Does anybody care anymore?

This Wednesday, I want you to do something that you may have never done before. When the Hoosiers step onto the floor at Assembly Hall, I want you to boo. Boo them hard. Boo harder than you ever have in your life. Boo them like five Luke Reckers have walked onto the floor. Boo until you are hoarse. Boo them so that they are confused about whether they are playing Michigan at home or on the road.\nThis display does not have to last for the entire game, mind you. Just for a few seconds, to show your displeasure. It's like putting your child in "timeout" when he or she is misbehaving.\nIf you care about IU, you will boo. Or maybe you won't show up at all.\nMaybe this is sacrilege. Perhaps you are so indignant that you have thrown this piece of work away already. Maybe you said "What's wrong with this kid? Is he from Philadelphia or something?"\nThere's nothing wrong with me. But there's everything wrong with what is the most underachieving basketball team since, well, the 2001 Iowa Hawkeyes. (Remember them? They started the season in the Top 10. They ended the season in the NIT).\nThis team lost to Northwestern. Northwestern. A team that is led by a freshman Frenchman. \nFor the first time since 1988, the Big Ten team that is better suited to play against city rival Loyola in the Horizon League beat the Hoosiers. \nIf it were a buzzer beating defeat, it would be a loss that could possibly be stomached. But the game was not even close from the get-go. IU was kicked in the midsection by Northwestern -- a team that plays in a glorified high school gymnasium -- and was never allowed to catch its breath.\nEmbarrassment is not the right word. Total, utter garbage is a more appropriate phrase for what IU is passing as basketball these past three weeks.\nAt least the team showed some heart against Michigan State. They could have tanked it when they were down by seven, but they got the crowd the loudest it has been all year in making a comeback effort. But they still couldn't win. Even when the Spartans have been ranked in the Top 10 they have come up on the short end of the stick when they visited Assembly Hall.\nSo the real question has become, "Does anybody really care anymore?"\nEvery time that Michigan State made a big play, their bench jumped up and down in excitement, and rushed into the huddle of each timeout with gusto. The Hoosiers sat solemnly, as if the result of the game were a foregone conclusion.\nI can tell that some people care. Bracey Wright cares, though he may try to do too much. There are times where teammates have a better shot, but Bracey tries to score on his own. Of course, there are other instances that he should have the ball, but no one gets it into his hands.\nA.J. Moye cares. The poor guy has lost all his hair in this losing streak. But unlike the rest of the bench, he gets pumped up when things go IU's way -- which is why he should never be on the bench. He also sprinted into the locker room at halftime against Michigan State while everyone else was lollygagging off the court, pretty clearly unhappy with the results of the first half.\nAs a senior, Kyle Hornsby cares. He hit the floor going after a loose ball against MSU. That's all I have wanted to see from anybody during this losing streak. Some hustle. Some determination. \nThose three guys showed it. Tom Coverdale has shown some in spurts, but never with the absolute steely resolve that he showed against Maryland. Will anybody else step up?\nThere is no excuse for the length of IU's losing streak. At the very worst, the team should have gone 2-3 over the past five games.\nPerhaps Mike Davis needs a new game plan. He looked brilliant when he made Illinois' star forward Brian Cook a non-factor by punishing the Illini inside the paint with Jeff Newton and George Leach. Ever since, it has been a three-point shootout with none of the shots falling.\nIU has attempted 495 three-pointers this year. They've made 167 of them. In terms of attempts, the next closest team in the conference is Illinois, which has hurled 432 three-pointers. They've made 161.\nI'm no mathmagician, but I can figure this out: try something new.\nAre the Hoosiers a team with Final Four potential? Yeah. The Final Four of the NIT.