Or the red-haired kid who shoots underhanded free throws?  Things looked swell for Indiana

up through Big 10's last year, but went off like Norman Dale on a bad ref at regionals on their home course.  These Hoosiers have an excellent, talented young group with track credentials that should carry them to the promised land of Terre Haute...a place everybody in Bloomington dreams of visiting as often as possible.

The talented group ran early in the season like Calbert Cheaney or Jay Edwards stroked it from deep...only to have a few turn out to run at regionals like Kent Benson's NBA career...

which can be summed up as...disappointing. 

Benson was no Uwe Blab...

but then again...who is?  Maybe Christian Welp, but not quite.  Either way, Indiana's men's harriers in 2010 figure to be a big factor in the Big 10 and Great Lakes Region.  Andy Bayer (3:41,13:45), Andrew Poore (13:49, 28:58, 8:44 steeple), Ben Hubers (3:44, 13:56), De'Sean Turner (8:43 steeple), Zach Mayhew (14:05, 29:19) should be the scoring 5, but there are others who like Andy Weatherford, Cole Hardacre and Jacob Laird who could contribute.

IU will skip Pre-Nats as per normal, and hope to get to run there for real in November.  The Big 10 meet is in Madison, and the Badgers will be tough to deal with.  Beyond that, my hunch is that IU may well be the next best team in the conference.  Ohio State is solid, Michigan has the horses but no Warhurst, but Indiana seems ready to get it done this year.  The regionals should more or less be a repeat story, with Wisconsin a bit out of reach, and the 2nd auto bid there for the taking. 

On another note...tip of the proverbial cap to Dennis Hopper...what a dude...him being dead is uncool.