2 games on Sunday, 1 competitive

Finally this day has come. The day all sports fans clamor for anxiously. It's Super Bowl Sunday and nothing can spoil the mood.\nRats! I forgot about that 1 p.m. date with the television, some Pepcid AC and my squishy stress ball. This should be fun.\nDid you really think we had a chance?\nDid you really believe the Hoosiers would come out on national television, on Super Bowl Sunday and beat the No. 1-ranked and undefeated Illinois Fighting Illini?\nHow long will it take before I grab the remote and switch to the "Queer Eye" marathon?\nThe Hoosiers had a chance Sunday to defend the school's 1972 undefeated season and preserve the record for another year, discounting Boston College all together. However, IU never really threatened for the lead, as the Illini (23-0) jumped out to an 8-0 lead. But the Hoosiers held the damage to a minimum and hung in the game, showing signs of the team's constant maturation process. \nIn a game no one expects them to win, especially with Bracey Wright's scoring output absent because of an ankle injury, the Hoosiers can walk away with positives. The freshmen continued to play well scoring 35 of the team's 47 points and Marshall Strickland had a solid performance, shifting at times to the shooting guard to fill Wright's void. \nNow 10-10 and 5-4 in the Big Ten, the Hoosiers and Mike Davis must win four of the next seven games to boast a winning record and qualify for the -- dramatic pause for added excitement -- NIT. I'm sure the Assembly Hall fans would line up to pay to watch the Hoosiers in postseason action. Heck, it doesn't happen every year.\nOn the bright side, the pieces are in place for coach Davis, but the puzzle is still incomplete. The fifth-year head coach has stockpiled good young talent for the future, which may ensure him another year in Bloomington, but his detractors will say in his five seasons as the head coach at IU, Davis has lost at least 10 games every year. The argument has been raised by some, and while defending Mike Davis isn't exactly en vogue these days, I feel I must. They forget Bob Knight wasn't absolved from double-digit loss totals. Despite only losing nine games in his final year at the helm, Knight prior to the 2000 season had gone five consecutive seasons with 10 losses or more, just like Davis. \nThe dip is set out, the Bartles & James are on ice and the grill is up and going. It's Super Bowl Sunday and I'm still stewing over another loss. Now, where did I put that bottle opener and where the heck is the remote?