Did that just happen? Yes, it did
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.
Game Thread: Minnesota vs. Indiana
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):
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.
