Big Ten Country

Nearly Perfect In Madison

When it came to avoiding mistakes last night in the Kohl Center, the Badgers were nearly perfect, as Mark Stewart of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel put it. Wisconsin had only one turnover, allowed just five free throw attempts and consequently got an enormous 57-42 win over Michigan State. Goran Suton was stellar for the Spartans in defeat, pulling down fifteen rebounds, but the lack of complete offensive play on the road continues to plague Tom Izzo's team.

At 14-2, UW now gets the weekend off to watch Purdue and Indiana fight it out to pull back even. Looking ahead to next week, the Badgers have only Penn State and Northwestern standing between them and at least a share of the league championship.  It would appear as though the folks in Madison can virtually sit back and start celebration plans, only waiting to see if Indiana will lose in East Lansing on Saturday or Purdue will falter in Columbus next week, in the hopes that their share might grow a little larger.

But Penn State and Northwestern both signaled this week that they haven't thrown in the towel on 2007-08. The Lions knocked off Iowa behind 22 points from Jamelle Cornley. And the Wildcats finally got on the board. Eight treys from Craig Moore triggered a 62-60 upset of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It was the highlight of a busy week in the NU offices, as the school got a new athletic director. James Phillips is reportedly coming over for Northern Illinois, once he finishes the task of helping his current school recover from the recent tragic shootings.

Purdue and Indiana each maintained control of their own championship destiny this week. The Boilermakers beat Minnesota at home behind 22 points from E'Twaun Moore. On the Gopher side, Dan Coleman finally broke out of his February slump with 10 points and 13 rebounds, but twenty turnovers for Minny negated their edge on the glass.

Further downstate, Dan Dakich got his biggest win as interim head coach by beating Ohio State. Armon Bassett knocked down 23 points. This is the second straight game Bassett has been 20+, and the fourth time in five he's hit double-digits. If he's a reliable third weapon behind D.J. White and Eric Gordon, the Hoosiers are a threat to go a long way in March. After all the tumult, the team's legacy now rests in the hands of the players, says Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star.

Breaking Down The Bubble

Minnesota's loss last night at Purdue all but knocked them off the bubble. For Ohio State, their loss at Indiana on Tuesday made it shrink even tighter. When it's time to fill out the 34 at-large selections to the bracket, how does the picture look nationwide?

Below is a rough breakdown of how each conference looks. A few things to keep in mind when perusing this info. First and most important, it only focuses on the race for at-larges. So when you don't see obvious teams listed as "locks"(e.g., Georgetown), it's because they're in first place and for the time being I'm just going to presume the regular season winner as the automatic. The other is that this just a rough portrait of won-loss records and RPI. It doesn't factor in things like wins against the Top 50, wins outside the Top 100, performance in the last ten games, or any of the other nuanced factors that the committee will take into account. I'd love to do that, but time constraints don't allow it. This is just to give fans--Ohio State fans in particular--a look at how the bubble shapes up nationwide.

I listed the W-L record and RPI rating for teams whose names may not jump off the screen at fans. Since this list gets pretty lengthy, by way of comparison, Ohio State is 17-11, with an RPI of 50. Minnesota is 17-10 with an RPI of 101. I generally assumed that teams in the Top 40 on RPI with a good record were locks. This is a very conservative estimate, and as the breakdown will show, the lock category will expand in the next couple weeks unless teams collapse.

Rock-Solid Locks (22)
ACC:
UNC/Duke runner-up
Clemson (19-7, 22)
Miami (18-8, 26)

Big East
Louisville (22-6, 12)
Notre Dame (21-5, 21)
UConn (22-6, 11)
Marquette (20-16, 15)
West Virginia (19-8, 34)
Pitt (19-8, 25)

Big Ten
2 bids to runner-ups among IU, Purdue & Wisconsin
Michigan State (22-5, 16)

SEC
Vanderbilt (24-4, 7)

Big 12
Kansas (24-3, 8)
Baylor (18-8, 33)
Oklahoma (18-10, 31)

Pac-10
Stanford (22-4, 20)
Washington State (21-6, 24)
USC (17-9, 39)

Mid-Majors
Illinois State (20-8, 36)
UNLV (20-6, 29)
UMass (18-9, 38)
St. Mary's/Gonzaga runner-up in the Big West (both are 20+ wins and in the 30s on RPI)

That brings us to the next level, which is teams that are still looking in pretty good shape, but could be tripped up. The SEC is particularly strong in this category, making up for the fact that Vanderbilt was the only lock to join Tennessee in the field.

