It’s the mid-20th century, and you’re at a fairground.
You walk up to one of the stalls and play a game. Perhaps you’re throwing a ball to try to knock down a stack of cups. You’re possibly throwing darts at a bullseye or a balloon. Maybe the goal is to toss a ring onto a bottle.
Whatever you select, you almost win only to fail by inches. The last cup is still standing, the dart doesn’t hit where you were aiming. The bottle remains ringless. “Close, but no cigar,” says the carnival barker.
Back when cigars were given out as prizes at funfairs, this phrase was supremely relevant. It still is, especially when referencing the Hoosiers’ basketball prowess.
IU lost to Wisconsin on Sunday, 65-60, without leading the entire game.
Projected to lose by double-digits, the Hoosiers actually looked respectable against the No. 10 team in the nation.
Their defense was better than it has been most of the season, with deflections and help defense at an all-time high.
Sophomore forward Thomas Bryant and junior guard Josh Newkirk continued their run of stellar play with 11 and 22 points, respectively.
After trailing by 12 points soon after the game began, the Hoosiers fought back in the first half and closed the gap to tie the game.
They played well, but ultimately we come back to a common phrase for this squad.
Close, but no cigar.
Simply put, they’re not good enough.
The Badgers had the game in hand for the majority of the contest and ultimately made the winning plays, leaving the Hoosiers in the dust.
Losing this one on the road in a place where IU has lost its last 15 games wouldn’t have been as big of a deal if the Hoosiers had handled their business earlier in the season.
The Nebraska embarrassment at Assembly Hall, the IPFW defeat in late November, and the losses to Louisville in Indianapolis and Wisconsin at home at the turn of the new year have made every game a bit more meaningful for the Hoosiers.
With upcoming contests against No. 23 Purdue, No. 25 Northwestern and a Michigan team that blew IU out in January, the Hoosiers are on their last legs.
They had their shot against the Badgers and ultimately came away with nothing. Sixty points won’t get the job done against a top-caliber team.
These offensive struggles are inundated with turnovers, a problem for IU since day one. They can’t get out of their own way.
In a less-than-two-minute span from the 11:46 mark to the 9:55 mark of the second half, the Hoosiers gave the ball away three times. They trailed by four, two, then four during this stretch. Wisconsin slowly pulled away and stretched the lead to seven just a minute later.
The Hoosiers could’ve beaten the Badgers on Sunday. They didn’t.
We can look for positives, which there clearly are, but as the buzzer sounded and the teams shook hands, the Hoosiers had another loss to add to their record.
Let’s be optimistic about the improvements in the freshman play, including first-year center De’Ron Davis. The post-ups of Bryant and the IU defense holding an above-average team to 65 points were also impressive, but we must also look at how time and time again, this team comes up short.
IU was “close, but no cigar” again. It seems like that’s a motif this season, which is a terrifying thought when examining this team’s tournament hopes.
gigottfr@indiana.edu
@gott31
