“On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me”….a last-second win over Notre Dame. The up-and-down Cream & Crimson are winning ugly, with gut-wrenching twists-and-turns that simply wouldn’t happen with a good team. This I.U. group will be lucky to return to the NCAA tournament after several years of frustration. It’s all I can expect in their quest for twenty victories. Win number eleven is now in the books with “pipers piping,” in celebration, as Arkansas awaits its chance to knock-off the undefeated home Hoosiers later this month. Unfortunately, a really ugly loss at Wisconsin is keeping fans like me more than humble. It clearly explained why Indiana is considered a second-division BIG conference team by most of the experts. 

It was the “can I buy an extra vowel?” freshmen tandem of Armaan Franklin and Trayce Jackson-Davis that were responsible for today’s win, along with Butler graduate transfer, Joey Brunk. None of these three players were on last year’s squad, but the same shooting problems still haunt the team’s overall performance. We were comfortably in control and up by seventeen with fifteen minutes left, and then suddenly five down as the clock was winding down. Two three pointers by Franklin and a bucket by Jackson sealed the gift-like comeback. It was hard to believe that they lost that much ground, considering the slow pace of the game. Honestly, I expected it to be a close game between two mediocre teams, and certainly did not anticipate the I.U. bulge. We needed it!

On a football note, I’ve decided not to attend the Gator Bowl while we’re in nearby Tampa on January 2nd. The gridiron Hoosiers had unexpected success this season with 8 overall wins, but I was not enthralled with the prospect of a pricey ticket, long drive, parking hassles, and maybe even a loss. I’ve lost confidence in I.U. basketball, but have never had it for I.U. football. I’ve been to two other I.U. bowl games in my life and saw a Liberty Bowl victory and an Independence Bowl loss. Their opponent, Tennessee, has a rich football history, and I expect them to rise to the occasion and their fans to turn out in droves. Other than the Rose Bowl appearance in 1967, this is the most prestigious post-season invitation our team has ever accepted. My wife set up a dinner with a long-lost girlfriend that night, and they’ve promised to at least have the game on for me to watch. 

I bought myself a new pair of I.U. socks for Christmas this year.  That will probably be the extent of my Hoosier gifts under the tree. I consider the Crossroads Classic victory my best present so far, gift-wrapped by the two freshmen sensations. As my wife pointed out, if they hadn’t pulled off the comeback, I would have been in a “pissy” Scrooge-like mood for tonight’s holiday dinner with my hometown Hoosier friends. I had to watch the televised action with a lot of signal interference through our cable service that only added to the second-half frustration. It didn’t seem to bother me when they were pulling away just after the break. The last fifteen minutes were all Notre Dame until the final minute rescue. 

I can end the year with one more basketball victory, and start the New Year with a bowl championship, along with an unprecedented nine in the win column. It’s the first time in many years that both sports are still in contention for January wins. In the second game of the Crossroads, Butler seems in control against Purdue. Even though the Bulldogs look impressive, I.U. actually has a chance this year to be the best team in Indiana, a small concession in the whole scheme of things round. The two rivalry games against the Boilermakers will likely end in a split, with each team prevailing at home. So far, a BIG conference team has yet to win an away game, and I expect that any road win will be considered a major upset. Will the Butler do it again? Can the Hoosiers do it again and go a “drummers-drumming” 12-1? So far, it’s been a “Christmas Miracle” of overtime and final-second gifts on the court.