Report: NCAA alleges major violation
An ESPN.com report late this evening claims IU men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and staff committed major violations, according to the findings of a NCAA investigation.
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An ESPN.com report late this evening claims IU men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and staff committed major violations, according to the findings of a NCAA investigation.
Indiana University senior A.J. Ratliff (Indianapolis/North Central) will not return to the team men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson announced today.
IU athletics media relations director J.D. Campbell said Ratliff is no longer off the team. Campbell said it was for personal reasons, and the move is in the best interests of A.J. and everyone involved.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – D.J. White firmly fixed his eyes on Ohio State freshman Kosta Koufos just seconds after Koufos fouled White when the senior forward threw down a two-handed slam. For a second, Buckeye guard Jon Diebler tried to step between the two to prevent anything from happening. Even one official pulled White, IU’s senior forward, aside to try to calm him down. \nAfter the game, White laughed off the incident. It wasn’t that he was angry, or that he wanted to exchange blows with Koufos. \nWhite said it wasn’t even a personal battle. \n“I’m just an emotional player and sometimes I let my emotions get the best of me,” White said. “I just try to go out there every time and just play hard, play with emotion and passion.”\nCall it emotion. Call it passion. White’s coach, Kelvin Sampson, calls it “great.”\n“He’s worth his weight in gold,” Sampson said after IU’s 59-53 win against the Buckeyes. “He’s why this team continues to progress.”\nThe battle heading into the game was between two of the Big Ten’s best big men – White, a 6-foot-9 senior, and the 7-foot freshman Koufos.\nIn the end, it was the senior who came out on top.\nIn the first half alone, White recorded his 15th double-double of the season after grabbing 10 rebounds and scoring 12 points.\nHe finished the game with 21 points, shooting 66.6 percent, and 13 rebounds – six of them at the offensive end. \nWhite said he knew from studying film of Ohio State’s 3-2 defense that the Hoosiers would have a chance to dominate the offensive boards. \n“We knew going into the game that their zone had a lot of holes in it, especially when the ball was in the air,” White said. “So I knew I could get some putbacks if I went to the glass. Zones always have their holes when you rotate the ball, so that’s what our focus going into the game was, offensive rebounding.”\nKoufos, a five-star recruit out of Canton, Ohio, finished the night with 18 points and nine rebounds. \n“He’s a very strong player,” Koufos said of White. “I should have come in more mentally prepared.” \nWhite led all scorers in the game, and also blocked two shots and tallied one steal. \n“He had the energy back like I had seen when he was a freshman,” Ohio State coach Thad Matta said. \nWhite, who has accrued four Big Ten Player of the Week honors, is solidifying his candidacy for Big Ten Player of the Year. White is tops in the conference in rebounding (10.6 rebounds per game) and field goal percentage (61.7 percent on the year), and only is second in scoring to freshman teammate Eric Gordon.
