The Assembly Call IU Basketball Podcast

On this week's edition of Assembly Call Radio, we spend almost the entire episode discussing Archie Miller's first year in Bloomington, giving him grades in the following categories:-- On-court success-- Program culture-- Recruiting-- Staff Management-- Program ambassadorshipThen we also have a brief discussion about how De'Ron Davis will fit in next year.And we also provide details of our current offseason donation drive, which is more than halfway to its goal. If you want to contribute financial support to The Assembly Call, we have set up a few simple, secure donation options here: http://assemblycall.com/donate.

On this week's edition of Assembly Call Radio, we spend almost the entire episode discussing Archie Miller's first year in Bloomington, giving him grades in the following categories:-- On-court success-- Program culture-- Recruiting-- Staff Management-- Program ambassadorshipThen we also have a brief discussion about how De'Ron Davis will fit in next year.And we also provide details of our current offseason donation drive, which is more than halfway to its goal. If you want to contribute financial support to The Assembly Call, we have set up a few simple, secure donation options here: http://assemblycall.com/donate.

On Thursday night, the Hoosiers fell to Rutgers 76-69. Indiana started the game looking like they would run the Scarlet Knights out of Madison Square Garden, but the dominance quickly swung in the other direction. And the result was yet another devastating Big Ten Tournament loss for Indiana.Turnovers and bad shots, among many other things, led to a collapse in the first half that bled into the second half and proved to be impossible to recover from.Among the topics discussed:-- Why Indiana’s free throw shooting was just about the only positive from this dreadful night in New York-- Analyzing Archie’s questionable decisions during Rutgers’ big run at the end of the first half-- Why Juwan had a difficult time to getting into a rhythm on offense-- A macro look at Indiana’s season overall, and how the last three games change the perception of the four-game winning stream that preceded it-- Other general grievances about this game and the Big Ten Tournament 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.

On Thursday night, the Hoosiers fell to Rutgers 76-69. Indiana started the game looking like they would run the Scarlet Knights out of Madison Square Garden, but the dominance quickly swung in the other direction. And the result was yet another devastating Big Ten Tournament loss for Indiana.Turnovers and bad shots, among many other things, led to a collapse in the first half that bled into the second half and proved to be impossible to recover from.Among the topics discussed:-- Why Indiana’s free throw shooting was just about the only positive from this dreadful night in New York-- Analyzing Archie’s questionable decisions during Rutgers’ big run at the end of the first half-- Why Juwan had a difficult time to getting into a rhythm on offense-- A macro look at Indiana’s season overall, and how the last three games change the perception of the four-game winning stream that preceded it-- Other general grievances about this game and the Big Ten Tournament 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.

On Friday night, Indiana fell 80-78 to Ohio State on Senior Night as CJ Jackson etched his name forever into the most nightmarish section of IU lore. The day after the game, our crew broke it all down on The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show ... from the sublime home podcast studio of Galen Clavio (host of Crimson Cast), with special guests Galen, Zach McCrite, and The Coach, Brian Tonsoni.Among the topics discussed:-- Why Juwan Morgan's heroics weren't enough ... in part because of his own critical misses at the line.-- Robert Johnson's quintessential Robert Johnson performance in his final IU home game. (And reflections on his outstanding senior speech.)-- How Josh Newkirk helped to compensate for another poor performance from Devonte Green.-- Why Justin Smith took several more steps in his evolution into a budding Indiana star.-- The strong performance from Zach McRoberts, and how it hints at the kind of player he can be for Indiana as a senior.-- General reflections on this difficult but endlessly interesting season, some glances forward, and what Archie Miller's Senior Night introduction revealed about why Indiana's seniors were probably so quick to buy into his way of doing things. 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.

