Worst IU wins

[RaceToTheTop]

Thinking about tonight's game, thought I start the thread for nominees of worst IU wins.  Now, I certainly would not put tonight's win in that category (opening night, were some positives, especially first half).

Nominees from me:

Indiana v. Bryant, 2009:

IU won in a laugher, 90-42 in what I believe was our last game before the Big Ten season started.  But this was the game where Maurice Creek suffered the infamous knee injury and was never the same for us.  Creek torn his knee with 15 minutes in a game that IU was already up 30+.

Indiana at Northwestern, 2021:  IU wins in double OT in a game that had followed IU's win at #8 Iowa.  IU was on the cusp of the NCAA bracket and needed a strong finish to the season.  This was a game that IU didn't so much win as Northwestern handed to them.  The Wildcats were up 7 with two minutes in regulation (54-47) when they seem to just keep sending our only good free throw shooter to the line.  Al Durham hit five of six free throws and then a bucket to tie the game at 54 and send it to OT.  In the first OT, Northwestern had a 6 point lead with one minute left when again....they started fouling.  Armaan Franklin hit 4 free throws and then Al Durham hit a shot with 1 second left to go to a second OT.  IU would then hit 8 of 8 from the line in the second OT to win 79-76.  Despite the win -- which really was lucky -- I think we all knew the team wasn't going to make a push to the tournament.

[rcbowla]

December 23, 1996 IU beat Butler 89-84. Why I chose this? Almost 3 years prior to this IU lost to Butler for the 1st time in nearly 40 years. 5 years later they'd lose again. The thing I remember to this day is that that moment marked the closing of the gap. Matthew Graves and Jon Neuhouser should ring some bells for some of you. From then on slowly IU became at best the 2nd best and at worst the 4th best college basketball program in the state of Indiana. I could argue that they have never recovered fully from that moment. The meeting prior to that in '94 IU did get its revenge but in '96 you got the feeling it was coming (maybe not then but in retrospect you knew), the decline in IU basketball. There are many others but I feel that one was probably the worst win in my lifetime as an IU fan.

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[yogisballin]

December 23, 1996 IU beat Butler 89-84. Why I chose this? Almost 3 years prior to this IU lost to Butler for the 1st time in nearly 40 years. 5 years later they'd lose again. The thing I remember to this day is that that moment marked the closing of the gap. Matthew Graves and Jon Neuhouser should ring some bells for some of you. From then on slowly IU became at best the 2nd best and at worst the 4th best college basketball program in the state of Indiana. I could argue that they have never recovered fully from that moment. The meeting prior to that in '94 IU did get its revenge but in '96 you got the feeling it was coming (maybe not then but in retrospect you knew), the decline in IU basketball. There are many others but I feel that one was probably the worst win in my lifetime as an IU fan.

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I remember that feeling. That is so wild you bring this up


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[Magnanimous]

When we rushed the court after beating an unranked Minnesota team in 2009. 

[pappy1865]

9 hours ago, rcs29 said:

December 23, 1996 IU beat Butler 89-84. Why I chose this? Almost 3 years prior to this IU lost to Butler for the 1st time in nearly 40 years. 5 years later they'd lose again. The thing I remember to this day is that that moment marked the closing of the gap. Matthew Graves and Jon Neuhouser should ring some bells for some of you. From then on slowly IU became at best the 2nd best and at worst the 4th best college basketball program in the state of Indiana. I could argue that they have never recovered fully from that moment. The meeting prior to that in '94 IU did get its revenge but in '96 you got the feeling it was coming (maybe not then but in retrospect you knew), the decline in IU basketball. There are many others but I feel that one was probably the worst win in my lifetime as an IU fan.

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Man, all the Graves boys. I graduated from Mooresville in '93 and they were a thorn in our basketball team's side!  3-time sectional champs, only to lose the Graves brothers all 3 times!

[Stuhoo]

 

This thread is a walking contradiction IMO. The worst win? that's like...

• The best root canal I ever had
• The driest ocean
• The ugliest supermodel
• The prettiest Purdue coed
• The most loving, functional cousin-marriage family in Kentucky

 

[IUHoosierJoe]

December 12, 1986:  After leading by 14 at halftime, Indiana survives a last-second shot attempt and holds on to beat North Carolina-Wilmington 73-72 to advance to the championship game of the “Indiana Classic.”

That Indiana team would go on to win the 1987 National Championship.  It happens to the best of them.

[TheWatShot]

69-68 over Oral Roberts, Dec. 31, 2004. 

73-72 over LIU-Brooklyn, Nov. 12, 2013. Actually turned this one off about midway through the second half, even though we were ahead, because I was so disgusted by the playground basketball I was witnessing. 

66-62 over Northwestern, just two years ago. Northwestern was so depleted, they had to get a walk-on from the lacrosse team to suit up for them. He was their leading scorer for this game and we had to come back from 10 down in the second half to win. There were unconfirmed reports that Archie Miller had quite a meltdown in the locker room afterward, for all the good it did. 

 

[Stuhoo]

9 minutes ago, TheWatShot said:

69-68 over Oral Roberts, Dec. 31, 2004. 

73-72 over LIU-Brooklyn, Nov. 12, 2013. Actually turned this one off about midway through the second half, even though we were ahead, because I was so disgusted by the playground basketball I was witnessing. 

