I come to tonight in a state that I haven't been in awhile.
Elated over an Indiana Hoosier basketball victory. In the first game that the Hoosiers have won that I have been a photographer at since they beat Michigan at home on January 27th. That includes losses at Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota, but not forgetting at the Big Ten Tournament last Friday against Illinois. Needless to say, it feels good to leave a game without a sour taste, and for this trip, not have to worry about flying standby back to Indy.
Tonight was a night that saw Roderick Wilmont come back to form in the shooting department, and IU able to maintain a steady lead throughout the contest. Gonzaga, who ousted IU from the tournament last year, saw its fortunes as a national Cinderella-type team come to an abrupt end this year as Wilmont hit 6 of Indiana's 9 threes en route to knocking down 22 points. Now sporting a 21-10 record, the Hoosiers will continue their week in sunny Sacramento by matching up with 2-seed UCLA Saturday at ARCO Arena. The second round game features two of the top three NCAA men's basketball championship-earning schools. UCLA has won 11 and Indiana 5.
The Bulldogs never quite went away in this one tonight until the final minute when they were faced with a double digit deficit and threw in the towel. A D.J. White slam dunk sealed the deal and the Hoosiers celebrated with the crowd yelling "Kel-vin Samp-son!" over and over before the Hoosiers finally heard the buzzer sound with the final score reading 70-57. Gonzaga's leading scorers including Derek Raizio and David Pendergraft each with 12.
The Hoosiers now move on to face a much tougher team in UCLA, as their 2-seed in this tournament could have easily been a 1 if they would have won the Pac-10 conference tournament. They did, however, win the Pac-10 season championship. The Bruins played Weber St. earlier in the day at ARCO, and held the Wildcats to just 42 points. Fighting a sluggish start, UCLA surged to end the first half and kept the momentum after the break. Arron Affalo, who had a miserable game versus California in the first round of the Pac-10 tournament, came back strong today with a 22 point and 8 rebound effort. A win Saturday in the West Regional for the Hoosiers would be significant and a definite upset, as the Bruins have played very well this season. Three of UCLA's players have averaged double figures in scoring, including Affalo and Darren Collison who both earned all-conference honors.
However, from now until game time, I've got some definite sightseeing to handle. Old Sac (haha, yeah i laugh too), a happy hour appetizer buffett, and a possible visit to a very, very large (see right for evidence, and click for more) fire that happened along a railroad trussle in Artest-ville today. Maybe a "Governator" t-shirt as well. As for now, it's time to marvel at the fact that Duke is gone from the tournament, and I'm leading one of my competitions. 14 of 16 ain't too shabby, but tomorrow will be the real test.
Over and out.
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