On Friday night, Indiana fell 80-78 to Ohio State on Senior Night as CJ Jackson etched his name forever into the most nightmarish section of IU lore. The day after the game, our crew broke it all down on The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show ... from the sublime home podcast studio of Galen Clavio (host of Crimson Cast), with special guests Galen, Zach McCrite, and The Coach, Brian Tonsoni.Among the topics discussed:-- Why Juwan Morgan's heroics weren't enough ... in part because of his own critical misses at the line.-- Robert Johnson's quintessential Robert Johnson performance in his final IU home game. (And reflections on his outstanding senior speech.)-- How Josh Newkirk helped to compensate for another poor performance from Devonte Green.-- Why Justin Smith took several more steps in his evolution into a budding Indiana star.-- The strong performance from Zach McRoberts, and how it hints at the kind of player he can be for Indiana as a senior.-- General reflections on this difficult but endlessly interesting season, some glances forward, and what Archie Miller's Senior Night introduction revealed about why Indiana's seniors were probably so quick to buy into his way of doing things. 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.

This week's edition of Assembly Call Radio is a little unorthodox. Instead of recording via our YouTube channel in separate locations, like we usually do, we recorded in-person at the studio of CBS Sports 1430 in Indianapolis. We're back home again in Indiana for the IU-Ohio State game on Friday -- so if you're in town, come see us at Nick's before the game, at the arena, or at The Tap afterwards.Andy couldn't make it for this week's show, but Kent Sterling filled in. We discussed the following topics: -- The continued evolution of Justin Smith-- What's at stake for Indiana on Friday night in terms of Big Ten Tournament seeding and matchups-- The three biggest questions that will determine how much success Indiana has the rest of the way-- A stark reminder of Indiana's current placement in the college basketball pecking order-- Our thoughts on what the standards for success at IU should be, and how we expect Archie Miller to live up to them moving forwardAnd more.

This week's edition of Assembly Call Radio is a little unorthodox. Instead of recording via our YouTube channel in separate locations, like we usually do, we recorded in-person at the studio of CBS Sports 1430 in Indianapolis. We're back home again in Indiana for the IU-Ohio State game on Friday -- so if you're in town, come see us at Nick's before the game, at the arena, or at The Tap afterwards.Andy couldn't make it for this week's show, but Kent Sterling filled in. We discussed the following topics: -- The continued evolution of Justin Smith-- What's at stake for Indiana on Friday night in terms of Big Ten Tournament seeding and matchups-- The three biggest questions that will determine how much success Indiana has the rest of the way-- A stark reminder of Indiana's current placement in the college basketball pecking order-- Our thoughts on what the standards for success at IU should be, and how we expect Archie Miller to live up to them moving forwardAnd more.

On Tuesday evening, Indiana fell well short in Lincoln on what was an off-night for most guys, especially the guards. The offense stalled, there was some foul trouble, and there were a LOT of turnovers. It was a night that seemed like a step back given the apparent progress made during IU's four-game winning streak, and it certainly is going to leave a sour taste in the mouths of the Hoosiers until Ohio State comes to town offering one final shot for a big home victory this season.Among the topics discussed on this edition of The Assembly IU Postgame Show:-- Why Justin Smith’s continued emergence was one of the few bright spots for Indiana.-- Okay, it feels like time to officially worry about Juwan Morgan’s workload (and maybe some bumps and bruises) catching up with him.-- Just how bad were the turnovers and rebounding? Bad. Real bad.-- Yet another disappointing performance by IU’s guards in a loss.-- Why this loss felt even worse than the final score indicated .Plus: details of our trip to Bloomington for Friday … hopefully we’ll see you there!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.

On Tuesday evening, Indiana fell well short in Lincoln on what was an off-night for most guys, especially the guards. The offense stalled, there was some foul trouble, and there were a LOT of turnovers. It was a night that seemed like a step back given the apparent progress made during IU's four-game winning streak, and it certainly is going to leave a sour taste in the mouths of the Hoosiers until Ohio State comes to town offering one final shot for a big home victory this season.Among the topics discussed on this edition of The Assembly IU Postgame Show:-- Why Justin Smith’s continued emergence was one of the few bright spots for Indiana.-- Okay, it feels like time to officially worry about Juwan Morgan’s workload (and maybe some bumps and bruises) catching up with him.-- Just how bad were the turnovers and rebounding? Bad. Real bad.-- Yet another disappointing performance by IU’s guards in a loss.-- Why this loss felt even worse than the final score indicated .Plus: details of our trip to Bloomington for Friday … hopefully we’ll see you there!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.

