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- The Hoosiers are in the
Elite EightSweet Sixteen! Of the Women's NIT, that is. Curt Miller's squad defeated Marquette 72-69 in Assembly Hall on Saturday to advance in the WNIT. This win came off the heels of a 48-47 victory over Belmont in the first round. The Hoosier women next take on Northwestern on Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Assembly Hall. This game might not be the NCAA Tournament, but it would be an inexpensive chance to check out Assembly Hall one last time this year; plus, UK/Louisville isn't until Friday anyway.
- Noah Vonleh has decided that he will be entering the 2014 NBA Draft. This news was already discussed more here in depth, but as a result, the search is on to find another big man for the Hoosiers next season. One possibility is 6-9 forward Anthony Lee, who formerly played for Temple. Lee would be eligible for a graduate transfer and could play next season - similar to what Evan Gordon did this past season. Lee has said that IU is a "front-runner" at the moment, and with the dearth of big men on the Hoosiers, Lee would likely find playing time right away. A starting five next year of Yogi, JBJ, Williams, Davis (or Hollowell), and Lee doesn't sound too bad on paper, does it?
- Encouraging news about Isaac Griffith. The Hoosiers WR was released from Sarasota Memorial Hospital on Sunday, and appears to be going back home to Indiana. After hearing the scary news earlier this week that Griffith was in a medically induced coma due to being caught in a dangerous riptide current, it's great to hear that his recovery is going well.
- The Sweet Sixteen is set, and Indianapolis plays host to the Midwest Regional for the second year in a row. A compelling set of teams awaits fans in Lucas Oil Stadium this year. In the early game on Friday night, Michigan plays a Tennessee team that had to win a play-in game over Iowa, but has a high KenPom ranking. Afterwards, Kentucky will face Louisville in yet another battle for Commonwealth bragging rights. (Who can forget the colostomy bag fight from two years ago?) The Big Ten's three best teams this season, Michigan, Michigan State, and Wisconsin, all still remain alive. Also, Duke lost on Friday. Just wanted to point that out so we could all bring back good memories of the 2002 Sweet Sixteen game.
- Former Marquette coach Buzz Williams made a somewhat surprising decision on Friday, as he left the Golden Eagles to take the head-coaching job at perennial ACC bottom-feeder Virginia Tech. I bring this coaching move up for a couple reasons. First, Williams was Tom Crean's successor at Marquette, and was an assistant under Crean there for a season. Second, the move brings into question what will happen to former Hoosier Luke Fischer, and whether he'll stay at Marquette as well. One name I've been hearing to replace Williams is Ben Howland, who would be an interesting replacement, but also a somewhat controversial one, considering how his UCLA tenure ended. My favorite Buzz Williams moment will always be how he trolled WVU fans after Marquette won a close game there in 2012.