Postgame: Well, that's that. Our stories are finished (hint: they're about that first half drought and the home crowd, among other things) and currently making their way around the IDS offices. IU loses to Illinois in Champaign, 51-43.
A few post-interview thoughts: It's relatively safe to assume Coach Sampson delivered some sort of unbelievable tongue-lashing to this team, not only from his demeanor when he got to the press room (visibly unhappy) but also based on what he said about his team in his press conference. Among other things, he said it was the first time this season when he was disappointed with his team's effort, even in some of the team's previous losses.
I mentioned IU's offensive execution problems at halftime, and IU continued to have those problems in the second half. Credit Illinois for a solid defensive outing; the Hoosiers rarely got open looks, and if they did, those shots were usually the product of a tough drive into the paint. Nothing came easy, even for D.J., who has the habit of making post buckets look easy.
Sampson seemed excited to get back to practice as the Hoosiers continue this tough four-game stretch. We'll be back later this week with more analysis of IU hoops.
--------------------------------------------- 11:33: Not much in the way of chants anymore here. "Sit down Kelvin," once or twice, but that's about it.
-------------------------------------------- Halftime: 23-23. The Hoosiers started pretty well, but hit a huge dry spell at the end of the half. In the last 12:21, Mike White's post jumper was the only bucket IU scored. The Hoosiers have played, as usual, pretty good defense, but have a lot of offensive work to figure out if they're planning to pull out a win here tonight.
From where we're sitting (which, though on the floor, is three rows behind a group of meaty media types, so it's really not a very good seat - not that I'm complaining) it looks an awful lot like IU is having difficulty getting into some offensive sets. Once Weber decided to collapse the defense on D.J. in the post - including bringing the weak side post defender all the way over to shade DJ - IU has struggled to maintain fluidity on offense. Let's see if they can piece things together in the second half.
Non-basketball related tidbit: Illinois' Chief Illiniwek halftime tradition is currently underway, and I'm fighting the urge to jump on my soapbox and go coasting about the (hypothetically!) racist implications behind the very concept of having a Native American caricature goofily dancing around in front of a bunch of clapping white people ... so I'll just add this: people started chanting "Save the Chief" after the dance was over. Thought you might like to know.
On the other hand, whatever song all the fans sing when they grab shoulders and sway ... that's actually really cool.
---------------------------------------------- 3:51: After Sampson just pulled Earl Calloway aside and yelled at him for a bit, Illinois fans started chanting "Just like Bobby." Not sure if they're aware that most people - at least most Hoosier fans, I guess - would consider that the highest of compliments.
6:24: We've got a text message report from Ryan (whose seat is in the upper-deck hinterland) claiming that the fans he's sitting next to are more critical of their own team than they are of Sampson and the Hoosiers. "Been groaning all game," he says.
11:34: In case you couldn't see it at home, Illinois coach Bruce Weber just absolutely lost it at the refs for not calling a foul on Mike White during Warren Carter's last shot attempt. You could hear him over the entire Assembly Hall crowd. Not happy.
The students just chanted "Don't call us, we'll call you," but it was largely drowned out by the band.
15:28: We've just had another Sampson chant - "cheater." Simple, if not imaginative.
Ooops, another: "Read the bylaws." Some law students on hand, perhaps?
------------------------------- Since there's courtside wireless internet, expect periodic updates on some of the chants the Krush throws out at Coach Sampson and the boys tonight. Currently the students are dancing around to Yung Joc's "It's Going Down," a pretty hilarious sight when you consider how white and awkward and uncoordinated the entire student section is. Just sayin'.
Well, Coach Sampson just walked out on the floor, and the fans are holding up their cellphones and booing. Now they're chanting "Call Me Kelvin." Actually Duke fans chanted that earlier this year, but oh well. Time for the National Anthem.
----------------------------------------------------- It's an old joke, sure, but come on: the "other" Assembly Hall really resembles a spaceship that landed in the middle of a cornfield. It's undeniable. If you look at it from the right angle, you can even get a barn and some silos in your visual frame. Very Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Anyway, we actually made it to the game today, instead of sitting on the couch like we were on Saturday. Looks like we'll have floor seats for this one; it's a tough gig, we know. We've also planted a spy in the opposing ranks. Basketball columnist Ryan Corazza has a ticket for the game tonight, so he'll about amongst the hostile Illini faithful, picking their brains like a young Freud. (Probably, he'll just get yelled at a lot. Oh well.)
That environment might be the storyline tonight, considering that these two teams seem headed in drastically different directions. Illinois is 2-4 in their first six conference games; IU is 4-1 in their first five with a nice little win at Connecticut Saturday to boot. If the Hoosiers break out a lead early, the crowd noise could quiet down just enough to make out those Coach Sampson-related chants emanating from the Orange Krush. Then again, the Illini remain extremely difficult to play at home, so perhaps the gusto the Hoosiers showed in that UConn win might not translate. We'll see.
Projected starters:
IU: F D.J. White F Mike White G Rod Wilmont G Armon Bassett G Earl Calloway
Illinois: F Warren Carter F Brian Randle (Quest.) C Shaun Pruitt (Quest.) G Trent Meacham G Rich McBride
We're about 45 minutes from the tip, and I'm going to go wander around courtside. See you at the half.
