Hoosiers still shaken in wake of Sampson mess

Following a 29-point loss to Michigan State, Indiana is seeking to regroup against the Gophers.

By MYRON P. MEDCALF, Star Tribune

Last update: March 5, 2008 - 12:10 PM

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The Indiana men's basketball team has faced more turbulence in the past two weeks than white-knuckled passengers aboard a bumpy flight. Things are still rocky on the Bloomington campus, with Hoosiers players and coaches still coping with the aftermath of coach Kelvin Sampson's Feb. 22 resignation amid alleged NCAA violations.

Players considered sitting out in protest the first game after Sampson's departure, but they eventually made the trip to Northwestern. And even though they won their first two games in the post-Sampson era, a 29-point blowout loss at Michigan State on Sunday told of a team sapped of energy and emotion. The defeat severly damaged Indiana's chances of claiming at least a share of the Big Ten title.

Interim coach Dan Dakich, a former Indiana assistant and player under Bob Knight, said the presence of veteran players such as senior D.J. White has helped. Dakich said the team has dealt with the Sampson resignation -- and the media attention, criticism and unanswered questions that have come with it -- with maturity. Indiana faces another test of its stability when it plays host to the Gophers tonight.

"I think they've handled it well," Dakich said during the Big Ten's media teleconference Monday. "They've come out to practice every day. I didn't like the way we played [against Michigan State], but maybe that's to be expected one time in this whole deal. [Overall], there really hasn't been any issue as we move forward."

The fact that the Hoosiers have moved forward -- see post-Sampson victories over Northwestern and Ohio State -- shows a measure of resiliency. But Dakich admits he's not sure what to expect because of the uniqueness of his situation. Few high-profile programs in recent history have lost their coaches in similar fashion in the middle of a season.

Dakich said he isn't sure if the Michigan State loss was the result of the Spartans' excellent play or part of a larger hangover caused by everything the Hoosiers continue to endure.

"As we go day-to-day here, I think we're kind of moving beyond and kind of getting more comfortable with each other, so I don't think [Sampson's resignation] impacted [the Michigan State loss]," Dakich said. "It's hard to say. I mean, I've never been in this situation. Obviously, very few people have been."

The door is still open -- with some help -- for the Hoosiers to make a late push for the Big Ten crown. They will have to beat the Gophers in order to keep those hopes alive.

Lawrence McKenzie played for Sampson for two years at Oklahoma before transferring to Minnesota in 2005. McKenzie played under Dan Monson for only seven games last season before Monson accepted a buyout as Gophers coach.

McKenzie said losing a coach midseason can have a dramatic effect on the way players compete.

"It's tough, especially when times get hard," he said. "You look to the sidelines and he's not there."

For Tubby Smith, the significance of today's trip stretches past the basketball court. Smith met Sampson in the 1970s, and the two have battled as coaches for years. They have also become good friends.

"It's a tough situation," he said. "It will be a different environment. Kelvin and I are good friends. I want to wish him the best."