’s storied history and come up with five names who we think are underrated and under-appreciated from the last 25 years in IU basketball. Then we give our choices for moments we’d like to go back in time to attend, as well as our most emotional IU basketball moments.

Finally, in an abbreviated Segment 4 (51:18), Ryan discusses how we would handle an awkward hypothetical situation with Coach K, and we choose what we miss most about Bloomington — besides going to games.

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Hoosier Time Capsule: January 31, 1976

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This is a new IU basketball series that 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: Wisconsin (8-8 overall, 2-6 in Big Ten play) at Indiana (17-0 overall, 8-0 in Big Ten play), January 31, 1976. Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana

Pop Culture and Major Events

Top tunes on the chart for early 1976 included “Love Rollercoaster” by the Ohio Players, “Saturday Night” by the Bay City Rollers, and “I Write The Songs” by Barry Manilow.

Theater-goers enjoyed the latest Stanley Kubrick flick “Barry Lyndon,” as well as the Clint Eastwood western classic “The Outlaw Josey Wales”.

Notable U.S. headlines for January 1976 included a victory in the Iowa Caucus for future U.S. President, Jimmy Carter. Famed British crime novelist Agatha Christie would pass away at the age of 85. The Pittsburgh Steelers would be victorious in Super Bow X over the Dallas Cowboys, their second straight Super Bowl victory.

Outlook:

The Hoosiers of 1975-76. Photo: courtesy of Indiana University Archives.

Following a crushing loss to Kentucky in the 1975 NCAA Tournament, the Hoosiers entered the 1975-76 season with one goal in mind: a perfect season.

Even with the departures of seniors John Laskowski and Steve Green, a core group of roster talent led many to believe that a special season awaited. 

Coach Bob Knight prepared a challenge for his Hoosier squad right out of the gate: a face off against defending NCAA champion UCLA in the season opener. The Hoosiers would throttle the Bruins in St. Louis by 20 points and remained unscathed during the pre-conference season.

Indiana had gone an unprecedented 18-0 a season prior in conference play, and got off to a unblemished start during the 1976 Big Ten Conference season winning their first eight conference games. As a home game (the first of three straight) against Wisconsin loomed on January 31st, the Hoosiers were ranked #1 in the country and a perfect 17-0 overall. Still, Bob Knight would not let his Hoosier squad overlook any opponent, regardless of record.

Wisconsin, a team who had found itself in the middle or toward the bottom of the Big Ten standings in each of the last ten seasons, had come off a tough 8-18 overall season in 1974-75, finishing 8th in the conference. Entering the 1976 Big Ten conference season, questions remain as head coach John Powless looked over his young Badger squad. As Wisconsin prepared for a showdown in Bloomington, the Badgers were hoping to snap a six-game conference skid.

The Starters for Indiana:

Tom Abernethy (Sr.), Quinn Buckner (Sr.), Scott May (Sr.), Bobby Wilkerson (Sr.), Kent Benson (Jr.)

The Starters for Wisconsin:

Dale Koehler (Sr.), Brian Colbert (So.), James Smith (Fr.), Bob Johnson (So. ), Bill Pearson (So.)

The Game

Program from the 1976 Indiana-Wisconsin contest.

Indiana was the heavy favorite on a cold Saturday night as Wisconsin entered a raucous Assembly Hall for a Big Ten showdown.

Even though Indiana had not dominated conference opponents like a year earlier, the Hoosiers were taking care of business in conference play. However, the Hoosiers looked out of sync from the start, going a cold 0-5 from the field. A Scott May jumper put the Hoosiers on the board after more than three minutes. 

Despite Indiana’s misses from the field, Wisconsin had an even harder time shaking Indiana’s tough man-to-man defense for easy access to the basket. In fact, the Badgers would not score until after an astonishing 11 minutes. 

Once the Hoosiers’ shots began to fall, IU was off and running. Shots falling by 6’7″ guard Bobby Wilkerson and forward Tom Abernethy stretched Indiana’s lead to 14-4 against Wisconsin’s unique 1-3-1 defense.

Once it became fairly clear that the more dominant Hoosier squad would be able to take care of business, coach Bob Knight began going to his bench.  By halftime, with the Hoosiers on top 62-30, nine Hoosiers were in the stat book with points.

Indiana’s Kent Benson delivers a hook shot over Wisconsin defenders. Photo: courtesy of Indiana University Archives.

The second half would not be much better for Wisconsin as the Indiana lead began to balloon even larger. 

