IU has reasons to be mad in March

INDIANAPOLIS – Twenty minutes after the final whistle blew, the Hoosiers’ locker room was silent, as if jerseys and equipment were the only things inside.

Kim Roberson could not keep her chin up.

Whitney Thomas did everything she could to fight back the tears.

Even IU women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack had to compose herself in a chair after talking to media members about the heartbreaking loss.

Unlike Thursday, the coaches and players didn’t grab their catered post-game meals so fast. They had just lost to Purdue in the conference tournament’s second round.

And, more importantly, they failed to pop the bubble – the Hoosiers can’t do anything more to improve their credentials for an NCAA Tournament bid.

The selection committee has a tough task ahead, especially when dissecting the Big Ten conference.

Ohio State, Michigan State and Purdue are locks.

Iowa advanced to the tournament’s semifinal round, which leads me to believe the Hawkeyes will crack the top 64 too.

Then come the bubble teams – IU and Minnesota.

The committee has not accepted five Big Ten teams since 2006’s Big Dance.

Vera Jones, an analyst for the Big Ten Network and former IU assistant coach, told me what hurts IU’s chances, more than anything, is the conference’s mediocrity and youth.

Ohio State set itself apart early in the season. The other 11 teams played cat-and-mouse and shuffled positions throughout.

Many of the coaches at Conseco Fieldhouse this weekend echoed her comments on the Big Ten’s depth.

But all would agree with Jones’ assessment that the ACC, Big East and SEC draw more attention to the committee because they possess more Ohio State-caliber teams.

That’s why the IU locker room looked so disheartened. The Hoosiers knew they needed to knock off the defending Big Ten champion Boilermakers to boost their legitimacy.

It would have been another huge win added to a resume some might perceive as under-qualified.

When examining the Hoosiers, the committee will ask the ultimate question – “What have you done for me lately?”

Unfortunately for IU, its results in the tail end of the schedule will hurt its chance to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Legette-Jack.

Including the conference tournament, the Hoosiers went 4-of-6 in their last 10 games.
 The four wins – two against Michigan and one each against Northwestern and Wisconsin – came against teams who were scratched off the March Madness list a month ago.

Add those results to the squad’s overall record and you get a 19-10 season, only one victory higher than last season.

Mind you, 18 wins in 2008 did not live up to NCAA Tournament expectations. The mark solidified a first round bye in the WNIT.

You can argue the signature wins against Michigan State and Purdue during the regular season will increase IU’s odds.

But I’m afraid that’s not enough.

The Hoosiers know that’s not enough.

They desperately needed that game Friday against third-seeded Purdue.

If you don’t believe me, the devastation and dead silence inside the locker room should tell the story.