This is the most frustrated I have been with Indiana University...This is the biggest debacle I've seen. I'm tired, frustrated, and I just don't know what to think. It hasn't all quite hit me yet.
Thanks for the updates throughout the day. Good Job....Le'ts go beat Northwestern.

Let's all take a deep breath, have a beer or two and see what Saturday brings us in Evanston. Nice job today gents.

ding dong sampson is gone!

I'm just worried that the NCAA will still drop a heavy penalty on you guys. But I hope DJ White and the rest of the disgruntled players come back and play hard for the rest of the season. You got a great team and I hope they take you guys far. Unless you see Kentucky in the NCAAs, of course. (Fat chance, I know.)

Congrats to Coach Sampson on a great victory over the Illini - the crowning achivement of his sorry-ass tenure. That had to be awesome for him and his staff to revel in their ill-gotten gains in Champaign. The guy is just a piece of dirt. I honestly don't think he understands rules or why he was fired? I really question if the guy understands the rules and that he must follow them like everybody else. It had to be really painful for Hoosier fans to root for this cheater this whole sorry time. Bruce Weber might be a sorry-ass recruiter, but at least the Illini program isn't shameless. It now looks like all the stupid-ass players are going to defect - something else Indiana can be proud of. Knight may have had a temper, but at least he had reputable program.

who are we getting after dakich

Chris Korman states that Ebanks and Holloway are the recruits that have clauses to be released if a coaching change is made:

http://blogs.heraldtimesonline.com/iusp/?p=1667

I just hope the team can pull it together tomorrow and get another win on the road. I don't care if it's Northwestern. It's still a Big 10 road W. With everything that has gone on in the past few days a loss to Northwestern would suck. But then again, having your programs coach resign late season because of NCAA allegations, players threatening not play, and a piss poor job from your athletic department sucks too.

Rapier comeback, Sherron.

Illinois is 12-7 in their last 19 against IU including some serious beat-downs of the Hoosiers. Then again, other than this year IU hasn't fielded a team that can compete with Illinois in quite a while. And, of course, it took everything IU could muster to beat cellar-dwelling Illinois twice this seaosn. All-time series 82-78 IU. Before this year's sorry season Illinois was ahead of IU on the all-time winning pct list at #10. The plural of anecdote is not data, Sherron..

BFD about the banners. Branch McC was awesome. But Knight made the university a laughing stock during the 80s despite the two titles and the situation has simply deteriorated progressively since 1993. When Knight got canned the IU students and townies literally hounded Myles Brand out of the President's manse like a bunch of pitchfork-wielding yahoos that The Simpsons regularly lampoons.

Stop and think deeply about the program. Knight did little since the early 90s. The game passed him by; he is an inveterate bully and hypocrite (like Woody Hayes); he cowed the adminstration of a respectable liberal arts university for well over 20 years and embarrassed its students and alums. Mike Davis is an honorable man who recruited fairly well but was an erratic buffoon and never had a chance.

Sampson was caught cheating (at OU, cesspool of integrity) and IU hired him anyway. (Illinois, BTW, wouldn't touch him back in 2003.) What does that say about how low the program had sunk and how desperate Greenspan was to field a winning team?

So why is anyone surprised about where IU basketball finds itself today?

The Illini fans are enjoying buku schadenfreude right now and are completely justified. Sampson didn';t drag IU down. The University degraded itself when it subjugated the institution to The General. Everything else has followed from that. It's gonna take a bit of time to restore the lustre. Begin by hiring a straight-shooter like Tony Bennett.

Sorry; I'm not nearly as articulate as you are.

You whole, way too long, of a rant about how IU has drug itself down and has been a laughingstock since the Knight in the 80's is a couple minutes I'll never get back. Yeah we're really embarrassed to have had the winningest coach all time and to of gotten 3 more championships. The students , staff and alums are embarrassed about the fund raisers and other money he brought in for IU library and other areas. We're sorry Illinois wishes tehy had half the history and championships we have. You must work in teh press teh way you sensationalize everything. I'm not much of a Sampson fan but saying he was a cesspool of integrity over these phone calls. My god. What's Weber for telling recruits he won't offer them a scholarship unless they commit to Illinois first so he doesn't get embarrassed. Illinois fans can celebrate all they want, they still got beat and there still not going to the tourney so have fun if you can make it to the NIT.

Robert,
Self is gone, get over it.

# of Final Fours since 2000: Indiana 1, Illinois 1
wow, what a run you Illini fans have had. what a dynasty! all that NBA talent, yet nothing to really show for it. what a shame.

Anything ever come out about Damon Bailey being at the Hall?

don't you have an illinois forum to go to and talk about your last loss and your upcomming loss? Win a few national championships before you start your bs. Oh yea we beat north carolina when we wond our FORTH national tittle

Not worried about Illinois as long as Weber is roaming the sidelines.

I'm ready to move on. Right now my thoughts and sentiment are with Pat Forde.

Read this: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?co...

I have full confidence that DJ will come around by tomorrow's game and lead the team past NW. As fans we can't understand the feelings he must have, being that Sampson is largely responsible for the dominant player DJ has become.

