Notes written while basking in the defeat the smug jackass to the right took last night.
First off, forgive us ITH’ers. E is still recovering from Super Bowl Sunday. Apparently he was drinking cranberry juice yesterday in an attempt to recover from a particularly debaucherous Saturday. In other words, he was already spent by the game last night.
So this is where you come in: Thoughts from last night’s game and discussion are welcome in the open thread version of “The Morning After.”
If you need talking points for discussion, here are a few:
- What did you think of Kyle Taber’s surprise start? Should he continue to play?
- A.J. Ratliff saw significant action. Did his play justify more?
- Mike White didn’t leave the bench. Did that make you happy, sad or indifferent?
- Eric Gordon looked like Eric Gordon. And that was really nice to see.
- Not that there was any doubt, but D.J. White is an absolute beast.
Also, if you want to express your joy about the Patriots choking away their chance at history, those thoughts are also welcome.
It took a while for the Hoosiers to pull away in this one — thanks to Northwestern’s back cuts and three-point shooting — but with around eight minutes to go, Eric Gordon hit a few shots, D.J. White chipped in some free throws and that was that: 75-63, IU wins. For the afternoon Gordon had 29 points — 18 of which came on three-point baskets. White racked up his fourteenth double-double with 26 points and 13 boards. Craig Moore led the Wildcats with 17 points.
E was good and worked up tonight, so technically, this is the minute after. You get the point.
Almost two months ago, I wrote about A.J. Ratliff’s return and what it would mean for the Hoosiers rotation. Here’s a brief excerpt from 
A couple of notes today from 
Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson addressed the media earlier today and gave us an update on Eric Gordon’s injury, Armon Bassett’s suspension, A.J. Ratliff’s return and an injury to Eli Holman. Here are some highlights of Sampson’s comments. The full transcript of the press conference is available 
Is A.J. Ratliff done? Yes, he is
Note: Due to Ratliff’s departure, some updates have been made (in bold and italics) from the original post I penned last night. Unfortunately, what I forecasted at that time has come true. A.J. Ratliff is no longer a Hoosier.
First, a preface: Prior to the season, if you had asked who my favorite Hoosier was, I would have told you A.J. Ratliff. His success last season led me to believe that he’d be a key piece to a deep NCAA Tournament run this season. I never really paid much attention to those who labeled him as inconsistent because I had faith he’d put it together at some point. In my head, “some point” was going to be this season.
Now I’m just wondering where Ratliff is. Is he attending practice? No. Is he going to play again? No. The last two games he’s been MIA. The details of his absence are sketchy at best. All we really know is that he’s dealing with a “family issue,” according to Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson. And now, according to published reports by the Herald Times, we’ve learned that he’s no longer on the Indiana team.
Oddly enough, he wasn’t brought up on the Big Ten teleconference on Monday morning. It’s shocking to me that nobody asked for an update on Ratliff. The updates provided after Sunday’s game revealed little as Sampson wouldn’t elaborate further on Ratliff’s status. Is there an unwritten rule to not ask Kelvin Sampson any tough questions or pry for more information? Sometimes I feel like more information comes out of a Bill Belichick press conference.
Color me skeptical, but with each day that goes by without an update on what the deal is with Ratliff, the less likely he is to return. Color me correct, A.J. Ratliff is no longer a Hoosier.
Now that Ratliff’s departure is confirmed, what are your thoughts on Ratliff’s career at Indiana? Major disappointment? About what you expected? Thoughts in the comments, por favor.