Mayer: Why Not Expand the Crossroad Classic?

The Crossroads Classic, being played this weekend, was a fantastic idea that went very well last year and looks to build on that success this weekend. We will have coverage from the Classic game between Indiana and Butler. Notre Dame will face off against Purdue as well. The four schools kicked off the first year of the double header held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse last year with Indiana defeating Notre Dame and Butler sneaking past Purdue.

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To think it took this long for someone to come up with a day where the major Indiana college basketball teams meet to play at the NBA arena in Indianapolis is surprising. After all, this is the "basketball state". Yes, most would say that Indiana is known for its high school hoops, but what fan of basketball would not want to see the Hoosiers, Boilermakers, Bulldogs, and Fighting Irish square off in a rotating double header at the home of the Pacers each year. (Although, it should be noted that the rotation is not complete because IU and Purdue avoid playing each other due to their mutual conference). It's as simple as it is brilliant, especially with all four teams making significant strides or having a national presence in recent years.

My questions is this: Why limit the Crossroads Classic to just four teams? There is tremendous basketball being played all across the Hoosier State and I would be extremely surprised if other schools wouldn't jump at the opportunity to get in on the fun at Bankers Life. Not only that, but there are some really good teams other than the "big four" that would give fans plenty of reason to make the Crossroads Classic a two day event.

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Now, I don't want to leave any schools out, but the writing is on the wall which squads would be a perfect fit to expand and enhance the college basketball derby in Indy. Those teams are: Indiana State Sycamores, Ball State Cardinals, IUPUI Jaguars, and Evansville Purple Aces. Think about it, a two day event would bring in fans from every corner of the state in a celebration of Indiana college basketball.

My first choice would be to make this a tournament which would just be too much fun. The seedings would be based on rank and/or record (with power of conference a factor). Unfortunately, this might not be a realistic option due to the high amount of scrutiny and detail placed on every team's scheduling in college basketball. It's fun to think about though.

I propose a two day event and two "brackets" within the Classic. The first bracket would be IU, Purdue, Butler, and Notre Dame while the newcomers Indiana State, Ball State, IUPUI, and Evansville would make up the second bracket (Since Indiana State and Evansville both reside in the Missouri Valley Conference, the second bracket would act similarity to the first with those two schools not matching up). Taking a realistic approach and understanding ticket sales and TV ratings drive sports, the two bracket system is the best option.

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In regard to scheduling, both brackets would play on Saturday and Sunday which would ensure that all teams are able to play in front of a sizable crowd. Let's pretend that the expansion took place this year (Scheduling would be altered before hand with knowledge of the Classic. ISU already played Ball State and actually plays IUPUI this weekend) So, let's keep Saturday's already scheduled game of IUPUI and Indiana State as the opener followed by IU vs. Butler. Sunday would start with Ball State vs. Evansville followed by Purdue vs. Notre Dame.

It's a pretty simple set up and would only make the Crossroads Classic more entertaining and inclusive for all of  Indiana. Of course, this really does pale in comparison to an eight team seeded tournament. When discussing the idea with Jeremiah Johnson, who you all know from his time at WTWO and current work at Fox59, he came up with the best proposal of all. The eight team tournament taking place to open the season at Lucas Oil Stadium using the half stadium configuration. That's something I'll be day dreaming about for a while.

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ReuKnighting Bobby and the Hoosiers

NBC 2 Videographer AJ Schub, who covered the Hoosiers for the last four years, gives us insight into IU's tumultuous relationship with their famous ex-coach. 

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 So the news broke yesterday that legendary Indiana University basketball coach Bob Knight will partner up with Dan Shulman (a voice that many Hoosier fans will recognize from covering the famed Indiana-Kentucky game from last season) to call the semi-final round of the Progressive Legends Classic featuring Georgia and Indiana.  No the sky has not fallen, Hell has not frozen over, and Brett Favre isn't coming back to quarterback the Philadelphia Eagles (but if I were Mike Vick I'd be worried). Bob Knight will be talking about Indiana Basketball for 40 minutes of game time.

