This is weird. Isn’t it? Isn’t it strange to be in this position right now? To gather, as I did last night, with friends at a bar, to celebrate another game with a Fat Tire and a sandwich, and to know all along that no matter what happens, your team’s coach is going down? He can beat your most hated rival (who just so happens to be the Big Ten’s top team) and still, against his will, it will be the last win of his tenure.

That’s two such wins now. The first was Saturday against Michigan State, a dominating performance that showed a resilient team rallying around their coach. The second was last night. Was it me, or did the focus seem to shift? Maybe it was because I was in a bar and couldn’t make out the commentary very well, but did last night’s audience — swept up in an important rivalry atmosphere — seem to forget about the sanctions for 40 minutes? I know I did.

It will be jarring to lose Sampson on Friday, but at this point, I’m not sure his presence is needed on the sidelines anymore. Stay with me here. It’s hard to complain about distractions after two very solid wins, but Sampson’s saga is a distraction. His assistants have been coaching this team all year; no doubt IU’s players feel just as comfortable with each of them as they do with Sampson. (Perhaps moreso, given the player-assistant-as-friends dynamic a lot of teams have.) It will be a difficult adjustment, seeing Dan Dakich running up and down the sidelines, but if the Hoosiers showed anything last night, it was a level of maturity and self-definition that gives me confidence in the coming games.

But that confidence doesn’t mean part of me won’t miss Sampson. He’s only been here for two years, yes, and even if this eulogy is premature (we still think Sampson’s going to be suspended Friday rather than fired), it will be a different place without him. He’s a frustrating coach, but if the past two years have taught us anything about his style it’s that his teams improve. They get better. They can make you miserable in November and December and even January, but come February and March they coalesce. They play hard together. They defend. And they’re fun to watch.

It’s a shame we can’t have a third year, but it’s a self-inflicted shame. And we know what we have to do. The dog might be cute. You might love the dog. But if the dog can’t control his bite, you put him down. It sucks, and it’s sad, but it’s best for everybody.

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Eric Gordon scored 22 points, D.J. White added 19 points and 15 rebounds and Armon Bassett chipped in 16 as Indiana moved into a three-way tie in the loss column for first place in the Big Ten with a 77-68 win over Purdue.

The Hoosiers (22-4, 11-2 Big Ten) committed 23 turnovers, but hit 30 of 34 free throws and won the rebounding battle 46-30.

“We wanted E.J. and Armon to really drive it ,” Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson said. “Play through D.J. as much as we could knowing that they would post double him, but just try to get to that free throw line. The turnover thing, like I said after the Minnesota game, sometimes you have to bring them in the huddle and remind them what color jersey you’re wearing.”

Much like the Michigan State game, the Hoosiers got off to a slow start. Purdue led 16-10 with 10:19 remaining in the first half before a 7-0 run gave Indiana its first lead.

The Boilermakers (21-6, 12-2) led 25-23 late in the first half, but Lance Stemler hit a three-pointer and the Hoosiers never relinquished the lead the rest of the way.

White, who was questionable due to a knee injury suffered on Saturday night against Michigan State, looked to be close to 100 percent and dominated the interior before fouling out with 10 seconds remaining.

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The Hoosiers are finishing up 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: Purdue.

There a couple of things you need to know about the 2007-2008 version of the Purdue Boilermakers. First, they’ve got an outstanding crop of home grown freshmen. Second, they’ve shown the capability of knocking off a respectable team. They beat Louisville on a neutral court and lost a close game at Clemson. Third, they’ve done what young teams do in college hoops: lose games they should have won. For example, they lost at home to Wofford and to Iowa State on a neutral court. And one final thing, Matt Painter has the best hair of any coach in the league.

So what should we expect out of our friends in West Lafayette? A young, inconsistent team that will improve throughout the season.

Purdue’s top six players are freshmen (Scott Martin, Robbie Hummel, E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson) or sophomores (Keaton Grant and Chris Kramer). Out of that group, the most impressive contributor at this early juncture of the season has been Martin, a Valpo product. He’s a crafty lefty who looks to create his own shot. He’s still learning to adjust to the physical play at the collegiate level, but when it’s all said and done, he’ll be an All-Big Ten performer.

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- The Hoosiers played a laugher of a game Saturday night as they whipped Western Carolina, 100-52. Coach Sampson thanked the fans (including me) for braving the elements to watch a blowout. The only important thing we learned from the game is that Eric Gordon is back and ready to go. Gordon looked to be 100 percent and showed no signs of the lower back injury that kept him out of the Kentucky game.

One other thing that impressed me was how unselfish the team was with the ball. There were signs of a structured offense and the Hoosiers had a season low 10 turnovers. And by the way, if you have any pictures of Eli Holman in his red suit, please send them our way. PostmanE is Eli’s biggest fan.

- One of the more exciting games of the weekend took place at Freedom Hall in Louisville as former Indiana coach Mike Davis and the UAB Blazers beat Kentucky, 79-76. With his team down 12 at the half, Davis had this to say to his team: “I told our guys at halftime that we’re 15 points better than this (UK) team.”

Led by former IU guard Robert Vaden, the Blazers outscored Kentucky by 15 points in the second half in what was basically a home game for the Wildcats. Vaden put on a ridiculous shooting display in the second half with six three-pointers and finished with 33 points. Vaden looks to be about 20 pounds lighter than he was the last time we saw him in a Hoosier uniform. Thanks for beating Kentucky, fellas.

- And finally, Purdue had a nice win over Louisville in the Wooden Tradition at Conseco Fieldhouse. Louisville might be the most disappointing team in the country so far this season as they were a trendy preseason pick to end up in San Antonio. That’s what injuries (David Padgett and Juan Palacios) and a knucklehead (Derrick Caracter) will do to a team.

On the Boilermaker side of things, I’m really impressed with the play of the two kids from Valpo, Robbie Hummel and Scott Martin. Both guys are surprisingly polished for freshmen and will be very good four year players for Matt Painter in West Lafayette. Not that I’d ever cheer for Purdue, but it’s good to see both the Hoosiers and the Boilers heading in the right direction. It’ll only make for a better rivalry.