On Saturday afternoon, Indiana overcame a red hot shooting start from Iowa en route to an 84-82 win. Robert Johnson stole the show and put his name in the Indiana record books for his three-point shooting, Devonte Green continued to look comfortable and, perhaps most importantly, Indiana found a way to win despite an underwhelming performance from Juwan Morgan.Among the topics discussed:-- Why this was the best performance of Robert Johnson’s career, for the shooting (obviously) but also everything else-- What was up with Juwan Morgan? (And how Indiana was able to win anyway)-- Devonte Green’s impressive bounceback, as he continues to show signs of growth and maturity-- Why Justin Smith’s response to being dunked on is such a great sign for his future at IU -- The key stretches by Freddie McSwain and Collin Hartman that Indiana wouldn’t have won without-- Assessing the good from Archie Miller today and overall this season, as well as the bad 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.

On Saturday afternoon, Indiana overcame a red hot shooting start from Iowa en route to an 84-82 win. Robert Johnson stole the show and put his name in the Indiana record books for his three-point shooting, Devonte Green continued to look comfortable and, perhaps most importantly, Indiana found a way to win despite an underwhelming performance from Juwan Morgan.Among the topics discussed:-- Why this was the best performance of Robert Johnson’s career, for the shooting (obviously) but also everything else-- What was up with Juwan Morgan? (And how Indiana was able to win anyway)-- Devonte Green’s impressive bounceback, as he continues to show signs of growth and maturity-- Why Justin Smith’s response to being dunked on is such a great sign for his future at IU -- The key stretches by Freddie McSwain and Collin Hartman that Indiana wouldn’t have won without-- Assessing the good from Archie Miller today and overall this season, as well as the bad 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.

On this week's edition of Assembly Call Radio, we discuss:--An in-depth examination of the potential of Justin Smith and Al Durham, how their careers project moving, and what recent Indiana players are the best comps for each.--Some Big Ten Tournament talk … because some folks are starting to get optimistic about Indiana’s chances, so we figured we should indulge it while we can.--Then we end with a smattering of additional questions, including one about how much Indiana’s on-court growth this season may impact Romeo Langford’s upcoming decision, and another about our favorite IU dunks and dunkers of all time.--We also briefly touch on the explosive report from Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports about the ongoing FBI probe into college basketballAll of that and more on this week's edition.

On this week's edition of Assembly Call Radio, we discuss:--An in-depth examination of the potential of Justin Smith and Al Durham, how their careers project moving, and what recent Indiana players are the best comps for each.--Some Big Ten Tournament talk … because some folks are starting to get optimistic about Indiana’s chances, so we figured we should indulge it while we can.--Then we end with a smattering of additional questions, including one about how much Indiana’s on-court growth this season may impact Romeo Langford’s upcoming decision, and another about our favorite IU dunks and dunkers of all time.--We also briefly touch on the explosive report from Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports about the ongoing FBI probe into college basketballAll of that and more on this week's edition.

On Valentine's Day evening, Indiana outlasted Illinois 78-68, exacting revenge for the Illini's victory in Champaign. After the game, our crew broke it all down on The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show.Among the topics discussed:-- Why Juwan Morgan delivered the play of the game on defense, and may have delivered an overall performance that was unique in Indiana history.-- The encouraging performances of freshmen Justin Smith and Al Durham, who each showed increased confidence and an expanded offensive arsenal.-- Why Josh Newkirk's shooting resurgence couldn't have come at a better time.-- A quintessential Robert Johnson performance, with some memorably bad turnovers but plenty of positive productive to counter balance them. -- The struggles of Devonte Green in a game when his skill set was particularly important.-- Indiana's latest improvements in overall defensive efficiency, and what they say about the trajectory of Archie Miller's culture change in Bloomington. 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.