  




September 10, 2000, the last day Bobby Knight had anything to do with Indiana University.  That was the day that Miles Brand, then Indiana University President, announced that he had fired Knight for violating a zero tolerance code of conduct policy enforced by the school.  Kent Harvey, then a player, told school officials Knight had grabbed him by the arm for disrespecting the coach.  Hoosier nation was divided.  Should Knight have been fired, or given every opportunity to stay until he decided to hang up his whistle? The decision was not theirs to make and Knight would leave Bloomington for good not long after he called for 2,000 students camped outside of Assembly Hall to calm down and go home.

For the last decade plus Knight has avoided the words "Indiana University" and "Hoosiers" as if he was a religious man who refused to use the lords name in vein.  A couple of years ago Knight led a segment for ESPN analyzing the Ohio State Buckeyes, and in particular, Jared Sullinger.  Who was the team Sullinger and the Buckeyes were beating up on in the highlight?  The Indiana Hoosiers.  Knight constantly referred to IU as "the other guys" or "that team" as if to say he still was not ready to even mutter the dirty word, Hoosiers. 

Courtesy The Herald Times

Indiana University, and Athletic Director Fred Glass have taken a proactive approach to reconnect the university with Bob Knight, but they have also been careful to not anger or push the knowingly stubborn coach.  Knight was inducted into the IU Hall of fame in 2009, and of course, was not present.  I attended a sports communications class at Indiana University last fall where Glass spoke about the relationship he was repairing with Coach Knight.  He confirmed that he and Knight had spoken in Indianapolis, but there was little progress made.  Knight did respect that Glass reached out, but he still was not ready to have a role with Indiana. 

Tom Crean has also embraced the history of the Indiana University Basketball program since taking over the head coaching job in 2008.  He understands that the program was able to turn around and be competitive so quickly partially because of the foundation that Knight already laid. Crean, along with Glass, brought back the 1983 Big Ten Championship banner that hangs above the north side of Assembly Hall.  It was a gesture to Coach Knight.  The 1983 banner was known as "The Fans Banner" and that team meant a great deal to Coach Knight.  Crean also brought in the 1987 National Championship team last season to honor their 25th anniversary.  The entire team and coaching staff returned, minus Knight.  His face did sit atop a commemorative poster of the group.

Courtesy NYTimes

So has Bob Knight finally taken a step on his own to rejoin the Indiana basketball family?  He may have been contractually obligated and does need money for his grand children's college funds. Maybe ESPN told him he had to announce this game or he would be fired.  He also may just not care. This isn't Knight going to Bloomington and announcing an IU game inside Assembly Hall. This is a neutral site game (Coach Cal's favorite!) featuring the number one team in the country.  Knight can no longer avoid Indiana because they are no longer in the cellar. They will now be a fixture on ESPN for years to come if Tom Crean keeps doing his job right. If that is the case, then Knight needs to be ready to call Hoosier games.  He can't pretend IU doesn't exist forever. Maybe this is step one in an overdue process to reunite the coach with his people, maybe this is just an assignment that Knight is forced to work, or maybe Knight will back out of the gig and this post will be meaningless. Guess we will find out sometime before Monday November 19th at 5:30 EST.

Hysterical Hoosiers

NBC 2 Videographer AJ Schub, who covered IU Basketball for four years, gives insight on Hoosier Hysteria and asks if this team has more hype then the 91' Hoosiers.

Hoosier Hysteria Video

There were plenty of things showcased during last weekend’s Hoosier Hysteria.  It was the first practice open to the public--unless you count the nationally televised hour-long opening practice that spotlighted the Hoosiers—where Indiana fans were able to spill into the cream colored mecca of Hoosier Nation, Assembly Hall, and watch the pre-season #1 team ball so hard.  

Cody Zeller impressed the full house with a trip to the finals in the long shot contest, where he defeated Johnny “Cash” Marlin.  Zeller’s win was even more impressive because he only put up half court shots against Austin Etherington in the round leading up to the finals.  Let’s not kid ourselves; the “long shot” contest was not about Zeller’s ability to shoot a three pointer, and more about lucking into a few half-court shots that were worth ten points each.  It was nice however, seeing Zeller hit enough shots from a distance to propel himself into the finals.   

