The game is now over, with the Boilermakers winning 81-67. My prediction was a 4-point win for the Boilers, I think they were favored by 22, and it ended up at 14. I guess that sounds about right. Here is the IU-Purdue box score if you’re interested.

While I am never happy about a loss, especially to Purdue, I think Indiana represented itself it well by playing hard, looking competent for stretches on the offensive end, and not allowing Purdue to ever run away with the game. Until E’Twuan Moore’s three-pointer with about 3:30 minutes left, the Hoosers were hanging around between 6-10 points down, just a few quick threes away from making it a game. But Moore’s three was a dagger that pushed the Purdue lead to 12 and effectively ended IU’s hopes of a comeback.

Here are a few observations and things we learned today:

1 – It is an absolute travesty that IU and Purdue are only playing once this year

This point is really too obvious to spend a lot of time worrying about. Does the Big Ten conference just stick its head up its own rear when it decides on the schedule? Certain rivalries should always be played twice a year, end of story. Indiana should always play Illinois and Purdue twice a season, no questions asked. I’m not even saying anything else because it is the one thing that IU and Purdue fans can agree on. There should be a meeting in Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers might not win, but they certainly could make it a competitive game. Now that this game is over, the fact that IU and Purdue are only playing once this year is really starting to piss me off.

2 – If Purdue shoots well in March (and Hummel is healthy), they can make a tournament run

I am impressed with this Purdue team. They struggled out of the gates in the Big Ten season but are playing really well right now. They play suffocating man-to-man defense and have solid continuity on offense. And when E’Twuan Moore is shooting the ball well from outside they become especially difficult to defend. The big caveat is Robbie Hummel’s health. I don’t think they have enough multi-dimensional players to compete with the top teams in the nation if Hummel is out, as evidenced by their 1-3 Big Ten record without him. With Hummel in the game, however, he provides that one guy with size who can do a little bit of everything.

3 – JaJuan Johnson is talented, but will never realize his potential until he learns how to focus

Full disclosure: This is the first full Purdue game I have watched this year, so Boiler fans can correct me on this one if I am wrong; but JaJuan Johnson really seems to lack focus. He played a very good game today though. 14 points, 10 boards, and 5 blocks. He showed range on his jumper, obvious athletic ability, and has undeniable talent. Yet, he made some really careless turnovers and got caught out of position a number of times on defense. And while I love Tom Pritchard and Kyle Taber, they are not in the upper echelon of big men that Johnson will have to face come March. If Johnson increases his ability to focus, he could be a monster as a junior and senior. He’s so talented, he may be anyway.

4 – Indiana has a team full of role players, but two guys have emerged as pieces to build around for the future

Nick Williams, Devan Dumes, Matt Roth, and Malik Story all bring unique individual abilities to the floor, and all will be solid players in the cream and crimson for the next year (Dumes) or three (the others, all freshmen). However, on a good team that can contend for a Big Ten title, they should be bench players who fill specific roles playing 10-15 minutes a game. And I don’t think that is a knock on them at all. They are getting tons of playing time as freshman because IU had so little coming back this year, and will be better players because of it. But each has critical deficiencies that put ceilings on their potential:

• Nick Williams is too short to be a guy who lacks quickness and handle
• Devan Dumes is not consistent enough as a shooter and plays out of control with the ball
• Matt Roth is a non-factor if he is not getting open looks from 3, and lacks quickness to get open if defenses focus on him
• Malik Story is simply average from a skill standpoint and athletic ability standpoint

With all that said, all four of these guys have tremendous heart and because of it they have been more productive than their respective talent and skills would suggest they’d be. They have also continued to fight in the midst of an awful season and will forever have my appreciation and respect, as well as that of Hoosier fans everywhere. And while they will improve moving forward, these are the kind of guys who should be like Pat Graham, Brian Evans, and Todd Leary on the 1993 team: solid role players who are not asked to do more than they are capable of doing and who contribute to a winning team.

There are two guys on this year’s team, however, that are proving to be future starters that IU can build around: Tom Pritchard and Verdell Jones.

