Rex Hudler

My God, this game is freaking horrible!! They can't go more than 30 seconds without blowing the whistle for something. Neither team can get ANY kind of rhythm which is making the game sloppy as hell. If the referees would just let them play, everything would take care of itself. I can't remember both teams getting so consistently screwed with BS calls in one game.

IU recruit Eli Holman played his first game in two seasons Thursday night, and just missed a triple-double in helping to lead Richmond to a 79-74 victory over Encinal. Holman had 27 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocked shots. Not bad for his first game in a year and a half.

I thought last night's episode was just okay. I am trying to remember though, was Andy even in it?

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Feb 1, 2007 -> 11:09 PM) The thing that gets me is that, IMO, half the kids rushing the floor are doing it with wrong intentions, ie wanting to get on TV, wanting to get on the floor so they can tell their douchebag friends later that night that they stood within five feet of Dominic James or whoever the player may be. Sure, there's a good portion of the kids who are doing it because they're pumped over a big 'W', but there's also a good portion just doing it as part of a.)groupthink, b.)because they're drunk, c.)because they want to get on TV and act like an idiot. Also, someone needs to tell me how RPI works. Wisconsin and Duke -- arguably the two best opponents Marquette has played this season (well, Pitt is probably better than Duke) -- just lost on back to back nights. How much will that hurt the ole RPI? There may have been a tweak or two to the formula that I am not familiar with, but the basics of RPI are as follows. The formula consists of three parts. Your record. The record of your opponents and lastly the record of your opponents opponents. That's why the schedule you play is important. The teams on the schedule of the teams you play will have an effect on how highly you are rated.

Michigan lands two football commits today. The big one is Donovan Warren a 5-star CB from CA long thought to be in the hip pocket of USC. The bigger one (at least in terms of size) is 6-4 320lb DT Renaldo Sagesse from Canada. Sagesse was a former Illinois verbal, but recently reconsidered when Michigan came calling.

Gordon has been so good tonight, I truly have been glad to see him miss some shots just so I can believe he is really human. Tonight has been phenomenal. On a side note, I thought Aboz' buddy Doug Gottleib was spot on in his comments on Gordon and his recruiting. He said he had no problem with the fact Gordon decided to go to IU. He said it was understandable and no one should have a problem with the decision he made. He did say, however, that Gordon and his family showed a lack of maturity in not communicating more openly with Illinois. He said that Gordon did a very mature thing in making his own decision and having a press conference to announce his commitment to Illinois. He should have been equally as mature in how he handled his change of heart. I'm paraphrasing, of course but I think I got the general gist of his point. And I completely agree with him on this.

Most of you guys aren't old enough to remember it, but the real fun was when fans flooded the court with rolls of toilet paper after the home team scored their first basket of the game. Of course, that practice didn't last very long, but it was a pretty cool sight when done right. Signed, Old Codger

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ Feb 1, 2007 -> 07:01 PM) Obviously agree. 25 beating a 2 at home? What was the line in that game even? I chuckled when i saw kids rushing the floor. Rushing out from under those banners...yeah, act like you've done it before and show you expected to win that game. Huge, ridiculous wins should be the only that people rush the floor for. Let me backtrack and state that I don't disagree at all with Aboz reasoning. If rushing the court is an acceptable thing, then I can see why it happened last night. My point is simply, rushing the court should not happen. It has become a "thing to do" these days rather than something done after a truly special event.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Feb 1, 2007 -> 01:03 PM) Because people close to him and the program keep saying there is a good chance he will stay based on how much he likes playing for Matta and how much he likes college, apparently his friendship with Conley is also a factor. But hey, what do THEY know? While I am not saying he will go for sure, I think Badger's point is that even if Oden himself genuinely thinks he will stay right now, that will change once decision time comes around. Once the college season is over and it gets down to making decisions based more on logic than emotion, he will decide he is stupid to pass up the opportunity in front of him. I think that is where Badger was going with this. So what THEY know, doesn't really matter right now. What he and his family decide in April is what will truly matters. And for the record, despite being an avid IU fan, I am all for him staying. I love college basketball and would love to see these guys stick around for awhile. Hell, I'd have no problem seeing Oden play as a senior at OSU, but it won't happen.

