Tuesday, March 3, 2009

So close ... again

I thought the Hoosiers played their best game of the season Saturday in a loss to Penn State. It turned out they played their best game Tuesday against Michigan State. Unfortunately they still lost.

I was just itching to write here that Indiana beat No. 8 Michigan State. No one would have believed me. I would have said read this twice and let it sink in.

When the Hoosiers closed to within two with 3:31 to go, I turned the computer on. It seemed IU was getting a few breaks. They caught Michigan State on an off night a day after a win at Illinois. The Spartans seemed sluggish and could never deliver the knock-out punch. And after MSU Coach Tom Izzo got a technical foul with less than 8 minutes to go, the Hoosiers went on a tear.

I logged into Blogger.com when the Spartans missed a layup and another jump shot with less than 2 minutes to go.

But the Hoosiers once again could not close. After the gap narrowed to two points on a Verdell Jones free throw, IU did not score another field goal and only managed two points the remainder of the game. An MSU rebound and dunk with 29 seconds left finally put the game out of reach.

This game was no let-down after the big step forward Saturday. This time it was the final 5 minutes without a field goal that ended it. If they had one more good possession, this team may have gained the biggest win of the year.

But once again, I write about a valiant effort that resulted in a loss.

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