Pritchard has been pretty consistent all season, though his play dipped a bit recently. I thought he played well today though. He was active offensively, made some tough shots, did a solid job on the boards, and played well with fouls in the second half. He finished with 12 points and 8 boards, which I think will be a similar line to what he’ll put up as a senior when he plays Purdue. Pritchard has obvious deficiencies in foot speed, overall athletic ability, and free throw shooting — only one of which he can really do anything about. But he is a physical presence with decent skills and a high basketball IQ. He can be a Matt Nover-type contributor who you can pencil in for 10-14 points and 8-10 boards every night. He is almost that right now as a freshman.

In terms of improvement, no Hoosier has improved more from the beginning of the season to now than Verdell Jones. Honestly, at the beginning of the season I was wondering why we gave him a scholarship and why he was playing so much. He looked scared, he turned the ball over left and right, and had no physical toughness. Over the last few weeks, Jones has shown off his offensive abilities and become a much more poised leader with the ball in his hands. He still does not dribble especially well and makes lazy passes, and he simply has to get stronger, but 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in his first trip to Mackey is nothing sneeze at.

I thought Verdell was outstanding today. For the first time all season I thought he looked completely comfortable on the floor. He made some beautiful passes, did a great job of pulling up for the 10- to 15-foot jumpshot, and led an IU offensive attack that played pretty well, all things considered, against a team that really knows how to lock down on defense.

Verdell Jones also has one huge advantage that cannot be taught: height. At 6’5, he is a tough matchup for most guards in the Big Ten. He has gotten eaten alive though by shorter, quicker players this season when he is careless with the ball; but as his ball-handling and decision-making improves he is going to become a really tough matchup on a night-in, night-out basis. With talented players Maurice Creek and Christian Watford, among others, coming in at the guard and wing spots next season, this year’s freshmen will have more competition for playing time. Verdell Jones is proving that he has the talent to be a starter on a top-flight Big Ten team. If he can continue grow physically, as a ball-handler, and in the mental aspect of the game, we could be looking at a player who puts up stat lines like today’s on a nightly basis.

5 – The IU-Purdue rivalry is going to be really fun again

In the late 80s and into the mid-90s, the IU-Purdue rivalry was awesome. Calbert Cheaney against Glenn Robinson. Brian Evans against Cuonzo Martin. AJ Guyton against Chad Austin. And of course, Bob Knight against Gene Keady. Over the last decade or so, while the game is always exciting, it has lacked that extra bit of star power and top-level performance. A major part of it has been the two programs’ transition from legendary coaches to the guys at the helm now. Another part of it is a huge lull in the two programs’ ability to keep the top in-state talent at home. And honestly, it has been rare recently for both teams to be really good at the same time.

But I think with Tom Crean and Matt Painter settling in as the long-term stewards of Indiana and Purdue basketball, this rivalry is on the right track towards becoming one of the elite rivalries again on a yearly basis.

Painter has done a great job of building a solid nucleus around in-state players. Tom Crean is bringing some good Indiana kids in next year and supplementing them with top-flight national talents like Creek and Watford. Give IU one more year to settle in next season, and then I think these two programs are poised to be in the upper third of the Big Ten for the next decade. And with these two coaches we know that the games will be extremely physical and hard fought.

For once, I am not completely despondent after a Purdue loss. I have resigned myself to the pitiful fate of seeking moral victories in every loss. The state of our program demands it. Today, the Hoosiers showed that they have two starters and four solid bench players ready to go for next season. Assuming three or four of the new guys are ready to step in and contribute right away, we can look forward to a still young but much more talented team next season that should be ready to compete for a Big Ten title again in 2011.

And hopefully, God willing, moral victories will no longer be an option.

Apparently, according the Devin’s Landing where today’s Link of the Day is located, Wichita, Kansas high school senior RB Bryce Brown has had his scholarship offer rescinded by Randy Shannon and the University of Miami.

To give you some background, Brown originally committed to the U and Coach Shannon, but has been playing games over the last two months. He did not sign an official Letter of Intent and there was speculation that he could wind up taking a detour to the CFL instead of going to college. There are some other pretty ridiculous stories too, which you can find linked to from the article I’m about about to send you to.