IU wins 59-53 after hitting some free throws down the stretch. That was an important win for the Hoosiers to stay a half game behind Purdue in the Big Ten race. The Hoosiers enter a crucial three game home stand as Wisconsin, Michigan State and Purdue will visit the hall in the next three contests.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The IU men’s basketball team squeaked out a four-point, double-overtime win against Illinois. \nAnd they have Fighting Illini forward Shaun Pruitt to thank. \nPruitt missed three crucial free throws in the waning moments of IU freshman guard Eric Gordon’s return to Champaign and allowed the No. 14 Hoosiers to walk away with the 83-79 victory.\nPruitt missed the first of a one-and-one opportunity with 4.3 seconds left and the game tied 63-63 and allowed the game to continue an extra period.\nWith 2.2 seconds left and the score tied 69-69 in the first overtime, the Hoosiers put Pruitt, a 59.6 percent free-throw shooter, on the line once more. Again, the Illini forward failed to convert, bricking both free-throw shots and extending the game an extra period.\nIn the second overtime, IU sophomore guard Armon Bassett took over. \nBassett scored all nine IU points in the second overtime, including a handful of clutch free throws, to give the Hoosiers close win. \nBassett was able to take over late in the game as the Illini focused most of their defense on Gordon. \nOne of the top recruits in the nation, Gordon had committed to Illinois for more than a year before changing his mind and enrolling at IU.\nThe Orange Krush, Illinois’ student section, screamed at Gordon the whole night – chants like “liar,” “traitor” and “fuck you, Gordon.”\nFor a while, it worked. \nThe Illini held Gordon in check for the first half. The freshman guard did little to quiet a raucous home crowd and scored just one point on an 0-for-4 first-half shooting performance. Gordon even launched an airball in the first half. \nThe Krush chanted “in your head” and “airball,” in addition to loudly booing the guard every time he touched the ball. \n“He probably was pressing a little bit,” Sampson said. \nBut after halftime, Gordon exploded. \nHe started the second frame off with a 3-pointer from the wing and didn’t stop torturing Illinois.\n“In the second half, I thought he played like a man,” Sampson said. \nAt halftime, IU senior forwards D.J. White and Lance Stemler talked to Gordon to try and get him to settle down. \n“The only thing I was worried about was trying to get the win,” Gordon said. “It was a big road win for us.” \nGordon shot just 3-of-13 from the field, but he made 10-of-12 free-throw attempts to finish with 19 points, which was tops for the Hoosiers. But none of Gordon’s points were more important than the 3-pointer he banked in with less than 30 seconds left to tie the score at 63-63. The Hoosiers overcame a 12-point deficit in the second half. \n“In the second half, our defense got better,” Sampson said.\nAll in all, four Hoosiers finished with a double-digit point total – Gordon, Bassett (16), IU senior forward White (16) and IU freshman guard Jordan Crawford (18).\nBut Gordon made mistakes as well. With IU up three and 25 seconds remaining, Gordon turned the ball over with a 10-second violation after he failed to dribble the ball past the half-court line. He responded by forcing a turnover on the next possession by pressuring Illinois guard Demetri McCamey, who botched a handoff to teammate Trent Meacham. \n“It looked a little physical, to be honest,” Illini coach Bruce Weber said after the game.\nWeber lost his second game of the year to enemy coach Kelvin Sampson and his former recruit.\n“We had our chances to win,” Weber said. \nIU and Illinois were pretty evenly-matched from the field – the Hoosiers shot 42.4 percent compared to Illinois’ 42.9 mark – but the Hoosiers biggest advantage from the charity stripe. \nIU shot 75.9 percent (22-of-29) from the free-throw line, while the Illini converted just 47.1 percent (8-of-17).\nThe win keeps the Hoosiers (19-3, 8-1) in a three-way tie in the loss column atop the Big Ten standings. Illinois moved to 2-9 in the Big Ten (10-14 overall).\nIU’s win snapped a 6-game series win streak for the Illini in Champaign.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – They chanted “liar.” They chanted “cheater.” They chanted “Fuck you, Gordon.” \nThe Illinois student section, the Orange Krush, was on IU freshman guard Eric Gordon all night long. \nIt worked.\nGordon did not hit a single field goal in the first half, and scored just one point off a free throw against the Illini. One of his four first-half misses was an air-ball, which delighted Illini nation. \nHe finished the night with 19 points on 3-of-13 shooting. \nGordon responded in the second half to score 18 points, but that didn’t stop the Illinois crowd from chanting “in your head.”\nAfter staying verbally committed to the Illini for almost a year, he told IU coach Kelvin Sampson in October 2006 that he had changed his mind and wanted to play for IU.