YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They did it! They pulled it off! What a great win for the Hoosiers! What I really like about it is that they took Wisconsin's best shot and still came out victorious. Well, maybe not Wisconsin's best game of the year, but Tucker was outstanding as always and Taylor kept hitting 3s down the stretch, but IU responded every time. Ratliffe was spectacular in the second half -- hitting 3s, taking it to the rim, hitting pull-up jumpers. He was on fire! I think he had 18 points in the second half. D.J. was solid as always and I thought Calloway had a really good game (except for one really bad turnover with about 3 1/2 minutes to go). Overall, it was a great team effort and the crowd was going crazy. What a great win. Tomorrow will be the only day of the year that I will look forward to getting to work!
Go Hoosiers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
**********************
Pre-game commentary:
I must admit that I am not only concerned about tomorrow night's game against # 2 Wisconsin, but I am also concerned about this whole stretch of the schedule. After Wisconsin, the Hoosiers play 3 out of 4 games on the road and all of those games are against decent teams (@ Iowa, Illinois, @ Purdue, @ Michigan). The good news is that they finish with the bottom 3 teams in the conference within their last 4 games (Minnesota, @ MSU, @ NW, Penn State).
So, if you look at the remaining schedule in those 2 stretches….if IU can go 3-2 over the next 5 games and go 3-1 in the final 4 games, they should be in great position to be "the best of the rest", meaning 3rd place behind Wisconsin and Ohio State.
Or even if they would go 2-3 over the next 5 games and 3-1 in the final 4 games, they would would still be 10-6 in the conference and have 20 wins heading into the Big Ten tournament.
But wait, Mike Davis is no longer our coach, which means we no longer have to look at a stretch of games and think it would be OK to win 2 of the next 5 games just because we have some road games. No sir, that's a loser's mentality.
Instead, I think Sampson has this team focused on one thing and one thing only -- tomorrow night's game against Wisconsin. And if they do pull off the victory against Wisconsin, then Hoosier fans don't have to talk about "the best of the rest". Instead, we can talk about contending for a Big Ten title. Of course, the team still has to take it one game at a time, but the fans can talk about whatever they want.
Even though I wouldn't put money down in Vegas on this prediction, I do believe in the power of positive thinking. And that is why I am predicting a buzzer-beating Hoosier victory! IU 67 Wisconsin 66.
Tucker is a true star and I think he will have a good game, but I think our shooters really like Assembly Hall. The 3-point shooting will be the difference and the Hoosiers will pull out a close one. And then I get to bring donuts into work and send out an email that says "all of you Badger fans without any pride can stop over for some verbal abuse and a donut." The sad thing is that they do actually stop over (I have done this in previous years).
Go IU!
REMINDER: Eric Gordon on ESPN2 on Thursday!
So, if you look at the remaining schedule in those 2 stretches….if IU can go 3-2 over the next 5 games and go 3-1 in the final 4 games, they should be in great position to be "the best of the rest", meaning 3rd place behind Wisconsin and Ohio State.
Or even if they would go 2-3 over the next 5 games and 3-1 in the final 4 games, they would would still be 10-6 in the conference and have 20 wins heading into the Big Ten tournament.
But wait, Mike Davis is no longer our coach, which means we no longer have to look at a stretch of games and think it would be OK to win 2 of the next 5 games just because we have some road games. No sir, that's a loser's mentality.
Instead, I think Sampson has this team focused on one thing and one thing only -- tomorrow night's game against Wisconsin. And if they do pull off the victory against Wisconsin, then Hoosier fans don't have to talk about "the best of the rest". Instead, we can talk about contending for a Big Ten title. Of course, the team still has to take it one game at a time, but the fans can talk about whatever they want.
Even though I wouldn't put money down in Vegas on this prediction, I do believe in the power of positive thinking. And that is why I am predicting a buzzer-beating Hoosier victory! IU 67 Wisconsin 66.
Tucker is a true star and I think he will have a good game, but I think our shooters really like Assembly Hall. The 3-point shooting will be the difference and the Hoosiers will pull out a close one. And then I get to bring donuts into work and send out an email that says "all of you Badger fans without any pride can stop over for some verbal abuse and a donut." The sad thing is that they do actually stop over (I have done this in previous years).
