About to watch the Illinois-Minny game from the other night… Hopefully I can congeal some thoughts for a “5 Things…” breakdown before game time.

Also looking forward to this one because my pops is coming over to watch with me. Believe it or not, being on this blog and listening to all the stories of family and reminiscing from all of you has me made me really, really appreciate these opportunities to share a game with him.

Enjoy the game with your Dad, Geoff. Being deployed, even if it’s only to Central America, really makes one realize how much they take family time for granted when they’re home.

I’m just happy the game is on AFN TV today, so I don’t have to watch it on BTN2Go with and iPad and sketchy bandwidth. Even found a fellow Hoosier to cheer with down here. Things are looking up!

I’m sure you’ll find that the Scoop’s bold assessment above to be true. Minn looks darn good, but so do our Hoosiers.

Zona already fell this week, and Kansas needed a near-miracle banked three at the buzzer to force OT against unranked Iowa State. Mich faces a very tough OSU squad on the road, and (short-handed) Duke has probably their toughest remaining road game of theIr season against NC State today. If we’re able to hold off this very good MN team, we could ascend back up the rankings as high as #2. Thoughts, anyone?

The Scoop Talk failed to mention the one difference-maker that propels this team into the victory column against the same types of teams(e.g. athletic, long guards, tough as nails teams, VCU)that gave us fits last year.

Yogi Ferrell

Zing. Pop…. Zing….Slash…Pop. Pop. Zigzag…Zing…Pop. Zing-a-zing….zag-zong…slash..zing-a-zing…Pop. Repeat.

That’s the sound of Yogi’s game..The ‘Pops’ are the open looks ….and now, the Swoosh.

Hoosiers 84
Gophers 76

Note: Remy’s big athletic body is a nice compliment to the Yogi Zing and Pop game.

Geoff- Enjoy the game. Enjoy the pops.

Great points Punjab, and thanks for your service!

Unfortunately my DVR only recorded the first 15 minutes of that game… well, not even… It recorded for 15 minutes, so I didn’t even see much at all. Oh well, I haven’t seen them this year, and despite what some of you think I never base anything off stats first.

3 things that stand out to me though:

1) this team is very balanced, much like the Hoosiers. The starters all average double figures, and any of them could go off for 25… I wouldn’t have said that about Coleman, but then he went and dropped 27 on Illinois. However, they dont have quite the quality depth… Welch and Ahanmisi both have experience, but neither seem to be contributing much in any statistical measure. It will be interesting to see what kind of minutes the bench gets since that’s where most of their size resides.
Which brings me to my next thought…

2) we match up just fine size wise. This means we should be able to stick with man defense, which has definitely, unequivocally, and unquestionably been better for us than zone this year. Considering Minnesota is the #1 offensive rebounding team in the country, and we were terrible rebounding out of our zone against PSU this gives me a little more comfort. I am a little shocked that they are such a good offensive rebounding team considering they start 3 guards 6’4″ or shorter and 2 forwards both 6’8″. Which brings me to my third point…

3) if there was ever a regular season game we need Cody to play like THE Wooden Award winner, today is that day. He should be able to dominate against their starters who are 4 inches shorter and an inexperienced and not-too-talented bench. He is clearly a mismatch today, and we need him to be a presence so they are forced to commit multiple bodies to him opening up opportunities for our shooters and slashers.

Sorry if I poached off any of the things in the video, but I didn’t have a chance to listen to Dustin and Jeremy…

Go Hoosiers!

Actually, those weren’t the sounds of Yogi’s game.

That was actually ‘Sounds from the Sofa‘ by Geoff’s pop(suffering from a rather bad case of flatulence the result of a 5-day old lobster chili Geoff took a gamble on serving for lunch).

Dose this not look delicious?

oops. Try this one.

Yogi Ferrell

Zing. Pop…. Zing….Slash…Pop. Pop. Zigzag…Zing…Pop. Zing-a-zing….zag-zong…slash..zing-a-zing…Pop. Repeat.

I knew the cupcake schedule would hurt us. We just look damn soft. …And I think Watford is ready to get permanently used to the bench. That ship has sailed. And Jordy…? Poor, poor kid. That 0-10 game got so into his head, I’m beginning to wonder if he’ll ever hit another triple.

Cody? Is it just me, or does he look a couple inches shorter than when the season started?

Zing. Pop…. Zing….Slash…Pop. Pop. Zigzag…Zing…Pop. Zing-a-zing….zag-zong…slash..zing-a-zing…Pop. LOBSTER CHILI!!

· Yogi Ferrell played like a veteran: Saturday’s performance might have been Ferrell’s best of the season. Offensively, he was effective going to the basket with both hands and finished with 13 points, just one short of his season-high of 14 against Georgetown. After having a shot erased at the rim by Trevor Mbakwe less than three minutes in, Ferrell didn’t get discouraged. He kept attacking and finished the first half with three layups which is impressive when you consider the size he was giving up to the Minnesota front line. He was also the facilitator on three of Indiana’s seven first half 3-pointers and assisted on seven of IU’s 21 first half field goals. Ferrell logged a team-high 37 minutes, which also happened to be a career-high. Courtesy: Inside the Hall

Harvard called it again..No kudos from Scoop, of course, but it’s pretty obvious where and how we now counter the VCU’s and Minny’s of the college basketball world..Everyone in the Establishment gets so teary-eyed over their poor wittle favored Hoosier from Maryland that’s getting dissed from POY discussions..What a wonderful distraction as they continue to play the dumb card in truly acknowledging it’s the 3-A point guard, via the private school stereotyped for the “soft” rich kids in Indy, that is going to provide the long absent element in the backcourt that propels this Hoosier team to a potential championship.

Jeremy was correct in jumping on the bandwagon with Harvard…Born of the corn…It’s Yogi that will grow into his natural role of running this team from the point guard position. A Hoosier point guard, the product of Hoosier savvy and Hoosier coaching, providing the last piece the puzzle, the most essential piece since our dominant force in the middle pushed the “Movement” dominoes to fall, catapulting the Hoosiers all the way to the biggest stage.

Big 10 Freshman of the Year…Yogi Ferrell.

Harvard,
Yogi looked great. No doubt about it. He’s a difference maker.

There’s something about pint guards, though. They look especially good if they are on a team loaded with offensive weapons.

If Yogi was on the Hoosier team of three or four years ago they still wouldn’t be a championship team.

Yogi is great but he’s only as great as the players around him.

“point” not “pint” although I kinda like that term for Yogi.

Let’s review…

What does Yogi bring to the Hoosiers?

Ferrell….? Sounds like..?

And previous to Yogi? With only Hulls running the show against the Minnys and the VCUs…?

Any questions, Establishment?