Pistol

Rammer and Earl wrapping up now, thanking everyone on the staff, then the production and arena and AD staffs.

A10 postgame starting shortly:

Is this a hint that we're going to be hit with a cease and desist letter?

The other half of @Midtown Madness would be in charge of all gameday, promotion, and event decisions so I will defer to him on this matter.

We'd sure have some fun, I can promise you that.

To A Bomb and 3 Star's posts, I'd add that Indiana State is not an easy place to win. Last regular season championship was 2000, last MVC Tournament championship is 2011. They've been to the NCAA Tournament 3 times since Larry Bird was there and won 1 game. In 3 seasons, Schertz has equaled (23) and passed (26+) their highest win totals in any single season since 1979. His conference win percentage of .850 this season is the second highest in program history. This is a top-3 season in program history with a shot to be a solid #2. It's pretty remarkable to have done that in just 3 seasons in charge. Lastly, I'll add that his team is a blast to watch on the offensive end. They play with vision, purpose, and discipline. I'm ready for a coach with a plan and an ability to execute it. I'm not saying Schertz is the only one who offers that, but there's no question he can.

This more or less lines up with what I've been told and seems to be in line with what Troy has said publicly, or at least doesn't contradict any of his broad-strokes figures. It's a little higher at the high end than what we've heard for the A10, but that could be the influence of top-half MWC teams or a program like Memphis from the American. (We will have more to say about NIL on an upcoming @Midtown Madness episode, once we have more time to address it.)

I'm sure Ford already knows his fate. I'd rather see Harriman coach them in Brooklyn (although I understand there are reasons Ford might still have to be the HC until we stop playing). We know we can beat Rhode Island and we could very well take out Duquesne, too. The game against Dayton would be Thursday night. Can you imagine this announcement being dragged into the weekend?

I'd have an easier time trusting the process if we had a different AD in charge, if there weren't a cone of silence over everything at all times, and if getting this hire correct weren't so crucial to the survival of this program. I hope the end result that satisfies the most people also aligns with the best possible coach for this job. The latter is the most important thing.

If that happens we will do A Very Special Episode.

They have 3 signed incoming HS players but they're still going to need to do a lot of work in the portal.

Baseball team won today.

Every time they can make it a 1-possession game, they can't convert. Down 5 with just over 2 minutes.

Oh no. Didn't realize that. I was following the live stats but was going to flip over to the broadcast when the MBB game is over.

Crews was informed about his firing before the conference tournament game and the postgame press conference was when it was announced publicly. I would expect the same pattern this time.

They're all D-I guys. D-I is vast - over 4,700 scholarship players. This is absolutely true (although not the only things missing on the defensive end).

It's amazing. The same pattern plays out every game. In the first few minutes, they dump their pregame notes ("This team has dealt with so many injuries, bad luck, blah blah blah"). Then midway through the second half, they're completely exasperated by how bad the defense is. Duquesne's crew was the funniest: "They can't get in front of anybody!"

I don't see any evidence of hard work in practice. They're not just bad on defense, they're lazy and unprepared. Holmes sliced through the paint and instead of moving their feet, guys move their arms and reach in on him. Brea coasted down the floor in transition without a defender within 25 feet. There are just basic defensive principles and scouting notes that either aren't being taught or are being completely ignored, because they certainly aren't evident in the game. The coaches and players deserve no excuses for what we're seeing. This is easily the worst defensive SLU team in my lifetime and I would be shocked if there were a worse defensive unit in SLU MBB history.

Lisch is a way better athlete than most of those guys. I guess maybe Thames and Parker could beat him in some specific measurables but he still has better body control and strength than either of them, and I'm sure depending on which other categories you included, there would be more. I'm not sure how to measure it wholistically - I do know that he would be by far the best player on this team and he's an outstanding all-around athlete. Medley and Meadows aren't even close in terms of athleticism.

There are many reasons to move forward with the firing. Last night served to highlight a big one, though.

The ref talking to Stu is Tony Chiazza. He SUCKS.

Ford is now 5-12 against Dayton. He allowed them to score 100 at SLU on Senior Night. In college sports, when you can't beat your rival, you get fired. There is no ambiguity here. Anyone who disagrees can go away. Anyone uncomfortable with this fact (and the conversation around it) should probably take a break for the next few weeks.

Is it? There are two different windows showing this game listed and they both take you to the UNCW-Towson game.