So true. I believe Hulls had a separated shoulder or something during that Syracuse loss, which significantly impacted his shooting ability. The best 3-point shooter on the team... in a game where we got killed by a zone D. Hhmmm. That was one of the most disappointing losses of the Crean era, and most IU fans will rightly admit that the team got outplayed and outcoached, not that "well our best shooter got hurt, so who knows what would have happened if we were at full strength"... i.e. IU fans take a much more 'no excuses' approach. Results matter.
Conversely, there's a thread on GBI seemingly every over month discussing how many FFs and/or championships they'd have if not for injuries. Attention Purdue fans - injuries happen to every team! It sucks, and it's certainly a valid reason for underachieving, IF we're talking about any 1 given year. Over the long term though, it's a non-factor; it's balanced out by every other teams' injuries. It's not a valid excuse for not making a FF in nearly 40 years. Purdue has had great success in the B1G over its history, but is a perennial underachiever at a national level. Why that is, I don't know... but I know it ain't injuries. If Purdue could assemble a team that was a legitimate contender more than once every 20 years, the injuries wouldn't stand out so much.