\nThat did not make folks in Champaign all too happy, and they let the coach and the player know that Thursday night. \nWith chants, T-shirts and body paint, the Orange Krush did the best they could to get into Gordon’s head. Even Illini guard Chester Frazier got in on the action early, driving his shoulder into Gordon’s chest when the two were supposed to shake hands during player introductions. \nMembers of the student section received large orange fliers detailing the history between Gordon, Sampson and Illinois. The flier included quotes from Gordon saying his commitment to Illinois was firm, even after IU hired Sampson. \nBrad Kaye, an Illinois junior from Buffalo Grove, Ill., stood in a long line outside Assembly Hall with other members of the Orange Krush, waiting for the moment he could tell Gordon exactly how he felts. \n“You can’t screw with the Illini,” Kaye said. \nKaye did sympathize with IU’s freshman guard. He said he can understand why Gordon chose the Hoosiers over the Illini, considering a lot of Gordon’s friends from North Central High School in Indianapolis are students at IU. \nIt’s with Sampson that Kaye has his grudge.\n“I don’t think it was fair the way Kelvin Sampson recruited him, considering he was verbally committed here,” Kaye said. “I think that’s just really shady ... It can make any honest American mad.”\n“He’s like the lowest of low,” fellow Illini fan Brian Durbin said. “He needs to learn how to follow rules.” \nDurbin, a junior from Edwardsville, Ill., waited to enter the arena while dressed in a homemade orange and blue fleece bear suit. \nDurbin could barely acknowledge Gordon’s existence. \n“I don’t even want to talk about it,” Durbin said. “It makes me mad.”\nSo mad, in fact, that this night will be therapeutic in many ways, Durbin said. \n“It’s just time to let it go,” Durbin said.\nHe remembers last year when his Illini knocked off Sampson and the Hoosiers with an eight-point victory in Champaign, but he said that night was just a buildup to this year’s battle.\nKaye and Durbin both hoped they could hold Gordon in check offensively – Kaye went so far as to say he didn’t want to see the former Illini commit score more than 10 points. But Kaye said he hoped the Orange Krush could send a larger message. \n“The things Indiana does, we don’t stand for them at Illinois,” Kaye said. “We’re going to show that to them tonight.”
Imagine if Eric Gordon made his home at U of Illinois instead of IU. \nHe could have played at the Assembly Hall that looks like a flying saucer instead of the one that sits on 17th Street in Bloomington. Candy-striped pants? It could have been orange and blue for the freshman phenom. \nInstead of leading Illinois, Gordon will be public enemy No. 1 when the No. 14 IU men’s basketball team travels to Champaign, Ill., today. \nFor almost a year, Gordon had committed to play for Illini coach Bruce Weber before reneging to join the Hoosiers in fall 2006.\nThis isn’t the first time Gordon has had to face Weber; Gordon and the Hoosiers edged Weber’s Illini 62-58 on Jan. 13 in Bloomington. \nBut this is the first time, and likely only time, Gordon will play in front of Illinois’ venerable student section, the Orange Krush.\n“We want to make sure that he knows we’re there, that we’re surrounding them,” said Eric Benz, vice president of the Orange Krush. “It won’t be hard to notice that.”\nBenz, who is also president of the Orange Krush Foundation, said the student group has a few plans for how it will treat Gordon, though he didn’t want to let the cat out of the bag before the nationally-televis-\ned game. \n“It’s secret,” Benz said. \nAll this might weigh heavily on the average 19-year-old college student, but IU coach Kelvin Sampson has previously dismissed the notion that Gordon is affected by the Illinois controversy. \n“Eric doesn’t think like you think,” Sampson told reporters before the IU-Illinois game in January. \nBut on Monday, Sampson said that answer might have been a little “presumptuous.”\n“He’s a human being,” Sampson said during a teleconference with reporters. “I’m sure that’s something that will be on his mind.” \nIn the first matchup between the two teams, Gordon was icy from behind the 3-point line, shooting 1-of-6 in the contest. Still, the conference’s leading scorer fought off a slow start to finish with 17 points.\nSampson said he’s not worried how Gordon will respond to fan treatment tonight. \n“I think once he takes the court and plays the game, he will be fine,” he said. \nAnd when Gordon is fine, the Hoosiers are fine. IU is 12-0 when Gordon scores more than 20 points, which has propelled the Hoosiers into the thick of the race for the Big Ten title. \nIllinois, though, has just two wins in the conference and might not even qualify for the National Invitational Tournament. An Illini NCAA Tournament berth would most likely require a Big Ten Tournament championship or a miracle.\n“It’s not a season we expected,” Benz said.\nThe less than stellar result makes it that much easier for fans to hate Gordon, said Jeff Labelle, basketball beat writer for the Daily Illini, Illinois’ student newspaper.\n“I think people, they like to blame something,” Lab-\nelle said. \n“You look at the standings right now and it just gets easier for fans to blame a guy like Gordon.”\nThat’s why Labelle expects the Krush to really lay into the IU freshman.\n“I think they’re going to take advantage of the opportunity,” Labelle said.
