DirecTV is a wonderful thing.

With this 18-inch dish, three CBS affiliates are available, one from the east, midwest and west.

Each typically carries different college tournament games, so from noon to 11:30 p.m. Thursday, I saw several minutes of California-Princeton, Kansas-Jackson State, Cincinnati-Butler, Villanova-Long Island University, Purdue-Rhode Island, Boston College-Valparaiso, North Carolina-Fairfield, Kentucky-Montana, Colorado-Indiana and Pacific-St. Joseph's.

Only about three games were not available: College of Charleston-Maryland, Xavier (Ohio)-Vanderbilt and Arizona-South Alabama.

In the games I saw, every team played with heart. The players looked like they belonged in the tournament. They looked like they were happy just to be there.

Except for one team.

Indiana.

The Hoosiers showed little enthusiasm and even less heart. They fell behind 7-0 en route to an 80-62 loss to Colorado.

What the heck happened?

I don't know.

What I do know was it was embarrassing. Players sprawling on the floor. Players falling over each other chasing after rebounds. Players not looking when the ball was passed. Players not looking when they shot free throws (Haris Mujezinovic did this once, and he made it). Players taking shots in 2-on-1 fastbreaks that missed the rim (Charlie Miller).

They looked like five Barney Fifes playing basketball.

I don't know what happened.

I don't know why Indiana didn't play zone defense. My scouting report - a newsmagazine named Inside Indiana - said teams that played zone against Colorado fared the best.

I know about Bob Knight and man-to-man defense. I also know his teams have played zone - granted, the times are few and far between - from time to time. So why not try it against the Buffaloes?

I don't know how IU allowed 45 points in the first half to a team that recently scored 41 in a complete game. The Buffaloes lost to Oklahoma 55-41 in their conference tournament.

Oklahoma used a match-up zone.

There has to be an explanation for the fiasco.

Maybe the Purdue Boilermakers and Hoosiers switched uniforms. Yeah, that's it.

Purdue coach Gene Keady entered the tournament with a 10-13 record. His .435 winning percentage was the worst of any active coach who had been in at least 20 tournament games.

Knight was 40-17 in tournament games.

Purdue overcame a 45-31 deficit and beat Rhode Island 83-76 in overtime.

Indiana fell behind 45-31 halftime and saw Colorado's lead balloon to 72-48.

I know what Brad Miller looks like. They didn't switch uniforms.

Maybe Knight didn't want to play Dean Smith and North Carolina. Yeah, that's the ticket.

If IU would have won, the Hoosiers would have played North Carolina in their next game. That happens to be the game Smith could become the all-time winningest coach with his 847th win.

In the past - this is extremely rare - but the games have popped up where you hear afterward Knight didn't care so much about the win or the loss. He just wanted his team to learn a lesson.

I don't think losing to Smith would have been all that embarassing to Knight.

Maybe the Hoosiers were players who had been beaten. When I say that, I mean mentally. They sure looked like it. They played like a team on eggshells. The harder they tried, the more they forced things, the more they stumbled over each other. You could almost feel Knight's thumb pressing down on them.

If their play wasn't so sad, it would have been comical.

I'm not so sure the boys cared that their season ended. That's my opinion and only my opinion. Even commentator Sean McDonough remarked on the noticeable lack of enthusiasm from the IU players.

Did they want to be there? I know 11-18 Fairfield did. The Stags played with fire backed up by a nearly flawless game. This 16th-seeded team led first-seeded team North Carolina for the first 30 minutes or so. They lost 82-74, but man, that was a game.

Things aren't right at IU. I saw the Hoosiers play really well twice this season. The first time was the 85-69 win over Duke. The second time was the second half and overtime in their 84-81 win at Michigan.

This is the third straight year Indiana lost in the opening round of the tournament. First it was Missouri. Last year, Boston College. Now Colorado, not exactly tournament tough. This was the Buffaloes' first appearance in the tournament since 1969.

Two stories in this week's Inside Indiana stood out. The headline on one was "Uncertain Future - What Is Next For Andrae Patterson?"

The headline on the other was "What The Future Will Bring For 'The General' Still Unclear."

Pete DiPrimio wrote the Patterson story. Patterson, who was one of the best high school players when he signed with IU, told DiPrimio, "I've definitely lost some confidence."

Flip over a page or two, and you see that Pat Forde of the Louisville Courier-Journal wrote the story speculating on Knight's future. Six questions were asked in the story:

"Has Knight lost it?"

"Can he still recruit?"

"Can Knight relate to - and motivate - the youth of today?-

"Is Knight a coach for the 21st century?"

"Is Knight ready to retire?"

"Is there life after coaching?"

In 1993, Forde's story isn't a story. After three first-round losses in the tournament, now it is. People - even Hoosiers - are questioning Knight.

Whither IU?

I don't know.

What I do know is DirecTV will be on again today. And I know I will see good games, like Wisconsin-Texas at noon.

I know these two teams will play like they're happy to be there. [[In-content Ad]]