Go IU!
REMINDER: Eric Gordon on ESPN2 on Thursday!
Posts
16 comments:
I believe you have the right score with the wrong winner!!!
Sorry rdbadger....wrong blog. You were looking for www.blogspot.badgerlosers.com!
IU 61 Wis 57
Wilmont 12 Pts
DJ will 10 Pts
Stemler 10 Pts
Calloway 8 Pts
Shaw 7 Pts
Ratliff 6 Pts
Bassett 4 Pts
Mike White 4 Pts
IU Shoots 50% from the Arc and 90% Free Throws.
Ben - I love the detailed prediction. And considering your aptitude for predictions (reigning champion of the football pool), I'm going to take your prediction as fact and not even watch the game.
First and foremost, GREAT WIN!!!!
I agree with Jeff about the whole work thing and I am not an IU grad. Hopefully, this will quiet the Wisconsin faithful somewhat. I do believe that the Badgers are a really good team and that on any given night could beat any team in the nation. BUT, this streak that Wisconsin has been on has gotten these Cheeseheads believing that they are the second coming of the 1976 Hoosiers (wait a minute, that team went undefeated and now WI has 2 losses).
HOWEVER, with that said I do have two issues with the win tonight and they both have to do with the fans. (I will probably take some crap for this but remember I gave props earlier.) First, NEVER use the 'OVERRATED' cheer. This really makes no sense at all. What are the fans inferring about their own team?
And second, DON'T rush the court. Act as if you expected to win, like you've been here before....don't the banners mean anything, like 'we do have a storied history', 'we know what it is like to win a big one', blah, blah, blah
Well, the IU fans are not really known for their cheers. Earlier this year, the students chanted "stand up, old people" to their own alumni.
And I would agree with the "overrated" cheer. In today's rankings, rpi, and tournament selection process, you want your opponents to be as highly rated as possible (whether you win or lose). Point taken on the cheer, Purdue boy.
I don't have too much of a problem with rushing the court. They just beat #2 in the country, that's worth celebrating no matter how many banners you have (5 more than Purdue). Of course, you don't want anyone to get hurt, but you have to celebrate a huge win like this. Hell, I did the moon-walk at the end of the game!
By the way, final poll results:
9 of the Hoosier faithful correctly predicted the big win, while 8 had predicted Wisconsin.
11 say absolutely no hope for Ben Allen, while 7 are still holding out for something. Even if that something is throwing a sucker punch in a bench-clearing brawl. Just give us something! Anything!
Going back to the Michigan win, 8 people voted D.J. as player of the game. But Mike White had a nice showing with 4 votes, Bassett & Wilmont each received 3 votes, and 1 vote for Stemler. I thought all were worthy of consideration.
16 of 18 votes went to the Colts to win the Super Bowl. Not a big surprise when you are polling an IU site, but we do have representation from at least two die-hard Bears fans -- Tom & Brad. Tom is at least from Chicago, we don't know what's wrong with Brad. He has a lot of issues.
If anyone would like a donut tomorrow morning, head up Hwy 45 like you were going to my house, but don't exit until Good Hope Road. Take that west until you see the sign for Wells Fargo. Park, go to the phone next to the entrance door, and call the Security extension posted by the phone. Tell them you are here for the Hoosier donuts, they will buzz you in and direct you to my desk.
Jeff, I'll be there for donuts in an hour!
Troy, I am proud of your support for IU. I agree with your view on rushing the court, unfortunately, this is what those crazy kids do now-a-days. Lets just hope they don't start doing if after every win or even close losses!
I was chanting Kelvin Sampson right along with the students last night! Is it just me or does it seem A LOT louder at Assembly Hall than ever before. I love how Sampson interacts with the crowd and gets them involved.
This was the top-tier win the Hoosiers needed to get. There is still A LOT of work to be done, but the fact they have been taking teams "best shots" at the end of the game and surviving is BIG.
I predict Hoosiers move up to #17 in the polls next week. This will start the streak of 10+ Years of being ranked in the Top 20, Big Ten Titles and a couple National Championships.
Go Hoosiers!!
