IU goes from hot to not real fast...

[hoosiergoody]

What's up with the guards.... ? Vaden is 2-8 (!!!) from the FT line so far tonight against Wisconsin. SIT HIS BUTT!!! Jeckel & Hyde team for sure!

Aarrrggghhh!!! :mad:

[PackerFanatic]

Wow, good to see UW get a big win like this, they needed it after the slump they were in. Hopefully they keep it up!

[Johnny93g]

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[lungs]

Go bucky!

[wheels]

I was at that game. Once Indiana lost Killingsworth, it was over. Actually, he had three fouls pretty early in the first half too. If he would have been on the floor more, it would have been much closer. He was eating up Wisconsin inside. It was weird, though, because he kept playing as if he had no fouls, very aggressively on both ends of the floor.

Tucker was outstanding for Wisconsin. Great ball handling and body control to get off shots. Wisconsin does need someone else to create shots. Many times they were just passing around the perimeter for 20-25 seconds (especially in the first half) and then threw up a prayer with a few seconds left on the clock. I don't think Wisconsin is going anywhere, but they're still young.

[Kodos]

I think Killingsworth is not as good as he appeared to be against Duke. He's always in foul trouble, and can't help on the bench. Wish D.J. White wasn't out for the season... :(

[Johnny93g]

I actually didnt expect IU to win, i hoped the would be competitive. If we couldnt win last year at Wisconsin (we were robbed), this year was too much to ask for.

With that said, i expect a strong finish for the Hoosiers. I like our remaining sced, i like that the big 10 tourny is in indy. Strong start and a strong finish to the season will be enough to land Darrel Arthur and keep Mike Davis where he is

[SFL Cat]

Knightless Hoosiers suck....which is just fine by this UK Wildcats fan!

yeah, yeah, yeah...Kentucky sucks this year too.

[hoosiergoody]

that is at least ONE good thing that happened this year (not just beating, but pummeling the ky wildcats)

[hoosierdude]

I actually didnt expect IU to win, i hoped the would be competitive. If we couldnt win last year at Wisconsin (we were robbed), this year was too much to ask for.

With that said, i expect a strong finish for the Hoosiers. I like our remaining sced, i like that the big 10 tourny is in indy. Strong start and a strong finish to the season will be enough to land Darrel Arthur and keep Mike Davis where he is
They might get Arthur, but, I am not so sure Davis is the coach to take the Hoosiers farther. Nothing I hate more than training a new head coach on the job, and suffering for it. :)

Team needs a wakeup call. Bad habits not being stopped, and Killingsworth should have been benched and told in no certain terms to stop the stupid fouls, that he is needed for the whole game. (His job is the paint right? Why was he getting fouls at the top of the key?)

Mike Davis will be a good coach one day, but, I don't want him to stay. His teams don't play hard from jump ball to buzzer, and they quit too much for my tastes.

He seems to be outcoached ingame every time, and he looks lost out there sometimes.

Someone had to replace Knight, but the experiment is hurting more than helping now. Time to bring in a proven coach.

[Kodos]

I agree. I've been in the give him some time camp, but now I think it is clear that he has to go.

[Wolfpack]

If they fire Mike Davis at Indiana, there will be at least one thread at Pack Pride on that day that says, "See?!!11 Indiana doesn't suffer loosers like Davis!!1 Fier Sendek!1 Get Pitino or Rick Barnes! They'll come!111" Stupid and irrational given that we're 18-4 and 8-2 in the ACC, but there it is.

[Karlifornia]

Wow you guys are tough to satisfy. I realize a losing season is close to inexcusable, but didn't he take you to a title game not too long ago? Bobby Knight wasn't doing to too hot by the team he left.

[Johnny93g]

Some IU "Fans" looks for fault in everything Davis does, and analyze every word out of his mouth. Some don't care about anything else other then seeing Davis lose, and getting fired. I dont like these kinds of fans. Mike Davis isnt as good a coach as Bobby Knight, but he isnt a bad coach either. He works hard, he recruits hard, and he is a good man. I would love nothing more then to see Coach Davis stay at IU for another 30 years, because i think he is getting better, and smarter. Now lets beat Iowa tommorow!!!!!!

