Sports

Hoosiers bowl hopes blown away by Wisconsin

Ben Chappell saw daylight and sprinted toward the end zone. Preparing to slide at the Wisconsin 4-yard line, he hoped to put IU in position to take a 27-21 halftime lead. For a brief moment, it seemed as if the collective fan base thought maybe, just maybe, this Hoosier team could pull out a win and keep its bowl hopes alive. Only Wisconsin defensive back Jay Valai popped Chappell near the neck, sending the sophomore quarterback out of the game, the ball tumbling into the Badgers’ possession and effectively starting the rout that resulted in a 55-20 Wisconsin win. “We lost our players,” said IU coach Bill Lynch. “I think the turning point of the game was it’s 21-20, we recover a fumble and our quarterback, who’s playing awfully well, runs the ball, gets hit and loses the ball. We lost our quarterback, we lost the ball.”

IU wins Crean’s coaching debut

The IU men’s basketball team went on an 11-0 run to start the game and never looked back, easily defeating Division III Anderson 103-71 in Tom Crean’s coaching debut. Pacing the Hoosiers were junior guard Devan Dumes and freshman forward Tom Pritchard. Dumes scored 22 points, while Pritchard added a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. “It’s good to have a game that they played against somebody else,” Crean said. “And now they really feel like the season’s here.” The exhibition game marked not only Crean’s coaching debut, but also the first time the new-look Hoosiers competed against another team. IU overwhelmed the Ravens, scoring 35 points off turnovers while committing just 10 turnovers themselves. For what is likely to be one of the few times this season, IU had a size advantage over Anderson, which resulted in the Hoosiers taking just 11 3-point attempts and outscoring the Ravens 50-28 in the paint. Freshman guard Verdell Jones said part of IU’s game plan was to to exploit Anderson’s lack of size down low. “They were sort of an undersized team compared to us,” Jones said. “I think Tom (Pritchard) and Tijan (Jobe) and Nick (Williams) and those guys did a great job of getting the ball down low and making plays. That was pretty much our game plan.”

Crean era off and running in 103-71 win

The differences between last season and this season for IU men’s basketball are endless. But perhaps this became most apparent on Friday night, when the new-look Hoosiers took the floor against an opponent for the first time.     PODCAST: Hoosier Headlines

Fans losing faith in Lynch

IU coach Bill Lynch appeared angered when asked about his team’s morale after losing its seventh game, ending any hope of going to a bowl.“We’re going to keep battling, that’s what that morale is,” Lynch said forcibly.Others who were upset after Saturday’s 55-20 loss to Wisconsin were some of the Hoosiers’ most loyal fans.One of those fans is Brad Snyder, who went to Saturday’s game. A 1987 graduate with multiple degrees, Snyder said he has been following the Hoosiers for about 30 years. Snyder disagreed with Lynch’s belief that the team has been battling.

Badgers blow away IU 55-20

On their final home game of the season, everyone inside Memorial Stadium was treated to one more blowout. Losing to Wisconsin 55-20, the Hoosiers officially lost the chance to become bowl eligible long before the final whistle blew. Down 21-20 at the end of the first half, the Badgers rolled off 34 unanswered points in the second half. Decimated by injuries, IU failed to capitalize after winning the turnover battle and effectively hanging with Wisconsin in the first half. For the first two quarters, it was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, and as the half came to a close it appeared as if the Hoosiers might head into the locker room with the lead. Driving inside the Wisconsin 10-yard line, sophomore quarterback Ben Chappell took an injury to the head, fumbled and the Hoosiers metaphorically fumbled away their season as the Badgers never looked back.

Touted grapplers hope to pin competition as they open up season in B-town

With a national champion and two All-Americans last year, the IU wrestling team had what it generally considered a successful 2008-2009 season.

Unranked Spartans await fluctuating IU

Hoosiers end year with loss to Iowa

‘My team is on the floor’

Optimistic future? Yeah, right.

Badgers come to Bloomington for Hoosiers’ last home game

Saturday, the IU football team plays the first of its final three games this year. To become bowl eligible, they must win all three. The Hoosiers start with their final home game against a struggling Wisconsin team.

Hoosiers close out regular season with ranked match

With returning All-Americans, depth at all positions and a top recruiting class, the IU men’s soccer team entered the season considered one of the best squads in the country.

