Introducing Xs & Joes: Smart College Hoops Talk for Serious College Hoops Fans

In Episode 1 of Xs and Joes, Mike Wiemuth (iu-in-philly) and Bob Moats (cbobmoats) provide the backstory on their decades-long college hoops research project ... then just right into a main topic.

We are very excited to announce the launch of our newest show at the Back Home Network: Xs and Joes.

If you’ve been around IU basketball message boards for any significant length of time, then you are probably familiar with

Mike Wiemuth (Philly)

(a.k.a. iu-in-philly) and

Bob Moats

(aka cbobmoats).

These two gentlemen have carved out a well-earned reputation as voices worth listening to due to their well-researched, well-reasoned, and coherent posts about Indiana basketball.

Mike is known for his research on recruiting, especially his work identifying the “sweet spot” where so many NCAA champions have built their rosters. Bob, with his coaching background, can go from breaking down Xs and Os to discussing macro trends in recruiting across decades.

Any way you slice it, this is smart and serious college basketball content for smart and serious college basketball fans. If you’re a casual fan of the sport, this podcast probably won’t be for you.

And today, we’re launching Episode 1.

Episode 1: Dudes with Acuity or a Disciplined Approach? Which Matters More?

You can watch it on YouTube, or subscribe in your favorite podcast player (links below).

(Sorry, the resolution isn’t great on the video. But it’s plenty good enough to read and understand the graphics they use.)

Here are links to the charts Mike and Bob reference in the discussion:

• 1992 Final Four Matchup: Indiana vs Duke

• 1996 Indiana vs Kentucky

• Villanova and Florida title teams

• Kentucky and Duke title teams

Subscribe links for podcast:

• Apple Podcasts

• Spotify

• Amazon Music

• Google Podcasts

• PocketCasts

• RSS Feed (to add it to a different podcast player)

• Don’t see it somewhere you normally listen to podcasts? Let us know.

Episode Description

In Episode 1, Mike and Bob provide the backstory on their decades-long research project and conversation trying to identify what it takes to build a winner in college basketball. Then they jump right into exploring one of the Big Questions they've been wrestling with since 1996.

Here's the outline for the episode:

Segment One: The Conversation at 7th and Washington that launched the primary question. 

1. Dec. 7th, 1996 ... A Date That Lives In Infamy.

2. Comparing the two teams

3. The Initial Findings: Talent does matter, and IU was quite talented in their heyday

Segment Two: The Hoosiers Mythos: The movie is not a documentary.

1. Mike's Process: How Excel aggregated the paradigm?

2. Elements of Winning Programs: Two Good Examples and Butler. 

3. "Convincing" the Barbershop

Segment Three: Is talent enough? 

1. 2015: Wisconsin Saves the 1976 Legacy

2. The Tobacco Road Scrolls: Dean Smith on System vs Flexible Coaching

3. What this means for IU right now? Can Woodson get "buy in"?

Segment Four: 1996-97 Season Epilogue

1. A Trip to Tobacco Road, A Disaster, and An Open Practice: recognizing just how special the sauce has to be.

If you thoughts or comments about the episode, feel free to comment on YouTube video, comment below, or reach out to Mike (@M_Wiemuth_) and Bob (@BobMoats) on Twitter or in our BHN Discord.