Has any other former blueblood fallen on harder times than IU? All the others have had at least some success over the last 30 years. I guess maybe not Georgetown but I cannot think of any others.
None of them come close. Kentucky and North Carolina had a few “bad” seasons but they mostly win at a very high level. UCONN dipped for a few years under Ollie and early in Hurley’s tenure. UCLA has consistently been a tournament team under every coach over the last thirty years. Duke has never been down. Kansas has fallen off a bit since it won the title in 2022 but still comfortably makes the tournament.
@iugradman Yep. Think about it this way: in March of 1987 we won our 5th title. Here's what the other bluebloods looked like then in terms of titles and what they have now:
UCLA- had 10, now have 11.
Kentucky- had 5, now 8
UNC- had 2, now 6
Kansas- had 1, now 4
Duke- hadn't yet won a title, now they have 5
UConn- hadn't yet won a title, now they have 6
So since we won our 5th in 1987 (almost 40 years), the other bluebloods have won a combined 22 national titles, more than half of the championships won during that timeframe. Throw in Villanova and Florida and that's 5 more since 1987. In other words, the schools that should be our peers on a national level have combined for 27 national titles in the last 38 seasons (not including this year yet).
I'm not even going to dive into the Final Fours and other tournament metrics, but I assure you, as well know, it won't paint a pretty picture.
@arioznahoosier4554 depends on how you define "blueblood". Not sure I would consider Georgetown in that category. A great run under John Thompson and have certainly fallen on hard times since he retired. You can put Syracuse in that same boat- not necessarily a "blueblood" but they've gone down hill since Boeheim retired.
I consider the historical college basketball bluebloods to be: UCLA, Kentucky, UNC, IU, Kansas, and Duke. I'd add UConn to that list now- hard to exclude them now that they have 6 titles, even if they've all been in the last 30 years.
I guess with a looser definition of blueblood you could include the likes of Louisville, MSU, Florida, and Villanova, but I wouldn't.
All that said, to answer your question, no, I don't think any of the other bluebloods have floundered as badly as we have over the last 30 years. It's inexplicable. How can we completely screw up all these coaching hires over such a long period of time? Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes.
Those other schools did not have a President actively working to diminish athletics, followed by a President who just didn't care, at the same time having Athletics Directors who were lawyers and fundraisers more than anything. You can like Whitten or not, think she's qualified or not, but she does understand the benefits that high-achieving athletics have for the university in general.
@arioznahoosier4554 depends on how you define "blueblood". Not sure I would consider Georgetown in that category. A great run under John Thompson and have certainly fallen on hard times since he retired. You can put Syracuse in that same boat- not necessarily a "blueblood" but they've gone down hill since Boeheim retired.
I consider the historical college basketball bluebloods to be: UCLA, Kentucky, UNC, IU, Kansas, and Duke. I'd add UConn to that list now- hard to exclude them now that they have 6 titles, even if they've all been in the last 30 years.
I guess with a looser definition of blueblood you could include the likes of Louisville, MSU, Florida, and Villanova, but I wouldn't.
All that said, to answer your question, no, I don't think any of the other bluebloods have floundered as badly as we have over the last 30 years. It's inexplicable. How can we completely screw up all these coaching hires over such a long period of time? Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes.
Yeah I just listed Georgetown to make us feel better but its like you have to try real hard to mess up this badly from where we were at. I remember thinking betweetn1993 and 2002 was a lifetime between final fours going 9 years . Now we have gone 23 years without a final four or even an elite 8 with no end in site.
And in these 23 years of missed final fours so many of the yeares were self inflicted wasted years literally.
Sampsons last year - wasted
Creans first three - wasted - basiacally because everyone knew we would not be any good.
Archies last two- at that point we all knew he was not the guy
Woodsons last one or even two years - same deal we all knew he was not the guy.
Davis last two years - same deal.
SO that is at least nine seasons wasted by hanging onto coaches too long or self inflicted wounds.
The blueblood definition in my mind depends on the definition one uses. Indiana lost blueblood status a few years back. Part of being a blueblood is relevancy as a winner on the national scene. Over the last 20+ years the program has struggled to even be relevant in the conference. Indiana has fallen so far that making the large 68 NCAA tourney field is now a big deal. All the basketball program has going for it is a devote fan base and historical success. I'd say the majority of collegiate players don't recognize IU as a blueblood.
Correction - we have won one game & should be listed here. I do not feel much better…
Technically, two. The Wyoming game counts too.
I ain’t counting it, & no one can convince me otherwise….
Then no need to count that 1940 championship either. The NIT was the big, meaningful tournament when we won that one.
Which is also a bit of a myth. NIT was 6 teams back then. Both the winner and runner-up that year went on to play in the NCAA championship afterwards and both got handled.
Yes, the administration has failed to take decisive action to fix the problem. Over those years the university should have invested the money to get a high profile coach who could fix the mess. Instead they keep kicking the can down the road expecting some kind of miracle to happen.And in these 23 years of missed final fours so many of the yeares were self inflicted wasted years literally.
Sampsons last year - wasted
Creans first three - wasted - basiacally because everyone knew we would not be any good.
Archies last two- at that point we all knew he was not the guy
Woodsons last one or even two years - same deal we all knew he was not the guy.
Davis last two years - same deal.
SO that is at least nine seasons wasted by hanging onto coaches too long or self inflicted wounds.
Then no need to count that 1940 championship either. The NIT was the big, meaningful tournament when we won that one.
Which is also a bit of a myth. NIT was 6 teams back then. Both the winner and runner-up that year went on to play in the NCAA championship afterwards and both got handled.
Neither compares to the Helms award.
Archies last two- at that point we all knew he was not the guy
Nicknames are for winners. His name is Ryan. Archie is the nickname his mommy gave him and he's not a winner.
https://twitter.com/RhodyVault/status/2036191028819157325
Hope is not optimism, which expects things to turn out well, but something rooted in the conviction that there is good worth working for. - Seamus Heaney, Irish poet and likely Hoosier basketball fan.
POTFB
UNC seems to be swinging for the fences for this hire. Just as I've suggested we do for the last 3 hires. But nope we just wallow in mediocrity
UNC seems to be swinging for the fences for this hire. Just as I've suggested we do for the last 3 hires. But nope we just wallow in mediocrity
They have a blueblood mentality. And they should. They win like a blueblood. They demand excellence.
24-8 record, 6-seed in the tournament, not good enough. Fired. Of course that's not the whole story. It will be interesting to see who they actually get. Easy to speculate on names like Donovan and Stevens but neither has shown any interest in returning to college coaching. And other big college names are likely pretty happy where they are, or will now negotiate additional happiness. Not to mention huge buyouts.
@hoosiers94 Basically every one of our last three hires, names like Stevens and Donovan have been discussed, ad nauseum. And for sure in the last 2 hires, Dolson made hard runs at Stevens, if not Donovan as well before he hired Woodson. A handful of articles talking about who UNC might be going after doesn't mean they're any different than IU is. They held on to Hubert Davis for SIX years.
Latest Post: Pam Bondi Fired!!! Our newest member: Heath Laudick Recent Posts Unread Posts
