IU takes on Ohio State on Saturday

Fifty days ago, the United States didn’t have a black president, the Arizona Cardinals were still dwindling in mediocrity and an outfielder on IU’s baseball team was spotlighting as Tom Crean’s sixth man.

A lot has changed since the Hoosiers (5-14, 0-7) last won a game.

After Wednesday’s heartbreaker to Northwestern, Crean and his players have lost 10 in a row. The team’s most recent victory came Dec. 10 against TCU. Back then, the Hoosiers were above .500, and few saw a losing streak of this magnitude in IU’s headlights.

But since then reality has slowly set in. Facing unprecedented challenges, the Hoosiers have performed much like you would expect a team facing unprecedented challenges would, losing in blowouts and squeakers, Big Ten battles and non-conference gimmes.

Should the Hoosiers lose again Saturday at home against Ohio State (4 p.m. tip-off), the team would tie its longest losing streak (11) in school history.

A bouncing from the Buckeyes would connect the 2008-09 Hoosiers with the IU squad from 1943-44, led by former, and ironically named, IU coach Harry Good.

That year, the Hoosiers finished 7-15. Between victories against Camp Atterbury and Minnesota, IU lost 11 consecutive games and opened the Big Ten season 0-10.

Like a man with worn-out soles walking across ice, the current Hoosiers can’t seem to stop sliding. They’ve lost in almost every fashion imaginable, and despite the team’s visible day-to-day improvement and Crean’s undying optimism, the team has continued to lose.

On Wednesday, Crean said his team’s 77-75 loss to Northwestern was one of the most intense contests he’s ever coached in. After freshman guard Matt Roth drilled a 3-pointer from the corner to tie the game at 75, it seemed like Hoosier Nation might finally be treated to a victory.

But a personal foul led to two successful free-throw attempts by the Wildcats and put the pressure back on the Hoosiers. With 5.2 seconds left and the ball at half court, IU turned the ball over,

depriving them of the chance to send the game to overtime or steal the team’s much-delayed sixth victory of the season.

“Our guys really fought, battled, and I am very disappointed for them because that would have been such a great way to walk out of this city feeling really, really good about themselves,” Crean said.

Instead, the Hoosiers lost. Again.

America now has Barack Obama, the Arizona Cardinals have a chance to win the Super Bowl, and the two-sport athlete has returned to the diamond. But there is one thing that has yet to change over these past 50 days.

The total in the Hoosiers’ win column.