[miami_fan]

It can never be a good thing when there are silent protests against the coach nor when the coach is ripping the fans.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=2327443

Indiana coach Mike Davis was so exhausted and drained by flu-like symptoms Saturday that he missed the Hoosiers' Big Ten home game against Iowa, the first time he's missed a game because of illness.

What really has Davis sick, though, is the undercurrent of negativity that has latched onto the program since he became coach in 2000 and now, he says, has begun to affect his players' on-court performance.

Speaking to ESPN.com hours after missing No. 21 Indiana's 70-67 loss to No. 19 Iowa, (he missed a game in the past due to suspension), Davis said he would not resign despite calls for his ouster by a segment of the fan base that reared its head Saturday in Bloomington, and that there are no plans for him to speak to Indiana athletics director Rick Greenspan about his future until season's end.

The particular portion of the fan base that irritates Davis is a group that wore black shirts to Saturday's game as a form of protest to his stewardship. With assistant Donnie Marsh coaching in Davis' place, the Hoosiers fell to 5-5 in the Big Ten (13-8 overall) while Iowa (8-3, 19-6) moved two games ahead of the Hoosiers in the loss column in the Big Ten race. There are five teams between the two in the standings.

"We were one game out of first and that's what happens?" Davis said of the faction of protestors. "You can say what you want to me, but that affects the guys.

"I watched [Saturday's] second half and you could see we were playing with no energy. It's really a shame. They have no idea what they've done to the players."

Prior to the Hoosiers' game at Wisconsin earlier in the week, Davis said, "You would have thought we were in last place, not one game out of first place," by the look on his players' faces.

Davis said the pall that is dogging the program has worn on the players, who he said continue to be loyal to him.

Davis said he "desperately wanted to be at the game Saturday" but was too ill to coach. He said he began to feel awful in the wee hours Saturday and that every part of him ached. He said he was told by the team doctor to stay home.

"Coach Davis became sick this morning, and he is under medical care. From a medical standpoint, there is no way that he could be at today's game," Indiana team physician Larry Rink said in a statement released by the school.

"My body just broke down," Davis, sounding weary, said by phone. "I've been up and I can't shake it."

Indiana is chasing an NCAA Tournament bid after a two-year absence. The Hoosiers are the only team in the nation that has played this year's No. 1-ranked teams -- Duke and Connecticut; they lost at home to both. As Bob Knight's successor, Davis, in his sixth year at IU, has been criticized -- maybe for that fact -- since becoming coach in 2000. It took only two seasons for Davis to lead Indiana to the national championship game, which it lost to Maryland in Atlanta.

This season's club was supposed to be Davis' most talented bunch, but Big Ten freshman of the year D.J. White -- one of the Hoosiers' top players -- broke his foot. White returned to play five games in the middle of the season, only to break the same foot again. The Hoosiers were 5-0 with White in the lineup alongside Auburn transfer Marco Killingsworth, but without White, Killingsworth tires often at the end of games.

Indiana visits Penn State on Wednesday -- Davis is expected to be recovered in time to coach -- before going to Illinois a week from Sunday. The Hoosiers' last four games are an even split -- two at home (Penn State and Michigan State) and two on the road (Purdue and Michigan) before the Big Ten tournament begins.

Greenspan said this preseason that he wanted to see progress in the program. Translation: An NCAA Tournament berth and some form of advancement there. Even if that happens, there's no telling if Davis can survive the building storm in Bloomington.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.

[Young Drachma]

Some IU "Fans" looks for fault in everything Davis does, and analyze every word out of his mouth. Some don't care about anything else other then seeing Davis lose, and getting fired. I dont like these kinds of fans. Mike Davis isnt as good a coach as Bobby Knight, but he isnt a bad coach either. He works hard, he recruits hard, and he is a good man. I would love nothing more then to see Coach Davis stay at IU for another 30 years, because i think he is getting better, and smarter. Now lets beat Iowa tommorow!!!!!!

