Unless you were in the stacks studying last night, you are probably aware: IU won a huge game at home vs. Wisconsin, 71-66, and IU's student fans took to the court like a pack of newspaper writers to a pizza buffet. In case you weren't there, here's a rather nauseating video that ought to make clear the raucous nature of the celebration.
The enthusiasm, as one might say, is palpable.
That enthusiasm is exactly what I'm interested in discussing. Thanks to the story we ran today, I've received a small amount of e-mail - and lots of personal, non-computerized feedback - suggesting that students should not have rushed the court after the win, because Indiana basketball is a traditionally dominant program and traditionally dominant programs shouldn't be overjoyed when they beat Wisconsin (even No. 2 Wisconsin) at home.
There has been media dialogue on this today, too. For example, Mike Cress of The Evening News and Tribune wrote today: "We have to leave rushing the court to DePaul and Baylor. We have to understand that we are expected to win at our home court, because that's what elite teams do. I heard Indiana beat Wisconsin Wednesday night. Let's handle it like we should have. Let's handle it like we were supposed to." On ESPN, analyst Doug Gottlieb said something (I don't have the exact quote, so I'll paraphrase) along the lines of "If Bob Knight were dead, he'd be rolling over in his grave." And even people in our own newsroom today said they were disappointed in the students for rushing the court, for "lowering" themselves to a standard Indiana basketball shouldn't inhabit.
Sorry, folks. Sorry Mike, sorry Doug, sorry e-mailers, sorry fellow IDSers - I'm not buying it.
Don't get me wrong; Indiana basketball has an impressive tradition. I respect that tradition, and I believe a majority of student fans are at least aware of that tradition and see it as one of the reasons they enjoy IU basketball so much.
But guess what? As fun as it might be to polish that 1987 National Championship memorabilia, to sit back in your rocking chair and lament the state of today's IU fan, that tradition isn't applicable to the present in any tangible way. When Kelvin Sampson watches game film, I would imagine the thought of throwing some "tradition" at his opponents - rather than, say, a 2-3 zone - never so much as crosses his mind. When recruits visit IU, I'm sure they notice those five championship banners, but I bet they care a lot more about the campus, the athletic facilities, and the prospect that their program of choice will take them to a sustainable career in the NBA. This is 2007, not 1987, and those are the realities of the game.
So when a group of 2,000 overjoyed students decide to celebrate their program's apparent newfound success, let them have their moment. Relax. Breathe. And realize that Assembly Hall is no longer the choir chamber it used to be, that Bob Knight is no longer the head coach here, and that spontaneous celebrations of ascension have nothing to do with "standards" and everything to do with what basketball is supposed to be all about: fun.
* Note: For those of you that agree with Doug Gottlieb, Texas Tech fans have rushed the court twice in the past three weeks. Knight seems OK with it; at the very least, he's not spinning anywhere.