As we have documented here at MSF, and as has been documented all over the Internet for the past month, Lane Kiffin is proving that even douche bags can get head coaching jobs in the SEC. I realize that Bobby Petrino proved this last year, but now that we have a second occurrence we can officially call it a trend.

Since being named head coach at the University of Tennessee, Kiffin has accused Urban Meyer of recruiting violations that weren’t recruiting violations, has disparaged his 2009 recruiting class by saying they aren’t up to the standards of Tennessee, and has had three recruiting violations of his own self-reported by the university. Great start Lane. You know you are a true artist of douchebaggery when you can make Al Davis appear lucid, cogent, and forthright.

Here is an excerpt and your Link of the Day:

LOTD: In Which Little Lane Becomes Aroused — (Devin’s Landing)

Now taking bets on how long it will take Lane Kiffin to commit (known) recruiting violation #4 by FedEx’ing butthole recruit Bryce Brown a Cadillac Escalade. Bring your stopwatch, we need NFL combine-like technology to measure how quickly this could happen down the the 1/100th of a second.

…

For our money this is match made in heaven between the greedy Brown/Butler duo (who have already teased about taking CFL money rather than playing college ball) and the flagrantly insecure Kiffin, who wants ALL THE TOYS, DADDY! ALLALLALL OF THEM! We can totally see him promising Brown a spaceship fully equipped with unicorn pilot if it will get him to sign.

And some others. Enjoy, and go Hoosiers! For the record, I have a great feeling about tonight’s game against Wisconsin. We’re at home, Devan Dumes is back, and the karma gods of basketball owe us one of the banked in 3 at the buzzer that Wisconsin used to beat us last year. Let’s get win #2 tonight guys. You deserve it.

Devan Dumes back in actions — (FortWayne.com)

Hoosier fan support shocks, pleases Crean — (Evansville Courier & Press)

Could high school sports be cut in Orange County, Florida? — (Sparty & Friends)

Marvin Harrison’s days in Indy are done — (Adam Schefter NFL.com blog)

Trade finalized between Bulls and Kings — (ESPN.com)

If that was Kirk Hinrich’s last game as a Bull, at least it was a good one — (Tremendous Upside Potential)

2010 and the great free agent myth — (Hoops Addict)

An APB On A-Rod’s Cousin — (The Money Shot)

There’s Just Something About Dallas — (No Guts, No Glory)

Ken Griffey Jr. headed back to Seattle — (MLB Trade Rumors)

Albert Haynesworth to test free agency — (ESPN.com)

Browns probably not on Julius Peppers’ trade list — (Dawg Pound Daily)

Trying to find some humor in steroids — (Kornheiser’s Cartel)

Defense Lives Here — (Off the Tracks)

Junior guard Devan Dumes has been suspended indefinitely after being kicked out of the Hoosiers’ game on Saturday for some flailing elbows, one of which caught Michigan State center Goran Suton in the twig’n'berries.

Here is the press release, courtesy of Peegs.com:

DEVAN DUMES SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana University men’s basketball coach Tom Crean has suspended indefinitely junior guard Devan Dumes for his actions during Saturday’s game at Michigan State.

“After coming home and having the opportunity to review the game film, I believe that discipline is necessary and deserved in this matter,” said Crean. “A line was crossed that was unacceptable. However, Devan is one of ours and like with all of our players we want them to learn and understand what it takes to be successful.”

Dumes will not play when IU visits Minnesota on Tuesday night.

“I truly regret my actions and I will learn from this situation,” said Dumes. “I apologize to everyone involved for doing something that is uncharacteristic of how I play the game. I am looking forward to putting this behind me and being a better leader to my teammates.”

Dumes will continue to practice and travel with the team.

In case you didn’t see it on Saturday, here is the video of the flying elbow that got Devan Dumes kicked out of Saturday’s game:

I could not find video of the elbow Dumes threw into Goran Suton’s junk, but it looked about as bad as this one. Basically, Dumes and Suton were running to the other end of the court side-by-side and Dumes wound his arm up and then back, into Suton’s package, in an exaggerated running motion. Suton doubled over and had to take a breather on the bench.