First, it was the F-bomb. Sunday, it was “Kyle Taber.”\nSeems like there are always surprising chants coming from the IU student section. \nIU coach Kelvin Sampson surprised Taber when he told him Saturday he would start against Northwestern the next day. Considering the former walk-on rarely sees action, let alone starts a game, the move caught many off guard, not excluding Taber. \n“I was pretty shocked at first, but I was excited as well,” Taber said after the game. “I was pretty nervous all night. It was hard to sleep.”\nAs Taber made his way from the court to IU’s bench in the last minute of IU’s 75-63 win against Northwestern on Sunday, the junior forward was serenaded by a standing ovation from the remaining Assembly Hall faithful. The former walk-on, who was rewarded for his hard work with a scholarship before the season began, started his first ever collegiate game during IU’s win.\nTaber never thought he’d see the day. \n“I was hoping if I got my number called, I could go in and do whatever I could,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d start.”\nBefore Saturday, Taber had played in less than half of IU’s games this season. When he did make it to the court this year, the games were nearly over with the outcome decided long before he entered.\nComing into Sunday’s game, Taber averaged 4.4 minutes in just nine games of action. \nAll that changed against Northwestern. Not only did the Evansville native start, he played 24 minutes – the most of any IU forward besides senior D.J. White. \n“We just haven’t been getting as much from that position as we’d like to see,” Sampson said. “At some points, you need to reward kids that work their butt off everyday.”\nTaber said he wasn’t sure how long he would stay on the court during the game. \n“I didn’t know if coach was starting me just to try to spark the team or what, but it was nice when he kept putting me back in,” he said. \nTaber tried his best not to disappoint his coach, either, grabbing four rebounds, forcing one turnover and blocking a shot – his highlight of the night. In the first half, Northwestern guard Sterling Williams drove past Taber, but as he leapt in the air for a layup, Taber swiped the ball from behind. \n“I’m glad I blocked it, but I let the guy get by me, so that was a bad part,” Taber said. “I’m glad I could recover from it.”\nThe 6-foot-7 forward said he wouldn’t mind seeing more playing time, but he just hopes he can help the team be productive in future contests. Sampson said that’s a possibility, depending on how well the team executes and how Taber practices.\n“I thought he did a nice job,” Sampson said. “He screens when he should screen. He cuts when he should cut. He gets on the floor after loose balls. He just has to play his role. He’s just a tough kid, too. I like Kyle.”