Mississippi State (19-8, 41)
Arkansas (18-9, 45)
Florida (21-7, 51)
Texas A&M (20-7, 43)
Creighton (18-9, 52)

With those teams included, there are now seven spots left. What remains are the teams truly on the bubble.

Virginia Tech (17-11, 63)
Wake Forest (16-9, 65)
Maryland (17-11, 69)
Syracuse (17-11, 49)
Villanova (17-10, 58)
Ohio State (17-11, 50)
Arizona (16-10, 17)
Arizona State (17-9, 70)
Southern Illinois (17-12, 40)
New Mexico (22-7, 55)
UAB (20-8, 56)
Houston (21-6, 64)
Wright State (20-7, 74)
George Mason (20-9, 72)
Ohio (18-9, 61)
Kentucky (16-10, 62)
Ole Miss (18-9, 48)

That's 17 teams in a fight for the last seven bids. The last two listings out of the SEC present an interesting test study for the NCAA. Based on the numbers listed, Ole Miss should be much higher up the list. But they've collapsed in conference play, while Kentucky has surged. I think no matter what way you slice it, one team goes, the other stays home. It's just a question of which part of the season the committee will look at. You can also realistically pencil Arizona in. That RPI's just too high for me to believe they'll be left for the NIT to snap up.

As you can see looking through, Ohio State still stands up reasonably well to its competitiors, and I think would be chosen based on what we have in front of us. The problem is that we don't yet know how conference tournaments are going to shake out. The mid-majors in particular have situations where no team is an at-large lock, but its regular season leader is strong enough to go in as an at-large. The other problem Ohio State has is that they'll need to find a way to beat a good team. They've still got shots against Michigan State and Purdue. If nothing else, they will be able to settle their own fate before March is out.

Two Weeks Notice

There's two weeks to go in conference races around the nation. The Big Ten seems headed towards a split championship for the first time since a four-way train wreck in 2002. Since then, the league has crowned an outright champ for five straight years (Wisconsin, Illinois back-to-back, and a Ohio State twin killing). With the Badgers, Indiana and Purdue all deadlocked in the loss column, who's got the advantage?

Right now, Wisconsin looks to be in the driver's seat. A huge win in Columbus over the weekend moved Bo Ryan's team to 13-2. If nothing else, the Badgers have only three games to win these next couple weeks while their rivals have four (UW is off over the weekend). They also do not have a significant road test left. A big game on Thursday night awaits in the Kohl Center against Michigan State. If Ryan's troops defend their home floor they need only win at home against Penn State and on the road against Northwestern. Then they're sitting at home with at least a share of the crown while hoping their rivals fall by the wayside.

Indiana and Purdue are both sitting on 12-2. The Hoosiers have the toughest row to hoe due to a road trip to East Lansing that awaits this weekend. Of all the games the trio of contenders have, this is the only one where you have to presume against the contender winning. The home slate isn't a cakewalk either, with Ohio State coming in tonight and Minnesota next week.

Matt Painter's Cinderella story is still on track, but he will have to navigate a difficult road trip to Columbus next week. Thus far, Indiana and Wisconsin have both survived their visits to the two-time defending champs and Purdue will have to match that. They conclude the season in Michigan. While that's probably a win, the Wolverines have played better in recent weeks and it could be set up as a prelude of things to come kind of win--much like Ohio State delivered against Illinois in the 2005 finale when they wrecked Illinois' perfect season and set the stage for two straight championships of their own.

The schedule has played a role in the race. Indiana got the biggest advantage, being able to miss a road trip to Purdue. But overall, kudos to the Big Ten for increasing the regular season schedule back to 18 games and minimizing the impact scheduling would have on crowning a champion.

Michigan State still has an outside shot, although it's about as outside as you can get. The Spartans are two games back of all three teams in the loss column, but they can still beat Wisconsin and Indiana on their own. Then they'd need both teams to lose another one, while Purdue lost two (presumably two of three against Minnesota at home, and the road trips to Ohio State and Michigan). But pulling that off would make the Giants' Super Bowl run look predictable by comparison.

