Hi, we're Sam Rumpza and Kevin Hyland, we're both freshman at Indiana University. Both of us dreamt of being pro athletes…but it didn't quite work out. So instead we'll be delivering our take on everything in the sports world. Stay tuned.
The buzz around professional basketball in Indiana is certainly back. When the Pacers and Knicks made it past the Hawks and Celtics respectively in the NBA’s First Round, the excitement rose to a fever pitch as the two teams revived a rivalry from the 90s. Now after a six game triumph over New York, the Pacers have a whole new level of challenge.
Indiana, in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2004, embarks on a seemingly impossible task tonight at 8:30 on TNT at AmericanAirlines Arena.
While no one in the national media is giving the Pacers a shot, Hoosier natives and Heat haters are quick to point out this: the Pacers went 2-1 versus Miami this season and dominated inside. Post play will, of course, be the biggest advantage for the Pacers, as in three matchups this season (two at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, one in Miami) Frank Vogel’s squad outrebounded the Heat 122-89.
Likewise, Roy Hibbert was fantastic against Tyson Chandler and the Knicks. The 7’2” center capped off the series with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and five huge blocks. In the wins for the Pacers in the regular season, Chris Bosh had a very pedestrian 13.5 points per game. David West also presents matchup problems for Miami and has been fantastic against the Heat, shooting a combined 25-38 including over 22 points per contest.
Also, Paul George has proven to be a good matchup for LeBron James. The lanky 6’10’’ forward showed no signs of backing down in last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals and this season, the all-star held LeBron to a season low 13 points in the lone Heat win. Lance Stephenson has matured over his career and played one of his best games ever in game six against New York (25 points, 10 rebounds). Stephenson will be given the matchup of an ailing Dwayne Wade and has an opportunity to continue to shine.
The Pacers have also not lost at home in the playoffs and have proven that they can win in tough environments on the road.
All that sounds nice to Pacers fans, right?
Well, think about this for a second. Since losing at Indiana February 1st, Eric Spoelstra’s team has lost three games. February, March, April, and most of May, and the Heat have lost THREE times. While LeBron did have a season low 13 versus Indiana in the March 10th 105-91 Heat win, his teammate Mario Chalmers had 26 points, Chris Bosh had 24 and Wade had 23. In that same game, Paul George went 2-11 and Stephenson made only one of five field goal tries.
Yes, the Pacers have a strong starting five. All five players are solid offensive and defensive weapons, but what does the Pacers bench consist of? Not enough weapons, that’s for sure. Ok, D.J. Augustin has played well (10-19 from three vs. NY). You know who else has played well? Miami’s back up point guard as well. Norris Cole went 9-11 from three against the Bulls and had two 18-point games. Is Sam Young really a guy who is better than Shane Battier? The bench is a glaring advantage for the Heat, which will only exacerbate the Pacers’ lack of superstar talent. Ray Allen, James Jones, Cole, Battier, Mike Miller, and Rashard Lewis all shoot extremely well, and those guys will likely get open looks if James or Wade is on the floor.
As an Indiana guy, I hope the Pacers do well as much as the next guy. I’m not a diehard Pacers fan, but I definitely root for the Blue and Gold, but we have to be realistic here. The Pacers will be able to compete and could definitely steal one in Miami. They have been playing very well at home, and with their physicality; they have proven to be the second best team in the east. George and Stephenson are both comparable in size to LeBron and Wade. West and Hibbert create mismatches for a Miami team that is not as physical in the post. They are just not good enough, though.
In the 90’s Reggie Miller days, it was always the Bulls and if the Bulls weren’t a contender, it was the Knicks (94, 95, 99). When the Pacers finally broke through to the Finals in 2000, the Lakers with Kobe and Shaq awaited and won their first of three in a row. In ’03 and ’04, the Pistons were just too balanced and physical for the dominant regular season team. Now, the Heat become the thorns in the sides of the Pacers. Last year there was a glimmer of hope before LeBron and Wade woke up and dominated.
The national “experts” have been saying Heat in six, and that makes sense, but if the series went five or if it went seven wouldn’t surprise me.
After writing a post on my favorite, most exciting wins as a fan, now it’s time to write the opposite. Conveniently for the column’s sake, IU’s National Championship or bust season just came to an end (hint: the loss to Syracuse is on this list). As was the case with my best wins, this list of most heartbreaking, devastating losses is a combination of Purdue and IU basketball and football, Indianapolis Colts, and Indiana high school basketball.
