I was right, you were wrong

I hate to say I told you so -- wait, no I don't. Hell, I revel in telling you how smart I am. So, to all of you in the Hoosier nation who e-mailed me and told me I was crazy for staying optimistic about this team -- don't you just hate that I was right? \nWhen the Hoosiers were 13-9 and coach Mike Davis resigned, I said it was too early to give up on this season because there was still a month remaining. Sure, the team had more "issues" than that Paula chick from the new "Real World," but it still had time to work things out. By the way, MTV hit a home run with that girl. She has the potential to be crazier than Frankie from the San Diego cast, and that's Hall of Fame-level stuff. \nThe Hoosiers went on to win their final four games (after losing on the road to Illinois) and finished 17-10 at fifth place in the Big Ten. The regular season is over and the Hoosiers will be in the NCAA Tournament after a two-year absence. \nA few weeks ago, I took some shots at the fans who threw in the towel prematurely, and boy did I hear from them. They called me names I wouldn't call Barry Bonds and even went so far as to say I wasn't a "real Hoosier" because I'm from California. Yeah, because no one from outside the state of Indiana could possibly know anything about IU basketball. \nBut Saturday's 69-67 win at Michigan characterized the Hoosiers' entire season. They committed 20 turnovers, started down 10-0 and didn't score during the game's first five minutes. But they persevered through all of that, tightened up defensively, played hard and gutted out a tough road win. Senior Marco Killingsworth had his best performance in weeks, as he racked up 19 points and 13 rebounds (seven offensive) and only committed two fouls. Sometimes toughness and concentration are all it takes to win big games. \nThe Hoosiers have recently performed in a way we should all be proud of, and let's just hope they can continue this run into the Big Ten Tournament. As far as the NCAA Tournament goes, anything can happen. Don't forget, this same Hoosier team is capable of knocking off some of the top teams in the country. It beat Illinois, Ohio State and Michigan State, and went toe-to-toe with Duke and UConn. If you still don't believe the Hoosiers can make a run, remember one thing -- the team Mike Davis took to the finals in 2002 was 19-10 heading into the Big Ten Tournament. Our boys are capable of great things and I can't wait to see what happens next.\nWith their backs against the wall, the Hoosiers played with the heart and resiliency we have come to expect from IU teams over the years. \nTo those of you who didn't see it coming, I guess you just don't know IU basketball.