I'd love to see him go to another place where people will respect him more. That situation in Indiana has been disasterous, all because they want him to be Bobby Knight.

Let Davis go elsewhere, where can just relax and coach basketball rather than dealing with threats from all areas.

[hoosiergoody]

In starting this thread, just want to state that I have been a Davis fan. I agree with Johnny93g's assessment. Unfortunately, as in most cases, when the fan favorite _____ (fill in the blank) leaves/gets canned, the next one or two following never can live up to the expectations, no matter how good they do.

[Wolfpack]

Wow you guys are tough to satisfy. I realize a losing season is close to inexcusable, but didn't he take you to a title game not too long ago? Bobby Knight wasn't doing to too hot by the team he left.

It's the nature of the beast at the higher-level basketball programs. Hell, we're 23 years removed from a national title at NC State and 19 years from our last ACC title. Sendek's going to break the record for consecutive appearances in the NCAA by NC State, but there are people in the fanbase who still hate his guts mostly because he's not Jimmy V (or Norm Sloan, or Everett Case, etc).

Remember, it wasn't too long ago that Dean Smith retired from UNC, Bill Guthridge took over, lead his team to the Final Four, and was unceremoniously forced out a few years later when he couldn't get back. That lead to the absolute train wreck that was Matt Doherty's regime when UNC couldn't bring in Roy Williams the first time.

Unfair? Oh, yeah. But, it's par for the course.

[hoosierdude]

I disagreed with the Davis hire, only because the players held the AD and school at gunpoint so to speak saying if you don't hire this guy, we are going to leave. I have issues with kids running the sports programs of schools. Always have, always will.

It was past time for Knight to go, that was obvious. IU made the decision to keep him, but in my opinion Davis needed time to be a head coach, and the problem was he was a head coach at a top tier school program... even with Knight's stupidity.

Mike Davis will be a good coach somewhere, but I really don't see it being at IU. I am not a Davis hater. I just feel he is in WAY over his head, and the IU board and the AD stuck with him a year or two when he should have been released.

The AD pretty much stated that this year had to be different, and the pressure was on Davis and the team to produce. They have had some good spots, but the team doesn't play with consistency, and Mike is often out-coached when he shouldn't be. He isn't a rookie coach any longer, the freshman mistakes should have stopped years ago.

ANYone that replaces a legend at a school, NEVER reaches his full credit, or does history look favorably on their tenure. Mike Davis, while being a great assistant and recruiter for the Indiana program under Knight, had a job thrust upon him for what now shows that he wasn't ready to handle.

I believe Davis will be a good coach, but I feel like he won't get the job accomplished at IU, but somewhere the basketball program isn't the lifeblood of an entire state... like Indiana is.

I believe the folks that love Davis have their opinion, but the team isn't playing hard, they aren't running the plays that breed success, and the players they are bringing in aren't fitting the style of play that IU is working. Too many people standing around and not enough ball movement. Players playing out of position and away from their strengths, along with poor player maturation have played havoc with Davis' leadership.

I am a huge fan of Indiana basketball, and I want the best coach possible for the team. I just feel like Davis was good for the legend replacement era, and now it is time to move on and bring in someone that can teach AND coach both ingame and practice to further the program.

So please, leave the firemikedavis.com folks to their screaming and finger pointing. I just don't see Indiana being any better than 7th in the Big Ten like they are now, and they will have to really play like fiends to get any headway in the conference standings for the last four games.

Right now, both coach, staff, and players are disillusioned, frustrated, and tired. It will be interesting to see how all three parts of the program handle the last four games and any postgame playoff activity.

I hope they play better than the first part of February. It hasn't been pretty. :)

[hoosiergoody]

Interesting news over the past couple days - 1st one from Monday or so, and the 2nd one from Tuesday night.