MADISON, Wis. – The IU men’s basketball team couldn’t overcome its worst shooting night of the year or a 20-point second half deficit as No. 13 Wisconsin topped the No. 11 Hoosiers 62-49 Thursday night.\nIt was IU’s first road loss of the year.\n“They just outfought us,” IU senior forward D.J. White said.\nThe Hoosiers could never recover from the late deficit, though they tried. \nBetween the 12:32 and 9:44 mark in the second half, IU freshman guard Eric Gordon outscored the Badgers 10-0 to pull IU within 10 points. But after his one-man comeback attempt, Gordon didn’t score again until the 1:03 mark, with the win well out of reach. \nDespite the Badger defense holding Gordon in check during that span, IU pulled to within five points of Wisconsin with about seven minutes left and six points with about four minutes left. But the Badgers were able to hold off the Hoosiers and put the game away.\n“We made a late run,” White said, “but we weren’t able to finish.”\nThe 49 points were the fewest the Hoosiers have scored in a game this season.\nIU coach Kelvin Sampson said the Hoosiers lost an “offensively-challenged game.”\nThe Hoosiers shot just 33.3 percent from the field while holding the Badgers to 34.5 percent. \nBut it was Wisconsin’s offensive rebounding advantage that made the huge difference. \n“Their offensive rebounds hurt us,” Sampson said.\nThough the Hoosiers outrebounded the Badgers 41-40, Wisconsin grabbed four more offensive boards than IU – which led to crucial second-chance points for the Badgers. \nIU is now tied in the loss column with three other teams in the Big Ten – Wisconsin, Michigan State and Purdue – though it trails each of those teams in the win column by one.\nGordon shot 6-of-14 in the game and scored 16 points, 3.1 points below his conference average. \nWhite recorded two game-highs, 22 points on 7-of-13 shootnig and pulled down 17 rebounds. \nSampson dropped to 11-2 in games following a loss in his IU career. \nThe Badgers built their second-half lead by building on the momentum they gained in the first half.\nThe Hoosiers shot just 30.8 percent from the field in the first half. The Badgers didn’t shoot much better (35.5 percent), but IU’s 11 turnovers to Wisconsin’s 3 lifted the Badgers to a 30-20 first-half lead.\nGordon, playing with a protective brace covering his injured left wrist, shot 2-of-7 from the field in the opening frame, turning the ball over twice and committing one foul.\nAfter the game, Sampson and Gordon said the wrist was not broken. Sampson said he expected Gordon to recover in a couple weeks. \n“It’s just sore really bad,” Gordon said. \nIU’s 20 first-half points is the fewest points the Hoosiers have scored in a half all season.\nA slow start in the second half didn’t help IU’s cause, either. Playing in zone defense, the Hoosiers couldn’t stop Wisconsin’s attack. The Badgers went on a 16-6 run to start the second half and open up a 20-point lead.\nThe Hoosiers scored those six points in the first 7:28 of the second half, until Gordon’s 10-point flurry. \nBecause his team was able to fight back, Sampson said he was pleased with the effort.\n“I thought we were a lot tougher tonight than we were Saturday,” Sampson said, “so that’s encouraging to us.”
MADISON, Wis. – IU men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson did his best to clarify the status of freshman guard Eric Gordon’s left wrist after Thursday night’s loss.\nThough even the coach wasn’t completely sure of his star’s status.\n“I’m not sure,” Sampson said when asked what was wrong with Gordon’s wrist. “It’s not broken.”\nNot even Gordon could give a technical diagnosis.\n“It’s just sore really bad,” Gordon said.\nGordon wore a brace over his left, non-shooting wrist during IU’s 62-49 loss at Wisconsin. \nSampson said he expects Gordon to make a full recovery.\n“It will be 100 percent,” he said. “Maybe in a week or two.”\nThe injury hampered Gordon’s ability to drive to the left, the coach and the player said. \n“He was basically a one-route player tonight,” Sampson said.\nGordon shot 6-of-15 from the field and scored 16 points against the Badgers, 5.1 points below his season average.\n“It didn’t affect his shooting,” Sampson said of Gordon’s injury. “Wisconsin did a good job guarding him.”\nSampson said the Badgers sat on Gordon’s right hand all game.
And shooting well. He is wearing a tan-colored brace on his left, non-shooting wrist. We should get an official diagnosis (or something close to it) after the game.