As was the case with my best win column, let me know your most painful losses on Twitter @samrumpza or @RORSFans.
Without further ado…
Honorable Mentions: 2002 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Game Five Pacers vs. Nets, Ohio State vs. Purdue basketball (January 12, 2010), Oregon vs. Purdue football, (September 13, 2008), Purdue vs. Michigan State football (November 20th, 2010), Purdue vs. Notre Dame football (September 8, 2012), Purdue vs. Oklahoma basketball (November 28, 2008), White Sox vs. Cubs (June 18, 2009), 2012 Eastern Conference Semifinals Game Four Heat vs. Pacers (May 20, 2012), 2004 Eastern Conference Finals Game Six Pacers vs. Pistons (June 1, 2004)
10. Marion Regional Semifinal, New Castle vs. Lafayette Jeff, March 8, 2008
That Jeff team was 23-1 and had breezed through the Hoosier Crossroads Conference undefeated. The offensive firepower of sophomores Jesse Berry and Roddy Richardson combined with the shooting of Brandon Williams and the size of future IU walk-on Broderick Lewis was unbelievable. After winning Jeff’s 68th sectional title the week before, the Bronchos traveled to the Marion Regional to take on New Castle in the 10 a.m. game. Many Jeff fans didn’t even make the trip, assuming they would make it to the Final that night. Well, New Castle slowed it down and beat the Bronchos 49-46. The most frustrating thing about that loss looking back? The eventual state champ Brownsburg (led by Gordon Hayward) lost to Jeff in the regular season.
I know this seems like a cop-out, but the Colts’ last seven post-season exits under Peyton Manning were all so frustrating. In ’03 and ’04, the Patriots had the Colts’ number, forcing interception after interception on the New England tundra. Those were especially frustrating considering the prolific Colts offenses (average of 42.6 point per game in three other playoff wins). In ’05, Indy had one of the best regular seasons ever only to bow out in the first round. ’07 and ’08 featured heartbreaking and extremely frustrating losses to the Chargers. In ’09, the Colts made it back to the Super Bowl but the Saints were better in what was a tougher loss than I expected considering I thought I’d be happier for former Purdue QB Drew Brees. Lastly, the 2010 loss to the Jets ended the Peyton Manning-era. So many great teams but only one Super Bowl (2006) to show from that era of Colts football.
8. Wisconsin Having IU’s Number (specifically this school year)
This is another combination of a few different games, but I couldn’t choose from just one game. In the fall, IU had their biggest football game in five years. Wisconsin was coming to Memorial Stadium and IU could (get this) take control of the Leaders Division. We got to the Stadium early for the best seats and sat in the front row as Wisconsin put on a 62-14 thrashing. Then in basketball season, the Hoosiers would try to beat Wisconsin for the first time under Tom Crean. Again, we waited all day to get the best seats possible (we had GA tickets) only to get our hearts broken. Finally, in the Big Ten Tournament, IU would get its revenge, right? Wrong. The Hoosiers were outplayed once again by Bo Ryan’s squad, which prematurely evicted IU from the conference tournament and cost the Hoosiers the number one seed in the Midwest. My hatred for Wisconsin isn’t new, but it sure grew a lot this year.
7. 2011 NCAA Round of 32, #11 VCU vs. #3 Purdue, March 20, 2011
In the last game at Purdue for E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson, the Boilers got massacred by the Cinderella VCU team that eventually made it to the Final Four. It was the highest seed ever for a Matt Painter-led Purdue team and it seemed obvious that a Purdue-Notre Dame Sweet 16 matchup was in the future. Instead, both teams lost in the Round of 32. Moore was no where to be found for much of the night and the Rams scored layup after layup en route to a 18-point thrashing. Such a disappointing way for the Moore-Johnson era to end.
6. #14 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. #2 Indiana Hoosiers, March 5, 2013
It was Senior Night for Jordan Hulls, Christian Watford, and Derek Elston and campus was buzzing. Assembly Hall was packed and loud for what was supposed to be the coronation of an outright Big Ten championship winning team and the seniors who brought IU back from the cellar of the Big Ten. Instead, the Buckeyes suffocated the Hoosiers by a score of 67-58 in what was a sign of things to come for IU. While the Hoosiers ended up winning the Big Ten title outright against Michigan five days later, the loss to Ohio State was just such a bummer. Aaron Craft always had an answer for IU and the Hoosiers could never muster any significant run. In what added salt to the wound, OSU fans (they’re the worst type of person) chanted O-H-I-O before the three seniors made their emotional senior speeches.
