Gadzooks, what a game! Indiana vs. Purdue, both in the top 15 nationally, the leadership of the Big 10 on the line, Purdue staying close but finally getting beaten 77-68 by Indiana. Easily the biggest game (for us here) of the season, and because it was on ESPN instead of the Big 10 Network, I actually got to watch it.
And it may be the last positive publicity IU gets for a while. Kelvin Sampson is under the NCAA improper-recruiting cloud and may be fired or suspended as early as Friday. That just makes it all the more remarkable that the IU players were able to stay focused on the game and what they had to do.
This is why even those of us who aren't hard-core sports fans pay attention from time to time. Competitive sports bring together people who have nothing to offer but their talent and drive and their willingness to put them on the line. The ideal is that, with a level playing field enforced, the greater talent and drive will win out. That ideal works out in sports more often than it does in real life.
And, by the way, if Gordon deserves freshman of the year, D.J. White should be the player of the year, nationally, not just in the Big 10. At least if talent and drive count.