Indiana’s depth and talent simply over-powered the young Badgers. Indiana’s only real blemish would come in the second half, and not by a Hoosier player. 

Coach Knight would overwhelmingly disagree with a foul call against senior guard Quinn Buckner, and made his case … perhaps a little too overpoweringly. Knight was hit with two technical fouls (no ejection), but it did little to boost momentum for Wisconsin.

Indiana’s lead increased to an eye-opening 41 points, 80-39, with more than 13 minutes left in the game. At that point, Indiana starters would be pulled for good. It would be one of the few times during Big Ten play that all 13 Hoosiers would see floor time. In fact, only one Hoosier (Jim Crews) would not score during the Wisconsin game.

When it was all said and done, Indiana had put on a clinic, defeating over-powered Badgers, 114-61. Senior Scott May would lead four Hoosier double-figure scorers with 30, followed by 23 points from junior center Kent Benson.

The Indiana victory would clinch new records for the storied program: the 114 points scored would be a then Assembly Hall record, and Indiana’s 28th straight conference victory would be a new Big Ten conference record (breaking the record of 27 straight victories by the Ohio State teams from 1960-62).

Coaches’ Reaction

Bob Knight: “I think in some phases of play we were somewhat sporadic. I hope we can see a characteristic emerging where we are as tough as we can be defensively. I don’t think we have been until the last three games.”

John Powless: “They’re just awesome. We used kind of funny little defense there at the start and thought we were giving them some trouble with it. They don’t score for three minutes; and they only have 12 after six minutes.”

Season Conclusion

The conclusion of Indiana’s 1975-76 is one that has been stated countless times but is worth repeating. 

Despite close calls in conference play, including an overtime thriller against Michigan and two close games against in-state rival Purdue, Indiana entered the NCAA Tournament a perfect 27-0. Their two consecutive undefeated conference seasons remain a Big Ten record. 

In post-season play, Indiana would find itself Philadelphia facing a familiar foe in the title game: Michigan.  Indiana’s third contest against the Wolverines proved to be the most lop-sided, as Indiana would run away with a 86-68 victory, Indiana’s third NCAA title and a perfect season at 32-0.

Following the blowout loss at Indiana, Wisconsin’s season would not be much brighter. 

The defeat would be their seventh straight in conference play, and the Badgers would go on to lose 14-straight Big Ten games before final snapping the streak with a victory against Ohio State.  Wisconsin would win their final game of the season against Michigan State, finishing 10-16 overall, 4-14 in conference play (9th place).

Following a second-straight losing season, John Powless would be let go as head coach.  An interesting note: John Powless, who replaced John Erickson (Powless was an assistant under Erickson) as Wisconsin head coach, was hired after Bob Knight, the then head coach at Army, declined the Badger head coaching job offer.

Resources: sports-reference.com, Indy Star IU Basketball database, Bloomington Herald Times, Wisconsin basketball media guide.

[414] Can Al Durham Outperform Expectations Again as a Sophomore?

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This week on Assembly Call Radio, we continue our offseason player analysis by discussing Al Durham.

Al burst onto the scene early in his freshman season, displaying a refreshing care for the basketball for a program that had been struggling with turnovers. He also shot it well from deep, proved adept at drawing contact, and played solid defense. But as the competition ratcheted up, Al’s minutes and overall impact declined.

So, what is in store for Al as a sophomore?

Minutes seem there to be had with only four true ball-handlers on the roster. Can Al equal or exceed the minutes he played as a freshman? In Segments 2 and 3, we discuss what Al needs to improve on to be a key piece of Indiana’s improved rotation, as well as what the numbers say were his biggest strengths and weaknesses.

Then Jerod reveals his outside-the-box comparison for Al, which is met with … well … just listen.

In Segment 1, we discuss the big schedule news that came out this week — including why the UC Davis game may be just as important as the Arkansas game, and how the non-conference schedule is shaping up overall. (In a word: nicely!)

And in our opening statements we touch on:

• A few more small but positive signs that Indiana is in good position with Trayce Jackson-Davis and Keion Brooks
• Why Evan Fitzner’s arrival made a splash on social media
• What it means for Thomas Bryant that he’s no longer a Laker and has become a Wizard

Finally, in the Segment 4 Q&A, we riff on the following questions:

• Could an all-IU NBA team compete for a playoff spot in the NBA’s Eastern Conference?
• What 1-2 Big Ten players would we add to create a “super team” at IU?
• Who would win a Hoosier Hysteria scrimmage: the new guys or the veterans?
• Does Indiana have what it takes to make an Elite 8 or even Final 4 run?
• Should players stay in school or leave early if the G League is their likely destination?

