"No Surrender"

With that Springsteen song in my head I was duly prepared to write about IU's big win over Arkansas. Alas...it was not meant to be as Indiana lost 86-72. I've been saying all week that IU wouldn't win...that it probably won't even be a game...that their season was over. (Not really that crazy of an idea considering how they have been playing and considering how they lost in the Big Ten Tournament) But as I watched the games leading up to the Indiana's game...all the while jamming to Bruce on itunes...my thought process started to change. I started thinking ridiculous notions that DJ White might dominate Taylor Hansbourough (of North Carolina)...that Gordon would lite it up over the weekend...that maybe Dakick could work the same magic that he did as a player...when he "shut down" Michael Jordan.



Nothing but crazy thoughts...probably exacerbated by the Lankshark Beer that I was also drinking. (On a positive note...Landshark is now officially my beer of choice...it reminds me of Circle City Light from Rock Bottom and also of some of the light beers that I had an Austrailia...It's pretty good.)



The season for the Hoosiers was such a disappointment. Where does one even start? At the starte of the season, the expectations for a deep run in the NCAA's seemed like a real possibility. It's true that much of the fall comes from the Sampson saga and fallout but also from the inability of Dakick and the rest of the coaching staff to get the players to play good fundamental basketball. The bottom line is that this team...even when under Sampson's hand...never had a grasp on the basic fundamentals of basketball. Because of Sampson's coaching ability he was able to mask those problems and still get this team to win. While Dakick is a likable guy who understands what IU basketball is all about I don't think he has what it takes to get the IU program where it needs to be...although to be fair...he was in a very difficult situation. I'm not sure if John Wooden could have gotten through to these players...considering with all of what has happened. I just feel for DJ White. He constantly gave everything he had...and I do very much respect that. Simply put...he just deserved better.



What was the deal with Billy Packer being all-about Eric Gordon, last night? Packer has a man-crush on him. Gordon has plenty of skills but last night's game was not a resume builder. Gordon's probably headed to the NBA...although I certainly don't think he's ready. His game needs a lot of fine-tuning. It does seem to be me to be a fluke in what happened to his shot. That kind of defies explanation. I know a lot of Hoosier fans have grown weary of Gordon's lack of production but I like to seem him stay for another year but I don't think that is going to be likely.



Unfortunately...the future is very unclear at this point. We don't know what the NCAA is going to hand down in terms of punishment...regarding Sampson's violations. And now we have to go through...what will probably be a 3-4 week process of finding a suitable coach.



It just makes me sick.



I'm ready to here these words, "Play Ball!"