I think we need to focus on the remaining games this season and begin discussing the leader that will bring us our next national championship.

Indiana Basketball will always be relevant.

I'm an Illinois kid who thinks Chicago ballers are the best....but I still admit Indiana Hoosiers basketball is important, and always will be. Sampson was a good but sadly flawed person.... I wish he could have followed the rules because he would have no doubt have brought the Hoosier to the final four.

But he's gone. It's up to D.J. White to lead this team now. If they lay an egg against Northwestern tomorrow I will be so sadly dissapointed and may never again root for this team....They NEED to step up. Sampson is gone. The only thing protesting the decision will do is hurt White and Gordon's draft status and further stain the university.

Dan Dakich is in a no win situation. If he guides the team to the final four he still won't get the benefit of the doubt as head coach. Whoever the new coach is will be screwed too. He'll need to win ASAP AND win clean.

My overriding feeling on the day is sadness. I'm so sad Sampson's tenure ended this way.

That being said.....HEYO HOOSIERS!

seriously...has the administration done anything well this decade? what a bunch of idiots.

To go along with my post below I put together a list to answer you question:
Terry Hoeppner
Bill Lynch
Felisha Legatte-Jack
Tracy Smith
North End Zone Expansion
Basketball Development Center
Baseball Field
Softball Field

I'll admit this botch was the biggest one possible, the men's basketball coach, but that doesn't mean they don't do anything right. They've done a lot of great things in recent years.

what about the sixteen (at least it feels like sixteen) athletic directors we've had in the past 10 years?

I'm really not upset at all with the administration in this situation. They did the best they could under the circumstances trying to deal with a cheater and a liar. It turns out it was a mistake to hire Sampson two years ago. But I'm not going to blame Greenspan when I understand that it was more Herbert's hire than it was his, and I'm not going to blame Greenspan for believing Sampson and getting fooled when I and the rest of us were fooled as well. In the end they stood up for integrity by finding the violations, reporting them, and acting on them, and now IU can start cleaning up the mess Sampson has left us with.

I'm really impressed with the class Ray showed in this whole situation. Like John Treloar before him, he put the team and the players ahead of himself. He probably won't be back next season, but he deserves to be applauded for rallying the team after he was snubbed for the head coaching job.

tracy smith's dad cuts my hair

Just saw on WTHR here in Indy and the guys and coaches had a late night meeting and it is believe they ALL will be playing tomorrow....Henry Wofford might not want to stalk DJ so much, he is only 5ft tall......

whew this day is done and time to move on...interesting Greeny said they won't start looking for another coach for a couple of weeks??? How is that.....unless they believe Anthony Grant will not make the NCAA's and will make the offer to him early.....

Losing Ebanks would suck and Holloway....but they were smart to have the clause....I think they will come around once they step back and look at the big picture...after all even Ebanks called KS a liar....

The good thing about tomorrows game is 90% of us won't see due to comcast and the BTN....NICE.

get dish network or direct tv you'll have every game

Unless of course you have 6.5 mile per hour wind...in which case your satellite reception will be intermittent AT BEST...and if you're an even bigger dumbass like me, you'll get the HD channel which hasn't worked in like 5 weeks and when you call to tell them, it's MY fault! Yeah, LIKE i'm the moron that shot a $2.3million missile into space and take out a satellite. Any chance the US Navy fuked up and hit the wrong sat? That's the only explanation I can find for my HD going out! Grrrrrrrrrrrr! My advice...go to the local "watering hole" and drink lots of beer! At least there you drink a beer, watch the game, and cry about this whole situation with people just like you who don't have satellite!

updated coaching list for me.....
1. Tony Bennett WSU
2. Brad Brownell Wright State-former cal cheany teammate in evansville
3. Anthony Grant

Sean Miller is better than the three.

Kelin come on buddy.. what is this shit? Lets get a big named coach!?

4. Sean Miller....xavier....sorry sean

Did something happen today?? :)

Good job today, guys. It took a while and wasn't pretty, but I think they (Sampson, IU, et al) ended up where they needed to be without needless drama down the road (there will be plenty of that with hiring a new coach, NCAA committee stuff, etc).

Now that KS is gone, hopefully we can all move on and salvage the season.

iT'S A SAD DAY FOR THE HOOSIER NATION

thank you hoosiergal....sad day indeed.
There are many things I did not like about KS, BUT his teams always improve. So sad that we are starting over again....

We should not be sad! Indiana still has a great shot at winning the B10 title and when they play with purpose, they are a legitimate Final 4 threat. Tomorrow's game at Northwestern could be the beginning of a special run to remember! There is no reason we should have to dwell on all of the bullcrap that has transpired.

I have tix for tonight's game with northwestern and i have no desire to go. I didn't think i could be more pissed at greenspan after he gave lynch a contract in football...my God greenspan sucks. I didn't renew my season football tix this year and it looks like my basketball season tix for next year might be on the market. We thought his scheduling of cupcakes was his biggest problem...the guy is running IU athletics into the ground. I am not looking forward to being in the hall for senior day vs minney...this will be awkward.