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news?slug=ap-indianadavisfrustration&prov=ap&type=lgns
Davis believes criticism has taken toll on Hoosiers

Losing 5 of the last 6 games hasn't helped any... I'll let you guys read the articles.

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/news?slug=ap-indiana-davis&prov=ap&type=lgns
Davis says he isn't quitting as IU's coach

I at least give him credit for speaking out and saying to leave them alone so that they can concentrate on what's left of this season. Aside from not meeting expectations (IE, win it all!), there isn't merit behind dropping him now. Unfortunately, if they did can him now, there would be more applause than anger over it...

[Dr. Sak]

Indiana just lost to Penn State tonight...not good for Davis.

[hoosierdude]

Oh yeah. That is not good news. They haven't lost to Penn State in basketball yet have they? Or was it just at IU? Man ... I really thought they would play much better tonight.
(shakes head)

[Dr. Sak]

I think that is the 3rd time that Penn State has beaten IU. Penn State is a funny team, the beat Illinois (in Champaign) and Indiana but lose to Minnesota at home. They are a young team, only one senior. Hopefully next year they can be more consistant.

[TroyF]

My editorial from smartguyssports:

I have a confession to make: I like Mike Davis. I always have. He handled the Bobby Knight fiasco with class. He stood up for his players and he took Indiana back to the dance and to the final game before falling to Maryland. He refused to get into the verbal jabs Knight seemed to want to throw at him. And all in all, let’s be honest, Mike Davis is a good guy.

Having said that, his outburst today should end his tenure as Indiana basketball coach. Davis whined today about the pressure put on him and his players. He complained that it was only a two game losing streak and that the team is still within striking distance in the Big Ten title hunt. He said the students were being too hard on the players and that it wasn’t fair to the team. You know what? Mike Davis is right.

You know what else? Mike Davis should be terminated tomorrow. Mike Davis is right about college basketball and college sports in general. It’s not fair that people freak out over a couple of losses and proceed to shred a bunch of 18-22 year old players, many who will never play in a meaningful game on the professional level. It’s sickening that students are walking into the arena with black shirts, especially in a critical game with the team being in contention for a Big Ten championship.

Sadly, that’s the way it is. College coaches like Mike Davis get paid big money to deal with that pressure. Davis should contact Tubby Smith and ask him how tough it’s been in Lexington during the down season for the Wildcats. Tubby came into this season with four Final 8 appearences in eight seasons as Kentucky basketball coach. He had never lost more than 10 games in a season. In fact, in the last three seasons, Tubby lost a combined 15 games. This season he’s already lost nine and the Kentuck faithful aren’t happy. No, they aren’t wearing black shirts to games yet, but lets see what happens if Kentucky doesn’t make the NCAA tourney for two consecutive years.

Mike Davis has missed the big dance two years in a row. Unlike Bobby Knight, he doesn’t have a legendary career to fall back on. He doesn’t have titles. He hasn’t had an unbeaten team. He’s the man who replaced the legend. You can see how that would be tough on Davis early in his career. I can forgive some of his early tantrums because of how much stress he must have been under. Yet that time has passed. Davis should be comfortable in his own skin now. He should be dealing with the media like a seasoned professional. He should be handling things better.

The fact Davis isn’t doing better is why Indiana must take the next step and relieve him of his duties. Davis isn’t meant for high pressure college basketball. He should go to a smaller conference or coach a team with low expectations. Coach a team like San Diego State or Boise State. Get to the NCAA tournament a couple of times there and you’ll have the job for life. Davis won’t have to answer two hours worth of questions for every two game losing streak. His players won’t be stressed out at people screaming to fire the coach. He can live his life with a quiet calm and peaceful harmony. Davis will never find that peace at Indiana. He wins a title, they’ll want him to win a second. A bad recruiting class or a year will see a “FIRE DAVIS” headline somewhere. Davis has repeatedly shown he can’t handle that. While he’s a great guy, he’s not the right guy for Indiana. It’s time to say good-bye.

