The Block Heard Round the Big Ten

First appeared on February 8th, 2012
in The Lebanon Reporter

The moment came inside of 3 minutes left to play. The record crowd at Mackey was raucous, frothing with anticipation. Purdue was busy erasing Indiana’s double figure lead and when Lewis Jackson came up with a steal at half court it seemed the final domino was destined to tumble.

His break away would have brought the Boilers to within 2, possibly 1 if fouled. It looked as if the Hoosier’s boat had taken on so much water that sinking was an inevitability. Everything was going Purdue’s way and then it happened. What came next is perhaps best described as the play that saved Indiana’s season.

Coming into Saturday night Indiana found themselves below .500 in Big Ten play, mired in a logjam in the middle of the conference. A stunner home to Minnesota, a heartbreaker at Nebraska and one they nearly stole at Michigan despite digging a 21 point hole undoubtedly still stuck in their craw as they headed for West Lafayette to tackle not only a difficult road test but their biggest rival as well. Yes, those scheduling gods are most definitely crazy.

Compounding matters was the sudden emergence of what had been a lifeless Boilermaker team. Inexplicably Purdue was charging hard and appeared destined to do what so many had done to Indiana over the last 2 years, steal one the Hoosiers deserved to win. And as both the game, and IU’s season, were seemingly swirling away all Tom Crean could do was pace back and forth helplessly on the rim of the toilet bowl clapping and tugging at his belt nervously while contemplating yet another substitution.

Then it happened. A moment Hoosier fans, nay Americans perhaps, will speak of for generations to come. Just as Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and that one French guy tight roped over Niagara Falls, so too, for one night and one brief moment in time, did Indiana’s sophomore forward Will Sheehey walk on air.

To say Sheehey flew is no exaggeration. With the diminutive Lewis Jackson racing towards the basket, and a rabid Paint Crew awaiting his arrival breathlessly, Sheehey came out of nowhere to spike Jackson’s layup attempt off the glass.
No that doesn’t do it justice. Sheehey didn’t just reject Jackson’s shot. Rather he flew from the hardwood of Keady Court as if sprung by a Broadway guide wire. It was as if Sheehey were wearing tights and a red cape instead of the Cream and Crimson as he absolutely pounded Lewis Jackson’s feeble layup attempt so hard off the glass that he apparently injured his own hand.
Not only was Purdue’s final chance at nibbling the Hoosier lead to 2 points erased but the spectacular play was made all the more impressive by Sheehey’s presence of mind to hammer the layup off the back board so that it stayed in play and was recovered by another hustling teammate.

In short the play saved the Hoosier’s season. Indiana’s GPS had them veering off the NCAA Tournament path and a loss at Purdue would have certainly sent them plunging into the wilderness of desperation, which by the way happens to border the Valley of the NIT.

But with Sheehey sealing a much needed win at Purdue, the Hoosiers can now steer themselves home safe in the knowledge that 3 of the next 4, and 4 of the final 6 conference games, will be played at Assembly Hall where they have only lost once this year. Yes it would seem, for the Hoosiers at least, good fortune rode in on the same wind that carried Will Sheehey airborne Saturday night.


© 2012 Eric Walker Williams