Big Ten: Winning won't be enough for Sampson

The debate on Wednesday was all about ‘Who do you believe?” and no, I’m not referring to the Roger Clemens-Brian McNamee congressional hearings.

Indiana’s basketball program came under scrutiny this week with the NCAA’s release of a report fingering coach Kelvin Sampson with five “major” violations, including the failure to follow sanctions that had been placed on the coach and his staff, and an alleged improper recruiting violation (gifting a recruit a T-shirt and backpack). Though it reads more like a list of Class D misdemeanors, the report is most damaging in that it suggests Sampson has not parted from the methods that put him under a spotlight while at Oklahoma.

In his statement on Wednesday, Sampson told reporters, “The allegations that I knowingly acted contrary to the sanctions that occurred while I was at Oklahoma are not true. I have never intentionally provided false or misleading information to the NCAA. I intend to work within the NCAA process on this matter, and I look forward to my opportunity to do so.”

Should Indiana decide the NCAA allegations have merit, the punishment could affect the team’s post-season eligibility — a disheartening reality for a program that had finally began to build momentum (two 20-win seasons under Sampson) after a long period of mediocrity. And Indiana’s contract with Sampson states it has the authority to remove him for the kind of misconduct he is being accused of by the NCAA.

But the worst news Sampson likely received this week came in the form of Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan’s news conference on Wednesday, in which he said, among other things, “I personally and professionally am profoundly disappointed that there is even a hint of inappropriate behavior.”

Then, before the Hoosiers’ meeting with Wisconsin, Greenspan was quoted as saying, “I expect him to coach in the foreseeable future. I'll let you editorialize ... on what the foreseeable future means. What what means to me is, we have work to do. ... We’re going to be expedient. We’re also not going to rush to judgment.”

Read: If so much of an ounce of the NCAA allegations bring additional shame on the Bloomington campus, Sampson’s future will be as the coach of some other school’s program.

It also probably didn’t help Sampson that his team lost to the Badgers at Assembly Hall, 68-66.

Greenspan’s reaction to the allegations gave college basketball scribe’s everywhere a reason to start typing a letter of resignation for the 52-year-old coach.

One thing college basketball fans can take comfort in is that we’ll all know more soon; unlike Major League Baseball, the NCAA and its participating schools take a swift approach to dealing with their messes.

But however this ordeal shakes out, the biggest victim will undoubtedly be the basketball-crazed fans of Indiana.

Not long after watching their legendary former coach walk away from the game for good, Hoosier fans might be forced to witness an exit from a man who has helped to bring respect back to Bloomington (well, at least the kind of respect that comes from boasting a winning basketball program).

Huh, imagine that. Shame at Indiana, and Bob Knight is nowhere in sight.

Rising team: Purdue

Unless you were sleeping through the past week, this pick should seem a given to you. A win over Michigan State is enough to pat Purdue on the back. But beating the Badgers on the road, in perhaps the least friendliest environment in the Big Ten, is enough to make fans of a different feather stand and applaud. The Boilermakers may have capped THE week of the season, for any team.

Falling team: Michigan State

We don’t like where the Spartans have been, and we sure don’t like where they are headed. The road loss to Penn State on Feb. 2 could have been excused had the Spartans provided a better showing on Tuesday against Purdue. But they stunk up the Mackey Arena, having trailed by as many as 18 in the first half. Road trips that remain for Tom Izzo’s club: Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio State. Not good.

Player of the week: Robbie Hummel, G, Purdue

Hummel made 8 of 12 shots for 21 points against Wisconsin, then knocked down 24 points and collected 11 rebounds against Michigan State. His recent offensive outbursts have also helped to push him into the conference lead for three-point percentage. No player, let alone freshman, has been more important to his team’s success over the past 10 games than this 6-foot-8 homegrown phenomenon.

Freshman of the week: Hummel, G, Purdue

Who else could it be, really?

Stats of the week

77.3: The shooting percentage for Illinois’ Shaun Pruitt over the past three games (17-of-22).

13: The point total from Michigan’s ‘other’ freshman, Anthony Wright, whose 5 of 7 shooting performance against Penn State last Saturday helped the Wolverines to gobble up just their second conference win.

+4.76: Who says turnover margin is a football stat? The conference’s hottest team right now (Purdue) leads the Big Ten in only a few categories, but this is one of them.

They said it

“We’ve come a long way in six weeks. Our players understand that we can get beat by a lot of teams, but we also know that we can beat a lot of people.” – Purdue coach Matt Painter after his team upset Michigan State on Tuesday, 60-54.

Key upcoming games

Saturday, Feb. 16
Minnesota at Wisconsin, 1 p.m. CST
The Badgers embarrassed Minnesota on its home court less than two weeks ago. Can the Gophers return the favor? Let’s see how they get things started; last time Wisconsin jumped out to a 29-10 lead.

Michigan State at Indiana, 9 p.m. EST
Two weeks ago, basketball enthusiasts nationwide had this one circled. Now it’s merely one of the week’s most intriguing matchups in the conference. Tune in to find out which program works its way out of its tailspin.

Tuesday, Feb. 19
Purdue at Indiana, 7 p.m. EST
The Hoosiers’ hellish week continues against their in-state rival. One comfort Kelvin Sampson can take – the only meeting of the year between these two is at Assembly Hall.

Wisconsin-based writer Mike Beacom covers the Big Ten for Athlon

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