Indiana Hoosiers: One and done?

There is no denying the fact the Indiana Hoosiers men’s basketball team has been through quite a memorable season. 

As a student and a season ticket holder, I’ve been fortunate enough to see most of the home games this year. It must be stated, however, that I would not label myself a manic-fan. No, I don’t even consider myself a “fan” of the Hoosiers much at all. I guess I’m more of a “passive” fan. When people ask I just tell them, “I root for the home team.”

By mentioning this, I’m hoping the my comments and observations will be considered objective. I  have seen the team play multiple times and have a general idea of where they stand. 
           
What a season indeed.

From beating up the Spartans at home to losing on a late banked-in three against the Badgers, to the rise of a freshman phenom and the dumping of a coach, the boys in crimson have seen more ups-and-downs than a heart defibrillator.

Indiana is close to flat-lining. Crazy thinking? Maybe not, think about it.

In the five games since Sampson resigned, the Hoosiers have been playing with little determination. If not for the spectacular shooting of Armon Basset, the team could easily have lost four of its last five.

They squeaked out a win at Northwestern, a team that won one conference game all year, and struggled at home against Ohio State. The Buckeyes, to their credit, have been playing much better in the last few weeks, almost certainly because they know they are on the tournament bubble and need to finish the season strong in hopes of getting an at-large bid. 

Losing at Assembly Hall in Bloomington by only three points wouldn’t be considered a “bad loss.” We won’t even discuss the blowout loss in East Lansing and the most recent loss at Penn State.

Place the blame on who or what you want, but Indiana is not playing very well. This could mean big trouble in the next few days during the Big Ten tournament and the opening round of the Big Dance. 

ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi has the Hoosiers as a projected No. 4 seed. This is just an educated guess of course, but it’s a pretty good indicator of what kind of seed to expect. This number could go up or down as well. It depends on what the team does during the Big Ten tournament.

If they lose their first game (against the winner of Minnesota vs. Northwestern) they could possibly fall to a No. 5 of even a No. 6 seed.  We all know about the No. 5 vs. No. 12 match-up. Upset anybody?  It’s not too unthinkable.
           
What if the team were to play a team like Oregon or George Mason? Pretty tough first-round draws, but possible match-ups if the Hoosiers don’t win a game in the Big Ten tournament.

With the way Eric Gordon has been shooting and the loss of momentum the team has suffered since the departure of Sampson, the hurryin’ Hoosiers may just be hurryin’ to an early exit in March.