We’ve all been there. It didn’t look good.

The officials took a break to look at the video of that elbow, but decided to not even call a foul on Dumes, who was called for an offensive foul earlier in the game for clearing space with his elbows while holding the ball on the offense.

Needless to say, the flying elbow in the video above was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

I really like Devan Dumes. He is unruly and gets out of control at times on the court, but he plays hard and with passion — too much sometimes, obviously. I applaud the move by IU and Tom Crean, and hopefully Dumes does indeed learn from this. Anyone who has watched IU play this year knows that our only prayer to get victories is to have Dumes leading us on offense. Not having Dumes against Minnesota will make being competitive a much tougher challenge. But hopefully taking a stand now will help Dumes, and the new foundation of IU basketball being built by Tom Crean, grow for the future.

And while Dumes suspension is not good news for the Hoosiers, as least it proves one thing: we now have a coach who will take a stand with players and insist on discipline and sportsmanship. It’s a far cry from the last two years under the jackass-who-will-not-be-named.

Good move Crean. Devan, learn your lesson and get back on the floor. I think the Hoosiers have one more win in them this season, but we all know that we need Devan Dumes at the top of his game for it to happen.

A little background: back in the day, my dad had two season tickets and went to the games with my mom, until one fateful night when Bob Knight grabbed the jersey of then-IU freshman Delray Brooks and she vowed never to go to an IU game again. (Brooks, of course, later transferred to Providence and played on their Final Four team under Rick Pitino.) Her loss, however, was my gain. I slid into her seat and never missed a game until the year after my family moved from Bloomington in 1994. And I guess the timing of this move was fitting, considering the 1993 IU basketball team is my favorite sports team of all time, and IU basketball has never been as good since.

Well, in the more than 20 years that I have been following Indiana basketball, from both up close and afar, I would rank last night’s home victory over Iowa in my all-time Top 10 most rewarding and appreciated wins. Sure, scores of wins have meant more in the conference standings or for tournament seeding purposes. And it isn’t like IU knocked off a conference giant — quite the contrary, as Iowa is in 10th place and was playing without their best player. And the game was at home, in Assembly Hall, where victories used to be a given and not a cause for jubilant celebration.

But this is not a normal season, nor a normal team. And I do not feel one iota of shame or embarrasment or foolishness for feeling, at least for a split second, like IU had won some kind of championship. When you have 5 national championships, a history of consistent success, and are one of the winningest programs in the history of college basketball, you aren’t supposed to be excited about being 1-8 in the conference. Well, screw that. I am excited, and I am really proud of Tom Crean and the Hoosiers.

I would also be remiss if I did not dole out some well-deserved kudos to Devan Dumes. He has taken all kinds of flack — and deservedly so — for lacking poise late in games and making silly turnovers or taking unnecessary shots. Think back to the Michigan game. But last night, Devan Dumes literally put on a shooting performance that is among the best ever witnessed in Assembly Hall. For one night, Devan Dumes allowed IU fans to harken back to the days of Steve Alford, Greg Graham, Calbert Cheaney, Damon Bailey, AJ Guyton, and Tom Coverdale, among others. Look at his statline:

Devan Dumes versus Iowa:

• 27 points
• 8-9 FG
• 5-5 3 FG
• 6-8 FT
• 4 Reb
• 2 Assts
• 2 Stl
• 2 TO
• 35 minutes played

If you substituted Calbert’s name atop that statline and told me it was a game against Michigan and the Fab Five or Jim Jackson and Ohio State, I’d believe it. That’s how good Devan Dumes was last night. And he was certainly not the only one who brought it.

The entire team only committed 11 turnovers, which is how many the Hoosiers have by halftime a lot of games. Kyle Taber played very solidly inside, grabbing 8 boards and scoring 7 points. Nick Williams was his usual scrappy and AJ Moye-esque self, grabbing 9 rebounds (6 offensive) and scoring 14 points. And Malik Story came off the bench to score 9 points in 15 minutes, while being the confident and assertive player that we have seen emerge over the last few weeks.

