We've written about this briefly before, but since it's game day, let's reiterate for everyone that missed it: there's been a big push for a white out for tonight's game vs.
POSTGAME: Gametime at Assembly Hall - Hoosiers win, 76-61. IU expanded its lead in the second half to as much as 18 on the strength of solid shooting and, um, really nothing impressive from Michigan's supposedly talent-laden, experienced lineup.
Um, sorry for the late arrival this post is making. (That can happen when you have a paper due on a Friday afternoon.) Anyways, if you read my column today, you'll see I threw out some awards to the team so far.
Here's a promotion the athletics department tipped us to, so I figured I'd share it here so you can (potentially) earn yourselves some free Final Four tickets.
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 recruit Eli Holman, a 6'9 center Kelvin Sampson signed as part of his Eric Gordon-led 2007 class, was grazed by a bullet in a parking lot outside a friend's party late Saturday night, the Contra Costa Times reported this morning. Holman was seated in the front passenger seat of a Mercedes when bullets were fired at the car.
POSTGAME: The Hoosiers got a quality win today, a win that almost feels like a bonus in addition to their recent conference play.
After your beloved Hoosiers' latest win over Iowa, IU has, in effect, a very short break from Big Ten play.
POSTGAME: It's another win for the Hoosiers. After getting up by 21 points with 8:28 to go in the half, Iowa mounted a bit of a run (or IU's defense lapsed a bit, your pick, really). The Hoosiers hung on to win 71-64. D.J.
ED note: If you'd like to read my story about the chant from the front page of today's IDS, it is located both at this link and in a separate post directly below this one.
ED note: Here's the story published in today's IDS about the reaction to Wednesday night's student fan chants.
UPDATE: I was approached after the game by Athletics Director Rick Greenspan, who wanted to convey a message to the students in regards to some of the chants they threw down at Assembly Hall tonight. I don't have Mr. Greenspan's message on tape, so I'd feel shaky attempting to quote it verbatim, but our conversation went like this: Rick pulled me aside and asked if I could put this in my story: the IU athletics department appreciates the student fans and the atmosphere they create for home games, but it hopes that the fans will cheer "with class" in the future.
POSTGAME: Around these parts, we call that a shellacking. IU beats Michigan State 73-51. The Spartans got within seven points (42-35) after a Drew Neitzel 3-pointer with a little over three minutes into the second half, but that's as close as they got. Some telling statistics from this late afternoon tilt: IU had 24 points off of turnovers as opposed to MSU's four. The Hoosiers scored 17 second-chance points.
Well, in the end it's another win for the Hoosiers, 77-69. But it certainly didn't come with a whole ton of ease.
Worry not, noble readers. We're not going to totally ignore tonight's game vs. Western Michigan - it's just that, well, being from Chicago and the Quad-Cities, none of us actually receive the game locally.
POSTGAME: Eamonn: With just under eight minutes left in the second half, and the game tied at 39-39, it looked like the Hoosiers would be playing the same game they had played against Southern Illinois for the first 32 minutes - a grinding, loveless, defensive affair. Instead, IU exploded with a 16-3 run, mounted a 55-42 lead, slapped a 1-3-1 zone defense on the Salukis, stifled the previously unmatchable Jamaal Tatum and ran away with an impressive 57-47 win. Junior guard A.J.
UK plays some good D, Stemler launches a tough three. It's nowhere near on target. UK ball and probably the game. IU fouls.
POSTGAME: Talk about a blowout. IU wins 92-40. Rod Wilmont came alive in the second half tallying 15 points and grabbing six rebounds.
Those of you who followed along in the Charlotte game thread probably remember that name. Mr. Manning left us a thought-provoking comment about first-come, first-serve student seating at games, a program he'd very much like to see instituted at Assembly Hall. Well, Scott took his concern to our friend at the Indianapolis Star, Terry Hutchens, on his Hoosier Insider blog.
Lance Stemler has had a lot on his mind lately. Well, not really. The junior forward is still trying to piece together his memory from the past week or so.
