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03/15/2010 -
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -Basketball still rules in Indiana. Even if the Hoosiers no longer rule basketball in the state
They're not even in the top three.
For the 20th time in the past three decades, at least three teams from the state of Indiana have made it into the NCAA tournament. For the first time, however, the Indiana Hoosiers were not one of those three.
They weren't even eligible.
Purdue, Butler and Notre Dame are all preparing for the tournament, which will end April 5 with the championship game in Indianapolis. Indiana is on spring break with nowhere to go.
Purdue (27-5) landed a No. 4 seed and will play Siena in Spokane, Wash., on Friday. Butler (28-4) got a No. 5 seed and will be trying to extend the nation's longest winning streak to 21 games when it faces UTEP in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday.
Sixth-seeded Notre Dame (23-11), which won six straight games before losing to West Virginia in a Big East tournament semifinal, will play Old Dominion in New Orleans on Thursday.
Hoosiers fans? It was the second straight season and the fourth time in the past seven years that they had no reason to turn on the NCAA selection show other than to see where their in-state rivals were headed. All Indiana coach Tom Crean could do Sunday was tweet about his hopes that the Hoosiers will be back.
``From the cornfields to the Capitol we are out and about today,'' Crean posted on his Twitter account. ``We need to get the guys added that can help us get back to Selection Sunday.''
He later added: ``Size, toughness and athleticism is the ingredients of the day.''
Crean has been urging Hoosier fans to support the Hoosiers, urging them to wear crimson and cream to high school games, tweeting: ``WE NEED TO ALL TAKE BACK THE STATE.''
Indiana hasn't been among the best teams in the state since Kelvin Sampson resigned because of recruiting violations two years ago. That left the Hoosiers with only eight scholarship players and one senior for the 2008-09 season, when they finished with a 6-25 record, winning just one Big Ten game, and posting the school's worst winning percentage in nearly a century.
This season, the Hoosiers had a big win against Pittsburgh and played well for half against Kentucky. But they also had an embarrassing loss to Loyola of Maryland, struggled against South Carolina-Upstate and narrowly avoided becoming the first squad in school history to lose 12 in a row.
Indiana lost by 15 points to Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, ending the season at 10-21, including losses in 12 of its last 13 games.
Freshman guard Jordan Hulls, who was Indiana's Mr. Basketball a year ago, said afterward that it will be hard for the Hoosiers to watch the NCAA tournament on television.
``We know that we're a good team and we can play with a lot of other teams, and it's going to be tough seeing those other guys thinking we should be out there playing as well,'' he said. ``But like I said, we're just going to have to move on from this and try to get better.''
Guard Jeremiah Rivers, a transfer who was a backup at Georgetown, said he probably won't watch much of the tournament.
``This is the first time I've played and not gone to it. I was spoiled my first two years, and went to the Final Four with Georgetown,'' he said. ``It's not going to be the same thing. Missing the tournament hurts.
``Things can turn, you know. Look at North Carolina in the championship last year and not making the tournament.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Kansas looms large in the Midwest
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas Jayhawks began the 2009-10
college basketball season atop the preseason polls, and so far the voters have
been spot on, as the Big 12 champs will carry that top ranking into the NCAA
Tournam
<< Duke, Big East highlight South
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hours after winning their record 18th ACC
Tournament title on Sunday, the Duke Blue Devils were awarded the No. 1 seed
in the South Region in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
Duke (29-5), backed by the triumv
<< Kentucky garners No. 1 seed in the East
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Kentucky, which
scorched the Southeastern Conference in the regular season and won the
conference tourney crown in a tense overtime contest, was named as the top-
seeded
<< Syracuse-Vermont rematch highlights West
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite losing in the quarterfinals of the
Big East tournament and staring at an injury to starting forward Arinze
Onuaku, Syracuse is the No. 1 seed in the West Region as the Orange head into
a much-
Arenas: 'I deserve to be punished' for gun prank >>
WASHINGTON (AP) -Gilbert Arenas says he deserves to be punished for bringing guns to the locker room.The suspended Washington Wizards guard tells Esquire magazine he wasn't using ``longevity thinking'' when he took out four guns in what he says was
Leafs-Oilers not what it used to be >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There was a time when the Edmonton Oilers
playing the Toronto Maple Leafs on a Saturday night was a glittering affair.
In the 1980s, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Co. would come in to Maple Leaf
Gardens a
Devils hope to get on track versus Bruins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Devils learned last time out that they can't take any
opponent lightly. New Jersey will keep that in mind tonight when it shoots for
a third straight win against Boston, while the Bruins try to avoid losing
their grip on
Blue Jackets host Oilers in meeting of disappointing clubs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With both clubs headed towards disappointing finishes to
the 2009-10 season, the Edmonton Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets face each
other for the final time this year tonight at Nationwide Arena.
Columbus made the postsea
NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.
Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.
There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.
Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.
The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
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