– Wisconsin, barring a total choke job, wrapped up at least a tie for the Big Ten title with a 57-42 beat down of Michigan State at the Kohl Center. A couple of observations: Brian Butch should be a first team All-Big Ten selection. Second, is there a more disappointing team than Michigan State? A lot of talent on that team, but something just isn’t right. I’m shocked at how bad of a season Drew Neitzel is having. And finally, Wisconsin only had one turnover in the entire game. That’s a pretty amazing statistic.

– Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star wrote a column today which provided his two cents on the impending coaching search for IU. It was a decent piece, but there were a couple of names included that I don’t want anywhere near the program: 1) John Calipari: do we really want Worldwide Wes hanging around IU? 2) Kevin Stallings: He’s a nice guy I’m sure, but his Purdue background and personality (or lack thereof) don’t thrill me. Surely we can do better than Stallings. The sizzle just isn’t there, but maybe I’m missing something.

– Our old friend Coach Knight has joined forces with ESPN for “championship week” and the NCAA Tournament. As you would expect, Knight appeared on “Mike and Mike” this morning and side stepped all questions about Indiana and the Kelvin Sampson situation. It’ll be interesting to see how well Knight does in this new role. He’s always had disdain for the media so it’s somewhat ironic to see him as a member of it.

By far the saddest part about everything that happened yesterday is that a fine performance by the Hoosiers — a well-executed gameplan against a good team — went totally by the wayside. It was overshadowed. Overshadowed not only because Brian Butch hit a lucky (yes, it was lucky) banked three-pointer from about 24 feet to win the game, but overshadowed by the giant inky-black specter of the NCAA’s announcement about major violations yesterday.

Sunday, the Hoosiers (to my mind, at least), took a significant step forward to alleviating a lot of the obvious concerns about them as a whole. Last night, they continued that pattern, albeit in a flawed loss. That progress — think how bad they looked the first game against Wisconsin — should be the story. But as I sit and write this, attempting to write about what’s happening on the floor reeks of blind fandom. It feels like ignoring the giant elephant in the room. Be positive! Think good thoughts! Talk about basketball! Easier said than done.

And that’s the problem. It’s not the sanctions themselves — we’re all adults here, and we can get over it. Kelvin Sampson getting fired? C’est la vie. Life goes on. Another lost scholarship? Sucks, but it’s not devastating. Kent Benson getting all worked into a froth again? Not exactly newsworthy.

No, the problem is that because of Kelvin Sampson’s utter stupidity, enjoying the game for what it is in its rawest, purest form — a group of almost-student-athletes competing with their school’s name on their shirts — is now impossible. Watching this team develop into a tournament contender is ruined. Our expression of basketball fandom is tainted. To paraphrase Christopher Hitchens, sanctions poison everything. That’s not fair to D.J. White and Eric Gordon and Armon Bassett and the rest, and it’s not fair to us.

So thanks, Kelvin. Thanks a lot. Idiot.

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I’m having a hard time not starting off this recap with an expletive, but alas, I will refrain. Anyone who watched this one can tell you the drill: it was a highly contested, great game. Unfortunately, IU came out on the wrong end, losing 68-66. Brian Butch hit a lucky bank three with just a few ticks left on the clock to put Wisconsin up and Jamarcus Ellis missed a three at the buzzer that would have given IU the victory.

D.J. White started out hot, dropping six of his first six baskets. But he picked up his third foul early in the second and played a bit reserved because of it. So, Eric Gordon did his thing, taking the ball to the hoop and hitting a few shots. White finished with 17 points and seven boards, while Gordon finished with 23 points. Jason Bohannon led Wisconsin with 18 points.

The one good thing here? IU played well. This is two games in a row we can sit back and say: “Hey, we’re looking good, we’re finally coming around.” It’s just too bad it had to come in a loss. At home. The day it was announced Kelvin Sampson got slapped with major sanctions.

As a reminder, we still haven’t beaten a ranked team or anyone of real worth. (Ohio State doesn’t count.) You know, in case you were wondering out there.

It’s been a rough day to be an IU fan. Let’s just leave it at that.

Related:

• Box score

The Hoosiers are finished with their cupcakes and the New Year is nearly upon us, which can mean only one thing: It’s Big Ten Preview Time! Here’s a look at the teams that will challenge the Hoosiers for the conference crown … or fall under the weighty boot of crimson dominance. Probably the latter. Today: Wisconsin.

Besides being the only Big Ten coach to pull off a rendition of the Soulja Boy, (Can you imagine Kelvin Sampson cranking that Soulja Boy? I can’t.) Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan also owns the most impressive win for a conference team this season: a 67-66 thriller at Texas.

Despite losing conference player of the year Alando Tucker and second teamer Kammron Taylor, the Badgers have positioned themselves to challenge for the conference crown. And once again, the staple of Ryan’s teachings is defense. According to Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted defensive efficiency rankings, the Badgers are first in the country. They’re surrendering just 54.1 points per game and holding opponents to a 37 percent mark from the field.

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