In another short month,

it will be March Madness.

While I suffer through,

More February Sadness.

 

March is usually a month I look forward to, as college basketball teams vie for those 68 precious slots on the NCAA Tournament bracket. It used to be only 64, but the “Big Dance” is always expanding to accommodate less disappointment. For those teams that don’t make the field there is also that NIT (Not in Tournament) option. Unless, you’re an Indiana University fan, in which case your only option may be to sit home and watch.

I’ve tried very hard to remain loyal to the program, after all those years of success, but I’m now beyond just disappointed. I cannot believe that a college team can shoot a dismal 18% in the first half of a BIG Ten game. Granted, it was a great defensive team, Michigan State, who may very well go on to win it all. However, grade school kids shoot better, even I could shoot better than 18%. These are scholarship players, receiving a free education, who practice every day, and have been doing this all their lives. How is this possible?

The team can play outstanding defense, and it was this reason only that they stayed in the game through the first half. I will give Coach Archie Miller credit for bringing that basic fundamental back to I.U. Basketball. It’s been missing for years, and the one thing in basketball that you can control on the floor. We all know that teams can have a bad shooting night, but you can still be competitive if you don’t allow your opponent to score either. Ultimately, they only lost this game by 3 points to a Top Five team, while finishing at 28.8% from the floor and 21.1% from three point range (4-19). Michigan State was 48.9% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. Somehow, the Hoosiers managed to hit 72% from the free throw line, despite being one of the worst teams in the country at this basketball fundamental. Unfortunately, they couldn’t hit their free throws when the game was on the line, as has been all too common this season.

To make matters worse, Indiana’s biggest rival, Purdue, is now 12-0 and ranked third in the nation. This is like salt in the wound to any devout Hoosier fan. Also, Michigan State‘s success this year is the result of recruiting in Indiana’s own back yard. Jaren Jackson Jr. is from Carmel, Indiana and went to school at La Lumiere in LaPorte, Indiana. I’m convinced that most any kid from Indiana, where hoops is king, can shoot better than 18%. Zach McRoberts is the only native Hoosier in the I.U. starting line-up, and up until this year he’s been sitting on the bench. He is also a walk-on, known primarily for his hustling defense and rebounding ability. I.U. Basketball has definitely lost its way!

The Hoosier record stands at 12-12 and 5-7 in the BIG after 4 consecutive losses, giving up the only victory for Illinois in the conference to date. Two of those losses were to #3 Purdue and #5 Michigan State, where the same disturbing patterns emerged in both close games. The shooting was abysmal, the turnovers untimely, and poor defense against the three-point shot costly. The threes and free throws wouldn’t fall, sloppy shots went in for the opponent, and their three pointers with the shot clock about to expire were all too frequent. The I.U. offense missed open layups, clutch free throws, and threw the ball away with consistency.

In 2008-09, after the dismissal of Coach Kelvin Sampson and the resulting NCAA probation, I.U. experienced some bad years under the direction of Tom Crean. They went 6-25, 10-21, and 12-20 respectively. With one more win, Archie Miller will have won more games than each of those “Crean & Crimson” teams, so we haven’t taken as big of a step back with this coaching change. Crean favored a run-and-gun approach that put little emphasis on defense. I like the fundamentals he’s brought to Bloomington, but Miller needs some shooters to give his team balance. Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou? (See Post #369).

There’s little hope for the remainder of this year, as I expect nothing but February Sadness from the Hoosiers. Only Purdue gives the state of Indiana some potential madness. They have the longest winning streak in Division 1 basketball, but I do not expect them to go undefeated in the BIG Conference. I’m just glad that I have some association with the university, so that I have someone to cheer for in March and early April. In the meantime, I’m throwing in the white flag, with expectations of more bad basketball these next two months. Please, don’t let it extend into next year – put some Madness back in my life.!