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It's been a while since I posted one of these, but it's also been a while since IU has received a flood of media attention for doing something good.
TRADITIONAL MEDIA:
Watford, Indiana stun No. 1 Kentucky with last-second 3-pointer | The Hoosier Scoop
Brennan's five observations from the week - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN
Since 2008, when Kelvin Sampson's disgraced exit left Indiana with a crater where its basketball program once was, those fans have dealt with frustration and angst and nearly constant failure, at times wondering if the program would ever be relevant again. After Saturday's win over Kentucky, it is.
Welcome Back to Relevance, Indiana Hoosiers - WSJ.com
In college basketball, royalty seldom vacates the throne for very long. Year after year, the same familiar names tend to hold a vise grip on the top spots in the national rankings. Which makes it so hard to believe that Indiana, one of the marquee programs in the sport, has not appeared in the AP top 25 poll since March 10, 2008
O'Neil: Catharsis for Tom Crean and Indiana - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN
irst there was a hug for his wife, Joani. A fan walking by needed a high-five. Then it was a crowd of students with camera phones, asking for pictures, screaming, 'We love you, Coach Crean,' and another begging for his hat to be signed. While a party three long years in the making still raged on the court, the private celebration for Crean was muted by comparison but every bit as meaningful.
Indiana's win worthy of Crean celebration - CBSSports.com
"I mocked the Indiana coach last season after he went bananas in the lobby of Assembly Hall following a home victory over Illinois. However, Saturday's victory against top-ranked Kentucky? Well, that's worthy of a full-pledged party well into the night for Crean and the Hoosiers." Oh, now you admit you "mocked" him? I thought that was objective journalism. This may wind up becoming a defining moment for the Indiana program in the Crean Era - one that had some fans and many around the country questioning whether the Hoosiers would be nationally relevant again.
Hoosiers celebrate breakthrough moment - College Basketball - Rivals.com
"It lasted just a few seconds before the public caught up to the couple. There was a fan, startled to be face-to-face with the coach of the Hoosiers, who blurted out, "Crean!" He got a high five. There was Dick Vitale, offering hugs to coach and wife. There was a fan seeking an autograph on his hat, and another seeking an autographed ticket stub, and another and another … Tom Crean signed and smiled."
Rick Bozich | Three years of IU prayers answered in defeat of Kentucky | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com
"There’s not a player on Crean’s roster who merited a recruiting letter from John Calipari. Taller, more talented and unbeaten UK was about to prove that again."
IU-UK Notebook | Getting the ball inside difficult for Hoosiers | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com
"They’re really long defensively, and they were bodying him up a lot," Hulls said. "Our entry passes weren’t necessarily great all of the time, and I had some trouble with that. "But Cody is just going to play the game and let it come to him. He’s not going to force anything. He makes great decisions. It was kind of a problem, but we’ll get better at it."
Victory marks return for Indiana basketball – USATODAY.com
The coaches and players did this, but they were pushed along on a wave of fan ardor. When Crean took the job and asked why he would take over a program in such a wretched state, he kept saying, "It's Indiana." On Saturday against Kentucky, it was Indiana, the kind of game, the kind of atmosphere that used to be commonplace back in the good, old days.
Column: 3 Keys to the Victory | Sports | Indiana Daily Student
"Against the Hoosiers, Jones and Davis combined for just seven shots… seven. This amounted to four points for Jones and Davis scoring six. Heading into this game I knew there would be a battle in the post, but I didn’t expect it to be so one-sided."
SB NATION AND OTHER BLOGS
A closer look at Indiana’s win over Kentucky | Inside the Hall | Indiana Hoosiers Basketball News, Recruiting and Analysis
ITH takes a look at the tempo-free stats.
Things Are Looking Good in Bloomington - BT Powerhouse
Baboreally is a Purdue guy, so his compliments are worth noting. I think he's right about how IU looks. I don't see IU contending for the Big Ten title, be we are in great shape for a Tournament bid.
Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Picking Through More Kentucky-Indiana Wreckage - A Sea Of Blue
Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Picking Through More Kentucky-Indiana Wreckage. How you can win the statistical battle and still lose the game.
A Few More Thoughts on the Kentucky Wildcats @ Indiana Hoosiers Game - A Sea Of Blue
A Few More Thoughts on the Kentucky Wildcats @ Indiana Hoosiers Game. A Sea of Blue continues the analysis of Kentucky's loss to Indiana yesterday.
Kentucky Wildcats (1) 72 @ Indiana Hoosiers 73: Postmortem - A Sea Of Blue
A pretty gracious post from SB Nation's UK blog, although I believe Glenn overestimates the "gift" factor. Kentucky is the most talented team in the nation, so of course any team that beats UK this year will necessarily get some breaks. Still, IU is #2 in the nation in three point shooting. 60 percent in one game just isn't all anomalous for a team that shoots 45 percent on the season.
Explosions Of Joy - Burnt Orange Nation
Texas's excellent SB Nation blog takes an interest in the beauty of the final shot and the reaction.
For hope, look to Indiana - Block U
SB Nation's Utah blog takes solace in IU's revival, while the Utes suffer through what might be their worst season ever.