66-62 over Northwestern, just two years ago. Northwestern was so depleted, they had to get a walk-on from the lacrosse team to suit up for them. He was their leading scorer for this game and we had to come back from 10 down in the second half to win. There were unconfirmed reports that Archie Miller had quite a meltdown in the locker room afterward, for all the good it did. 

 

FWIW, that NW former lacrosse player was Pat Spencer, who averaged 10.4 ppg, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in 29.4 minutes per game for NW  that year. He was their season leader in assists and steals, and their second leading scorer. He is currently playing professional basketball in Germany.

[IUc2016]

3 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

FWIW, that NW former lacrosse player was Pat Spencer, who averaged 10.4 ppg, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in 29.4 minutes per game for NW  that year. He was their season leader in assists and steals, and their second leading scorer. He is currently playing professional basketball in Germany.

I still can't believe that actually happened. He was a legendary lacrosse player and gave it up to play one season of basketball. Then averages those numbers and is now a professional. Just bonkers. 

[Stuhoo]

1 minute ago, IUc2016 said:

I still can't believe that actually happened. He was a legendary lacrosse player and gave it up to play one season of basketball. Then averages those numbers and is now a professional. Just bonkers. 

Spencer was a serious stud athlete. He was something like the LeBron/Jordan/Gretzky of college lacrosse. The guy just had 18 in his first pro game.

[TheWatShot]

8 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

FWIW, that NW former lacrosse player was Pat Spencer, who averaged 10.4 ppg, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in 29.4 minutes per game for NW  that year. He was their season leader in assists and steals, and their second leading scorer. He is currently playing professional basketball in Germany.

In hindsight, it's probably not that crazy, but at the time, it perfectly fit the narrative that anyone can walk into Assembly Hall, put on another team's jersey, and get buckets. 

[Southside]

Mar 18, 1988

I was in Daytona on Spring Break, playing drunk shuffleboard, and super hype for IU to kill the Spiders later in the day. IU chants by the pool and on the beach leading up to game time... 

Didn't work out that way. Total let down year and can't believe it ended that way. Great week outside of that.

Not a win... there are no bad wins.

But the worse game... 

[rcbowla]

Mar 18, 1988
I was in Daytona on Spring Break, playing drunk shuffleboard, and super hype for IU to kill the Spiders later in the day. IU chants by the pool and on the beach leading up to game time... 
Didn't work out that way. Total let down year and can't believe it ended that way. Great week outside of that.
Not a win... there are no bad wins.
But the worse game... 

Maybe no such thing as a "bad" win but there are alarming close calls so maybe that would be the better way of putting this?

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[Southside]

12 minutes ago, rcs29 said:

Maybe no such thing as a "bad" win but there are alarming close calls so maybe that would be the better way of putting this?

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For whatever reason, I'm not near as harsh on BB as I am FB, on the topic of bad wins. 

I expect more blips in BB due to small team size, and just the fact guys have off nights. And there's more games.

And I'm far less critical on close wins early in the season. 

[RaceToTheTop]

2 hours ago, rcs29 said:

Maybe no such thing as a "bad" win but there are alarming close calls so maybe that would be the better way of putting this?

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IMO, 'worst' doesn't necessarily mean bad.  The 'worst' beer is still a beer.

[Southside]

15 minutes ago, brumdog45 said:

IMO, 'worst' doesn't necessarily mean bad.  The 'worst' beer is still a beer.

But... Natural Light, Milwaukee's best, Bud Light Chelada...  All horrible. But I drank plenty of the first two in my HS days.... Still bad though...  

A "bad win" might taste bad, but it'll get you there lol... 

I'd enjoy a bad win a lot more than a Natural Light if I'm honest.

[rcbowla]

But... Natural Light, Milwaukee's best, Bud Light Chelada...  All horrible. But I drank plenty of the first two in my HS days.... Still bad though...  
A "bad win" might taste bad, but it'll get you there lol... 
I'd enjoy a bad win a lot more than a Natural Light if I'm honest.

I too would prefer to watch a bad win over having to drink a natty light

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[TheWatShot]

85-82 at Northwestern, Feb. 23, 2008. First game post-Sampson, and several players threatened to boycott the rest of the season because they didn't get their choice of interim coach. Proceeded to sleepwalk through the whole game against the last place, 0-14 Wildcats and even trailed with under 2 minutes left. Four players accounted for 79 of our 85 points. Everyone else was only there physically. 

 

 

[RaceToTheTop]

3 hours ago, TheWatShot said:

85-82 at Northwestern, Feb. 23, 2008. First game post-Sampson, and several players threatened to boycott the rest of the season because they didn't get their choice of interim coach. Proceeded to sleepwalk through the whole game against the last place, 0-14 Wildcats and even trailed with under 2 minutes left. Four players accounted for 79 of our 85 points. Everyone else was only there physically. 

 

 

I was at that game.  Didn't know 24 hours prior to the game if we would even have a team show up.  I remember players like JaMarcus Ellis threatening to boycott.  One guy who said 100% he was still playing was Eric Gordon.  Attitude wise, Gordon didn't fit in with that bunch.....one of the reasons he had a long NBA career.