World class amateur, IU golfer enjoys his global travels

Senior Jorge Campillo has racked up some serious frequent flyer miles. Among the stamps on his passport are Australia, Japan, Iceland, Scotland, England, Wales, Belgium, Finland, Sweden, Spain, France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Mexico.

A lifelong Hoosier

Senior Amber Lindgren had an important decision to make following her fourth birthday. She could learn golf from her father Randy, or spend the summer with her grandparents. She chose golf. Although Lindgren couldn’t play much golf at the age of 4, she would tag along with her father who coached the boys’ and girls’ programs at Northwestern High School in Kokomo, Ind. “At first, I was not allowed to play with his high school team, so I would just watch in amazement and pick up their balls for them,” Lindgren said. Becoming a Hoosier Lindgren, a lifelong Hoosier fan, who came into the world on the day of an IU-Purdue basketball game in 1987, unexpectedly found her way onto the IU golf team and has made a significant impact. Lindgren played in her first tournament at age 6 and received national exposure growing up playing in tournaments all over the country. In 2004 she was named Indiana Golf Tour Player of the Year. Although many acknowledged her as the best player in the state of Indiana, the Hoosier women’s golf team, going through a coaching change at the time had not called her and almost let her go to Iowa.

Crean, Hoosiers to square off with Anderson in 1st exhibition game

A new reality television show is debuting Friday, and it stars a charismatic coach who is attempting to restore pride and tradition in his new home.BLOG: Basketblog

Student season tickets still on sale; 4,000 unsold seats open to public

With the team’s home opener just more than a week away and reportedly 4,000 student season tickets still unsold, the IU Athletics Department has announced it has begun to sell the leftover tickets to the general public.PODCAST: Hoosier Sidelines

Coaching the night away

In honor of the election, I decided it was time for a change for Straight Bidness. It was time for a democracy. So, I devised a plan. I polled all my loyal readers who have sent me feedback (be it good or bad) in the past to see which of my two column ideas they would rather read. I know what you’re thinking. You’re probably sneering, “Congrats Mike. You talked to all five of your readers.” I don’t blame you for thinking that either. But you will be shocked to know that I spoke with 26 people, 23 of whom read my column on a consistent basis.

Edwards’ gamble tightens Chase battle

Jimmie Johnson, owner of the last two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship trophies and the presumed owner of the 2008 edition, suffered his worst finish of Chase for the Sprint Cup competition Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. Fortunately for Carl Edwards – Johnson’s nearest rival – that poor finish coincided with a second-straight Edwards victory. Unfortunately for Edwards though, Johnson’s poor 15th-place finish would have been a respectable finish for most competitors.

Hoosiers look to sweep Wright State again

The IU club ice hockey team looks to snap its four-game losing streak this weekend with two home games against Wright State. After starting out 6-0, the Hoosiers have been swept by Davenport and Michigan in the past two weekends, respectively. Fortunately for the team, two of its six wins this year came when it swept Wright State last month. Despite their two victories against the Raiders, they know not to come into any game unprepared. “You can’t take anyone lightly. We’re going to be working hard in practice this week,” said junior Joe Fornari. “We’re going to give them our best look. We’re not underestimating anyone.”

IU volleyball team swept by No. 1 Penn State

The IU volleyball team battled hard against the top-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions on the road Wednesday but ultimately came up short. Penn State has not lost a game or a set this year, and for the first two sets, that streak appeared to be in little danger, as the visitors won 25-13 and 25-14. However, after a halftime pep talk from coach Sherry Dunbar, IU came out a different team. “We talked about playing aggressive in the locker room,” Dunbar said. “We brought the energy (in the third set), and we weren’t intimidated by them.” In the third set, the Hoosiers kept the Nittany Lions on their heels and led 22-21 before ultimately losing the final four points. The overall loss was the Hoosiers’ first in their last in five matches and drops their record to 6-7 in the Big Ten and 14-11 overall. IU senior middle blocker Erica Short said she was pleased with the Hoosiers’ play in the third set and thought they could have come out on top in it. “We obviously could have won the third set, but I was proud of how of our team played,” Short said. “We also stayed aggressive and didn’t care that they were the No. 1 team in the nation.”