TERRE HAUTE — This past week was definitely a news-filled week in the world of Indiana (particularly in Bloomington) and Wabash Valley basketball.
Consider this column a clearing of my actual notebook in addition to the virtual notebook in my head.
• Here in Terre Haute, the Indiana State women’s basketball team was simply overmatched Friday by Illinois State (20-3, 10-2), a team probably deserving of being in the AP Top 25 even though it has less victories against ranked teams this season than Indiana State (10-12, 4-8 MVC).
The Sycamores were able to beat Vanderbilt (19-6), who is now ranked No. 25 and played Sunday against No. 1 Tennessee. The Commodores were No. 20 when ISU defeated them 77-72 in overtime on Nov. 14, which was 93 days prior to ISU’s 91-56 loss to the Redbirds.
I also asked coach Jim Wiedie if he saw any similarities between his 2005-06 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion team and this year’s Illilnois State team.
“Yeah, I think so,” he responded. “They’ve got a lot of depth.”
“We had a lot of depth. They’ve got more kids that can score than we do [now]. Or at least they’ve shown that. When you’ve got such a strong inside-outside game like they have and you’ve got the best point guard in the league, that’s a pretty good combination. If they continue to play the way that they’re playing, there’s no telling how many more games they can win the rest of the season and where they can go in the postseason.”
Another similarity is the lack of a tough non-conference schedule that will spell doom for the Redbirds if they don’t win the MVC Tournament at St. Charles, Mo.
When asked if her team has any weaknesses, Illinois State coach Robin Pingeton admitted it does, but “I’m not telling you what they are,” she said.
The Redbirds are a team that could compete with some of the nation’s top programs, but for some reason Pingeton’s schedule hasn’t given them a chance to do so.
Pingeton’s team ranks 38th on collegerpi.com, and that just won’t cut it if you’re looking for an at-large berth and you’re best win is a home win against Wisconsin-Green Bay.
The Redbirds played Depaul at home and lost 85-70. An article in the Bloomington (Ill.) Pantagraph that outlined Illinois State’s NCAA resume stated that the Depaul loss “doesn’t hurt” the team’s chances of an at-large berth. But it does not help their chances either, and as Doug Hamm states later in his piece, the team is best served to win the MVC Tournament.
If the NCAA Committee couldn’t put an Indiana State team in the tournament that went 26-5 and had a win against a Chattanooga team that ranked 33rd in the RPI, then it’s not logical for them to find room for a team whose best victory is against Wisconsin-Green Bay (No. 42 in collegerpi.com.).
Pingeton, who will have much of her team back next year, has another year to make up for it. She may have to schedule games on the road at tough places to win. But veteran mid-major programs must play — in my opinion four or five Top-30 caliber opponents — high-caliber teams in hopes of getting a couple quality wins that catch the commitee’s attention.
• Kudos to the 3,994 fans in Hulman Center for “Think Pink” night and for those loyal to the women’s basketball team.
Unless the Sycamores catch lightning in a bottle for the MVC Tournament, which isn’t entirely out of the question, there will be no postseason for the second straight season.
• In the great reasons to read read fan forums department, a post on www.illiniloyalty.com is titled “If we win out, do we make the tournament?”
As a lifelong Cubs fan, I admire that kind of optimism, but geesh, what a waste of time (the post got the attention of 442 forum readers who apparently have as many real friends as the Illini do Big Ten victories this year — that’s three in case you’re not counting).
The fan made his post many hours before the Fighting Illini lost to powerful Penn State on Saturday, but that’s about as silly as the demented fan who threw the cup of ice water at Eric Gordon’s mother.
Times have been so hard for Illinois fans the past few years, I know.
Bruce Weber has averaged — yes averaged — 28 wins in his four years at Illinois.
• According to the Lincoln (Ill.) Courier, one Chicago man actually offered $10,000 to Illinois to put toward buying out Weber’s contract. Congratulations to Director of Athletics Ron Guenther for not even responding to this buffoon’s e-mail.
