Storming to victory

After IU's 71-66 upset win against No. 2 Wisconsin on Wednesday night, junior guard A.J. Ratliff tried to get to the IU locker room to celebrate the win with his teammates. The routine is familiar; he's done the same thing after IU's 11 other home wins this season, and with little resistance. \nThis night, though, the exit was not so easy. \n"I'm claustrophobic," Ratliff said. "And some dude in a wig just came up to me and tackled me. It's fun, standing there jumping up and down, but it's also kind of scary at the same time."\nA few thousand fans, several of them in wigs, stood between Ratliff and the IU locker room Wednesday night, the product of a celebratory court-crash from the Hoosiers' student fans. \nThe fan celebration was the first of its kind this year for IU, and the first since the Hoosiers defeated Illinois 62-60 Jan. 10, 2006. \nSampson had similar problems exiting the court after the win, but was helped away from the friendly fray by a group of security guards. \n"I kind of felt like (San Diego Chargers running back) LaDainian Tomlinson," Sampson said. "I had pretty good blockers. I had a lot of confidence in my offensive line at the end of the game."\nThe crowd might have made the most physical impact on Sampson and his players after the game, but the coach said the 17,283 fans had a major impact throughout the contest.\nThe student crowd -- which has rarely filled the majority of its seats before halftime of any home game this year -- was packed before tip-off. Not only that, but students organized an impromptu "White Out," drenching much of Assembly Hall in white. Those student fans -- in addition to alumni seated all over Assembly Hall -- created a deafening environment for the usually steady Badgers. \nThe Hoosiers are now 12-0 at Assembly Hall this year, with a 19.5 average margin of victory in those wins. IU is one of only four teams in the Big Ten (Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio State) with an undefeated home record. \n"To me, this was the biggest crowd I've seen since Duke (IU's 75-67 loss to Duke on Nov. 30, 2005)," Ratliff said. "We have the best fans in the country right now. Every time they come back here, they won't let us lose."\nAt several points in the game, IU's players gestured to the crowd to stand up and make noise. Those requests were usually fulfilled with a standing ovation and a chant. One time, even Sampson provoked the fans. \n"I told them to stand up and help us," he said. "This was a collective effort tonight. Our crowd deserves as much credit as we do. We had to raise our level of play and so did they." \nIU forward D.J. White said he could feel the energy of the crowd, a scene neither he nor any of the thousands of student fans who met him mid-court after the game will soon forget. \n"It's a great feeling," White said. "It was a great college basketball atmosphere. Our fans are the best in the country and they bring the best out of us. \n"It was a memory you'll remember for the rest of your life," White said. "Our seniors -- they're going to remember that for the rest of their lives"