And as Dumes said after the game, according to the Big Ten Network, the team is looking forward to more such victories over the next month:

“I’m just focused on the second half of the season, and coach told us we can make some magic things happen,” Dumes said. “It’s just really exciting to finally get that first win. There was a lot of smiles in the locker room and a lot of relief.”

Ah yes, the coach: Tom Crean. He is off to one of the worst starts, record-wise, in the long and storied history of IU basketball. Yet, I feel more confident about the direction of our program right now than I did at any time under Mike Davis or the jackass who shall not be referred to by name. Crean’s attitude and positivity and optimism just speak to what I have always wanted IU basketball to be about. And I have been so impressed by how hard we have played all season long despite the consistent losing.

IU fans remember the NCAA tourney flameouts during the final years of Knight’s tenure in Bloomington, and the often disinterested look that Mike Davis’ team gave, and the complete lack of discipline displayed under the lying snake of a man who shall not be referred to by name. Sure, Tom Crean is only in his first season and all of the players are fresh and new — but for a team that has been so consistently beaten down this year to just keep getting up and fighting, and to never give up, well it’s all I want to see out of my basketball team. Wins, no doubt, will follow.

After the game, Tom Crean and the Hoosiers stayed on the court for a little while and soaked in their first victory. The Hoosiers high-fived the fans and Tom Crean even took the microphone to personally thank the fans and tell us that this win was ours. Watch the highlight video from the Big Ten Network if you didn’t see it last night. For any IU fan who has suffered through the last 11 games, and who will probably suffer through more losses this season, last night was a great reprieve from a very frustrating season.

And Coach, while all IU fans appreciate your dedication of the victory to us, last night’s win was yours and the teams’. You guys have battled, and fought, and clawed your way to so many close losses against teams with a lot more talent. Last night, you earned a well deserved victory. We’ll take the next one, but last night was yours.

And the first of many, many, many memorable wins that will happen under Tom Crean at Assembly Hall.

To put it mildly, it most certainly was not worth the wait.

Illinois jumped on the Hoosiers early and never really looked back, winning 76-45. This is a matchup that has become a very heated rivalry, and has produced many great games over the last few years and throughout history. Last night’s will probably go down as the least competitive of them all.

To make matters worse, the Hoosiers’ best scorer Devan Dumes left the game after suffering an ankle injury. Dumes did not start the game, which we later found out was because he was late to the bus that took the Hoosiers from their hotel to Illinois’ (lesser) version of Assembly Hall. After entering the game in the first half, with the outcome pretty much already decided after the furious burst to start the game by the Illini, Dumes came down awkwardly on his ankle.

Here is the latest Devan Dumes injury update, courtesy of The Hoosier report:

The worst part of the game was the injury to Devan Dumes. This morning, WTHR-TV reported that Dumes was seen on crutches after the game after landing badly on his ankle during the Illinois game. It’s hard to imagine IU winning a conference game in which Dumes doesn’t play.

That last sentence is the scariest part of Dumes’ potentially missing any time. After our solid play at Iowa and at home against Michigan I started to believe that the Hoosiers could pull out a few conference victories at home. Without Devan Dumes, I don’t know where our scoring will come from. Nick Williams did all he could yesterday, and every now and then we can hit some threes when Matt Roth gets hot, but Devan Dumes is the one guy who can create his own shot.

We absolutely have to have Devan Dumes healthy to be competitive, and I don’t really think it’s a debate.

Last night’s game is one these young Hoosiers should learn from, and then just put out of their mind. They also need to realize, as do IU fans, that there will be more such blowouts when we go on the road against top-tier teams in the Big Ten. I still believe the Hoosiers and Tom Crean can pull off one or two wins in Bloomington, and I really enjoy watching this team because, for the most part, they play with heart and never stop fighting.

Against Illinois last night, we saw a little bit of the frustration that should probably have been expected after the heartbreaking loss to Michigan; and the team did not seem to have the fight it usually has. I’m going to chalk it up to youth and move forward expecting better things in the future.

And the first “better thing” I hope to see is a more positive injury update about Devan Dumes moving forward. We need him on the floor.

What do you think?

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