A Purdue Fan's Wish: Get Better Indiana

Please get better soon, Indiana.

That's right. I said it. A die-hard Boilermaker fan wants to see the Hoosiers get better.

You may be wondering why and with good reason. After all, my hatred for Indiana has been nurtured since birth. I can count 16 relatives (with the furthest relation being first cousins) that have graduated from Purdue.

During my elementary school days, I can remember making bets on the games for things such as Snickers bars and Mountain Dews. A Purdue win meant gloating rights for days and sometimes weeks.

The rivalry between IU and Purdue is one of the most intense in college basketball. It may only be second to the North Carolina/Duke battles on Tobacco Road. For Boilermaker and Hoosier fans though, there are no bigger games than when their teams meet in Mackey Arena or Assembly Hall.

With less than 24 hours until the tip of the 2009 Purdue/IU game, the luster that usually surrounds it is not there, and that is disappointing.

Indiana is struggling in a rebuilding season after a poor choice by the administration (the hiring of Kelvin Sampson) gave the basketball program two big black eyes. But the well-documented fiasco is behind them now, and I am here to talk about the future.

Enter new head coach Tom Crean. The disciple of Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo rode in on a white horse with the promise of bringing back the glory days of Indiana basketball.

His impact was felt immediately as he dismissed several players from last year’s team and started with a clean slate. It left him with only two remaining players (Kyle Taber and Brett Finkelmeier) who scored a combined 30 points the entire previous season.

Understandably, the season has been a struggle so far. With only one conference win and 19 total losses, this is arguably the worst season in Indiana history. However, there is reason for Indiana fans to be excited about the future, and for Purdue fans to start worrying.

First, Crean has had only other stop as a college head coach, but it was a good one. He led Marquette to a Final Four appearance and had five 20-win seasons in nine years. He won a Conference USA championship and earned Marquette an invitation to the Big East Conference. His success speaks for itself and gives Hoosiers reason for hope.

Second, Crean is a fabulous recruiter and using the “Indiana” name surely won't hurt. Crean has landed big-name players at Marquette such as Dwyane Wade, Travis Diener, Steve Novak, Jerel McNeal, Wes Matthews, and former Indiana Mr. Basketball, Dominic James.

He already has what some are calling a top 10 class arriving in 2009, which includes four-star prospects Maurice Creek, Derek Elston, and Christian Watford. All three will probably be immediate contributors if not starters next fall.

Finally, Crean’s coaching philosophy fits the Big Ten. He learned from Izzo, one of the best in the business. As a result, he preaches pressure defense and intensity. He loves using the pick-and-roll to get open jumpers, easy layups, or kick-out threes. Even now, his team plays physical and in your face, even though they lack the overall talent to be competitive in the conference.

It seems as if the return to glory is on the horizon, and it could not come soon enough. While the Big Ten has regained some national prominence this year, they have received criticism as of late.

Since Indiana’s last Final Four appearance in 2002, the Big Ten has produced three Final Four teams in six years. That is three out of 24 spots (not to mention zero national championships) for a conference with so much history and prestige.

Regardless of how Indiana’s improvement will affect the conference’s national status, the Big Ten race just is not the same without them this year. When Purdue and Indiana meet in late February, usually a conference title is on the line. While that holds true for the Boilers, the Hoosiers can only hope for an upset to brighten their season.

On the day before a matchup with Purdue's biggest rival, the campus is missing its usual buzz, and the game is only being televised by the Big Ten Network.

No ESPN announcers are dissecting the players or strategies of the game. No Verne Lundquists or Billy Packers will be in attendance. For me to even be able to bet an IU fan a candy bar, I would have to lay 20 points.

While I cannot help but smile when I see 1-12 as Indiana’s conference record, a part of me is missing the hype surrounding what is usually the biggest game of the year. I enjoy the gloating part much more when the Boilers beat a great team in a hard-fought game.

So I say, get better soon, Indiana. But soon can probably wait until at least after tomorrow.