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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Thanks to everyone who participated. Those of you in the top five spots will receive a Crean and Crimson T-shirt courtesy of Mark Tucker of TSP Screenprinting & Embroidery. Please email us from your Yahoo! email address and provide your mailing address and shirt size before Friday of this week. You can check out the shirts here.

The opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament is in the books and with that, we bring you an update on the Inside the Hall Tournament Pick ‘Em Challenge:

There’s still a long way to go, but the contenders for the prize have already started to separate themselves for the pack. So after the opening weekend, how’s your bracket looking? Are you doing well or have you already thrown your bracket out the window?

Props to CBS Sports for getting with it and releasing highlights of every game via YouTube:

Here is an all-encompassing link dump for your reading pleasure on the morning after IU’s embarrassing 86-72 loss to Arkansas:

• Loss puts stamp on roller coaster season (Indiana Daily Student)
• Hoosiers’ season of drama ends with a whimper (Indianapolis Star)
• IU’s season is over; now the work begins (Indianapolis Star)
• Put a fork in these Hoosiers — They’re done (Hoosiers Insider)
• Call it a season: Hoosiers KO’d (Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette)
• Gordon stays mum on future (Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette)
• Another one and done (Evansville Courier and Press)
• Weems, Arkansas oust Indiana 86-72 (Associated Press)
• IU’s woes might be just beginning (CBS Sportsline)
• Indiana’s decade of disaster rolls on (Sporting News)
• Gordon should go pro (Bedford Times-Mail)
• Red-hot Weems leads Hogs past Indiana (NW Arkansas Times)
• Weems’ career night leads Hogs (Arkansas Morning News)
• Weems scores 31 as Arkansas extends NCAA stay (Arkansas Sports 360)

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A season that started with promise and aspirations of a run to San Antonio ended Friday night as Indiana fell to Arkansas 86-72 in the first round of the East Regional in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Hoosiers (25-8) started the season 17-1, but went just 3-4 in their final seven games including three straight losses.

D.J. White scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds in his final game for Indiana and Armon Bassett added 21 points and seven assists. The duo, however, got little help from their teammates.

Eric Gordon continued his late season slide with just eight points on 3 of 15 shooting. The freshman hit just 2 of 6 free throws, committed four turnovers and was visibly frustrated throughout.

“Eric has struggled a little bit with his shot and they did a good job staying square with him,” Indiana interim coach Dan Dakich said. “He’s a kid who put Indiana back relevant. He had a great year.”

Indiana led 19-18 with 10:14 remaining in the first half, but the Razorbacks (23-11) closed the first half on a 19-11 run and led 37-30 at intermission.

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Opponent: Arkansas

Date: Friday, March 21, 2008 | 9:40 EST

Arena: RBC Center (19, 722) – Raleigh, North Carolina

Line: Indiana by 2

All-time Series: Indiana leads 1-0

TV: CBS (Jim Nantz and Billy Packer)

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

Probable Starters:

• Arkansas (22-11): Gary Ervin, Patrick Beverly, Sonny Weems, Vincent Hunter, Darian Townes
• Indiana (25-7): Armon Bassett, Eric Gordon, Jamarcus Ellis, Lance Stemler, D.J. White

Game Notes (Adobe Reader required to view):

• Arkansas
• Indiana

Gameday Reading:

• Now or never for the Hoosiers (Indiana Daily Student)
• Who is Arkansas? (Indiana Daily Student)
• Hoosiers begin NCAA Tournament facing questions (Indiana Daily Student)
• Gordon’s IU legacy? It’s mixed (Indianapolis Star)
• Something to focus on amid IU’s instability (New York Times)
• Hoosiers begin anew (Chicago Sun Times)
• IU ready to begin rewrite of season (Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette)
• Hoosiers ready to erase memory of loss (Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette)
• Tapes show tall order for IU (Ft. Wayne News Sentinel)
• Hoosiers hang on to title dream (Evansville Courier Press)
• Stemler unbowed by adversity (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
• Q & A with Hawg Blog (The Hoosier Report)
• Gordon leads the Hoosiers, but may leave (Chicago Tribune)
• Indiana shows it can play in transition (Newsday)
• Indiana looks to salvage season (Associated Press)
• Weems’ injured knee healed enough (Northwest Arkansas Times)

As always, your predictions and analysis are welcome in the game thread.

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