Career highs: 38 points (February 9, 1976 vs. Michigan State); 23 rebounds (March 22, 1975 vs. Kentucky)

Notable achievements: 42 career double-doubles; All-American (1975, 1976, 1977); First team All-Big Ten (1975, 1976, 1977); Big Ten MVP (1977); Indiana team MVP (1977); Academic All-American (1976, 1977); Indiana Hall of Fame (1989); Big Ten champion (1974, 1975, 1976); NCAA Tournament Most outstanding player (1976); National champion (1976)

The case for Benson: The New Castle native was a centerpiece of the last undefeated team in college basketball alongside Scott May and Quinn Buckner in 1976. The three-time All-American’s 25 points led Indiana to a 86-68 route over Michigan in the national championship game in Philadelphia.

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.

– Despite all that, it’s at least worth discussing the game in some detail. And if any lesson was learned from last night, it’s that everyone — even D.J. White — cools off sometime. After the tear D.J.’s been on in the last, oh, 15 games or so, I was actually getting used to him playing at an outsized, ridiculous level. 15-footers were guarantees; giant one-arm rebounds were the norm; ferocious put-back dunks have become an expected treat.

But in the second half, that waned. D.J. was still rebounding, still providing the rock in the middle of the defense, but he was missing the sort of easy turnaround jumpers that have become surefire scores. It was an ebb and flow thing; as D.J.’s misses got worse, IU’s guards picked up the slack. Still, the first-half performance was anchored by D.J., and in the second half, IU wasn’t the same.

– On Brian Butch: I should hate Butch for hitting that 24-foot bank shot. I should hate him for being a big lurchy white guy. I should hate him for being nicknamed “The Polar Bear.” Butch’s shot was the kind of thing that gets you laughed at on a pickup court; you’d never celebrate a bank to win a game like he did last night.

Then I remember Eric Gordon’s banked three at Illinois. Gordon’s shot was probably no less lucky than Butch’s; Butch is a decent outside shooter, after all, and you can bet Gordon wasn’t trying to hit the glass any more than Butch was. It happened in inverse order this week, but a lucky bank shot was crucial. It was pretty hard to be angry about it after that. (Plus, we still beat Illinois and their Screech Powers of a head coach, and isn’t that all that really matters?)

– It was easy to see a team confidence last night, especially in getting looks at the rim. Maybe that stemmed from playing Ohio State’s soft zone, which practically begged to be penetrated. (“Begged to be penetrated” is today’s “palpable mass on the buttox.” So you know.) Whatever it was, Eric Gordon and company were less hesitant about getting into the lane last night than they’ve been all season. The Hoosiers are a good perimeter shooting team, but it’s nice to be reminded that’s not all they are.

– I’m sure some will question, or already are questioning, why Sampson deigned not to call a timeout after Butch’s shot. I, personally, didn’t mind the call. I would have preferred Jamarcus Ellis not to have been the guy taking the final shot, but he got a good look against a Wisconsin team still kinda-sorta celebrating Butch’s lucky bank.

– DeAndre Thomas is an incredibly flawed player, but he did show flashes last night. It’s clear that he has touch on the offensive end. He can score it in advantageous positions. Now, if he could figure things out defensively and stop bear-hugging people 94 feet from the basket, IU could get a lot more out of his big body on the interior. That’d be nice.

– See? Basketball talk. Fun, right? There’ll be plenty more about Sampson later today — including a wild prediction from the blogosphere — but for now, your additions to the fun in the comments below.

Not a ton of information trickling out of Hoosier camp as of late — and in the wake of the infractions, that’s probably a good thing — so here’s something to tide you over until we actually see all these new pieces try and mesh as one on the court.

It’s everyone’s favorite outspoken former Hoosier Kent Benson’s student fan club t-shirt up for bid on eBay. There don’t appear to be any bids on this guy at the moment, but you can buy it now for $28.98 + $5.25 for shipping and handling.

No word yet on whether or not when you don the shirt you’ll angrily spout of about the state of IU basketball, but buyer beware.

Get your bids in now, kids.

Thanks to entrepreneurial-minded PMK for the tip.

