There’s not a whole lot to say about this one. Tennesssee State, not unlike Chicago State last year, comprised a bunch of skittish guards and guys who put the small in small forward. (Zing!) Undersized and underskilled, they were never really a challenge to an IU team that didn’t play particularly well, and didn’t have to. So if there’s anything to be learned from a game like this, it doesn’t outweigh what we saw at Southern Illinois on Saturday. Instead, let’s talk about Lance Stemler.

– Before getting into this, let me make myself clear: I’ve got nothing against Lance Stemler. He seems like a nice dude, he plays hard and with effort, and he is genuinely invested in the success of the team. All of these things are positive. That said, I am consistently baffled by the unfettered love he is shown by broadcasters and the occasional sportswriter. Last night, there was one particularly egregious example.

In the second half, after a couple of swung perimeter passes, Stemler overhanded a pass across the zone to an open Jamarcus Ellis. Ellis caught the ball, got around a closing defender, hop-stepped in the lane and made a double-clutched layup from the left side of the hoop. In all, it was an impressive move, the sort of drive Ellis is proficient at. Analyst Rich Zvosic — who either didn’t see Ellis’ play or was just totally nonplussed by it — said “GREAT extra pass by Stemler there.” Huh? Stemler wasn’t at all ready to shoot, and was probably too far behind the three-point line to get a good look anyway; he basically had to pass the ball, and would have failed the possession by doing anything else. And after Ellis finishes an effective, difficult scoring drive … we’re going to credit Stemler?

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