Davis-tation

Two days. All I had to do is wait two lousy days and I could have avoided the embarrassment of having picked Xavier to go on a late season run and make the tournament. How did Xavier respond to my trust? With a double-digit loss at home to a mediocre LaSalle team.

And how about that national television performance by my #65 team? IU was facing a monumental week and lost twice, effectively ending any chance they had of winning the Big Ten and putting their tournament hopes on seiously shaky ground. Of greater concern is the way they are playing and if they do not get out of their funk soon, they will finish the season with only one more victory (home against Penn State). One has to wonder whether the atmosphere surrounding the team has finally gotten to the players.

The truth is that it really doesn't matter how the Hoosiers finish the season. As I mentioned in passing last week, no matter what happens from here on out, Mike Davis will not be back to coach IU, a reality that could very well send Indiana into a 3-5 year tailspin (and we're talking bottom of the Big Ten here people. Possibly Penn State bad...). One of two things happens. Either IU continues to play like crap and Davis is let go for lack of performance (the more likely scenario) or the team rallies around Davis and actually turns the season around. Should the latter happen (about as likely as Duke losing in the first round to the MEAC champ) and IU Athletic Director Rick Greenspan decides that Davis is the man for the job, it is my contention that Davis tells Hoosier Nation to stick the job up their ass and leaves for another job. And you know what? I would not blame him one little bit.

You cannot believe the situation that Davis finds himself in simply because he is (1) black; (2) not Bob Knight; and (3) not having the success that IU is used to having (and please do not underestimate the significance of the first two factors). For the past five years, Davis has been subject to racial bashing, threats, and continuous speculation about his job. He is blamed for everything. One of my favorite quotes was posted on an message board and really sums things up: "if a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around to hear it, can we still blame it on Mike Davis?" Things have gotten so bad in Bloomington, that a group of students tried to organize a "black out" protest during last Saturday's game. Fortunately, it never materialized, but it sure gives one a sense of the atmosphere at IU.

Davis, as many of you are likely aware, had to be told that the protest never materialized as he missed the game Saturday because he was (in his own words) "sick as a dog." Was he really sick or simply unable to take the pressure any more? Does it really matter?

So the bottom line is that IU will have a new coach next year, regardless of what happens the rest of the year. Either the adminsitration lets Mike walk away or Davis tells IU to go to he-double-hockey-sticks.

So where does that leave the state of Indiana basketball? Well, two weeks ago, I was willing to tell anyone who would listen that IU would be at the bottom of the barrell next year if Davis left. Most Hoosier fans recognize that many of the players came to Bloomington specifically to play for Davis and most experts agreed that D.J. White, Robert Vaden and Ben Allen would immediately leave town if Davis was no longer the coach. You will note that in this post, however, I remarked that the loss of Davis "could very well" send the Hoosiers into a tailspin. The change in my attitude has resulted from a careful look at the present circumstances.

D.J. White really holds the key and his injuries this season could turn out to be a blessing for the 2006-2007 Hoosiers. If Davis leaves, D.J. will be left with three options: (1) turn pro, (2) transfer, or (3) stay at IU. Before the injury, it was conceded that he would go with either option # 1 or option #2, but is the NBA really going draft a kid who is coming off of two major foot injuries in the same year and whose game still needs to develop in the first round? I doubt it. What about the transfer option? Would White really want to sit out what would essentially be two years in a row? Returning to IU would seem to be the only option. And should White return it is not hard to imagine that his best friend Robert Vaden would also spend one more year as a Hoosier.

That said, my gut tells me that White will declare for the draft and will leave Indiana. Young basketball players have not exactly proven to be the sharpest knives in the drawer when it comes to making decisions about their future. White leaves, Vaden leaves, Allen leaves and the Big Ten cellar dweller likely resides in southern Indiana.

So who will be the next coach? Hmmm...well isn't it ironic that Rick Majerus was the ESPN color commentator for last Saturday's game. At least the Hampton Inn is clean, usually has available rooms, and the muffins on the continential breakfast aren't stale. And if Rick was able to survive four or so long years in Salt Lake City, I'm sure that his appetite would be able to make do with the Italian offerings in the Hoosier state.

Mark Few? No thanks...have you seen Gonzaga play defense? Mark Turgeon? Now there is an idea. John Beilein? Unlikely, but I can dream. Northern Iowa's Greg McDermott? Not a bad selection. Bruce Pearl? Crap, he is already in Tennessee. Jay Wright? Is IU still considered a step up from Villanova?

My long-shot candidate....John Calipari. I'm sure that he likes Memphis but there is no way that he wants to remain in Conference USA. Indiana and Calipari..a perfect fit...

Tomorrow this blog will be a college basketball free society. And we will try to step away from the seriousness that pervaded this post and have a little fun.

Until tomorrow...