The Assembly Call IU Basketball Podcast and Postgame Show

Indiana played Duke, the #1 team in America (and one of the most talented in recent memory), to a draw through 35 minutes on Wednesday night. The score was 75-75, but from that point forward, Duke outscored the Hoosiers 16-6 to complete a 10-point victory.

And while any loss, especially at home, is disappointing, there was plenty to be encouraged about in this IU performance. The Hoosiers have made quite a bit of progress over the last few weeks, while still having some glaring issues (free throw shooting and containing dribblers chief among them) that need to get fixed moving forward.

Jerod, Andy, and Ryan break it all down on this edition of The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show.

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It took six games, but the Indiana Hoosiers finally turned in their first consistent 40-minute performance on Friday afternoon in an impressive 87-67 victory over Eastern Michigan.

-- Robert Johnson and Josh Newkirk led the way from a scoring perspective, combining for 35 points and a sterling 9-12 clip from downtown.
-- Juwan Morgan was all over the place from an effort and energy perspective.
-- Al Durham led an excellent ball-handling effort, as the freshman once again logged major minutes without a turnover, and his teammates followed suit with turnovers on just 13.3% of possessions.
-- And, of course, Collin Hartman made his season debut, draining a 3 on his first possession to emphatically announce his return to regular season action.

It wasn't a perfect performance, as the Hoosiers still allowed more than a point per possession, but it was a game that displayed the kind of progress the Hoosiers needed to show to give fans, and likely themselves, confidence that they have a puncher's chance next week against Duke.

Jerod Morris and Andy Bottoms broke down all of the major storylines from this game on the latest edition of The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show.

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Indiana continues to struggle at the beginning of halves, but on Wednesday night their excellent play to close halves was the difference in a 17-point victory over Arkansas State.

It was a game that showed, in spurts, how efficient this IU team can be when it limits turnovers and uses its defense to lead its offense. And, of course, it helps when you have a guy playing at a superstar level, and over the last two games Juwan Morgan has done exactly that. Against Arkansas State, Morgan had a career night, showing the full spectrum of what's capable of doing when healthy and in the flow of the offense.

Jerod Morris and Andy Bottoms break every storyline from this game on The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show -- including why this was a much better performance from Robert Johnson than the box score may indicate.

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Despite a strong first couple of minutes, Indiana played a mostly uninspiring first half against South Florida -- with turnovers and atrocious defensive rebounding contributing to a one-point halftime lead for South Florida (one of the worst remaining teams on Indiana's non-conference schedule).

Indiana's play was so bad at one point that Archie Miller threw a towel in frustration, earning the first technical foul for an Indiana coach since ... do you even remember when?

And while the immediate impact of Archie's tech was a 4-point swing in South Florida's favor, the long-term impact on the team seemed immensely positive. Because from that point on, Indiana outscored South Florida by roughly 20 points, showing a renewed commitment to ball security, a greater willingness to box out, and the kind of leadership by example and production from Robert Johnson and Juwan Morgan that everyone has been clamoring for.

Johnson played strong defense and finally finding his shooting stroke, draining three triples and also executing several successful drives to the basket against a rather generous South Florida defense, while Morgan sparked Indiana in the second half by grabbing a handful of tough offensive rebounds and getting to line time after time through dogged effort in the paint.

While the Hoosiers still need to prove that they can play more than 20 good minutes on any given night, there was plenty to like in the second half on Sunday night to be encouraged that this team took another step forward in its development.

Jerod Morris and Andy Bottoms break it all down on the latest installment of The Assembly Call Postgame Show.

Despite a strong first couple of minutes, Indiana played a mostly uninspiring first half against South Florida -- with turnovers and atrocious defensive rebounding contributing to a one-point halftime lead for South Florida (one of the worst remaining teams on Indiana's non-conference schedule).

Indiana's play was so bad at one point that Archie Miller threw a towel in frustration, earning the first technical foul for an Indiana coach since ... do you even remember when?