If Indiana (21-4) wins 28 games this year, it will be fortunate to do so, and the Hoosiers have not won that many games since the 1992-93 season when they went 31-4.
• More coach talk — Despite his Illinois coaching record of 123-43, Weber is no Bob Knight. He’ll never approach Knight’s all-time win total, mostly because Knight’s career began at age 24 at Army and Weber spent years next to Gene Keady at Purdue.
Matt Painter, on the other hand, will have a very long and storied career at Purdue.
If Sampson does in fact get fired at IU, Painter and Sampson’s replacement should have many great matchups.
But, for the sake of the present tense, Tuesday’s matchup between IU and Purdue should be as classic as they get.
• As a journalist who likes to see all the Indiana college basketball programs succeed, Purdue is impressive and deserves every bit of attention it has received recently. Robbie Hummel, E’Twaun Moore, Chris Kramer are all hard-nosed players that are fun to watch.
But A.J. Graves of Butler is the guy in the state I’d rather watch than anyone right now. Yes, IU fans, I’d rather watch Graves play than Eric Gordon, whose high-flying, NBA 3-point bombing game is definitely enjoyable, but Graves’ mastery of the mental aspect of the game is a lot of fun.
Craig Pearson can be reached by e-mail at craig.pearson@tribstar.com or by phone at (812) 231-4357.
Given to Fly
February 17, 2008
Given to Fly: Wrapping up a crazy week of college hoops around the state
- Given to Fly
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GIVEN TO FLY: Come to expect new standards of excellence
Records are definitely meant to be broken; athletes today are faster and stronger than those in the past in many endeavors in athletics.
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GIVEN TO FLY: ISU women have solid recruiting class
The caliber of athletes that the Indiana State women’s basketball coaching staff is bringing in is on an upswing.
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GIVEN TO FLY: Major leaguers John, Dorsett meet up at tonight’s game
Terre Haute’s only two big leaguers of the last 50 years — Tommy John and Brian Dorsett — will catch up with one another today.
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FOOT NOTES: Valley natives perform well on national stage
Several Wabash Valley natives continue to shine on the national track and field scene.
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'Til It's Over: Sycamores ‘in a good place,’ but searching for more in MVC
Can Teri Moren lift Indiana State, last year’s seventh-place team in the Missouri Valley Conference, to one of the league’s contenders in her first year on campus?
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'Til It's Over: Two sets of identical twins should keep North Central baseball a contender
The last high school baseball team standing in the Wabash Valley was the North Central, the Thunderbirds falling short 4-3 in the Class A Semistate on Saturday just one game shy of Victory Field.
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'Til It's Over: Jarvis, Anderson confident Olney, hard work leads to Division I dream
Olney, Ill., population 8,000-plus and known for its population of white squirrels, might not be the dream destination for high school basketball players in Indiana.
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'Til It's Over: Robinson 7-footer more focused in postseason; 6-foot Jones keeps producing
Robinson 7-footer Meyers Leonard is not going to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA some day, but his odds of reaching the league are pretty solid if his game continues to evolve as it has during high school.
- 'Til It's Over: ‘Stepping stone’ game points Sycamores in right direction Whether the win comes against a top-25 team or a conference pushover, ending a four-game losing streak is always a relief.
- 'Til It's Over: Indianapolis ISU recruit rolling along in senior season As Indiana State recruit Anna Munn approached Christmas with the Decatur Central basketball team, the senior guard didn’t seem to need much of a wishlist.
- 'Til It's Over: Magic’s still there for '79 Sycamores For the former Indiana State players who visited the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in late November, the weekend was a chance to relive memories with teammates and see Larry Bird’s career with the Sycamores celebrated again.
- CRAIG PEARSON: North has strong history in cross country state finals Vigo County is home to just four IHSAA state championships in team sports. Most recently, Terre Haute South won girls titles in basketball (2002) and tennis (2001).
