Larry Brown Sports

Indiana was a popular pick to win the national championship heading into the 2013 NCAA Tournament, and the Hoosiers busted a lot of brackets on Thursday night. They were dominated by Syracuse from the opening tip, eventually going on to lose 61-50 in a game that was never really close.

If you are one of those people who likes pointing the finger at someone who in reality had nothing to do with the loss, you’re welcome to blame Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh. Before tip-off on Thursday, Rachel Nichols of CBS Sports reported (via The Dagger) that Harbaugh had given the Hoosiers a pep talk in the locker room. Indiana coach Tom Crean is Harbaugh’s brother-in-law.

Nichols said Harbaugh emphasized how important momentum would be for Indiana. He also told them that he had watched them play multiple times during the season and that they remind him of his Super Bowl champion Ravens. Naturally, Harbaugh told the Hoosiers he believed they had what it takes to win it all.

He was wrong. Indiana shot a measly 33.3% from the field and hit only 62.5% of its free throws. They turned the ball over 18 times and allowed Syracuse to come away with 12 steals. Crean’s team played one of its sloppiest games of the year, and it ended up costing them. That’s what makes it so difficult to win a championship in college basketball — one rough game and it’s see you next year.

Greg Ballard, the mayor of Indianapolis, feels confident that Indiana University can win it all this year. Like many other politicians, Ballard filled out his 2013 NCAA tournament bracket this week. You probably could have predicted that he would pick the Hoosiers to win it all. What you may not have seen coming is that he picked them to win every game — as in, even the ones they aren’t playing in.

How long did it take Ballard to fill in his bracket? If you figure out how long it takes the mayor to write “IU” 63 times, you have your answer. Reddit user backnblack92 summed up Ballard’s selections perfectly.

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49ers coach Jim Harbaugh is going to be in Indianapolis for the NFL combine this week, so it only made sense Wednesday night for him to make the hour-long drive south to Bloomington to see his brother-in-law Tom Crean’s Indiana Hoosiers take on North Carolina Central. But what Harbaugh was seen doing during the game might make less sense.

Fans in attendance probably noticed the NFL’s coach of the year, in his typical black-sweater-and-khakis ensemble (he’s practically reached a Steve Jobs-level when it comes to his wardrobe), lingering around huddles and hauling fold-up chairs before and after timeouts. It turns out that’s what Harbaugh wanted to do, and for the night he was college basketball’s most famous (and richest) team manager.

“I’m trying to contribute,” Harbaugh shouted from the back of the room during Crean’s postgame presser when the Hooisers coach was asked about Harbaugh’s involvement on the bench.

When Crean was also asked if his brother-in-law was a Michigan spy, Harbaugh yelled, “Hell no!”

The Hoosiers rolled, 75-56. Afterwards, Harbaugh also spoke to the Indiana players (perhaps about honey badgers?) and even complimented NCC’s coach LeVelle Moton for his team’s effort. Jim Harbaugh being well-mannered towards the other team’s coach? That’s a first.

Below is a video of Harbaugh in action:

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The Indiana Hoosiers are back. The last four seasons of men’s basketball at Indiana were tarnished by recruiting scandals, a lack of success, and just a single one-and-done tournament appearance. This season, excitement has returned to Bloomington as the Hoosiers are playing great basketball and off to a 9-0 start. No moment was more electrifying than Christian Watford’s game-winning three pointer at Assembly Hall over the weekend. As Playboy model Megan Dills will tell you, however, it was not without consequence.

According to the Kentucky fan blog VaughtsViews.com, Dills — a Kentucky fan — was injured at the end of the game when Indiana fans stormed the court.  She has been unable to walk because of a badly sprained ankle and will have to miss a photo shoot as a result.

“All those fans came out of their seats and rushed the floor like idiots,” Dills explained. “The next thing I knew, I was knocked down five or six steps. I think the guy who actually knocked me down is the one who did at least pick me up. After I got hurt, I was scared to death.

“I just can’t do the shoot with my ankle like it is. But that’s okay because I do a lot of them.”

One of the shoots she did was back in 2007 for Playboy’s “Girls of the SEC” feature.  Dills’ story reminds us that, whether it’s because of security guards getting physical or students being rowdy, rushing the court can be dangerous.  Not only that, but it can rob us all of valuable reading material and entertainment. That, my friends, is a true shame.

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If you were watching the end of the Indiana/Northwestern game on Wednesday night (and God help you if you’re not an alum of either school and were still watching), you may have been wondering who that 5’9″ tiny white guy on the floor was. You might also be wondering why that J.V. high schooler was wearing an Indiana jersey. Well, turns out Indiana coach Tom Crean told team manager Michael Santa that the kid would be suiting up for the Hoosiers’ game against Northwestern, and he made good on that promise.

“I never dreamed that would be possible, and when he told me that, I didn’t know what to think, to be honest,” Santa said. “He pulled me off to the side after practice and told me to get a jersey on, and get ready to suit up and keep playing hard like I had been in practice.”
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“Our managers come out here and work and we hold them to a pretty high standard,” Crean said. “They come in here and they make it more competitive for our guys. I didn’t (put him on the team) as a reward. I didn’t do it as an end-of-the-season deal.”

Inside the Hall says watching a team manager suit up while Indiana lost to Northwestern for the first time ever at Assembly Hall was a sign of the ugliest times ever at IU. It’s hard to disagree, but I’ll add some positive spin to the story. For the second time in weeks, I find myself complimenting Tom Crean for his actions. He treats people fairly, disciplines evenly, and looks to reward hard workers. I’ve always wondered what my answer to the question “If you were recruited by every team in the country, for which coach would you choose to play?” and now I know it. My choice would be Tom Crean. I appreciate coaches like him who do things the right way, and who also know the game pretty darn well, too.

I’m starting to really like this Tom Crean guy. As if building up Marquette into a powerhouse wasn’t enough, he came to Indiana where he stripped the program naked to clean it up, getting rid of their top returning talent and scholarship players in the process. The team hasn’t been successful on the court this year but you get the sense they’re headed in the right direction over the longterm. At the least, he’s building the program the right way. Another sign of Crean’s ethics was his indefinite suspension of Indiana’s top scorer this season, Devin Dumes, for throwing elbows against Michigan State, one that resulted in a flagrant foul and subsequent ejection. Here’s the elbow in case you want to take a look:

It also wasn’t an isolated incident for Dumes that game — Inside the Hall has the details:

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