Hard to believe it’s been three weeks since Luther Van Dross capped another season with “One Shining Moment.” This season brought new waves of success for some universities, and disappointment for others. Some are starting new eras (VCU), others are ending them (Tennessee). Though it may not seem like it, Indiana University is ending it’s own era: The last three years.

The last three years have garnered a different reaction from everyone. For students, being stuck in the basement of the Big Ten is all they know. For long time fans, it’s a world apart from what they know.

Granted, IU isn’t the only program underachieving by its own set standards the last few years: blue bloods like UCLA and, until recently, Arizona had not been hitting the high marks it was used to, but their problems stemmed from standard issues like coaching, recruiting, etc. Those schools weren’t fortunate enough to have Kelvin Sampson personally autograph a wrecking ball and run it straight thru the center of Assembly Hall. When the program came crashing down, everything this university was used to packed up and hit state road 37 before the dust settled.

National attention? Gone. The Top 25? Not even close. College Gameday? West Lafayette. Expectations? Zero.

The lights went out in Bloomington.

For the first time in who knows how long, nobody outside this city was watching. For the first time in who knows how long, we were the underdogs. For the first time in who knows how long, we were a feel good story.

Next season, that all changes.

Now, this doesn’t mean signing a player like Cody Zeller comes complete with a pair of scissors to cut the nets down with. But it changes the perception of the program.

Nobody signs a McDonald’s All-American and becomes a feel good story. Throw in a deep bench that will include three seniors, five juniors, two sophomores, and two heavily recruited freshmen and IU has a team ready to compete.
This doesn’t mean College Gameday will be parked outside Assembly Hall all season or our spot in the AP Top 25 is guaranteed, but the expectations will be back next season.

The media and college basketball analysts will make their predictions. One more win than predicted, and IU is restored, one less win, and we’re a disappointment.

Truth be told, that’s exactly how it should be.

This university is used to the bright lights and the big stage. It is used to being in the hunt for the Big Ten title, and regularly punching it’s ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

It’s ready for that type of pressure to come knocking again.

After the allegations struck in 2008, IU was basically written a free pass. A free pass, for the time being, that gave us an excuse for three straight 20 loss seasons and hanging out at the bottom of the Big Ten, an excuse to not meet expectations that wouldn’t even exist.

When the clock struck zero in Indianapolis, the free pass expired, and IU couldn’t be happier.

Going into next season, there are no more excuses. Next season if IU doesn’t hit their mark, it’s nobody’s fault but the Cream and Crimson’s. We’ll have no more asterisks next to our name relieving us of losses.

Looking forward to it.

In a way though, the end of this free pass is bittersweet, although it may take awhile for most fans to realize it.

There’s something about being an underdog that made walking to Assembly Hall a rush every game. Each time we walked into Assembly Hall during Big Ten season, we always thought “this could be the night.” The night we knock off the bigger team.

Next season, IU could knock off five ranked teams in a row, and I’m not sure it would top the feeling of storming the South Lobby after beating Illinois, or having every student flood the student section during the Minnesota game. Future students will get to see big wins, but the students here and now saw the first big wins of the Tom Crean era.

The students, fans and alumni know it’s time to shed the “feel good feeling” and start aiming towards the higher standard. If IU doesn’t win next year, nobody will hear the words “it’s ok, we had allegations that set us back.”

Things have changed pretty rapidly over this past decade. From firing the coach of 29 years, to National Championship game, to middle of the road Big Ten team, back to the Top 5, and back to starting all over.
But one thing has never changed: the real fans this university has. Through Top 5 rankings and allegations, the Cream and Crimson are still here.

And that’s all we ever needed.