Hoosiers drop 11th straight in front of raucous crowd

With Groundhog Day today, it might be appropriate that the Hoosiers keep experiencing the same bad dream over and over.

On Saturday, with the players focused, the crowd borderline riotous and a two-point lead at the half, Hoosier fans once again were forced to ask themselves, “Could today be the day?”

It was not.

The Hoosiers (5-15, 0-8) reluctantly made history Saturday with their 11th consecutive loss, tying a 66-year-old school record. Ohio State outscored IU by 14 points after halftime and outlasted an unconscious shooting performance by freshman guard Matt Roth to beat IU 93-81.

With the losses mounting, a desperate vibe continued to fill Assembly Hall. The season-high 17,202 spectators that filled the arena Saturday often became the mid-game center of attention.

Officials were forced to stop the game several times to tame the rowdy students.

Twice, the fans were warned for using inappropriate language in chants after calls went against the Hoosiers. Another time, play was stopped because players were hearing whistles emitting from the stands.

In both instances, the students responded. They replaced their chants with a cheer directed at IU coach Tom Crean. Upset with call after call, students shouted, “throw a chair, throw a chair.” After the game, Crean said he didn’t hear the Bob Knight reference.

When students were ordered to stop whistling, a five-minute chorus of furious whistling provided a soundtrack to the game’s action.

Although Saturday’s game featured more middle fingers than foam fingers, Crean said he couldn’t imagine any fans across the country duplicating the support the down-on-their-luck Hoosiers have received this season. IU’s first-year coach added that although there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed, he wanted IU’s fans to be “obnoxious and passionate.”

In the first half, Crean and a majority of the fans in attendance argued with officials after Ohio State center BJ Mullens appeared to have committed a goaltending violation.

Wary of saying anything that would get him in trouble, Crean paused frequently in his press conference when talking about Saturday’s officials, searching for a politically correct response that conveyed his frustration.

“I had a referee tell me tonight, ‘This isn’t my first rodeo,’” Crean said. “Well, it isn’t my first either.”

Crean berated the officials at times Saturday, smacking the scorers’ table and coming out to half court to argue a call.

“I’ll never miss a game, have money taken from me or money taken from Indiana about any comments I’ll ever make,” Crean said. “That doesn’t mean that they are not being made privately.”

The officials weren’t the only ones to stir up a ruckus against the Buckeyes. Roth’s 3-point barrage ignited a win-hungry audience. The freshman hit 9-of-11 from behind the arc, tying Rod Wilmont’s school record for 3s in a game, set in 2007.

The sweet-shooting guard drained shot after shot to the crowd’s delight and Ohio State coach Thad Matta’s amazement.

“I honestly wanted him to keep shooting because I was like, ‘This is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen,’” Matta said.

But Roth wasn’t the only one grooving Saturday. The Buckeyes combined to shoot 64 percent from the field (76.2 percent in the second half). Four Ohio State starters – Evan Turner, Jon Diebler, William Buford and Jeremie Simmons – combined to score 91 of their team’s 93 points.

At the beginning of the game, it appeared Saturday’s showdown would be different from the Hoosiers’ 77-53 Jan. 13 loss to Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes opened their first game against the Hoosiers with nine three-point plays. On Saturday, Ohio State missed their first attempt and junior guard Devan Dumes hit his.

But the Hoosiers’ lead, which stretched to 12 with 9:23 left in the first half, did not last, and the Buckeyes came back to deal IU its 11th consecutive loss.

“I don’t think there is a guy that I’ve seen involved with their program who wants to win more than (Crean) does,” Matta said after the game. “Knowing Tom, he wants it for his kids more than he wants it for himself.”