- 'Till It's Over: It’s been rough year but no need to break up Cubs' core Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry is only in the first year of a three-year contract, and aren’t back-to-back division championships enough to keep him around despite this year’s season filled with bad luck?
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'Til It's Over: Hansbrough, Hibbert give Pacers glimpse of future
You might have heard of the Indiana Pacers’ 2009 first-round draft pick. He was on the television once in a while during his four-year career at North Carolina.
- 'Til It's Over: Bertoli, Moore put on show in abundance of events “Anthony and Erica” may not have the marketing capability of “Dan and Dave,” but neither of Indiana State’s outstanding multi-event participants had let-down performances this weekend in the Missouri Valley Conference Championships.
- ‘Walking wounded’: ISU seniors return to provide spark All three ISU seniors will graduate in May, and all three will be in uniform today as Indiana State battles Bradley in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament quarterfinals.
- Given to Fly: Northview standout runner Thacker coming to ISU Doc Brown told an old-timer in a saloon in “Back to the Future III” that despite having automobiles in the future people run for recreation.
- Given to Fly: Schilli’s Rodman-like performance aids ISU With Indiana State’s women’s basketball team ranking eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference in field-goal percentage (36.5), the Sycamores need as many shot attempts as possible to maintain their standing on top of the league.
- Given to Fly: A classic in every sense of the word What tournament director and co-founder Gary Fears had in mind when creating the tournament came to fruition Tuesday. Marshall, with an enrollment of 438 students, became the smallest school to win the Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic in the ninth season of the tourney.
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Given to Fly: ISU women should build confidence off strong outing
Indiana State did not pull off the monumental upset Saturday against No. 23 Kansas State, but the Wildcats are —aside from Connecticut in 2005 — the best team the Sycamores have played in the Jim Wiedie era.
- Given to Fly: ISU women's hoops team slides onto commercial radio Coach Jim Wiedie expects the Indiana State women’s basketball team to have a bit of a retro feel this season, meaning the Sycamores have the potential to get back to creating havoc with their full-court press.
- Given to Fly: ISU vets hope to prove pundits wrong Indiana State’s only two seniors were surprised to see they were picked ahead of just three Missouri Valley Conference women’s basketball teams Tuesday morning.
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Footnotes: In first marathon, former Sycamore comes out a winner
Indiana State graduate Dani Prince made her debut in the event with a victory in the Columbus Marathon on Sunday.
Prince’s goal was a time under 2 hours and 50 minutes, and she ran a 2:48.56. -
Given To Fly: ISU volleyball turning things around
It was an extremely busy weekend for Indiana State athletics this weekend.
- Footnotes: Here’s hoping perfect weather is still around for Nationals in November The weather made for a perfect fall afternoon Saturday at LaVern Gibson Championship Course. For what it’s worth, the Farmer’s Almanac calls for more sunny conditions from Nov. 20-24, with the NCAA Championships falling on the 24th this year.
- Terre Haute natives cherish memories of ‘House that Ruth Built’ Yankee Stadium was packed as usual on Easter Sunday in 1979. George Steinbrenner’s Yankees were one loss away from being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers to start the season. That was no way for the two-time defending World Series champions to perform, so the boss had a conversation with his new veteran left-handed starting pitcher prior to the game.
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Footnotes: Oregon men and women have strangehold on preseason NCAA cross countryrankings
The Oregon men and women were almost both unanimous picks as the No. 1 teams in the nation in the preseason cross country national rankings released recently.
- Given to Fly: Bronze medalist has strong ISU ties One of the remarkable American medalists of this 2008 Olympics thus far also provided one of the most sparkling stories in the brief history of the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course here in Terre Haute.
- Former ISU QB gets back to Amarillo This week, Indiana State signed its most highly-touted football prospect in years, and former quarterback Julian Reese is ripping it up for the Amarillo Dusters of Arena2.
- Indiana State track sending strong group to NCAA regional Three sophomore women and three senior men lead a large Indiana State contingent of track and field athletes into the NCAA Mideast Regional this weekend at Fayetteville, Ark.
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