Some rambling postseason thoughts on a Monday morning …

So, we’re a few days removed from Indiana’s season-ending first round loss to Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament. Ho, hum. We all knew the Hoosiers were probably going to lose. Whatever hopes we had of an upset were minimal and fleeting. And so the season ends, and on we go, set for another offseason that will be far less angry, anxious, and uncertain than last season’s.

Comparing the two situations is almost funny. This time last year, we had just been destroyed by Arkansas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Sure, Arkansas was a good team, and it was a tough draw, talent-wise, but by that point it almost didn’t matter. A once-promising season with a lineup stocked full of players was derailed entirely when Kelvin Sampson was fired for being a naughty boy. The team lost most of the rest of its games, limped into the NCAAs, and were promptly spanked. But it wasn’t the loss that was disconcerting. It’s what came before it, and what was still ahead.

Cue the offseason: a series of ugly incidents and confusing decisions punctuated by a brief moment of optimism. That moment was Tom Crean’s hire. It’s the hire IU should have made two years ago, when they instead chose a coach under investigation for having the cell phone tendencies of a 13-year-old meth addict. Crean was a steadier, calmer, more reasonable choice with just as good of a coaching record and a history of recruiting well in Indiana and Chicago. Why he wasn’t originally chosen to succeed Mike Davis is a mystery that still confounds to this day. (Then-IU president Adam Herbert’s insistence on a minority hire is likely the answer, but oh well. Spilled milk, and all that.)

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First, the good things about tonight (or last night depending on when you read this.)

– Purdue lost. Some of their fans were sitting directly in front of us. I got to watch them leave Conseco Fieldhouse extremely pissed off. The night seemed to be off to a brilliant start. Admittedly, I was torn on whether to cheer for Purdue or Illinois. The latter got the nod.

– Since I was at the game, I was spared the Shon Morris experience. My condolences, Big Ten Network viewers.

– D.J. White was his usual beastly self. 23 points and 13 points. This kid deserves better. He consistently plays the game that way it should be played. Of all the players on this team, I hate what has happened to this team the most for D.J.

Now, onto the disaster that was Indiana vs. Minnesota. I’m going to try a different style with this recap, so if you’re looking for a more detailed account of what transpired, direct your attention here.

– The start to the game was all too familiar. Indiana plays inferior team. Indiana lets inferior team get confidence by letting inferior team take the lead. Inferior team thinks it can play with Indiana and does so the rest of the way. Let’s just be honest with each other. Minnesota had no business being up 24-8. Ultimately, this had little to no bearing on the final outcome, but it’s worth mentioning just because of how annoying it is to all of us. Another thing that was troublesome was how long it took Dan Dakich to call for a timeout while this early beat down was taking place. I’m sure Dakich is a nice lad and a decent coach in the right situation, but his brief stint at the helm in Bloomington has clearly been a disaster.

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Opponent: Minnesota

Date: Friday, March 14, 2008 | 9:00 p.m. EST

Arena: Conseco Fieldhouse (18,345) – Indianapolis, Indiana

Line: Indiana by 5.5

All-time series: Indiana leads 88-63

Previous meeting: Indiana won 69-55 in Bloomington on March 5, 2007

TV: Big Ten Network (Wayne Larrivee and Shon Morris)

Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Todd Leary and Joe Smith)

Probable Starters:

• Minnesota (19-12, 8-10 Big Ten): Al Nolen, Lawrence McKenzie, Lawrence Westbrook, Dan Coleman, Spencer Tollackson
• Indiana (25-6, 14-4 Big Ten): Armon Bassett, Eric Gordon, Jamarcus Ellis, Lance Stemler, D.J. White

Game Notes (Adobe Reader required to view):

• Indiana

Gameday Reading:

• Which Hoosiers will show up? (Indianapolis Star)
• Hoosiers’ mind-set is just fine (Ft. Wayne Journal Gazettte)
• With victories, IU, Purdue would meet (Evansville Courier Press)
• On verge of embarassment, Gophers survive (Paging Jim Shikenjanski)
• Keys for Gophers against Indiana (Paging Jim Shikenjanski)
• Surge cancels purge (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• Gophers grind out win over Northwestern (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
• Billy Packer’s take on Kelvin Sampson (Chicago Tribune)
• The Cram Session (The Dagger @ Y! Sports)

As always, your predictions and analysis are welcome in the game thread. Recap will be late tonight due to the fact that I’ll be at Conseco. Poor me.