Fre
The Black Sheep
e... li loa ke ou d it r m rig obi ht le a now pp , yo , dow ! n-
• a college newspaper that’s actually about college •
theblacksheeponline.com
Volume 2, Issue 1 2/1/12 - 2/23/12
rise of
the hoosiers
Ryan Kennedy wrote this
Break out your candy-striped pants, Indiana Basketball is back. If this is breaking news to you I strongly consider transferring. You clearly aren’t at IU for the right reasons. After years of sub-par basketball, the Tom Crean experiment finally seems to be paying off. Coming into this season there was little doubt that IU would see improvement on the court, but how much improvement was uncertain. The Hoosiers raced out to an 8-0 start. With the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats looming on the horizon, a strange idea began to circulate among the Indiana faithful everywhere: IU could win. Then the amazing happened. When the teams took the court on December 10th, what began as whispers that an upset was in the making erupted into a full-blown yell that shook Assembly Hall. A 747 could have crash-landed in the parking lot and those at the game wouldn’t have been able to hear it. 40 minutes of basketball later, Hoosier fans flooded onto the court before Christian “I shoot way more three-pointers than any forward should” Watford’s game-winning shot hit the floor. A celebratory riot ensued. Three weeks later the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes fell at the hands of Indiana, proving that no team is safe from the Hoosiers. Except for Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State in Columbus, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Shit. Sure, those first few wins felt good. Too good. The Hoosiers climaxed too early. As of the time of this writing Indiana sits 6th in the Big Ten at 5-5. Suddenly these candy-striped pants feel sticky, uncomfortable, and awkward. Why is this happening? Because they’re a young team, and it shows. It’s like they spend all night spitting great game to the hottest girls at the party, but when the time comes to head home they can’t seal the deal. All that time and effort spent for nothing. If Indiana hopes to ascend higher than the plateau they find themselves on they must first learn their ABC’s. Always Be Closing. Especially away from Assembly Hall. Don’t get it twisted; this is an IU team with the weapons to beat any opponent. The Hoosiers are 3rd in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage, thanks in larger part to Jordan “make it rain on ‘em” Hulls, Watford, and Matt Roth, who leads the nation in the category. They also
Other stuff
Inside
rank fifth in total field goal percentage. Hell, even Tom “participation award” Pritchard’s ability to accumulate four fouls before the ball makes it across the court is impressive in its own way. It’s true that the inability to close is a glaring weakness, but it’s one that time and experience will easily correct. Cody Zeller, who ranks sixth in field goal percentage, is only a freshman. Imagine how his already dominating play will improve with another year. That’s the best part of having a young team, it only improves. Despite the recent struggles, this is a season to be proud of. If you told me in August we would have beat Kentucky and Ohio State I would have openly mocked you. We’ve come so far. Shortly after the Kentucky game a Playboy model and Kentucky fan (I didn’t know inbreeding could produce Playboy models) complained to the media that she was subjected to verbal abuse and sustained injuries as Hoosier fans stormed the court. Aside from being hilarious, I believe this story provides a perfect metaphor for the new era of Indiana basketball. There will be stumbles along the way, but regardless of who stands in front of us we will trample them into submission as we race to the top. The best is yet to come for Hoosier basketball. In case you were wondering, the top ranked recruiting class in the country reports to Bloomington in five months. #iubb #TheMovement.
well, you know... kind of.
see page 4
How Wikipedia Caused the Apocalypse
Just because it’s cold doesn’t mean you can throw back a few cold ones.
The difference one word can make. see page 7
Roasting Others
see page 11
Too S.A.D. to Party?