All of that and more on this week’s edition of Assembly Call Radio — with Jerod, Ryan, and Andy on hand.

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[413] What Will Zach McRoberts’ Role Be With More Young Talent on the Roster?

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This week on The Assembly Call, we continue our offseason player breakdown series by looking at Zach McRoberts.

Each of the last two seasons, Zach has played a larger role than anyone imagined entering the season. With Indiana’s influx of young talent, will he maintain his prominent spot in Indiana’s rotation this year?

We trace Zach’s unique career, discuss what made him such an unexpected key figure for two different IU coaches who value different things in players, and then dive deep in analyzing his strengths and weaknesses to assess where he has the most room for growth as a senior.

Prior to that conversation, we deliver the results of last week’s fun IU draft. “Trash Talk” Tonsoni fared pretty in the fan vote, as he predicted. Andy, fresh off vacation, took on the challenge of coming up with a team of the “leftovers” from last week’s discussion. Find out who he picked.

We also answer these questions:

• If we could add one player to IU’s roster for this season from the roster of a Big Ten rival who is not expected to be on Inside the Hall’s upcoming Top 25 Players in the Big Ten list, who would it be?
• How much “Crean” will we still see in this year’s team?
• Who are our early favorites for the the Hoosier Hysteria dunk content and 3-point contest?

This week’s episode of The Assembly Call is hosted by Jerod, Andy, and Coach Tonsoni.

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[412] Which Current Hoosiers Will Play in the NBA?

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This week’s edition of Assembly Call Radio was recorded while the NBA draft was going on, so we decided to make it our own little IU-themed draft party.

First, we discuss which players on the current roster will someday play in the NBA. Romeo is a lock, Juwan seems probable, but who else? We break down the NBA chances of guys like Justin Smith, Jerome Hunter, Jake Forrester, Damezi Anderson, and more (including Clifton Moore).

Then, we have a little offseason fun.

It’s our own IU basketball draft, in which each of us pick a 7-man roster plus a coach from the last 12 years of IU basketball. We draft live, snake-style, then debate our rosters before turning it over to you to tell us whose team is best. Send us a tweet and let us know.

Here are the final rosters, for reference …

Ryan:

• Starters: Jordan Hulls, Victor Oladipo, Troy Williams, Juwan Morgan, Thomas Bryant
• Bench: Noah Vonleh, Jerome Hunter
• Coach: Tom Crean

Coach Tonsoni:

• Starters: Eric Gordon, Romeo Langford, Will Sheehey, Christian Watford, Cody Zeller
• Bench: Robert Johnson, Robert Phinisee
• Coach: Dan Dakich

Jerod:

• Starters: Yogi Ferrell, James Blackmon Jr., Zach McRobers, OG Anunoby, DJ White
• Bench: Max Bielfeldt, Nick Zeisloft
• Coach: Archie Miller

Which roster do you think would have the best chance at winning a national title?

Then it’s Q&A time. We answer questions about:

• What do we think of the Crossroads Classic?
• Why isn’t Al Durham getting any love as a potential answer at the point guard slot?
• Is Indiana being underrated in the way-too-early preseason polls, or rated about right?

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

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[411] The Best/Worst IU Draft Picks of The Last 30 Years

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This week on Assembly Call Radio, we hit a couple of headlines and then dive into an IU history topic that is perfect for a slow news week with the NBA draft fast approaching.

We open by discussing the freshmen arriving on campus, and why it’s important that IU made a big deal about on social media.

We also talk about D.J. Carton, who set his official visit date, and why he is such an important recruit for Indiana in 2019. Ryan provides a short scouting report.

Then we dive into Indiana’s less-than-impressive draft history over the last 30 years. We discuss what it means that Indiana has had such a dearth of quality draft picks, as contrasted with their much more impressive draft history from prior decades.

We assess every player who has been drafted since 1987 and rank them from least valuable to most valuable. The top two names on the list probably won’t surprise you, but the placement of some other names might.

Finally, we take your questions:

• What team stat do we think will improve the most from the beginning of the season to the end?
• Is there any chance Romeo stays for more than one year?
• Would we rather have a supreme one-and-done talent or a solid four-year player?

All of that on this week’s edition of Assembly Call Radio, hosted by Jerod Morris and Ryan Phillips.

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