[cody8200]

Nice take Troy. I have to agree. This season has went downhill since Davis said EWhite wouldnt return. I feel as though its all but over. :(

[Swaggs]

Sounds like Davis is out: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/seth_davis/02/15/indiana.davis/index.html

[spleen1015]

That guy is a bad, bad coach.

[hoosiergoody]

That guy is a bad, bad coach.

Elaborate...

I know that others have shared that they don't like him, but there are usually reasons given. Not trying to be a pain in the butt, but share some reasoning behind your statement.

Thanks!

(edit- b/c I can!)- I think he can be a good coach at a more mid-level school. Way too much pressure in the Big Ten or other elite conferences.

[Johnny93g]

It definatly looks like he is done. It is too bad, cuz he can coach. I wanted the best for coach Davis and the Hoosiers. I refused to cheer for losses like some IU "fans". Ill always remember our 2002 Final Four run. The 17 point comeback over Duke where everyone in Kentucky was cheering for IU, the 3 point bombardment of Kent St. Upsetting the highly favoured Oklahoma Sooners, and are gutty effort losing to Maryland in the finals. Coach Davis did a great job with his early teams at IU. The last 3 years have been bad though. I hope we can still finish the season strong, and I wish Coach Davis nothing but the best.

Coach Davis Resigns (http://indiana.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=513692)

[cody8200]

I always thought Davis was a nice guy that was never the right guy for the Hoosiers. I hate fans that booed him or rooted against IU. In fact those people made me want to punch them. Trust me, there were many of them. I went to nearly every home game this year even though I had to drive 4 hours (there and back) to make it to the games. Some of the fans made me sick. I wish Davis well and I really hope IU can make a run down the stretch and possibly still make the tournament.

[Swaggs]

It is always impossible to replace a legend. Davis did pretty well, all things considered.

I think the way UNC handled Dean Smith's retirement was the best way to go. They hired an older assistant that did not have dreams of becoming another legend at the school. He did a few years and also retired, kind of softening the transition for Doherty and then Williams.

It will be interesting, to me, to see how Duke, Syracuse, UConn, and Arizona go about replacing their coaches when the time comes.

[miami_fan]

It is always impossible to replace a legend. Davis did pretty well, all things considered.

I think the way UNC handled Dean Smith's retirement was the best way to go. They hired an older assistant that did not have dreams of becoming another legend at the school. He did a few years and also retired, kind of softening the transition for Doherty and then Williams.

It will be interesting, to me, to see how Duke, Syracuse, UConn, and Arizona go about replacing their coaches when the time comes.


I think a few schools have followed this model. Oklahoma State with Sean Sutton replacing his father (though sooner than expected), and Matt Painter replacing Gene Keady come to mind. However Davis's situation is different than the Carolina one. Dean Smith retired on his own accord. So replacing him may not have been easy but the fans at least gave him the benefit of the doubt. Davis replaced a coach that was forced out against the wishes of at least 50% of the fan base and alumni at IU. I don't see any of those schools you mentioned having that sort of problem.

[st.cronin]

Mike Davis' record isn't real different from Bobby Knight's at Texas Tech. In most ways, it's a lot better.

Indiana basketball fans should really be ashamed.

[Young Drachma]

Yeah, after reading a lot about the Davis situation, it seems obvious to me that he was in over his head there in Indiana. He needs to go to UAB or something, where he would be far more comfortable and in familiar surroundings. Someone will hire him, though he probably needs to just go to the NBA and be done with it.

[dubb93]

Mike Davis' record isn't real different from Bobby Knight's at Texas Tech. In most ways, it's a lot better.

Indiana basketball fans should really be ashamed.

Well, you have a point except that Indiana's tradition and expectations are a hell of a lot higher than Texas Tech. I can honestly say, that coaching has cost this team games last year(they wouldn't even try to run an offense), and is costing them games again this year(fundamentals, inability to handle pressure, forwards and centers bringing the ball up the court at times, gunning 3's too often, etc.). I liked Mike Davis at one point, that point has passed.