That may explain why a girl sitting behind the Northwestern bench held this sign: “Thanks Kelvin! Go IU.”

But many Hoosiers fans were less than grateful for Sampson, who came under heavy fire after the NCAA claimed he provided false and misleading information to investigators from both the university and the NCAA, failed to meet the “generally recognized high standard of honesty” expected in college sports and failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance within the program.

Poor behavior by a men’s basketball coach is nothing new for Indiana. NCAA sanctions are, however.

It was no surprise that fans greeted Dakich with a standing ovation as he approached the bench just before the game. The former Hoosier and longtime assistant under Bob Knight responded by pumping his right fist.

“It was emotional for me for a lot of reasons,” Dakich said. “The one thing I have never liked as a head coach was warmups. I came out with a couple minutes to go. Usually, I come out with a minute to go. If I see someone messing around, it makes me mad. But I didn’t expect that (ovation). I was thinking, ’Why are they cheering?’ It was nice.”

Meanwhile, Northwestern fans had some fun at Sampson’s expense, chanting “Where is Kelvin?” during timeouts.

Indiana hadn’t faced a major rules violation since 1960, and many fans were calling for Sampson’s removal after the NCAA report. The second-year coach was booed at recent home games, and one anonymous donor even gave the school $550,000 to get rid of him.

It was a rough — but perhaps fitting — end for a coach whose tenure began under a cloud of controversy, stemming from violations he committed while coaching Oklahoma.

Now, Sampson’s unemployed. And Indiana is starting a new chapter.

“I don’t think it’s something you put behind in 24, 48 hours,” Dakich said.

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