Some Hoosier fans thought on Saturday that things couldn’t get any worse than losing a home game against an unranked team that was playing without one of its starters. \nWell, things did get worse. \nAccording to a report on the Indianapolis Star’s Web site Wednesday morning, IU’s star freshman Eric Gordon injured his wrist during practice earlier this week. \nGordon’s father, Eric Gordon Sr., told the newspaper that his son injured his left, non-shooting wrist when he fell after going up for a rebound in practice.\nGordon Sr. did not elaborate on the injury, but said his son would be able to play on Thursday against Wisconsin, though Gordon will likely wear protective padding over the wrist. \nCalls from the Indiana Daily Student to Gordon Sr. were not answered and messages were not returned. \nJ.D. Campbell, IU’s director of athletic media relations, said all players, including Gordon, were at practice Wednesday and expected to play against the No. 13 Badgers. \nGordon averages 21.7 points per game and 32.8 minutes per game. He missed one game this year against Kentucky with a bruised backside. IU didn’t miss Gordon much in its 70-51 romp over Kentucky.\nBut the No. 11 Hoosiers could use Gordon’s help in Madison, Wis., if they want to hold onto sole possession of first place in the Big Ten. \nIU (17-2) is a perfect 6-0 in the conference, while Wisconsin (16-3) dropped its first conference game Saturday at Purdue and fell to 6-1 in the Big Ten. A loss Thursday would put the Hoosiers in a four-way tie for first place.\nThe Hoosiers and Badgers tip off at 9 p.m. today in Wisconsin. The game will be televised on ESPN.\nBoth teams are looking for redemption from disappointing losses to unranked teams over the weekend, though the Hoosiers’ was a bit more palatable because Connecticut is not a conference foe. \nIU’s 68-63 loss was its first in the last 30 games at Assembly Hall, and the Hoosiers shot just 37.1 percent from the field. \nIU coach Kelvin Sampson said during a teleconference with reporters Monday that his team has a chance to redeem itself with a solid performance against the Badgers. \n“We have a chance to right a lot of wrongs and play a lot better this Thursday,” Sampson said. “We’re going to need to.”\nIt certainly won’t be easy. \nThough this isn’t the same second-ranked Wisconsin team the Hoosiers knocked off last year in Assembly Hall, Wisconsin has surprised many this season. The Badgers’ star forward Alando Tucker and guard Kammron Taylor graduated last year, and many thought it would be hard for coach Bo Ryan’s squad to bounce back. \nBut Wisconsin’s quick start, impressive win at now-No. 10 Texas and IU’s 0-6 record in Madison over its past six games give IU many reasons to fear the Badgers. \n“I think their greatest strength is they don’t contribute to their demise,” Sampson said. “They don’t beat themselves. The right people take the shots. They’re balanced inside and out.”\nTrevon Hughes (14.3 points per game) and Brian Butch (13.2 points per game) lead Wisconsin in scoring. Sampson is particularly concerned about Butch, Wisconsin’s 6-foot-11 senior.\n“Brian Butch presents a problem because you have to guard him on the block and behind the 3-point line,” Sampson said.
Jeff Rabjohns of the Indy Star talked to Eric Gordon Sr. this morning and is reporting that Gordon did hurt his wrist but will play against Wisconsin. According to the report:
In the closing minutes of IU's first home loss in nearly two years, the student body at Assembly Hall released their frustration on the officiating crew (not the ever-popular bulls*** chant, but the newly released F-You, ref chant).
IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan was disappointed Saturday afternoon.\nIt wasn’t just that the No. 7 IU men’s basketball team lost its first home game in its past 30 tries. It was the student body’s conduct during IU’s 68-63 loss to Connecticut that really upset Greenspan.\nThe students began chanting “Fuck you, ref” in response to a series of officiating calls that went against the Hoosiers in the waning moments of Saturday’s nationally televised game.\nGreenspan told the Indiana Daily Student following Saturday’s game that vulgarity and obscenities are “unacceptable.”\n“We want to have a great atmosphere,” Greenspan said. “I don’t think that lack of sportsmanship is what we want the officials and visiting teams to remember.”\nAt various points throughout the game, students also protested the officiating by yelling “bullshit,” a popular chant at most collegiate sporting events that is no stranger to Assembly Hall. As he has throughout the season, IU’s public address announcer Chuck Crabb reminded fans Saturday that foul language can result in a technical foul against the home team, though such a penalty is rare.\nGreenspan said his intent was “not to scold” the students, and he hopes they can police themselves. \n“I think that obscenities and vulgarities are below us as an institution,” Greenspan said. \nFor Greenspan, it’s a double-edged sword. He said he appreciates the students’ support, and he wants them to be passionate. But he wants them to do it with class.\nSophomore Erica Feldscher, who changed her Facebook status to “Fuck the refs” about half an hour after the game, said she regretted participating in the chants. \nShe was sitting in section L, row 14 at Assembly Hall and admitted she got caught up in the heat of the moment. \n“I did it, and then I realized it probably wasn’t appropriate,” said Feldscher, adding she was upset about the officiating. During the game IU committed 21 fouls while the Huskies were only whistled for 11. The Hoosiers shot eight free throws in the contest, though they averaged 24.8 free throw attempts per game heading into Saturday’s game.\nFeldscher said she believes the officials should hear it from the fans when they make a bad call. She just hopes to voice her frustration in a different manner next game. \n“It reflects poorly on us,” she said. “I don’t want to be that person or that group of people who represent our school in a negative way.”\nJunior Brian Bulgatz, who was sitting in the second row of the bleachers behind the basket during Saturday’s game, was embarrassed by the cussing. \nBulgatz said the chants might have been a way for students to take out their frustration about the game. \n“That was one of the worst officiated games,” he said. “And we’re not used to losing at home. For some freshmen and sophomores, that was the first loss they’ve ever seen at home.” \n“Regardless, it was completely uncalled for,” he said.\nBulgatz said he hopes the next time IU hosts a basketball game the students use better judgment. \n“We could be playing Purdue or we could be playing UConn,” he said. “It doesn’t matter.”\nBulgatz said this situation illustrates the need for a structured student section at men’s basketball games – one that could implement rules and punish violators. \n“There’s no one organization that controls the student body at the games,” he said.\nBulgatz, proprieter of the now-defunct TakeBackAH.com, started a Facebook group called “The Hall Monitors” to try to strengthen student support at basketball games.\nBarring the creation of a student section, Bulgatz said there is likely just one person who could solve the problem: IU coach Kelvin Sampson. \n“Without a student section, the only way this can get fixed is if coach Sampson made a public statement to the student body,” he said. \nFormer IU coach Bob Knight used to take the microphone during home games and scold the crowd, specifically the students, if they were tasteless with their cheers.\nBulgatz thinks a similar message from the new Hoosier coach could have the same effect. \n“Coming from coach Sampson,” he said, “it might be a little profound.”
D.J. White sat with his head in his hands.\nThe senior forward is used to talking about how much pride he takes in protecting Assembly Hall, his team’s home court.\nBut following IU’s 68-63 loss to Connecticut Saturday afternoon, he was at a loss for words. \n“You always feel bad losing at home,” White said. “We were on a winning streak here for the past two years. But I’ve got nothing.”\nThe No. 7 Hoosiers entered Saturday riding a 29-game home winning streak. The unranked Huskies, playing without two suspended scholarship guards, stole that from them.\n“Losing at home, hey, at some point you’re going to lose at home,” IU coach Kelvin Sampson said after his first home loss as IU’s coach. \nAfter the game, Sampson said the loss didn’t affect him differently than any other loss just because it was at home. \n“I’ve been doing this too long,” Sampson said. “I don’t worry about this. This game is one game. We’re 17-2. Nothing to be down about. We’re going to lose some more games this year.”\nOne thing that did disappoint Sampson was his team’s lack of effort during Saturday’s contest.\n“I (can) handle losses when I’m proud of our team’s effort,” Sampson said. “I wasn’t proud of our team’s effort today. That’s the thing that’s disgusting to me.”\nThe loss was the first at Assembly Hall in nearly two years.\nThe streak started Feb. 22, 2006, when the Hoosiers escaped with a four-point win over Penn State. Marco Killingsworth was the go-to guy in the paint, and Mike Davis still roamed the sidelines as head coach.\nAfter Sampson took over for Davis, he amassed the best home record for an IU coach to start a career. He always credited the fans with IU’s stellar performance at home. But not even the fans could help the Hoosiers on Saturday.\n“Bottom line is, we didn’t play good enough to win,” Sampson said. “Connecticut’s team deserved to win this one.”\nConnecticut coach Jim Calhoun said after the game that the win will be one of the most memorable in his career, which includes two national championships. \n“It’s on that plateau,” Calhoun said. “My respect for Indiana, this building and all it represents – this is basketball heaven, and I love every bit of it. To come in here when they have a 17-1 team with some terrific players and have our kids give everything they had ... I’ll remember this for an awful, awful, awful long time.”\nFrom here, Sampson said the Hoosiers will bounce back. He wants his players to be learn from their mistakes, not dwell on them.\n“We still have a good team,” he said. “This is a setback. We still have 12 more games. Our team’s going to win a ton more games. This may wind up being the best thing to happen to this team.”
