If there's been one enjoyable thing about Indiana's ugly 2008-09 season (besides, of course, how deep in Rick Chandler's wheelhouse the Hoosiers are), it's been the persistent optimism of Tom Crean. The Diet Coke-fueled first year coach from Marquette has been metaphorically punched in the face repeatedly in his first year, from defections in the fall to bad losses in the winter.

Last night was much the same for Indiana. The Hoosiers had a nice little start at home, but because they're Indiana, eventually ceded the lead and lost to Wisconsin 68-51. It was not particularly pretty. The only thing different about last night's IU loss is that Tom Crean didn't give his usual upbeat, "come on the guys are working hard" press conference. He basically just ignored the media. Tom? Is that you? Is everything OK?

Of course, no, the answer is that everything is not OK, because coaches are coaches, and they want to win no matter what. Putting on a happy face is admirable of Crean, but if you spend much time watching Indiana dribble, pass, and shoot, you can imagine how frustrating it must be for that to be, you know, your full-time job. At this point, Mike Rowe has a far better gig.

Related: Big Ten Basketball, Moving Pictures