Feb. 11
Wow, who would have thought Indiana would be in jeopardy of missing out on an NCAA berth? Here we are, almost to the middle of February, and the Hoosiers are having problems. This is a program that has been an automatic, making the field for the Big Dance 17 straight years.

One wonders how they could be in trouble when you see a resume that includes wins over Maryland, Virginia and Gonzaga, plus a split with Purdue. But any time you lose five in a row at this point in the season, it flashes a big red flag to the NCAA selection committee. Remember, the selection process is starting to gain some steam and the group is evaluating and analyzing.

Mike Davis' team needs a win badly. The Hoosiers played a couple of tough, competitive games against Michigan State but fell short. Indiana has to get consistency from its perimeter people, especially the veterans, Tom Coverdale and Kyle Hornsby. There is no doubt that the Hoosiers suffered when diaper dandy Bracey Wright was sidelined for four games with a back injury. Wright is one of my elite eight diaper dandies.

Indiana has to avoid further nightmares; that's exactly what the loss at Northwestern was. Now the Hoosiers have a big date at home with the Michigan Wolverines. Indiana is usually very tough to beat at Bloomington, yet it couldn't find a way to win in overtime against the Spartans.

Will Indiana get into the mental frame of mind needed to get back into the winner's circle? Remember, winning is contagious, but so is losing.

After facing Michigan, the schedule doesn't get easier. Indiana has three straight road games at Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois, and the Hoosiers are 1-6 on the road this season.

Now the countdown begins ... Indiana will hear the words BUBBLE, BUBBLE, BUBBLE! The Hoosiers have to get some big Ws to get over the hump and make it 18 consecutive seasons to the NCAA Tournament.

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