The Assembly Call IU Basketball Podcast and Postgame Show

On Wednesday night, Indiana lost a very winnable game at Illinois. Juwan Morgan was a bright spot on an otherwise dark night, but even he was afflicted with the free throw issues that plagued the entire team.


Among the topics discussed on this edition of The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show:

-- The continued greatness of Juwan Morgan (except for his free throw shooting!)
-- The importance of Zach McRoberts flashing some offensive production
-- The poor night overall for the guards, with a few slivers of solid play sprinkled in by Devonte
-- Collin Hartman’s continued struggles since injuring his shoulder after the Wisconsin game
-- Why this is not a loss to overreact to, no matter how disappointing it feels in the moment

And much more.

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.

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On Monday night, Indiana battled back and forth with Maryland with a surprisingly healthy Juwan Morgan leading the way.

Among the topics discussed:

-- What a healthy and productive Juwan means for this team's success
-- How Justin Smith can maximize his role
-- The leadership of Juwan and Robert Johnson

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.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Friday night, Indiana fell to Michigan State 85-57 in a game Michigan State controlled from start to finish. After the game, our crew broke it all down on The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show.

Among the topics discussed:

-- Why Indiana's response response to Archie Miller's 2nd half timeout is a great sign for the future.
-- How Robert Johnson heeded his coach's advice to turn in one of his best performances of the season.
-- Thoughts on Juwan Morgan's injury and how Indiana might adjust moving forward if it has to play without the forward for an extended period of time.
-- Why this result was, in so many ways, inevitable given Michigan State's talent advantage and five-day break to refocus.
-- What Freddie McSwain did in then 2nd half that impressed both Ryan and Jerod (and even earned Ryan's game ball).
-- Thoughts on some positive signs from Justin Smith and Al Durham.

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.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this special extended edition of Assembly Call Radio, Jerod, Ryan, and Andy discuss a range of topics:

-- The importance of Romeo Langford's visit to Bloomington on Sunday.
-- The crazy schedule gauntlet that begins with Indiana's trip to Breslin Center on Friday night.
-- How Indiana will deal with Nick Ward ... and Miles Bridges ... and Jaren Jackson ... and (yeah, Michigan State is really talented).
-- The template that Ohio State and Michigan used to beat Michigan State -- and whether Indiana is well-equipped to follow it.
-- We get into a heated debate about the proposed changes to the transfer rule (and whether college athletes are "kids" or "young adults").
-- Listener questions, including who our favorite IU JUCO of all-time is.

And, as a special treat, the bonus audio from our live recording that took place after the radio show/podcast portion ended is included in this podcast. Normally it isn't. But we went for about a half hour extra, and it includes some pretty good discussions, including a long chat about why attendance is down at IU games this year and what the long-term future of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall should be. So we thought it was worth including in case you don't follow the show on YouTube. Hope you enjoy the extra time!

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On Sunday afternoon, Indiana demolished Northwestern 66-46 in a game that barely felt that close for a good stretch in the second half. The story of the game was the Hoosiers' defense, which was suffocating for 36 minutes, before Northwestern used some garbage time buckets to make the final score look a little better.

After the game, our crew broke it all down on The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show.

Among the topics discussed:

-- Robert Johnson's solid shooting performance from behind the line, and the importance of a few of his triples when Indiana built its lead.
-- The tremendous defensive effort from Indiana, which overcome first foul trouble thanks to tremendous perimeter defense by Johnson, Josh Newkirk, Devonte Green, and Al Durham.
-- Why Juwan Morgan showed how good he is, and how important he is to this team, despite having one of his more modest stat lines of the season.
-- How Indiana was able to maintain control of the game in the first despite limited minutes for Juwan, Zach, and Justin.
-- The importance of strong bench contributions up front from Freddie McSwain and Collin Hartman.
-- Why next Friday's game at Michigan State seems slightly more winnable now than it did as recently as a week ago.

