This team is more entertaining

Everybody knows it. You’ve seen the meme on Google. Personally, it makes me laugh every time.

It reads, “Are you not entertained?!”

That is the one recurring theme, or meme, of the 2013-2014 IU men’s basketball season.

The Hoosiers (14-9, 4-6) lost to the Gophers (16-8, 5-6) Saturday, 66-60. Sure, it was disappointing — if you’re an IU fan.

The eerie script IU followed was particularly frustrating. Come out of the gates gangbusters, look like they’re actually taking that important step forward and give IU fans dreams of dancing in March.

Cut to the harsh reality of this team hanging tough in the first half and coming out flat in the second half.

Again.

Syracuse, Michigan State, Nebraska and now Minnesota have all been road games where IU came out strong and then wilted in the second half.

The Hoosiers are 1-5 on the road. And that one win is against a Penn State team that opened Big Ten play 0-6. Until the Hoosiers take that next step and knock off a decent team away from Assembly Hall, they are National Invitational Tournament bound.

But you know that. Now I want to make a point that most IU fans will hate.

First, put aside all the heartache, disappointment, anger, jubilation and all the hair you pulled out during the season.

OK, you’re a cold, rational robot now.

Because the point I’m going to make has to be read without the sway of emotion.
This team is more entertaining than last year.

While you’re wiping the coffee off your laptop or phone, let me explain myself.
Last year saw the culmination of years and years of preparation. That team was beautiful to watch and had an enormous amount of success.

But this team is more entertaining. First, it’s played more close games. This team outscores opponents by an average of 8.0 points. Last year’s team averaged a 16.5 point differential.

And this year has been wildly inconsistent.

IU fans have no idea what they are getting from game to game. One day, the Hoosiers knock off Wisconsin, the No. 3 team in the nation. Four days later, they lose to sub-.500 Big Ten team Northwestern.

The subsequent results for the fans have been extreme jubilation mixed with downright sorrow. And that’s what makes a team entertaining.

Fans have to experience the full gamut of emotions. Fans must experience the extreme lows to appreciate the extreme highs. 

The Northwestern and Nebraska losses made the Wisconsin and Michigan wins that much sweeter.

Plus, last year the fans were all looking forward to March. That team was a national championship contender. Everybody knew it. The stress IU fans felt all year was downright nerve-wracking.

This year, everybody knows this team isn’t winning the national championship. And now, it doesn’t look like they’ll even make the NCAA Tournament. The expectations are lower, making the stress of the fans lower.

IU fans can now just go into a game and watch the product on the court without wondering if the team will win the championship, if failing to do so would be a disappointment or if any starters will leave after this year.

All those questions create stressed fans. This year’s team is young, talented and inconsistent. The perfect recipe for entertainment.

Next year, when this team mature and has higher expectations, IU fans can go back to stressful living.

But for now, sit back and enjoy the show.

The incredibly inconsistent, entertaining show.

­— ehoopfer@indiana.edu