College Basketball Season is Here!

Midnight Madness kicked off the 2007-08 College Basketball season nationwide last night. And the BigTen Network was in Bloomington and other Big Ten campuses. Sadly I couldn't see it as Comcast still hasn't struck a deal with the BTN yet. Oh well, the point will be moot next Friday when I kick Comcast to the Curb for AT&T's U'Verse. More will be blogged about that later.

Thank you BTN for putting 22 minutes of the Hoosier Hysteria Video on your website.



Hoosier Hysteria - BigTenNetwork.com

A few comments on the quotes from Sampson.

"I am so proud of every single player on this team. I would like to single out a couple of guys though. I want to congratulate Eli Holman for becoming eligible to play." - Sampson

That is huge for IU. While Eli won't be counted on like Eric Gordon, his size will be needed inside.

"Now I don't want to make too big of a deal about this, but this is what persistence and hard work will get you. When DeAndre Thomas got here, he weighed 356 pounds. This morning, DeAndre weighed 298 pounds. It's amazing what you can accomplish with a little hard work." - Sampson

Losing 58 pounds is an accomplishment. Another big deal for the Hoosiers as DeAndre should be able to provide more than 2 minutes at a time this year on the inside.

"We're going to have fun tonight, but at two o'clock tomorrow we start practicing. We're going to have fun this season and we're going to work our butts off to make all of you proud of us." - Sampson

I can't wait!

And kudos for Sampson and his rule about Freshman not talking to the media. What a great way to protect Eric Gordon from the feeding frenzy that can be the media. Brilliant move!

Some press coverage of last night:

Hoosier Hysteria Tips Off 2007-08 Men's and Women's Basketball Seasons - IUHoosiers.com

Photo Gallery - IUHoosiers.com

IU basketball puts on a show - Indystar.com