Webmail: Cakes, what's the matter with you, writing this stuff? Don't you know you can't mess with people's Indiana basketball? I can't take this back and forth sparring. I have more important things to convey like exam schedules and www.thefacebook.com friend requests. Can't you just leave their basketball alone? My brain hurts.
Sorry Webmail, just be glad you're not a message board on www.peegs.com. \nBut believe it or not, I was surprised by the Hoosiers' effort Wednesday night against North Carolina. The team came out with an intensity absent in their previous two contests. Maybe the cream and crimson just needed a national television audience and a raucous student body to awaken the Hoosier spirit.\nWatching our team battle against top competition actually opened my eyes to the fact that IU has some bona fide talent on its roster. D.J. White, Robert Vaden, Bracey Wright and Pat Ewing Jr. all played well and showed glimmers of hope for Hoosier fans who had panicked following games versus Indiana State and Western Illinois -- yours truly a guilty party.\nBut while talent is one thing, execution and game planning is another. The IU defense played well Wednesday, despite the occasional lapse on switching on screens, leaving shooters open at the arc. But, the Hoosiers were able to slow down the high-powered UNC offense, which had scored at least 90 points in their previous three games. Now, not all credit goes to the IU defense, as a realist can admit to sloppy Tar Heel play involving 23 turnovers, many unforced.\nProblems, of course, remain -- mainly on the offensive end of the court. IU is stagnant on offense, standing idly by while Bracey and Marshall Strickland dribble around as the shot clock winds down. Mike Davis' offense doesn't work. He'd be better off saying, "Hey, just try to score." I don't know if the scheme is too complicated or too dumb; all I know is that it's not working. In what world does it makes sense to have your lone post player handle the ball five feet beyond the three-point arc? \nThe offense worked when Jared Jeffries donned the cream and crimson because he was a multi-faceted player. Jeffries could handle the ball, shoot the three and post up as well. But as your personnel changes, so must the scheme. Sean Kline and Ewing are no J.J., and White is better suited in the paint. If you play both big men within the arc, it will clear up space for our shooters. It's a fairly simple concept. Of course if Davis resorts to his four-guard lineup again with Ryan Tapak defending the post, then all bets are off.\nDespite the lack of a competent offense, another void sorely needs fulfillment -- a floor leader. It appears as if there is no leader on the court, not only motivating the team but instructing them where to be and when to be there. We can't call timeout after every play, even though it seems plausible. \nThere is no Tom Coverdale, no Dane Fife, nary an A.J. Moye to be found. Bracey and Marshall have shown they aren't entirely comfortable fulfilling this role. With two freshmen and a sophomore in the starting lineup, it's time the elder statesmen step up, or step back and let someone else lead. Who, you ask? I still have a year of eligibility left.\nSo while the Hoosiers look to build a cohesive offense and search for that much-needed floor general, a brutal schedule continues as IU heads east and welcomes another nationally television audience facing off against UConn -- the defending national champion. Ouch. \nSorry Webmail, I've gone and done it again.