Updated, 10/16, 7:15 AM: Those of you hoping for a “this too shall pass” resolution to yesterday’s news regarding Kelvin Sampson’s latest sanctions for violating NCAA phone call rules are in for a rude awakening. It’s not happening, folks. Fan message boards are being overloaded, radio talk show lines are lighting up and talking heads from across the country are calling for, gasp, Sampson’s head.

A survey of prominent viewpoints from across the land revealed the following thoughts about Sampson:

Andy Katz, ESPN.com: Sampson has plenty of friends in the business. And when I say plenty, I would argue that the majority of coaches really do enjoy his company. But a number of them are perturbed by these latest violations. Some of his good friends even told me that they do think this will put a distinctive mark on the public perception of Sampson.

Will Leitch, Deadspin: The move is seen as a preemptive strike against any potential NCAA punishments. Indiana should be much better this year, thanks largely to recruit Eric Gordon (which Sampson swiped from Illinois, infuriating many of his fellow Big Ten coaches), but they’ve now officially wiped the regime of Bob Knight off the books. Say what you will about Knight, but this was never a problem with him. He was too busy strangling the players he already had.

Rick Bozich, Louisville Courier-Journal: Don’t fire up your search engine. Sampson committed similar violations at Oklahoma, then promised it would never happen in Bloomington. Sunday’s news suggests the man is either brash or careless. Doesn’t matter which side you pick. He’s still a repeat offender. IU uncovered the violations. IU reported them to the NCAA. IU is punishing the rule-breakers — Sampson and assistant Rob Senderoff. Sampson described the violations as “disappointing.” Losing to Purdue is disappointing. This is disturbing. Reckless also fits. So does ridiculous.

Mike DeCourcy, The Sporting News: The NCAA punished Sampson by confining him to his bedroom — but then opened the window and offered to help him shimmy down the tree. The sanctions dared Sampson to find a way around them and still involve himself in recruiting players for IU. That is not what discipline is supposed to be about. From the very start, Sampson was allowed to continue text-messaging recruits. One player I spoke with in July 2006 said he texted frequently with Sampson and got the chance to build a relationship with the coach. The player wound up signing elsewhere, but it was clear the sanctions were not having the necessary punitive impact.

Mike Lopresti, USA Today: Obviously, the basketball coach at Indiana University is a phone-aholic. Please, somebody stop Kelvin Sampson before he dials again. Sampson has not gotten the message, which is odd for a guy who apparently checks his cellphone every 45 seconds. The problem is how he keeps letting his fingers do the walking into trouble. The rash of recruiting call no-nos that landed him in the soup in Oklahoma should have been enough to get his full attention. Now, this new cloud emerges at Indiana.

And now, two of the more extreme takes:

Kent Benson, former IU player: Here we get rid of a legend (Bob Knight) who had a perfectly clean record in 30 years of coaching at Indiana University. We put a zero tolerance rule on him and he was gone. For the athletic director and trustees to allow this to happen, it’s an absolute travesty. It’s an embarrassment to the former players and the university. They need to do the right thing. If no tolerance means no tolerance, they should get rid of him. And (athletic director Rick Greenspan) should be right behind him.

Bob Kravitz, Indianapolis Star: At this point, Indiana University doesn’t just have the right to fire coach Kelvin Sampson for just cause. It has a moral imperative to close the book on his short and sordid stewardship of the school’s once-storied basketball program. And once Sampson is gone, send athletic director Rick Greenspan on his way, as well. Maybe they can carpool. Sampson was Greenspan’s signature hire after Mike Davis was sent packing, a signature hire who came here with an NCAA storm cloud hanging over his head and a dubious history with graduation rates. Now, IU and a local law firm have uncovered additional phone-related improprieties, some more major than others. And while the school’s grandstanding decision to self-report might assuage its institutional guilt, it will not alter the emerging view of IU as a sleazy operator.

Personally, I think calling for Sampson to be fired is a bit over the top, but that’s just me. Our current poll shows that some of you are ready to fire him and for those of you who voted that way, I’m interested in hearing your justification and rationale. I’m certainly not excusing his actions, but my detailed study of these violations doesn’t conclude that firing him is the solution. Instead, I’m going to give AD Rick Greenspan the benefit of the doubt and let this all play out. The punishment should fit the crime and I feel like it does. The unfortunate reality is that this news has already put a stain on a once promising season. Let’s hope that once the ball starts bouncing early next month, the focus shifts back onto the court.