6-Banner Sunday: IU picked to win Big Ten by media, series with Kentucky in talks to resume
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Welcome to another edition of 6-Banner Sunday, a joint production between The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall where we highlight the five most essential IU basketball stories of the past week, plus take a look at how the other IU sports programs are doing.
As the exhibition opener is two weeks away, IU basketball had several very big news items related to this coming season and the future this week. The series Hoosier fans have wanted against a rival Kentucky rival may be returning. The league writers picked Indiana to win the conference in the more immediate timeline for the 2022-2023 season.
Inside the Hall continued to preview other conference squads in other stories and started a series looking at IU’s players. Also, both Podcast on the Brink and AC Radio had a new show this week and we will as usual conclude with a look at how other Hoosier sports are doing.
In brief news, Inside the Hall had a Q&A with 2024 recruiting target Caleb Williams and his mother.
• IU and Kentucky in talks to resume series
• Indiana picked to win Big Ten by conference media
• IU participates in Big Ten media day
• Inside the Hall’s Big Ten preview and player series
• Podcast on the Brink and AC Radio
• Hoosier Roundup
Banner #1 – IU and Kentucky in talks to resume series
After Christian Watford’s buzzer-beater to upset the Wildcats in 2011, Kentucky and Indiana ended their yearly series. The teams met every season from 1969 to 2011. Between 1969 and 1986 the matchups were played mostly on campus. However, in 1987 the contests shifted between Indianapolis and Louisville on neutral sites until 2005. In 2006, the series was moved back to rotating between each team’s home gym, concluding with the meeting in 2011. Following that game, Kentucky coach John Calipari wanted the showdowns moved back to neutral venues while Indiana wanted the campus contests to continue. As a result, the series ended at that point other than two subsequent meetings in the NCAA tournament.
Jon Rothstein reports that the annual rivalry may be coming back soon and is in ‘advanced’ talks. The report also says neutral sites and campus games are on the table.
Returning this border rivalry annually would be welcome news for Hoosier fans who have longed for it.
Banner #2 – Indiana picked to win Big Ten by conference media
While the Big Ten no longer conducts an official conference finishing order, the media covering the league does an unofficial one. This group of writers became the latest to pick the Hoosiers to win the Big Ten.
This unofficial slotting of the finishing order is organized by Brendan Quinn of The Athletic and Adam Jardy of The Columbus Dispatch. 28 writers (two from each school) get a vote and Indiana picked up 19 of the 28 first-place votes with Illinois being the next highest receiving six. Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson did beat Trayce Jackson-Davis out for Big Ten player of the year by one vote.
However, the Cream and Crimson were represented with an individual player as Jalen Hood-Schifino was picked as conference freshman of the year. Also, Jackson-Davis and Xavier Johnson were named to the All-Big Ten teams.
Banner #3 – IU participates in Big Ten media day
While the conference no longer conducts an official poll of who will win the league, they do still have a media day for reporters to meet with coaches and players from each Big Ten school. This year the event was held in the less central location of Minneapolis and had fewer writers attending than in the past as a result.
However, Mike Woodson still met with the media, and his availability transcript can be viewed here. Women’s basketball coach Teri Moren also spoke; her quotes can be read here.
Banner #4 – Inside the Hall’s Big Ten preview and player series
Inside the Hall continued its series previewing each conference team while also starting a new one looking at each IU player in detail.
The conference teams previewed this week were the ones likely to challenge the Hoosiers most for a conference title in Illinois, Michigan State, and Purdue.
In terms of the player series, it began by profiling CJ Gunn and Malik Reneau.
Banner #5 – Podcast on the Brink and AC Radio
Podcast on the Brink and AC Radio both returned this week.
POTB had Inside the Hall’s Amanda Foster to discuss both the upcoming men’s and women’s basketball season. Meanwhile, AC Radio had three coaches on (Tony Adragna, Bob Moats, and Brian Tonsoni) to look at the upcoming season from their perspective.
Also, Doing The Work had a new episode previewing the seasons of fellow Big Ten title contenders Iowa and Ohio State. DTW can be followed on Twitter for more info on IU women’s basketball and when the next show will be.
Banner #6 – Hoosier Roundup
• Football had another heartbreaking loss, this time to Maryland. This was despite changing offensive line coaches last week. However, it was not a bad weekend for all Hoosier fans on the gridiron as Tennessee defeated Alabama on a last-second field goal. This is relevant to Indiana partisans because IU stars Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson were at the game (Jackson-Davis’ brother is a quarterback for the Volunteers) and were seen partaking in the celebration on the field after.
• Men’s Soccer tied Rutgers before picking up a huge win over Penn State.
• Volleyball lost a five-set heartbreaker to a top-10 Purdue team despite playing their most impressive match of the season.
• Women’s Soccer continued their season-long offensive slump being shut out twice more by Rutgers and Michigan State.
• Field Hockey fell to Michigan.
• Men’s Golf finished sixth at the Purdue invitational.
• Cross Country competed at the Nuttycombe Invitational.
• Wrestling added a volunteer assistant coach to the staff.
Thanks for your continued support for The Assembly Call and Inside the Hall. We’ll be back next weekend with a new roundup.
Now go enjoy yourself a 6-banner Sunday.
Aaron (Ari) Shifron
Assembly Call Contributor
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