One team that's been accustomed to being in this conversation in recent years is Illinois. The Illini are on hard times this year. Herb Gould of The Chicago Sun-Times looks at the team's ugly loss in Michigan as a sign of the offensive gridlock that bogs them down.

Bohannon Is Big Off The Bench

Wisconsin cleared the toughest road hurdle that stands between them and at least a share of the Big Ten title. In a hard-fought game in Columbus, the Badgers eventually prevailed over Ohio State 58-53. Marcus Landry turned in a balanced effort of 10 points/9 rebounds to help Wisconsin overcome the foul trouble keeping Brian Butch on the bench for extended periods.

But even more impressive was the spark again provided by Jason Bohannon off the bench. Bohannon knocked down 16 points and this marks the fifth straight game the reserve guard has hit double figures. He's helped Bo Ryan's team through a stretch where Trevon Hughes' production has been slipping.

Wisconsin's toughest remaining test is a big home date with Michigan State on Thursday night. This past weekend, MSU took revenge for an earlier defeat against Iowa. Detroit radio personality Anthony Fenech tells the Free Press that the Spartans are still disappointing. Understandable sentiment,  but while the Spartans may have played themselves out of the title hunt, they are still 22-5 and may end up as the league's highest seed in the NCAA Tournament. Right now, a good goal would be for Tom Izzo's team to redeem themselves in the conference tourney before entering March Madness.

It will take awhile to get attention back exclusively on the basketball court at Indiana. Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star writes that there are many unanswered questions in the wake of Kelvin Sampson's departure. On the court, the Hoosiers quickly lost the Sampson trademark--defense--in an 85-82 escape at Northwestern. But even though D.J. White was one of the players angry about his coach's dismissal it didn't affect him on the court, as he put up his usual 16/11 line. Eric Gordon got his points (18) and Armon Bassett led all scorers with 24.  As for the Wildcats, they got a superlative night from Kevin Coble, as he knocked down 37 points. It's the rebounding that kills Northwestern, as Indiana doubled them up on the glass. Such stats are what make teams winless in league play at the end of February.

Rounding things out, Minnesota beat Penn State and kept its NCAA hopes on the respirator as they get set to enter a series of big games where they can play themselves back onto the bubble. And Michigan won an ugly 49-43 decision over Illinois. Neither team broke 33 percent from the field, and no starter on either side hit half his shots. I can't say I'm sorry I missed that one.

A Race Overshadowed

A dynamic three-way race for the conference championship has been overshadowed by the ongoing drama in Bloomington. Indiana will make an announcement today on the fate of Kelvin Sampson. There are three options--fire him, suspend or retain him. The preliminary reports indicate that the latter is a huge longshot and that Dan Dakich will likely be coaching the team by tomorrow.

Hopefully AD Rick Greenspan will soon be on the unemployment line with the coach he linked his fate to, as Greenspan's oversight of the program has overshadowed what should be a golden moment in a state that truly appreciates good basketball. Both Indiana and Purdue are seeking their first outright league titles since General Knight and Gene Keady patrolled the sidelines in the early-to-mid 1990s and they went toe-to-toe on Tuesday night. Indiana pulled out a nine-point win, with D.J. White leading the way in giving them a substantial rebounding edge. And Eric Gordon got 13 of his 22 from the line, underscoring another area where the Hoosiers had a huge advantage, outscoring Purdue 30-11 on free throws.

Wisconsin kept pace with their win at Illinois and all three contenders have two Big Ten losses apiece. Trevon Hughes broke out of his recent slump with eighteen points and Jason Bohannon continued his stellar play off the bench, knocking down 15. The Badgers regained the view from the top, as Mark Stewart of The Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel writes.

As noted in the post below, Minnesota needs a surge of epic proportions if they're going to steal an NCAA bid. The Gophers got it started last night, beating Michigan 69-60 behind 26 points from Lawrence McKenzie. But Dan Coleman's February problems continued, as the star forward was again non-existent. Speaking of non-existent entities in Minneapolis, the Gophs hired a new defensive coordinator for the football team. Chip Scoggins of The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that former Duke coach Ted Roof will be the third coordinator in as many seasons.