What a game. Some great defense in the first half kept them in it while they struggled offensively. You could tell that if just one person could get hot in the second half IU would be in good shape. I'm glad it was AJ b/c I thought he made some real dump plays in the first half, especially the lame foul attempt on Tucker on the breakaway. Yesterday when I came into work there was a stuffed badger sitting on my desk. Today I can't seem to find it anywhere!
As for the fan reaction, with about a minute left on clock I started saying out loud, "Please don't rush the court. Please don't rush the court." Of course they did and I thought it was a bad decision. Now that I've had a night to sleep on it I've changed my stance. Ben hit it right on the head when he said he loves how Sampson reacts to the crowd and tries to get the students involved. I know he's said he's sitting down with the AD this summer to see about creating a student section. Last night was a big win for the team and I'm glad the students were excited and allowed to celebrate. That said, I'm going on the record as not a fan of this "white out" trend in Assembly Hall. Wear Your RED!
God do wish we had Ohio State in Bloomington this year.
Pat Forde wrote the following paragraph on ESPN.com today talking about the change in atmosphere in Bloomington from last year (and really even October) to now:
"The identity coalescing in Bloomington today mirror's the coach's longtime identity: This is a tough group. Not prone to the wild mood swings that seemed to characterize the Davis Era. Allergic to mail-it-in performances (IU's five losses are by a total of 28 points). And tenaciously defending home court (IU is three games away from its first undefeated season in Assembly Hall in 12 years)."
28 points!!
Save a donut for me Jeff! The poll question for biggest factor in the win should have included "all of the above". I voted for IU's toughness but it was difficult to not give voting props to the crowd and AJ. The crowd was fantastic. I must have fast-forwarded through the "Over rated" chant and I'm not a big fan of rushing the court for a home conference victory. But I don't remember an IU crowd being that consistently loud for a long time. I also can't say enough about their toughness and I give Sampson all of the credit there. In 3 of the last 6 games they have been significantly challenged and have been losing in the second half only to make plays and figure out a way to win. That's what good, tough teams do. I hope they can keep it up. A win at Iowa on Saturday and they should crack the top 20.
I brought in donuts as planned and gave the following invite: "Hoosier Donuts at my desk. If you are a Badger fan and have no pride, you are welcome to stop by and have one."
Here's a sampling of the responses so far:
"I don't like you." (that's a true fan)
"Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while." (weak response, no creativity)
But, by in large, the most popular response has been.......
"Thanks for the donut."
Recruit Eli Holman was reinstated (after being suspended for pushing an official) and will play tonight.
Comments from Sampson:
"I talked to Eli," said Sampson. "He is doing good and that's the main thing. That's a scary situation. Where he lives, that's an every day occurrence. We are here in the Midwest and in a safe place. He doesn't live in a safe place. He lives in a very violent place. Richmond, Calif., is tough. We have heard how dangerous Oakland is. Richmond is worse. He is doing good. I told him that there are certain things in life you can control. You can control your friends, your decisions, it's not like he's not going to make a mistake like all of us. A mistake is not a problem, it's repeating it. He has learned from his mistakes. He's in an unfortunate situation, but the main thing of his concern now is his grades."
And one final reminder about GORDON VS. JORDANS tonight on ESPN2 at 6pm CT.
I thought this was a funny line from Pat Forde following the quote from Ratliff:
"It's big-time," Ratliff said of the victory. "I don't think we've ever beaten a huge, ranked, top-three team since I've been here."
You haven't, A.J. That's why the dude in the wig was tackling you.
1) Great victory last night. I feel like order was restored in the big ten. I feel like another long chapter of Hoosier domination in the Big Ten is being born in front of our eyes. The rest of the Big Ten now knows that life just got harder for them.
2) I like to see them rush to floor for a big game. Just limit it to Top 1 or 2 teams. Keep in mind, we've haven't hung a banner in 20 years, and have been relatively mediocre (by IU standards) for 10 seasons. These student have no personal memory of IU's tradition of excellence. Being highly competitive and challenging for the Big Ten title is a new experience. Maybe after 3 or 4 seasons of Sampson dominance, the students will develop the "act like you've been there" attitude. But for now, Party On!!!
3) I don't like the White Out. It doesn't look that good on TV. They should all wear red and have white towels to wave. That would look menacing...and even the Alumni could participate in that.
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