D.J. White, Eric Gordon and Co.’s, most recent victory, a 65-43 drubbing of Iowa on Wednesday, put the IU men’s basketball team in elite company.\nThe last time the Hoosiers had a start this good, they won the national title. And they didn’t lose any games, either.\nWednesday’s win moved the No. 7 Hoosiers to 17-1 on the year and 6-0 in the Big Ten, their best start since the 1975-76 team began its season 18-0 en route to an undefeated season and IU’s third national championship.\nOnly four other IU teams had starts as good or better than this year’s Hoosiers – the 1975-76 team (18-0), the 1974-75 team (18-0), the 1942-43 team (18-0) and the 1938-39 team (17-1).\nThe 1990-91 IU team started 16-2.\n“Well, I’m going to state the obvious, they are a good team,” Iowa coach Todd Lickliter said.\nAfter his team improved to 17-1, IU coach Kelvin Sampson reflected on the milestone. \n“I’ve only been here parts of two years, but I just focus on getting this team better in the areas we need to get better in,” Sampson said after the Iowa game.\nDuring those two years, Sampson has never lost a game at Assembly Hall, the best home record to start any IU coaching career.\n“Taking over a new program, the first thing you have to do is establish your culture, how it is you want your team to be,” Sampson said. “The thing that makes this program so special, I keep saying it because I mean it, is the fans. You look up and there is 16,000 to 17,000 people here every game. Every game it’s like that. It is a special place because of the fans.”\nDespite the quick start, IU’s \nrecord is not as impressive as it could be, thanks to a weak non-conference schedule. IU has yet to defeat a team ranked in The Associated Press Top-25 poll. The Hoosiers traveled to Southern Illinois – who at the time was ranked No. 22 in the Coaches Poll – and knocked off the Salukis 64-51 on Dec. 1. Since then, Southern Illinois has stumbled out of the polls and fallen to a 9-10 record. \nDuring IU’s undefeated run in the 1975-76 season, IU bested five teams ranked in the top 25 in the first 18 games – including two top-10 teams in its first three. \nIU won’t challenge a ranked opponent until next week when it travels to No. 11 Wisconsin. \nThe Hoosiers might face only two ranked teams for the rest of the regular season – the Badgers and No. 10 Michigan State. IU has two games – one home and one away – remaining with each team. \nDespite the soft schedule, Sampson has been impressed with the progression of his team and is happy with the historic start. \n“Defense, decision making, shot selection ... there is not an area that we haven’t improved in,” Sampson said. “The way we run our offense now, it is familiarity. When you have a lot of kids that are accustomed to being the go-to guy, it takes them awhile to filter into a role. We play our roles better now than we did earlier.”
So Ernie Pyle Hall, home of the Indiana Daily Student and, thus, the server that hosts idsnews.com and the Basketblog, is scheduled to have a power outage for most of the day. Problem is, if the power's out, our server is down and our Web site won't work. We apologize in advance if this means we can't live blog the IU-UConn game. Hopefully we still have power during the game.
Good morning, faithful readers.