And rounding things out, Michigan State thumped Penn State 86-49 as Tom Izzo was able to clear his bench and play a lot of people. Iowa nipped Northwestern at home behind an 18-point/11-rebound line from Cyrus Tate. In my all-conference discussion post on Tuesday I neglected to include Tate as one of the players who at least deserves a nod of appreciation for as well as he's been playing of late. Consider the omission corrected. 

The NCAA Picture

The Big Ten's NCAA Tournament picture is about as clear-cut as any power conference. Four teams are locks--Wisconsin, Indiana, Purdue and Michigan State. Five teams are out--Penn State, Iowa, Michigan, Illinois and Northwestern. That leaves only Ohio State and Minnesota who are playing to settle their postseason fate.

Even the drama here isn't super-intense. If the bids went out today there wouldn't be any question at all. The Buckeyes are in and the Gophers are out. But things can still get interesting here, particularly in Columbus. Ohio State's loss to Michigan last Sunday was very damaging, dropping them from #36 to #47 in the RPI. To give those numbers some perspective, let us point out that it dropped them behind teams like Miami (FL), West Virginia, UMass & Baylor, none of whom may be invited to the tourney, much less be considered safe bets. And right on the heels of Ohio State's loss, two shaky bubble teams in the ACC (Wake Forest and Miami) knocked off Duke further tightening the screws for teams in the Buckeyes' position.

Minnesota has been a nice story this year and Big Ten Country has minced no words in singing the praises of Tubby Smith, And whatever else you want to say about the Gophs, they're in a lot closer to the bubble then Smith's old ungrateful employer in Lexington is. But that's still nowhere near close enough. Minnesota is at #109 in the RPI, placing them well behind fringe candidates and not even in the neighborhood of true bubble teams like Maryland, Arizona State and Oklahoma, all of whom stay hovering around the 50 spot.

For the Gophers, they need to start by winning tonight against Michigan and follow it up with a win over Penn State to get themselves back on track. Then they've still got road trips to Indiana and Purdue. In their situation, games like that are no longer problems, but opportunities. Winning big road games is the only way to make the kind of rapid advance they'll need. Minnesota also hosts Ohio State. It's a huge longshot, as they can afford no more then one loss to still have a shot when the conference tournament starts, but at least it's a shot.

Ohio State has home games with Wisconsin (Sunday) and Michigan State still ahead and will be able to play themselves into lock status or let their own bubble burst. For the Buckeyes, the time off since the wipeout in Ann Arbor has been a week to stew.

White Seals The Deal

D.J. White answered all the questions about whether possible ligament damage would keep him out of last night's key game against Purdue. With a 15-rebound effort that keyed a huge Indiana win (perhaps the last win in the career of Kelvin Sampson), White also obliterated all remaining questions about who the Big Ten MVP is going to be. He's now getting mentioned on broadcasts and in the print media as a lock for the honor. Since Big Ten Country readily faces up to the numerous times its insights prove to be off the deep end, I think I can justly point out that readers of this blog were being told that White--and not his more heralded freshman teammate--was the true MVP, well in advance of it becoming a standard storyline. But my immodest gloating aside, let's look at how the rest of the race for individual honors shapes up. Who is likely to join White on the all-conference team?

You can lock up a spot for Eric Gordon, as the inside-outside punch of Indiana should also finish 1-2 in the MVP balloting. Beyond that, the race for the other three spots are open, with several good candidates, but all of whom have shown a tendency to disappear more then you'd like. Most notably I would put Wisconsin guard Trevon Hughes and Minnesota forward Dan Coleman in this category. If the voting were today, I think they should be on. But both have slumped at a key point in the season and they could still play themselves onto second team or honorable mention status if they don't turn it around.

With two guards and two inside players picked, there's room to make the fifth player whomever we want, and still have a valid lineup. I agree with Dick Vitale that an all-conference (or All-America) team should be a true team, and not just the best five players regardless of position. As Vitale points out, that would be like picking a baseball team with nine shortstops.

Drew Neitzel and Raymar Morgan from Michigan State are choices that come quickly to mind, but the Spartan inconsistency in conference play has been primarily because these two stars have come and gone. Center Goran Suton can also make a case, although being primarily a rebounder, he's a little too one-dimensional to be first string.

