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It has been so much fun to cheer for IU again this year.  I feel as though a part of my life that was gone for a long time is finally back.  Just like how Dunkin Donuts closed in Indianapolis and now they are back in town and better than ever.  Anyway, IU’s return into my good graces is completely due to Tom Crean as the new head coach.  First of all, the not cheating thing is really cool – definitely a good quality to have in a coach!  I also love to watch him during the games.  He never stops moving, and it looks as though he is constantly teaching an coaching.  Good for him!  He may not be Bobby, but I can definitely get behind him and cheer for my Hoosiers wholeheartedly again.  For these reasons, I am hereby nominating him for Big Ten Coach of the Year.  Yes, I realize that he has only won one game in the Big Ten at this point.  But on the other hand, he won one game in the Big Ten!  That’s already more than this team was expected to accomplish!  Besides, he has brought the team, the fans, and the school’s reputation farther in just a few months than anyone thought possible.  I really hope he gets the recognition he deserves!

Ok, I’m making it official.  Here are my Final 4 picks.  First, the teams I want to be in it:

IU, Gonzaga, Michigan State, and Purdue.  IU and Purdue in the final game with IU as the National Champion.  How cool would that be?

Now, more realistically,  the teams I think will be in it:

North Carolina, Kansas, Stanford, and Duke.  North Carolina and Duke in the final game with Duke as the National Champion.  I have to say, that would also be a pretty cool game!

This is the best I can do, but I can see the resemblance!

Can you?

I have been all exited all week about the upcoming Big Ten Tournament.  It was kind of a long, hard week.  The light at the end of the tunnel was going to be coming home Friday night and watching Purdue and then IU play in the tournament.  I was prepared to cheer like crazy for both Purdue and IU so that they could play each other on Saturday.  Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned.  First, the stupid stupid Big Ten Network was airing both of the games, so I couldn’t watch them.  Then, Purdue lost.  Then IU lost.  Auugggghhhh!!!!

So now I find myself watching Michigan State playing Wisconsin to be followed by Minnesota playing Illinois.  IU and Purdue are nowhere to be seen.  It’s time for Plan B.  I am rooting for Michigan State and Minnesota.  It’s ok – Izzo and Tubby are two of my favorite coaches.  If they both win and end up playing each other, I will root for Minnesota because Michigan State will probably make it into the tournament anyway.  If Minnesota wins the Big Ten, they will automatically have a spot too.  That way everybody wins!

Now a few notes about Michigan State in particular…  Today is March 15th: The Ides of March.  I am trying to figure out if this is a good or bad omen for the Michigan State Spartans.  On the one hand, they were part of the Roman Empire.  On the other hand, they probably weren’t really enthusiastically willing participants.  So I am going to decide that the Badgers should beware the Ides of March because that works better with what I want.  So Go Spartans!  Or, in other words, “Come back with the net or on it!”

Ok, so maybe it’s not really a NATIONAL nightmare, but it was a pretty big deal to me!  IU once again has a coach I can get behind!!!!  Even if he is only an interim at this point, I am SOOOOO excited that Sampson is out and Dan Dakich has been named coach.  I was able to dig out my old IU pin, and I am wearing it proudly all weekend.  It feels so good to be able to root for my team again!  How refreshing!    Sorry Northwestern.  You know I love you, but this time I’m finally going to cheer my heart out for my Hoosiers!

It’s that time of year again – time to get out the Easter decorations, and with them, the March Madness Menagerie. For the last several years, my family has been amassing a collection of stuffed ducks and bunnies. Since Easter usually conveniently falls around March Madness, we have named these critters after March Madness personalities. For example, there is a bunny named Bunny Battier; ducks named Tubby, Krzyzewski, Mateen, Scoonie, and even Gonzaga; and countless others. All of these stuffed animals live at my parents’ house. This year though, the March Madness Menagerie has made it to our house. Just like the way Pat Knight is carrying on his father’s legacy at Texas Tech, the proud tradition of Easter stuffed animals will be continued with the founding member of our next generation March Madness Menagerie: A Cadbury Bunny stuffed animal that clucks like a chicken. I have chosen to name this wonderful bunny Pat. Pat the Bunny. (Get it? Hee hee.) I’m so happy that the tradition will live on.

I am looking forward to the big IU/Purdue game coming up on Tuesday.  I think it will actually be on regular TV too!  Bonus.  However, while I normally look forward to IU beating Purdue, this year I must root for the Boilermakers.  Their coach seems to be a hardworking, honest, all around good guy.  IU’s coach is, like the one before him, an embarrassment.  So this week, instead of rooting for a Hoosier win over the Boilermakers, I will be rooting for the investigation to find that Sampson needs to be kicked out.  Why can’t IU hire a hardworking, honest, all around good guy like they did at Purdue?  Might I suggest Ron Hunter, Dan Dakich (who has been conspicuously present on the sidelines again – interesting timing), or Steve Alford?  (I won’t suggest any Knights because I would hope that they wouldn’t give IU the time of day after what they did to Bobby.)  Even more than a winning season, IU needs a coach who will bring the spirit back to IU basketball.  I look forward to the day when I can cheer wholeheartedly for my Hoosiers rather than showing support for my school by cheering AGAINST their basketball team.  All it would take is for them to hire a coach I can respect.  Until that time though, as my student teacher Melissa has taught me to cheer, “Boiler Up!”

I am very sad that Bobby has decided to retire, but I am glad that he was able to make sure that his son got to be the coach at Texas Tech.  Tonight is Pat Knight’s first game, and I will definitely be rooting for him.  Hopefully, after tonight he will only have 901 more games to go to tie his father’s record.