Indiana Blows Out UNC 83-59, Shows National Championship Caliber

The Indiana Hoosiers are back. It’s been a while since the last time that Indiana was considered a legitimate national championship contender. But if last night’s a** whipping dismantling of the North Carolina Tar Heels was any indication, the Hoosiers are to be feared and taken seriously. Maybe it’s time we start believing the pre-season rankings hype. There’s still a WHOLE LOT of basketball to be played before March Madness even rolls around, but last night Indiana proved they’re in it for the long run. From CBS Sports: John Calipari doesn’t want anything more to do with Assembly Hall. Now Roy Williams understands why. The North Carolina coach brought his remade Tar Heels to this historic on-campus arena and took a historic beating late Tuesday. Technically, it was the marquee matchup of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. In actuality, it was a mismatch. Final score: No. 1 Indiana 83, No. 12 North Carolina 59. And it really didn’t feel that close. (Because Indiana led by as many as 32 in the second half.) “It was a huge statement. … You saw the score,” said Indiana junior Will Sheehey. “We played hard. We played well. We played together. And [when we] do that, stuff like this is gonna happen.” There are lots of reasons why this 24-point massacre happened the way it did — terrible transition defense from UNC is merely one of them — but it basically boiled down to one team looking like a roster full of talented veterans playing in front of a raucous home crowd while the other looked like a group of mostly inexperienced players still trying to find their identities after losing four teammates who were top-20 picks in last June’s NBA Draft.