Across the state, Manny Harris is a rising star in Ann Arbor. Not quite ready for first string all-Big Ten, but this is a name we'll be hearing a lot more of in the future. We also need to give a nod to Geary Claxton at Penn State. A knee injury cut his season short, but if Claxton were healthy our fifth spot would be filled.

The best candidate for the fifth spot is Jamar Butler at Ohio State. The senior has given consistency to Thad Matta's team and helped a squad that struggled mightily in December become a solid contender for an NCAA berth and in position to be a spoiler in the conference race. The Buckeyes won't win a third straight Big Ten crown, but they've outperformed every expectation that could have been reasonably put upon them. Butler's the biggest reason why, and for that reason he fills out my team.

There's still several games left, and a lot can change. In addition to the names above, players like E'Twaun Moore and Robbie Hummell at Purdue can make a push, as can Kosta Koufous at Ohio State. And lingering away from the spotlight of the league and tournament races are Tony Freeman at Iowa and Northwestern's trio of Kevin Coble, Craig Moore and Michael Thompson.

Picking the All-Big Ten team is about the only drama there will be in the individual races. Because as last night in Bloomington made clear, the race of the biggest individual prize is all but sealed.

Great Guard Play Carries The Day

A trio of outstanding guard performances highlighted this past weekend in the Big Ten. Purdue retained its frontrunner status with a win at Northwestern. E'Twaun Moore carried the day with 28 points and with the Boilermakers doubling up in the rebound category, they had more then enough to pull away from Northwestern.

Downstate, Indiana overcame the troubled world of Kelvin Sampson and delivered a big-time win at home against Michigan State. Eric Gordon had 28 for the Hoosiers, who are now set up for a monster Tuesday battle when the Boilermakers come to town. This will be the biggest game in the IU-Purdue rivalry since at least 1994, and perhaps even 1987. Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star writes that the Hoosier players deserve credit for rising above their coach's problems. But another problem is looming, one that the players may not be able to overcome. D.J. White had to leave Saturday's game in the first half with possible ligament damage. He later returned, but his status for Tuesday is still uncertain.

Michigan upset Ohio State behind 27 points from Manny Harris. Mark Snyder of The Detroit Free Press says that U-M is finally getting comfortable with John Beilein.  This was the first time Thad Matta has lost to the Wolverines in eight tries.  Rich Rodriguez is no doubt hoping this is just the start of a new era of West Virginia imports coming into Ann Arbor and stopping long losing streaks against the Buckeyes.

And rounding out the action, Wisconsin survived Minnesota 65-56 in a defensive-oriented game. Dan Coleman had only one rebound, and his recent disappearing act has coincided with his team's fall from serious NCAA contention. The Gophers need to get on a serious tear if they're going to have a shot at the Big Dance.

Illinois failed to build on their big win at Minnesota this week, and faltered at Penn State. Although one does have to question the wisdom of the schedule-maker. What exactly is the logic of sending a school to Minneapolis on Wednesday, then turning around and shipping them to the middle of Pennsylvania for the weekend?

Purdue Stands The Test

It was showdown week in the Big Ten and Purdue once again stood the test. The Boilermakers jumped out to a big lead against Michigan State and then held off the surging Spartans down the stretch for a 60-54 triumph in front of a delighted Mackey crowd.

Purdue did an outstanding job taking away Tom Izzo's key scorers. While Kalin Lucas had a big night off the Spartan bench, Drew Neitzel was nowhere to be found. Raymar Morgan and Goran Suton were barely more noticeable. Meanwhile, Robbie Hummell was continuing his stretch drive hot streak, pouring in 24 points. And just like at Wisconsin, the Boilers won the turnover battle, forcing 17 MSU miscues. Jeff Washburn of Boiler Station proclaims that the Boiler Express rolls on.

Overall, it was a strange week in the Big Ten. While Purdue defended their home floor, the home teams generally had about as good a midweek as Kelvin Sampson, losing the other four games. And no home loss was more consequential then the one suffered by Sampson's team against Wisconsin. The Badgers got a banked-in trey from Brian Butch to steal a 68-66 win in Assembly Hall.

While Butch's shot got the headlines, the UW big man did not have a good night, getting only four rebounds. Trevon Hughes had his second straight poor game. The lynchpin of the Badger offense has scored just 12 points total in two games against Purdue & Indiana, something that has to give Bo Ryan serious cause for concern as his team tries to make a championship push. On Wednesday they were bailed out by Jason Bohannon who knocked in 18 off the bench.

