Men's Basketball

North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough celebrates after his team's 89-72 victory over Michigan State in the championship game at the men's NCAA Final Four college basketball tournament on Monday in Detroit.

Tar Heels top Michigan State for championship

By Eddie Pells · Tuesday, April 7,2009 12:33 a.m.

Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and North Carolina won a national championship a season or more in the making, stomping out Michigan State’s inspirational run Monday night with an 89-72 blowout that wasn’t even that close

Big Ten should get more respect in national tournament

By Geoffrey Miller · Tuesday, April 7,2009 12:22 a.m.

Tossing in Michigan State’s latest run to the Final Four, the closing weekend of the Big Dance has seen a team from this oh-so-terrible Big Ten in eight of the past 11 editions. The 1999 Final Four saw both the Spartans and Ohio State fill half of the field, while three of the past five championship games have also seen a Big Ten school.

Former understudy aims for future Izzo-like season

By Zachary Osterman · Sunday, April 5,2009 11:41 p.m.

Today is Tom Crean’s 370th day on the job as IU men’s basketball coach, which isn’t all that long – unless you consider the tenures of his immediate predecessors. Speaking by phone Thursday, the first-year coach reflected on his first full season in Bloomington, one that was perhaps more important for what it wasn’t – full of controversy – than what it was.

Then IU coach Kelvin Sampson responds to media questions after a game against Wisconsin on Feb. 13, 2008 at Assembly Hall. He later resigned and is now an assistant coach of the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA.

In exile, Sampson looks to become NBA head coach

By CHRIS JENKINS · Friday, April 3,2009 8:12 a.m.

Given the fallout from Sampson's messy exit from IU, he has accepted the idea that his exile from college basketball probably is permanent. So as he winds up his first year as an assistant to Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles, Sampson has a new goal in mind: To become a head coach in the NBA.

Predictable tournament might have unpredictable ending

By Geoffrey Miller · Friday, April 3,2009 12:18 a.m.

Who’s the favorite to win this weekend’s Final Four? Well, you might have better luck throwing four eggs in a basket, drawing one and declaring that team the winner, because frankly, the 2009 edition of the NCAA men’s basketball championship is up for grabs.

New IU head coach Tom Crean holds a T-shirt that says "Crean & Crimson" during a press conference on April 2, 2008 in the Hoosier Room at Memorial Stadium. Crean was hired after a two week search.

One year later

Thursday, April 2,2009 5:56 p.m.

It's been one year since Tom Crean took the reigns of the IU men's basketball program following the Kelvin Sampson recruiting scandal.

Future Hoosier forward shows versatility

By Jordan Cohen · Thursday, April 2,2009 12:18 a.m.

Christian Watford looks like a basketball player. He’s 6-foot-8, weighs 215 pounds and some say he resembles a young Tracy McGrady. But looks alone didn’t net him a scholarship to play at IU, nor did they help the high school senior average 26 points, 15 rebounds and five assists per game this year for Shades Valley High School, located in a suburb of Birmingham, Ala.

IU's Malik Story celebrates from the floor after he was fouled while shooting late in IU's 67-63 loss to No. 21 Minnesota on Jan. 25 at Assembly Hall. Story had 14 points off the bench.

Story’s end: Freshman to transfer from IU

By Matt Dollinger · Friday, March 27,2009 12:30 a.m.

Freshman Malik Story will transfer from IU at semester's end, University officials announced Thursday night.

Cinderella takes a year off

By Geoffrey Miller · Tuesday, March 24,2009 12:09 a.m.

Cinderella has taken the year off from the latest edition of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and college basketball fans should be happy about that. With the exception of Wake Forest and Washington, the top four seeds in each region are alive and well after this weekend’s second-round action.

IU men's basketball ranked 4th highest grossing college team

Thursday, March 19,2009 8:33 p.m.

Despite a losing season, Forbes named the IU men's basketball the fourth most valuable college basketball team.

IU coach Tom Crean watches the action from the sidelines during a game Sunday at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. IU lost 85-61.

Crean optimistic about future seasons

By Michael Marot · Thursday, March 19,2009 9:50 a.m.

Tom Crean insists he will fix IU's basketball program. And one bleak season is not going to deter him. Despite starting his tenure in Bloomington with a couple of dozen losses and the school's fewest wins in more than 90 years, Crean's unwavering optimism has the hopeful Hoosiers pondering better days.

Members of the Purdue basketball team touch the Big Ten Tournament trophy after the Big Ten Tournament championship game Sunday at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Purdue defeated Ohio State 65-61 for the title.

Purdue wins 1st Big Ten tourney title

By Cliff Brunt · Sunday, March 15,2009 6:09 p.m.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Boilermakers, the preseason favorites in the Big Ten, fell to a No. 3 seed in the conference tournament by losing three of their final four regular season games. They found their groove at Conseco Fieldhouse as Purdue rallied to beat Ohio State 65-61 on Sunday for its first Big Ten tournament title.