Notre Dame was in town and it was a night game. For Purdue, that’s a big deal. It was my first ever ND-Purdue game in person and Ross-Ade stadium was electric. After trailing 17-7 going into the fourth quarter, the Boilermakers scored two touchdowns in the fourth to take a 21-17 lead in what was one of my favorite moments as a fan. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows as they say. Danny Hope and the Boilers’ late game performance was the first of many signs that Hope was not going to cut it. First of all, Purdue played prevent defense, allowing Jimmy Clausen to drive down the field. Then, with 36 seconds left and the clock running, Hope took a time out. On fourth and three with 24 seconds left, Clausen found Kyle Rudolph for the game winning score. Such a heartbreaking way to lose to your most hated football rival.
4. 2012 NCAA Round of 32 #10 Purdue Boilermakers vs. #2 Kansas Jayhawks (March 18, 2012)
(apologies for the crappy video)
Going into the game I didn’t expect much. Barring a major upset, it would be Robbie Hummel’s last game at Purdue and I was resigned to that fact. It was going to be horrible to see Robbie not play in a Sweet 16 his RS-Senior season, let alone a Final Four. However, for 38 minutes, Purdue was the better team and had everyone thinking upset. Hummel scored 22 points in the first half and Purdue led by as many as 10 in the second half, but Kansas stepped up down the stretch to win 63-60. I’m not going to describe the entirety of the last minute, but when I see games like Temple-IU where the favorite finds a way to win in the final couple of minutes, I really feel for the underdog. Not only was it my favorite player’s last game in a Purdue uniform, it ended in heartbreaking, stunning fashion.
3. 2013 Sweet 16, #4 Syracuse Orange vs. #1 Indiana Hoosiers, March 28, 2013
Do I really need to recap the loss that just ended IU’s season? No? Ok, good, because I’m still not ready to fully talk about it.
2. #14 Michigan State Spartans vs. #3 Purdue Boilermakers, February 27, 2010
Four days after the worst specific moment I’ve had as a sports fan, the Boilers looked lost. After Robbie Hummel tore his ACL (the first time), Purdue hosted Michigan State in a game everyone knew would most likely be ugly. It was. Purdue scored the fewest points of the season in a 53-44 loss, but it wasn’t this game in particular that was so sad. It was the lost hope of a promising season that was sure to end in at least a Final Four that was being played just an hour south of Purdue’s campus. Hopeful fans thought that E’Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson and the rest of the Boilermakers could rally without Hummel, but the loss to Sparty made it apparent that Purdue’s National Championship hopes were lost. While IU’s loss this season was tough, the end of the 2010 Purdue season was tougher to endure because the question of what could have been? The loss to Michigan State was the first game without Hummel and it quickly became clear that Purdue would not be able to recover without Robbie.
The Fumble. That’s all you need to know about this one, but I’ll explain it more. For the first time ever, College Gameday was at Purdue. The Boilers had their highest ranking under Joe Tiller and Kyle Orton was a bona fide Heisman Trophy candidate. I specifically remember my fifth grade teacher who wasn’t a sports fan at all talking about the game in the week leading up to it. Orton and the Boilers took a 17-7 lead with eight minutes to go and it seemed like a 6-0 start was in reach. Fast forward to just over two minutes to go, and Kyle Orton runs a bootleg scramble on 3rd and 3. A first down and the game is likely over after already getting the first down, Orton was hit (his facemask was grabbed) and fumbled. The fumble was taken back for a touchdown and Purdue ended up losing 21-17.
Purdue had other chances to win as Kyle Smith dropped a sure interception before the fumble and Ben Jones missed a field goal that would’ve sent the game to overtime. However, the fumble is the play that everyone still remembers and I believe that night was the first time I cried as a result of a sporting event. Purdue went on to lose three more heartbreaking games in a row and the program still hasn’t fully recovered from the effects of that dreadful night in 2004.
Rumblings of Rural Sports Fans 