Senior Jordan Hulls also looked sharp despite being knocked out of the long shot contest early on.  He had a great scrimmage scoring a Cream squad high twelve points, and keeping his team within striking distance of the Zeller led Crimson group.  It is also clear early on that Hulls is playing a crucial role in the development of highly regarded freshman Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell.  Earlier this week Ferrell credited Hulls on impacting his defensive skill set by forcing him to guard closer on screens, in effect helping him stay with the player he is guarding.  Look for Hulls to mentor Yogi throughout the year especially in the thick of Big Ten play when the spotlight is sure to be on the Hoosiers.

There was plenty of glitz and glamour, hoopla and horseplay throughout the evening.  The player soaking in the spotlight the most?  You guessed right, Victor Oladipo.  Vic, a starting guard for the #1 team in the country is also the clown, the crowd pleaser, the energizer, whatever you want to call him.  He is a big part of the personality of this team.  When he was supposed to be on the sidelines he was center stage with ESPN personality, and former Indiana undergrad, Sage Steele to the point where I was confused who the emcee of the event really was.  Vic was pumping up the crowd, interviewing players, and even getting Coach Crean involved on the microphone.  Look for Victor to bring the same energy as he brought last year regardless if he’s on the court or the bench.  When this team needs a spark, or a big defensive stop he’ll be the guy the Hoosiers look to make a play.  

All of that being said, this “practice” was not for the players, not for the coaching staff, and not even for the media.  Hoosier Hysteria was put together for Indiana’s hysterical fan base, a fan base that has been waiting a long time for a team as promising as the 2012-2013 group.  They have been waiting longer than Tom Crean’s four full years, longer than Kelvin Sampson’s tainted tenure, even longer than the half decade of Mike Davis.  You would need to go back 20 years to a Bobby Knight coached team to find a preseason surrounded with as much hype as this one.  

The year was 1991, and Bob Knight’s number two seeded Indiana Hoosiers were coming off of an 83-65 loss to the third seeded Kansas Jayhawks in the Sweet 16, who would eventually lose to Duke in the championship game.  The bitter loss left fans hungry for more.  The 1991-1992 Hoosiers started the season as the second ranked team in the nation ready to take down any team that stood in their path.  The group was led by the Big Ten’s all-time leading scorer Calbert Cheaney, future All-American Damon Bailey, and freshman phenom Alan Henderson.   The team came back from the tournament loss to go 27-7 on the year and earned a spot in the 1992 final four where they were edged out by Duke 81-78.

It’s been 20 long years since die-hard Indiana basketball fans had a team with as much promise as the 2012-2013 version of the Hoosiers, and the fan base sure did show their support at the first chance they got.  Students lined up as early as Thursday morning to get a chance at the best seats inside Assembly Hall for Hoosier Hysteria. Two and a half days before the doors would open to let them in!  By 8 a.m. on the Saturday of Hoosier Hysteria the line to get in wrapped around Assembly Hall, and the doors did not even open until 4 p.m.!  Did you try to get into Assembly Hall at 5:30 p.m., an hour and a half before the practice began?  You were turned away because the Hall was full by five o’clock.  These fans deserve this group; they stuck around watching teams that won a total of 28 games over three years.  They helped Tom Crean and his coaching staff build this program.  Crean was quoted in a video that kicked off the Hoosier Hysteria festivities, “They say it takes a village to raise a family.  Well, it took a nation to rebuild this program.  THANK YOU HOOSIER NATION.”

The similarities between the 91-92 group and this year’s group are well deserved.  Both teams are coming off of a Sweet 16 loss to a team that would eventually play for a national title, both teams retuned the majority of their starting line up from the previous season, and both teams added a dominant freshman to their rotation (Henderson in 91, Ferrell in 12).  This brings up two questions: Are the expectations for the 2012-2013 Hoosiers higher than those of the 1991-1992 team, and if so, would this season be considered a disappointment if the current Hoosiers suffered a loss in the Final Four like their predecessors of two decades ago? Hysterical Hoosier fans, let’s hear your answers!