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.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week’s edition of Assembly Call Radio, we discuss:

-- The importance of how Indiana started against Penn State.
-- What the loss of De’Ron Davis means moving forward (especially against Purdue and Michigan State).
-- Jerod does a deep dive into the numbers at Synergy to reveal some areas where Robert Johnson’s shooting numbers have fallen off a cliff and could be due for a reversal ... before Ryan throws a little cold water on his theory.
-- The most optimistic (but still realistic) scenarios for how Indiana will finish in Big Ten play
-- And then we answer listener questions, including a great one in which we get to ask Archie Miller one question that he HAS to answer truthfully.

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On Tuesday night, Indiana defeated Penn State 74-70 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. After the game, our crew broke it all down on The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show.

Among the topics discussed:

-- How Juwan Morgan, once again, took over for Indiana in key stretches, set then tone on the glass, and generally just continued his ascension to star status.
-- The importance of Josh Newkirk and Devonte Green stepping up on a night when Robert Johnson's decision making was ... curious (at best).
-- Why Justin Smith struggled to back up his breakout performance.
-- Indiana's impressive work on the glass for the second straight game, as the Hoosiers have clearly responded to Archie calling them "soft."
-- What is different for IU now that De'Ron Davis is out, and how sustainable the Hoosiers' success without Davis might be.
-- Is this the template for Devonte Green to become a more consistent member of the rotation?

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 night, Indiana defeated Penn State 74-70 at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. After the game, our crew broke it all down on The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show.

Among the topics discussed:

-- How Juwan Morgan, once again, took over for Indiana in key stretches, set then tone on the glass, and generally just continued his ascension to star status.
-- The importance of Josh Newkirk and Devonte Green stepping up on a night when Robert Johnson's decision making was ... curious (at best).
-- Why Justin Smith struggled to back up his breakout performance.
-- Indiana's impressive work on the glass for the second straight game, as the Hoosiers have clearly responded to Archie calling them "soft."
-- What is different for IU now that De'Ron Davis is out, and how sustainable the Hoosiers' success without Davis might be.
-- Is this the template for Devonte Green to become a more consistent member of the rotation?

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.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Saturday evening, a short-handed Indiana team playing without De'Ron Davis and Collin Hartman defeated a similarly short-handed Minnesota squad that was playing without two starters. It was a game Indiana won with toughness, togetherness, grit, and the sensational play of a senior, two juniors, and a freshman.

After the game, Jerod, Andy, and Ryan broke it all down on The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show.

Among the topics discussed:

-- Robert Johnson's huge sequence of three-point plays in the 2nd half, which brought Indiana back from the brink
-- Justin Smith's outstanding performance, and why his strong play Saturday doesn't necessarily mean Archie erred in not giving him bigger minutes sooner.
-- The importance of Juwan Morgan's tone-setting toughness on the glass, and his newfound confidence stroking the 3.
-- Why this is probably the most impressive all-around performance by Archie Miller as Indiana's coach -- both in-game and in terms of how prepared the team was to play.
-- Whether or not there is anything from this game we can take seriously as a trend moving forward ... or if keeping this team at arm's length is for the best
-- The return of #ZachMcRobertsThings and why they make all the difference for this particular group of Hoosiers, especially in games like these.

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.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Indiana's poor performance in the second half against Wisconsin, which led to yet another loss in Madison, seemed to set off a surge of panic among some members of the fan base. In this week's episode of The Assembly Call, we ...

-- Try to make sense of why that happened
-- Offer some reasons for why the panic is misguided
-- Compare the Indiana situation to other schools with first-year head coaches
-- Discuss the notion of Archie going more extreme with his benchings
-- Assess the team's leadership void, how it can still be filled, and why it's there in the first place

And more.

Also, we apologize for Ryan's short monologue about cereal ... and gut health. Pam, a looong-time listener, sent in the question. And when Pam submits a question, we take it. Ryan just took it too far. :-)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.