On a night that united two of college basketball’s historically dominant programs, the IU men’s basketball team made history of its own, but of a dubious kind . \nIn a first half in which they had more fouls than converted field goals, the Hoosiers scored just 13 points, the fewest in any NCAA tournament game in the post-shot clock era.\nThat left the Hoosiers in a serious bind Saturday night.\nEven though UCLA struggled offensively too, scoring only 20 points in the first half, IU was forced to fight an uphill battle in the second half against a Bruins team known for its defense. A late comeback in which the Hoosiers finally made the 3s that have buoyed them all year was not enough, and IU ended its first season under coach Kelvin Sampson with a 54-49 loss. \n“I’m really proud of my team,” Sampson said. “In a lot of ways, this game embodies what this team is all about. I thought UCLA guarded us well and I thought we guarded UCLA well.\n“In the first half, we had so many good looks and open jump shots. If you follow our team, you know that we’ve been pretty good at making those shots all year. But in a game like this one, you have to find a way to hit those open shots.”\nThe shooting woes continued deep into the second half, and IU trailed 34-18 with 13:40 left. Then, in what Sampson sarcastically called a “flurry of points” after the game, IU scored 36 and drew even at 49 on a left-handed Earl Calloway layup in the lane with one minute left.\nTwo late turnovers by junior forward Lance Stemler and the four resulting free throws by UCLA guard Arron Afflalo sank the Hoosiers’ comeback chances. \nIU’s difficulties, including 17.9 percent from the field in the first half, extended to the free-throw line. \nIn its win Thursday against No. 10 seed Gonzaga, IU shot 15-of-16 from the free-throw line. In the loss to UCLA, the Hoosiers missed 11 of their 21 free-throw attempts. The Hoosiers were 3-of-7 in the first half. \n“It’s uncharacteristic for us,” Sampson said. “And even after all that adversity, we had a chance to win the game.”
Gordon gives IU fans hope \nIU fans excited for the arrival of star recruit Eric Gordon had even more reason for adulation Saturday. \nAs the Hoosiers struggled to make shots of any kind, Gordon was prolific in the Indiana high-school state semifinal against Bloomington High School South. \nThe Indianapolis North Central guard had 21 of his team’s 23 first-quarter points and had outscored Bloomington South 25-24 by the end of the first half. He finished with 39 points in the 66-49 North Central win. \nOn Friday, Sampson talked about the excitement surrounding his program.\n“The most important thing you can do is give your fans, people around the program hope,” Sampson said. “There’s hope for the future.”
Loss ends seniors’ careers \nIU fans said goodbye to the 2007 basketball class in a smiling tribute on senior day at Assembly Hall.\nAfter the Hoosiers’ loss to UCLA, IU has now officially lost seniors Rod Wilmont, Calloway and Errek Suhr – a realization that produced no smiles Saturday night. \n“Like the rest of the team, I wanted to advance these guys to the Sweet 16,” said junior forward D.J. White, who choked up sitting next to Calloway after the loss Saturday. “Obviously, that didn’t happen.”\nWilmont, Suhr and Calloway were all recruited by former coach Mike Davis. Calloway transferred from junior college to play two seasons for the Hoosiers. Wilmont was in the Hoosiers program for five years after redshirting his freshman year. Suhr played at IU for four years. All three dealt with the tumult surrounding Mike Davis’ resignation last season and returned to IU as leaders in Sampson’s first year.\n“These three kids have been the cornerstones of this program all season long,” Sampson said March 3. “I think ... the greatest attribute you can have as a teammate is that your coaches and teammates respect you. Unequivocally, there’s a lot of respect for those kids in that locker room.”