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Feb 1, 2007 -> 12:33 PM) I agree that the risk for Oden is not that high. But some of the guys you mentioned did severely impact how much money they were paid. McGahee went from potentially top 10 pick, to late first round. Cromartie left the first year he was eligible, had he stayed this year and then left this draft he most likely would have been one of the top cb's on the board. A guy like Lee Evans is the best comparison. He stayed after 2001 tore his ACL in 2002, therefore had to stay in 2003 as well, and then finally went to the draft. Its hard to project where he would have gone but his 2001 stats were significantly better than his 2003 and there was no injury history also. Its just very hard to leave 100mil (salary, bonus, endorsements) on the table for college basketball. All of this makes me long for the days when we saw players stay for four years. Or hell, at least three. I really wish college basketball/NBA had the same rule as college baseball (I believe football is also the same) where a player can't leave before he has been in school for three years. College basketball is great as it is, but think about how much fun it would be if these guys stayed in school I'm sure somebody could provide a nice list of players that would be juniors and seniors right now had they stayed or went to college.

QUOTE(aboz56 @ Feb 1, 2007 -> 12:15 PM) Oden is going pro, why does anyone actually think he's staying? If he blows out his knee he'll lose $100 mil easily, if not more. To come back would simply be one of the dumbest moves I can think of, regardless of how much he says he loves college. On another note, I've been reading some IU forums and it seems like a lot of the older fans are pissed that the students rushed the floor after beating Wisconsin. So I'd like to say my piece on this. First off, we're talking about 18-22 year old kids, most of whom have had to watch IU play like crap for the last six years under Mike Davis. To say that we shouldn't rush the court and that we should act like we've been there before is ridiculous. Maybe the alums and the older folks have been there before, these students have not. For them, this is by far the biggest win IU has had in their time at the university. That alone to me is justification to rush the floor. They are college kids, having fun, experiencing something they will never forget. Then you factor in that Wisconsin is the #2 team in the country and had a 17 game winning streak and that just adds more incentive to rush the floor. As much as I love IU, some of the older Knight apologists just don't get it. Being in college is about having fun, it's a once in the lifetime experience. Who are these jackasses to critique what college students can and cannot do at a basketball game? I think what happened last night is perfectly acceptable given the circumstances and some of the "old guard" IU fans need to realize what the program has been through the last couple of years and people are excited to see it climb once again. In no way does rushing the floor "cheapen" the win. Also, to Doug Gottlieb, maybe the biggest f***ing tool on ESPN. This son of a b**** got kicked out of Notre Dame for stealing credit cards and was basically a nobody for Oklahoma State. He has the gall to get on ESPN last night and say that IU fans rushing the floor was the most atrocious thing he has seen in years. No Doug, the most atrocious thing I've seen is ESPN giving your worthless ass a job. Get a life, you f***ing jag. I guess you'll have to count me as one of the "old guard" because I disagree. My personal feeling is that rushing the court is stupid PERIOD. The court should not be rushed after a big win. It should not be rushed after winning a conference championship. MAYBE after a National Championship. Maybe it's just a new thing with 18-22 year old kids and I don't get it. But I have been to a lot of great games in my life, including when I was in college, and never once was rushing the floor even a thought. But hey, that's just me, Mr. Old Guard lol

Eric Gordon playing on ESPN right now agasint Loyola Academy from Illiois, which sports Michael Jordan's two sons. Gordon has 21 with just under six minutes left before halftime, FWIW. On a side note, IU recruit Eli Holman has been reinstated and will play tonight. An excerpt from the Rivals story: Sampson added:

Hey, how the hell did this become a HOUSE thread?? Consider yourselves slapped in the hand! I thought last night's Birmingham episode was solid. They didn't show a lot of great talent, but there were some interesting people. The one thing I liked is that with the exception of the last idiot/girl, none of the other ones that really sucked were actually from Birmingham. They could have paraded out a bunch of crappy and made Birmingham look bad, as is often done in the media. But overall, its hard to say how it was, because we probably only saw 6-8 of the 20 that got the golden ticket. I really wish they would show more of the good singers and allow the fans to get to know them a bit before they start to vote on them. Last year there were a couple of the final 24 that didn't have any TV time before that point.

