The countdown to March madness has officially started and I’m wondering just how my brackets will match up like they did last year (I made it to the Elite 8 before my brackets started to look twisted, DAMN UPSETS).  Saying that these two teams are bitter rivals is an understatement.  This will be the only regular-season meeting between the two teams and a win for either team tonight could help either team with their seeding in the tournament in March.  Tonight’s game in Bloomington is going to be huge for several reasons.One of them being Purdue’s first place in Big Ten with their record of 12-1, Indiana is right on their heels at second place with 10-2.  Also no one knows what lies ahead for the Indiana basketball program due to its problems with the NCAA.  A lot of the attention for this game has been deflected from these 2 in-state rivals and has turned to Indiana’s couch Kelvin Sampson and whether or not tonight would be the night that he walks off the court for the last time.

For the second time in two years, Sampson was the focus of news being released from the NCAA.  According to reports released last week, Sampson had committed five “major” violations and that he gave false/misleading information to investigators.  Sampson "failed to deport himself ... with the generally recognized high standard of honesty" and "failed to promote an atmosphere for compliance within the men's basketball program," according to the report.  The allegations, stem from a phone-call scandal that occurred while Sampson was still under recruiting restrictions following a similar episode at Oklahoma. His response was:

"The allegations that I knowingly acted contrary to the sanctions that occurred while I was at Oklahoma are not true," he said. "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."  

Adam Herbert (then president of Purdue when Sampson started) back then stated "I am fully convinced that he will elevate the program to what you expect. ... He has made clear our players will do well academically and graduate and that he will comply fully with NCAA regulations." Ha famous last words.

Some of the allegations cited in the NCAA's report are:

• Sampson, assistant coach Jeff Meyer and former assistant Rob Senderoff failed to comply with sanctions imposed on Sampson for impermissible recruiting calls he made while he was the head coach at Oklahoma. Sampson was under such sanctions when he was hired to coach the Hoosiers in March 2006.Sampson and Senderoff, who resigned his position Oct. 30, are alleged to have jointly participated in telephone calls at a time when Sampson was prohibited from being present or taking part when staff members made recruiting calls. Senderoff and Meyer are alleged to have made about 100 calls that exceeded the sanction limits.• Senderoff and Meyer placed "at least 25 telephone calls" to nine potential recruits that exceeded NCAA limits even if no sanctions had been in place.

• Sampson "acted contrary to the NCAA principles of ethical conduct when he knowingly violated recruiting restrictions imposed by the NCAA Committee on Infractions."

• Sampson and Meyer engaged in an impermissible recruiting contact during a two-day sports camp held at Assembly Hall last June 30 and July 1, and that Meyer provided the potential recruit with an impermissible benefit -- at least one T-shirt and drawstring backpack.

• Sampson was penalized by Oklahoma by not being allowed to travel for recruiting. Indiana imposed the same penalty in his first season as coach. He also was not permitted to make calls or leave campus to recruit for a calendar year. He was not banned from text messaging since it was allowed during that year. But it was during that year that he made the impermissible calls.

In a statement issued through his attorney Wednesday, Meyer said he would continue to cooperate with Indiana and the NCAA:  "I regret that I may have made mistakes that are causing my and IU's conduct to be examined by the NCAA. … I will not comment on this process again before it is completed," Meyer said. 

Booooooo nice way to cover your ass, although I think Meyer is responsible, he maintains to be in my opinion a scapegoat for Sampson and other IU folks.  It’s bites that such scandal had overshadowed the hyper before the game and made the nation overlook the great game that is going to be played.    

Of course this IU scandal will be put on the back burner when the Boilermakers invade Assembly hall tonight.  I’m all about Purdue’s sophomore Chris Kramer power defense player and their 6-8 scoring freshman star Robbie Hummel.  My prediction will be:  Indiana 68 – Purdue 77.

Later:  Future baby daddy alert (The guy from the T-Mobile commercials) and some eye candy for the fellas and a gadget that according to one of my guy friends "The best present ever given to me".