What goes up must come down

Don't look now, but the Hoosiers are falling back to earth. \nLuckily for my reading audience, I'm currently enrolled in G121: Meteorites and Planets, so I'm well versed in the ins and outs of fast, free-falling objects. \nThe Hoosiers began last week 9-7 and 4-1 in the Big Ten, good enough for a tie for second place in the conference. Seven days later, IU has suffered two road defeats in games they really never threatened to win. Now 9-9 and 4-3 in conference, the Hoosiers have all but eliminated any hopes of earning an NCAA tournament berth.\nThe Hoosiers currently sit in a tie for fourth place and are still struggling with their transformation from prepubescent teens into adults. Possibly retarding the team's maturation, IU has upcoming contests with conference leaders Illinois and Michigan State and has four road games remaining. The Big Ten conference is noted for its difficulty to win games away from home and the Hoosiers are no exception, going 1-3 on the road this season -- the lone win coming against flailing Purdue, who dropped a home game this week to Wisconsin-Milwaukee, for what it's worth. \nIt's funny. A week ago I was hopeful, dare I say optimistic. But in the span of a week, I have witnessed the Hoosiers score two points in 10 minutes, the team's star player hit as many three-pointers as I have and watched in disgust as IU dropped two games in which they needed to produce results.\nIs it just me or do these 2005 Hoosiers resemble a certain team we were told was an aberration? Last season, the Hoosiers sprinted out to a 5-1 conference record before dropping eight of their last 10 Big Ten games, finishing 7-9. We were promised better results with better players and new recruits. What we've gotten is the same script we were handed last season. \n"We're a young team and the players are learning valuable lessons. Be patient; help is on the way." \nBe patient? Half of this campus has yet to see a winner, and the window of opportunity is shrinking. My window has closed as I cling to the memories of 2002, knowing I'll leave IU with a bitter taste in my mouth regarding the Hoosiers' hoops program. \n"There's always next year," is the program's new theme. I didn't know I was rooting for the Chicago Cubs, I thought I was cheering for a five-time national champion and basketball institution where losing wasn't acceptable. \nLast season's debacle halted a run of 18 consecutive NCAA tournaments in which IU participated, and with each passing day the realization that a different type of streak is beginning to take form is scaring and infuriating the Hoosier fan base.\nSome faithful have turned to the heavens in attempts to turn around the team's fortunes. However, a word of advice: be wary of plummeting objects.