Timmy...Didin't you promise to stop posting if Sampson resigned?

Big A and I think I should be able to continue posting since Sampson was not fired but instead left on his own accord.

that sucks.

sampson left on his own accord? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

$5 million left on his contract, a possible Big Ten championship, a possible deep Tournament run and Sampson decided to leave on his own?
just like mike davis "left on his own accord" right? that is absolutely priceless.

you really do live in a fantasy land timmy.

The NCAA caused all this drama. There was NO reason to bring the "MAJOR infractions" charges during the season. ESPN'S Jay Bilas said "116" teams had some sort of charges about telephone calls this past year. Some running dog house shoe wearin butt yummy slacker NCAA interm managing low life had no love for B-Town basketballers. Anyway, there would have been plenty of time to pre-emptive strike down Sampson prior to any NCAA meeting in June AFTER the season. THANKS TO ITH FOR GREAT COVERAGE

I think IU handled the whole situation very poorly. They should have allowed Kelvin Sampson the allotted time to respond and plead his case for an intial hearing which would have been way after the season was over. IU should have maybe suspended Sampson for about a week then allowed him to finish the season and see what the outcome will be with the NCAA. This getting rid of Kelvin Sampson won't lessen the penalties that will be put upon IU with the upcoming months. The damaged was already done and the whole situation was a mess to begin with. THE NCAA WILL STILL HURT IU SEVERELY!! I wish someone can have the balls to go up against this bully of a Beast (NCAA) and stick by their coaches and players through good and bad times.

OH YEah and don't forget about the spineless loser Myles Brand who had hurt IU before and will hurt IU again. I still believe that there were something else going on that we all don't know behind close doors between Kelvin Sampson( who was once on the NCAA board)- the NCAA - and the IU trustees and Alums that did not like the hiring of Samspon in the first place. There is always two sides of the story.

unfortunately there is a hierarchy in college sports. the ncaa wins over any university whenever they want. this particular episode is not the fault of the ncaa. iu had their shot to end this problem earlier. instead, they simply placed sanctions on sampson and certain assistant coaches. if what they felt sampson had done was worthy of termination they should have fired him early on, and not fire him now just because that's what the ncaa wants.

realize too that there is a very integral part to this whole investigation and decision-making process, and that is that iu had to follow strict guidelines in order to keep themselves from a lawsuit...which could be why sampson wasn't "had" directly following the original announcement of violations presented to the ncaa by the university itself this past fall.

You play for IU...not for a coach...As a student, I hope that these fellow "students" realize that and show up tomorrow. I think they will. Other than that, I say the university sucks and I have never been so happy that I am graduating in May. If Greenspan isn't fired, they will never see another dime from me.

DAKICH NEEDS TO LET SIX PLAYERS PLAY IN EVANSTON. THE REMAINDER OF THE TEAM SHOULD SIT THE BENCH REGARDLESS OF THE SCORE. GIVE THOSE THAT ARE OBVIOUSLY HERE TO PLAY FOR IU A CHANCE TO COMPETE.

IT IS TIME, RIGHT NOW (FROM THE GET-GO) FOR DAKICH TO LET THE TEAM KNOW THAT THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSES TO MISS A PRACTICE BEFORE A BIG TEN CONTEST WHEN THE CHAMPIONSHIP IS ON THE LINE.

LET AHFIELD, TABER, FINKELMEIER, MIKE WHITE, LANCE STEMLER, AND ERIC GORDON SHOW THE SELECTION COMMITTEE JUST HOW DEEP THE HOOSIERS ARE.

I GUESS THIS TEAM OF "TRUE HOOSIERS" ALSO NEEDS TO SHOW THEIR TEAMMATES THAT THEY ARE HERE TO PLAY WITH OR WITHOUT THE STARTERS. MAYBE THIS ACT ALONE WILL TRIGGER A MUCH NEEDED (and i don't blame the other players for needing it)) ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT.

LET THE SIX-MAN-ROSTER PROVE THEY'RE CAPABLE OF PULLING THEIR TEAM OUT OF A TOUGH CIRCUMSTANCE BY WINNING ON THE ROAD AND MAKING THE HOOSIER FAITHFUL UNDOUBTEDLY MORE PROUD THAN EVER.

KEEP A SIX-MAN-ROSTER IN EVANSTON...it's only right to the players that gave their time to prepare for what is a very important game (every game for the remainder of the season is far too important for any player to be missing any practices regardless of the circumstances...INDIANA UNIVERSITY PAYS THEM A SCHOLARSHIP TO PRACTICE AND PLAY BASKETBALL AND NOTHING LESS SHOULD BE EXPECTED OF THEM).

its all about money when it comes down to it......ks got his money....Iu gets their money from reveneu and boosters i'm sure.....i want some money....I was a fan long before any of these people were involved (except dan dakich) somebody needs to pay me

remember that these are kids. don't punish them any further for what they've had to go through this year.

they were just trying to stand up for their coach, give them a break.

Please free your caps lock button. Deep breaths.