I read as much or more sportswriting than anyone I know, and I have some pet peeves. One of the major ones I’ve developed happens when, in the course of the season, writers lose perspective. They forget the ebb and flow of a season, the upswings and downswings, and lose the forest for the constant barrage of trees. Some do it intentionally (cough *Jay Mariotti* cough). Some merely get caught up in it. But it’s frustrating either way.

I’m not sure if what I wrote Thursday after IU’s ugly gift of a win qualifies; it is, after all, what I’ve been saying all year. But with that caveat aside, and wary of the consequences of my defection, I’ll just come right out and say it: IU looked as good as they have all year Sunday. Better, even. They looked like a team that can beat Michigan State on Saturday. They looked like a team that can own games front to back. They looked, finally, like the team we have been hoping for all season.

I’ll try not to get too carried away. But hot damn, that was a different team, one I like a whole lot better than the one we saw at Illinois.

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