Not a lot of time for this post this morning, because I’m working one of my other gigs (Communications Coordinator for NASW-IN), tweeting from their Legislative Education Advocacy and Development Day at the Indiana Statehouse. A sportswriter who also works for nonprofits; no wonder I’m broke (ha!)

Anyway, here’s what I wrote for the Post-Tribune and the Tribune-Star after IU’s win over Michigan State last night. It’s the first time Indiana has beaten three Top-5 teams in the same regular season, ever.

Besides that, perhaps the most notable thing to come out of last night — besides the Hoosiers knowing they’ll have to play on the first day of the Big Ten Tournament, after Wisconsin clinched a top-four finish in the conference — was the attitude among the players and coaches afterwards. It was a pretty lighthearted press conference. Verdell Jones III harassed teammates Cody Zeller and Christian Watford for not having his back when he couldn’t come up with what this victory means compared to the wins over No. 1 Kentucky and then-No. 2 Ohio State, before he finally conceded, “That’s up to you guys,” referring to us media types.

And Jordan Hulls acknowledged his coach-speak — “We have to take one game at a time” — when asked afterwards just how many times he’s said that phrase in press conferences this season. “A lot of times,” he said with a laugh.

So, yes, the Hoosiers have clinched a winning conference record and will be the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten Tournament with a win over Purdue on Sunday. This season has been an impressive turnaround.