Hoosier pride has returned

What a special season this has turned out to be for the IU men's basketball team, the fans and IU coach Mike Davis.\nNo one expected IU to come this far, but the Hoosiers have beaten the odds that just about everyone stacked against them and are headed to the Final Four for the first time since 1992.\nNow everyone is jumping on the Hoosier bandwagon and hoping the underdog team defies the critics and point spreads and makes it to Monday night's championship game.\nAfter starting the non-conference season 7-5, the Hoosiers had four straight Big Ten wins, and the excitement started to build. It became evident early that this was a special team with a special coach.\nIt hasn't been easy for Davis to take over for former coach Bob Knight, but aside from a few rookie mistakes, Davis has been the best thing for IU.\nHe took a team that doesn't have many overly athletic basketball players and was able to mold a bunch that uses scrappiness and hustle to win games.\nDavis brought inspiration to the team, and his demeanor spread to his players.\nThere have been frustrating moments during this season, but the Hoosiers consistently turned adversity into momentum to propel them into the top place in the Big Ten, a No. 5 NCAA seed and now a trip to the Final Four.\nThe Knight era has passed; it's old news on a campus that is crazy for Davis and his team.\nThe team has come a long way this year. Atlanta was a goal senior Dane Fife promised in his farewell speech following the last Assembly Hall home game. Perhaps no one but the team believed that promise, but it's a reality now. And for that the Hoosiers deserve the congratulations of every ounce of energy fans have expended cheering, screaming and shouting for their team.\nExuberance for the team was evident after the Duke and Kent State victories, when the streets of Bloomington were packed with celebrations, and as fans bid farewell to the team at yesterday's pep rally.\nThe players stood quietly in the middle of the floor while Fife and senior Jarred Odle thanked the fans for all of their support. \nWe thank the team and coach Davis. \nThanks for hard work and a great season. Win or lose, you've brought Hoosier pride back to the campus, you've made us proud and reminded the nation why Indiana is a basketball-crazed state -- and for good reason.\nResults aside, we'll be cheering for true Hoosier champions.