by Kent Sterling If Indiana is both the Crossroads of America and the home of basketball, then Assembly Hall is the home of the Crossroads of college basketball. For the fourth time in 15 years, one of the steadiest programs in the history of the game is in turmoil, and unless a major pivot is […]
by Kent Sterling Smart people in and around college basketball are proposing corrections to the lack of offense that is making college basketball less like a nonstop episode of Sportscenter and more like never-ending root canal. Last night, a team that will be named a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament scored a total of […]
by Kent Sterling There are a million sayings about the importance of defense in basketball. One of the most concise and on-point is “Defense travels.” Better than any other, that axiom explains why Indiana was unable to beat Northwestern with so much on the line last night in Evanston. Tom Crean discussed ad nauseum during […]
by Kent Sterling The college basketball season changes in the middle of February. Teams that appeared unbeatable in January are suddenly flawed, and those that couldn’t win earlier find the right combination of effort, experience, and talent to vanquish foes. Fans saw it last night as Syracuse beat Notre Dame in South Bend, Maryland upset […]
by Kent Sterling Normally, I’m not a fan of Quixotic causes, but a couple of potential rule changes would make college basketball a lot more fun to play and watch, and neither have anything to do with the shot clock. Sadly, neither have any chance at all to be implemented. I still rage against the […]
by Kent Sterling Late in the afternoon yesterday, Indiana took the court against Rutgers University, and it was clear the Hoosiers would roll over the confused and apathetic Scarlett Knights. The Pacers went to work as the Hoosiers game reached halftime against the team with the best record in the NBA – without the best […]
by Kent Sterling Indiana lost a basketball game to Purdue last night at Assembly Hall that dropped them to 8-6 in the Big Ten – one-half game ahead of two teams tied for seventh. The most troubling part of the night for Indiana fans should be the opening comment coach Tom Crean delivered in his […]
by Kent Sterling Indiana vs. Purdue used to be something else. Streets in Indiana emptied. Kids were allowed to stay up past bedtime. Gene Keady and Bob Knight matched wits and wills. Knight brought a donkey onto the set of his TV as a replacement for the Purdue AD, and Keady profanely threatened campers who […]
by Kent Sterling Indiana beat Minnesota last night with a historic three-point shooting barrage that accounted for 60% of the Hoosiers 90 points. Hitting 18-of-32 (56.3%) triple tries is tough to count on, but at 8-5 in the Big Ten, Indiana is very close to securing a spot in the league’s top five, which will […]
by Kent Sterling The longer you contend in a race, the more important the next mile is. The college basketball regular season is within a month of ending, and four Indiana teams that suffered a rare shutout from last year’s NCAA Tournament are back in contention for bids. Notre Dame is a done deal. The […]