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Jan 30, 2007 -> 11:13 PM) True on Oden. But at the same time ESPN really likes Tucker and you think the tie breaker would be that Indiana is a top 25 team and most likely going to the NCAA tournament and it is at their arena. Much better chance for an upset/good game in the Wisconsin/Indiana match up than the OSU / Purdue. I mean it goes wihtout saying that the worst game is UNC-Miami, but lord knows that we couldnt go a night with out the shining light that is ACC basketball. Aren't the games chosen earlier in the year? I don't think (and I could be wrong) ESPN would simply change the games once they have been announced. I have known this game would be on ESPN+ since the beginning of the season. While this is a good matchup, I'm sure early in the year, OSU @ Purdue was equally alluring, especially with the pre-season hype of Oden. ESPN contracts with conferences for games, so the UNC-Miami game has nothing to do with IU-Wisky. Like it or not, college basketball contracts with conferences for games aren't fluid enough to change games around, like they do with football. I'll be at a bar watching tomorrow night, even if I am watching by myself. Go Hoosiers!!

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Jan 30, 2007 -> 02:31 PM) Starting to see some Indiana fans talking s*** about the Wisconsin game Weds and how they are going to destroy the Badgers. Should be very fun. What idiots are doing that?? Don't get me wrong, I would love for IU to kick the Badgers ass, but I am not about to predict it. I'll take a 5-point win (any less and it will be too damned nerve-wracking). In all reality, I just hope IU comes out and plays well as they have in recent home games and gives Wisky all they want. A win is certainly within the realm of possibility.

So if you were thinking of buying a laptop now, would you go ahead and do it and get one with Vista? Or would you wait for a bit? Or buy one with XP? (you can still do that, can't you?)

QUOTE(MarlinFan84 @ Jan 29, 2007 -> 11:14 AM) The Big 10 got demolished in last years tournament, and they didnt lose respect. That's exactly the point. The MVC is not the Big Ten. Therein lies the difference, i.e. term mid-major!

Lisa Lampanelli in the news I've never heard her, but it seems most everyone else has. No uproar coming at all. The difference between her and Michael Richards is this is her act. Richards just went off the deep end one night.

Dude, I have been an Evansville fan since I was a little kid. I know of what you speak. Evansville used to be where SIU is now or very close to it. It was always tough getting home games. The point remains, don't hate on the term mid-major. It's not a bad thing unless YOU perceive it to be.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jan 28, 2007 -> 06:19 PM) Anywho, I'm going to drop the argument, no need to continue it. The point is, Rex...I'm blaming you if IU doesn't come here next season. The point is, mid-major schools need to get rid of the little guy paranoia that thinks the term is always negative. It has to do with the situation/conference affiliation a team is in rather than how an indivual team compete's on the court. If Evansville were in the same situation, I would not argue any differently. Lastly, if IU bails from the SIU game next season, prepare any sig you want for the whole basketball season for me. It just isn't going to happen.

QUOTE(danman31 @ Jan 28, 2007 -> 06:09 PM) I don't think that's true. People don't consider Northwestern, Rutgers, or Baylor mid majors because they consistently suck. It's more of a conference affiliation which comes with more money and exposure which helps in the way of success. Thanks I think you explained it better than I did. Mid-major is not a negative term unless you have a chip on your own shoulder. Emrace it!

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jan 28, 2007 -> 05:49 PM) Rex, don't be surprised if they "weasel" there way out of that game. First off, like Zach said, the contract wasn't made when Sampson was there, 2nd, the contract was only made because of football considerations and third, no major conference schools ever, ever, ever come to Carbondale. I hope I'm wrong but I'm expecting IU to buy it out. Thanks for the mid major label too, I guess when you're one of 15 teams to make the NCAA tournament the last 5 years, you're a mid major. SIU is a mid-major, plain and simple. If you don't like the tem, that's your problem. But SIU doesn't have the budget nor the advantages the schools in the big conferences have. So whether they are a a top 20 team, a top 5 team or in 10th place in the Valley, they will be a mid-major. The term does not have anything to do with the quality of the team. Lastly, there is no way IU backs out of that game. There is no reason for them to.

Enough of this ludicrous talk about IU being afraid to go into SIU. They went into Kentucky this year, not to mention Duke and UConn. IU always plays a tough schedule, so to think they would weasel out of a game with a mid-major is a joke. The only game I know that IU ever backed out of was a scheduled game at Texas Tech right after Bobby Knight was named their Head Coach. That was more of a mutual agreement between the two schools, than IU backing out.

Hey palehose, can you explain a grayshirt to me? I've heard the term a lot lately and am not exactly sure how it works.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jan 28, 2007 -> 09:23 AM) Hopefully IU doesn't buy out of that game. As for Fay, from everything I've read he is the real deal, I haven't seen him play though. Why would IU buy out of it?