We’ve also, thanks to our friends at Yardbarker, added a widget below which allows you to track scores as well as a link below to the March Madness On Demand Player. So sit back, minimize that spreadsheet you’ve been working on all day and let the games begin.

Click here to launch March Madness On Demand Player

Sources at ESPN and inside the administration at a powerhouse NCAA basketball school told me today that the NCAA basketball tournament going to 96 teams is a “done deal.”

An ESPN source said, “It’s a done deal with the expansion of the tournament. Depending on how soon a (TV) deal is done, the added teams could start next year. The NCAA confirmed that bidders would be interested in 96 teams, so they’re going with it.”

NCAA Vice President Greg Shaheen quickly refuted the notion that any deal for expansion is done, but did admit that the NCAA is talking with parties who have interest. CBS has the rights to the tournament (at over $2 billion) for three more years, but the NCAA has the right to opt out of the contract until August 31. This opens up the possibility of another network, like ESPN, swooping in with a more lucrative deal which includes expansion. More games to televise equals more money for the NCAA and whomever ends up with the broadcasting rights.

But, money aside, is this really the right move for college basketball? The opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament is, in my opinion, the best sports weekend of the year. And as someone who subscribes to idea of “if ain’t broke then don’t try to fix it,” expansion seems like a money grab and well, not much else. It certainly won’t improve the quality of the tournament because 31 borderline teams will be added to the field.

So, where do you stand on this, ITH’ers? Could you live with an expanded tournament? Or is the path to expansion one big mistake?

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.)

By contrast, this year’s offseason promises to be far more quiet and far more enjoyable. For one, Crean won’t be undergoing a massive lineup turnover. There will be recruits to incorporate and some players from 2008-09’s team to wave goodbye to. But there won’t be a coaching change. There won’t be an NCAA rules committee hearing with an historic program’s future at stake. There won’t be any of that. It will be calm, and the only developments we have to fret over are how much better IU will be at all of the positions Crean recruited last season. It’s a welcome change.

But before we go forward, we must look back, and so, without further ado, here’s my one-word summary of the 2008-09 Indiana Hoosiers:

Meh.

You might think I’d be more enthused, or less. I’m right in the middle, and here’s why.

IU, this year, managed to be both depressing and uplifting. They were unequivocally a horrible team. It’s a strong word to use, but it’s true; when you’re so futile in such a weak Big Ten, and you play so few veterans and your coach coaches so hard but to little avail, well, you’re horrible. It’s just how it is.

But in their horribleness, the Hoosiers also managed to be kind of interesting. Which would you prefer? A team that plays hard every night, that does all the right things, and that gets the most out of their potential — regardless of how limited that potential is — or one with two future NBA players and a host of great complements that gives up on itself when adversity hits? That folds under the pressure? That shows no spine, and no backbone, and no integrity? Of course you’ll take the latter. If bad basketball has to be part of that bargain, fine. For a year or two, we can make that trade, can’t we?

And so that’s what we got: A team that managed to make me less interested in general. But also one that occasionally shone through that disinterest, one that could, on occasion, inspire, if only by contrast to the disaster that came before it. The 2008-09 Indiana Hoosiers taught me, even in failure, that all of the romantic, moralistic cliches that underpin college basketball can, on occasion, be true.

Of course, now I’m ready to get back to being good at basketball again. Fortunately, that’s the other thing we learned this season: Tom Crean can really coach.

Think about it. Indiana, a team without any real, discernible talent, at least none on par with its opponents, was consistently in close games. They improved all season. Their final games were some of their most efficient efforts, and they got better at playing on the road. They had all the characteristics of a well-coached team. And they had no talent. Imagine the possibilities when Crean gets something workable going in Bloomington. The sky can reasonably be called the limit.

So, all things considered, I feel good. My favorite college basketball team just went 6-25, and 1-17 in the Big Ten. It just had its worst season ever. And I feel good. If that’s not a sign of the optimism at work here, I don’t know what is.

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.

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?

• 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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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.

The Hoosiers rallied in the second half and pulled to within two at 49-47 on a Lance Stemler three-pointer with 12:31 remaining. Arkansas responded with a 12-3 run and Indiana never got closer than six the rest of the way.

“We missed a few shots and let them get a few loose balls,” Stemler said. “It just seemed like we were so close and just couldn’t get over the hump.”

Sonny Weems scored a career-high 31 points for Arkansas, which shot 54 percent from the field and hit 26 of 33 free throws.

The NCAA Tournament win was the first for the school since 1999 when they defeated Siena. Darian Townes added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the winners.

The loss was the first in the NCAA first round since 2001 for IU and dropped Dan Dakich to 3-4 as the interim head coach.

Related:

• Box score

(Photo credit: Associated Press)

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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Establish D.J. White: With IU’s recent struggles from the perimeter, it’s essential to establish White in order to free up some open looks for Armon Bassett, Eric Gordon and Jordan Crawford. Bassett and Gordon are shooting a combined 18.3 percent from three-point range on their last 53 attempts. As Terry Hutchens pointed out in today’s Indianapolis Star, White took just three shots in the first 12 minutes against Minnesota and in the Penn State game, he took just two shots in the first ten minutes. That’s not acceptable for a player shooting over 60 percent from the field.

Big game for Gordon: It’s been a while since the freshman had a solid shooting night. In fact, the last time he shot better than 50 percent from the field was on February 16 against Michigan State. In other words, he’s more than overdue for a hot shooting night. Gordon knows this is likely his only chance to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. It’ll be important to get him a couple of open looks early to establish his confidence. If the Hoosiers can get him going, the combination of White and Gordon is as good as any in the country.

Hold them below 75: Arkansas likes to play at a faster tempo than the Hoosiers have experienced in the Big Ten. When the Razorbacks score 75 points or more, they’re 15-0. It is important to note that Indiana is a higher scoring team than Arkansas. Indiana is averaging 75.1 points per game and Arkansas is scoring 73.6 ppg.

Production from the four spot: Paging Lance Stemler, Kyle Taber and DeAndre Thomas. Thomas played well in the Big Ten Tournament against Minnesota, but he committed five fouls (all in the second half) and left the game with 7:43 remaining. Stemler’s offense has been non-existent for most of the season. And Taber has been solid in spot duty. In other words, there’s not a clear cut option. IU doesn’t need any of the three to score much, but they do need someone to help White fend off Arkansas in the paint. The Razorbacks have four players 6-10 or taller.

Play for Indiana, not Kelvin Sampson: Anyone who’s watched this team since Sampson left the sidelines knows that something has been missing. Sometimes, it just looks like this group is going through the motions. But if we’re to believe White’s comments at Thursday’s press conference, the Hoosiers are approaching this opportunity as a new beginning. With that said, it’s time to forget the past and move forward. This team is talented enough to make some noise, but they’ll need to be on the same page as their coach if they hope to do damage.

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