And while the immediate impact of Archie's tech was a 4-point swing in South Florida's favor, the long-term impact on the team seemed immensely positive. Because from that point on, Indiana outscored South Florida by roughly 20 points, showing a renewed commitment to ball security, a greater willingness to box out, and the kind of leadership by example and production from Robert Johnson and Juwan Morgan that everyone has been clamoring for.

Johnson played strong defense and finally finding his shooting stroke, draining three triples and also executing several successful drives to the basket against a rather generous South Florida defense, while Morgan sparked Indiana in the second half by grabbing a handful of tough offensive rebounds and getting to line time after time through dogged effort in the paint.

While the Hoosiers still need to prove that they can play more than 20 good minutes on any given night, there was plenty to like in the second half on Sunday night to be encouraged that this team took another step forward in its development.

Jerod Morris and Andy Bottoms break it all down on the latest installment of The Assembly Call Postgame Show.

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On this week’s edition of Assembly Call Radio, which features special guest host Brian Tonsoni (the official coach of The Assembly Call), we provide some perspective on Indiana’s tough opening week. We discuss some good, bad, and ugly stats, and also delve into a deep discussion about Robert Johnson’s early-season struggles.

Plus, we answer your questions, including what a reasonable expectation is for Indiana’s record entering January, and who we’d have take the last shot right now.

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For 20 minutes on Wednesday night, we caught a glimpse into the future.

Indiana took a couple of powerful blows from a very good Seton Hall team and the Hoosiers punched right back, displaying the mental toughness, physical toughness, and execution that was so sorely lacking through the season's first 80 minutes.

But unfortunately, it all unraveled in the second half as the careless turnovers and ineffective defense were back, and Seton Hall imposed their will to dominate and win going away.

Still, in a season that appears destined to be measured in small gains and silver linings -- especially early on -- this game gave us some positive signs to grasp onto. Justin Smith and Al Durham are better than expected, Devonte Green gives the offense occasional spurtability, and Juwan Morgan appeared healthy and more than willing to play tough and physical.

As for Robert Johnson and De'Ron Davis, well, needless to say they have to be much better in Indiana's big games than they were on Wednesday night for the Hoosiers are to have any hope of winning one.

Jerod Morris and Andy Bottoms broke down Indiana's loss -- and the positives and negatives to take from it -- on the latest edition of The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show.

For 20 minutes on Wednesday night, we caught a glimpse into the future.

Indiana took a couple of powerful blows from a very good Seton Hall team and the Hoosiers punched right back, displaying the mental toughness, physical toughness, and execution that was so sorely lacking through the season's first 80 minutes.

But unfortunately, it all unraveled in the second half as the careless turnovers and ineffective defense were back, and Seton Hall imposed their will to dominate and win going away.

Still, in a season that appears destined to be measured in small gains and silver linings -- especially early on -- this game gave us some positive signs to grasp onto. Justin Smith and Al Durham are better than expected, Devonte Green gives the offense occasional spurtability, and Juwan Morgan appeared healthy and more than willing to play tough and physical.

As for Robert Johnson and De'Ron Davis, well, needless to say they have to be much better in Indiana's big games than they were on Wednesday night for the Hoosiers are to have any hope of winning one.

Jerod Morris and Andy Bottoms broke down Indiana's loss -- and the positives and negatives to take from it -- on the latest edition of The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show.

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

Indiana defeated Howard -- the worst team on its schedule -- 86-77 on Sunday night in a game that was far closer than anyone predicted or hoped.

The game featured yet another injury for Juwan Morgan, who appeared to sprain his ankle. Fortunately, Justin Smith was ready to take advantage of the extra minutes Morgan's injury provided. He, along with Al Durham and De'Ron Davis, made enough plays throughout the game to keep Howard at arm's length and give IU the W.

On this episode of The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show, Andy Bottoms and Jerod Morris break down the IU victory and discuss how much these first 80 minutes of the season have forced them to adjust expectations for what this team will do moving forward.

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Indiana State came into Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall and dominated Indiana in the first game of the Archie Miller era, winning 90-69 in a game that barely even felt that close. We tried to make sense of this shocking loss on the latest edition of The Assembly Call IU Postgame Show.

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