Indiana got its usual good games from Eric Gordon and D.J. White, though with "only" eight rebounds, White was kept reasonably in check on the glass. Armon Bassett got 12, but beyond that no one contributed. With the loss, IU now trails Purdue by a game in the loss column.

Minnesota's hopes for an NCAA bid took a devastating hit with an 84-60 home loss to previously reeling Illinois. The Illini shot 59 percent from the floor and put four players in double figures. While the inconsistency of Brian Randle and Shawn Pruitt has been the primary cause of the disappointing season, it's worth noting that neither player had much of a resurgence in Wililams Arena. Certainly not Randle, who was as irrelevant in this game as he has been much of the conference schedule. The hero was Trent Meacham, who led the way with 19 points.

As for the Gophers, while they are still 15-8, this is the type of game that knocks a team off the bubble. Minnesota's RPI is very weak as it is (103) and a 24-point loss at home to a bad team in mid-February is going to stick out like a sore thumb. Myron Medcalf of The Minneapolis Star-Tribune writes that freshman guards have played a big role in Tubby's developing turnaround. But this week, they and the rest of the team were all too green.

Rounding out the midweek games, Ohio State rolled past Northwestern in Evanston, overcoming eighteen turnovers. And Michigan surprised Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye behind 15 points from Manny Harris.

Reclaiming Indiana

In the blink of an eye, an enormous game between Wisconsin and Indiana last night seemed insignificant, at least on the Hoosier side. And though the game was a barnburner and not settled until Brian Butch banked in a trey to give the Badgers a 68-66 win in Bloomington, it is overshadowed in today's news. Kelvin Sampson has run afoul of the NCAA, and quite likely for the last time.

The media fallout is intense, as Sampson is not only accused of excessive phone calls, the same crime that landed him on probation at Oklahoma, but of knowingly misleading the NCAA in its investigation. "Knowingly misleading" must be the new euphemism for lying through one's teeth. Sampson pleads his innocence, particularly on the last point, but his credibility is gone. Saturday night's home game with Michigan State will be the locale for ESPN Gameday. The betting here is that Sampson is fired or suspended by that game, in a desperate attempt to get the media spin turned around.

But none of this can be considered surprising. I was supportive of Sampson when he was hired, but I wasn't blind to the fact this was a possible ending. What about Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan, the man who made the decision to hire Sampson? Greenspan staked his career that Kelvin would win and be clean. He only got half the package. So if and when the coach goes down, the AD should suffer the same fate.

While the hiring of Sampson was always sound in pure basketball terms, the move reeked of a high-handed administrative attempt to further distance the program from its Knightian roots. Greenspan passed on Steve Alford and went out of his way to hire a man who had reportedly clashed with the General when they were both in the Big 12. Greenspan tried to usher in a new era of basketball in Bloomington, something desired only by the small minority of Knight-haters in the state and the national media. Greenspan acheived his objective. Today, Indiana is the one with the rap sheet and schools like Illinois & Kentucky aren't in the NCAA doghouse. That's Greenspan's record and it's why he should be fired along with Sampson.

These are sad times for Indiana. The vast majority of fans there who love good basketball done cleanly have had a pall thrown over their best season in fifteen years, one that could still end up with a conference title and a Final Four trip. But the sadness will just be short-term. In this fiasco lies the possiblity for rebuilding the program in its more traditional image.

These are even sadder times for Knight's bashers in the media. Pat Forde at ESPN.com calls on IU to suspend Sampson, and notes how the school always had such a pristine reputation prior to this. Amazingly, Forde spilled all this ink and not once did he mention the name of the coach responsible for that reputation. Bob Kravitz at The Indianapolis Star is now on the bandwagon for cleanliness, saying when you hire sleaze, you get sleaze.

In the fall of 2000, the Indiana program was overrun by its own version of a cultural revolution. It's time for the common folk and their leader to take it back. Maybe Knight could stand on a tank outside Assembly Hall, a la Boris Yeltsin when he led the fumigation of Moscow in 1991. Short of that, the school should just hire Dan Dakich, a current assistant and Knight loyalist. And let the last seven years disappear into the dustbin of history.