By Heather Dinich
RALEIGH, N.C. — Sweat poured off Dan Dakich’s face to the point it was dripping off his nose like rain. Early in the first half against Arkansas, he even went so far as to hoist up a jump shot of his own from the corner — “anything to give our team a spark” — instead of handing the ball over to the official (for which he was charged with a technical).
Perhaps the best effort for Indiana came from its bench.
Dakich and his players insisted after IU’s 86-72 loss to Arkansas on Friday night that the Hoosiers gave it everything they had, but their sluggish body language in the latter part of the game suggested otherwise. With about 1:30 left to play and trailing 77-70, Dakich had to remind them “this game’s not over yet.”
“I think this was another frustrating night for a team that’s had a lot of frustrations over the last couple weeks,” he said.
It wasn’t exactly a shocking upset, as it simply punctuated the tumultuous season highlighted by Kelvin Sampson’s resignation on Feb. 22. Those within the program said Friday night that the coaching change wasn’t an excuse for losing four of their final five games, but they conceded they fell below expectations.
“This team could’ve been real good if we just would’ve collectively got it together,” said Eric Gordon, who was held to just eight points on 3 of 15 shooting from the field, including six missed 3-pointers. “We could’ve possibly made a run for the Final Four.”
Instead, they’re looking for a coach and don’t know which players plan on returning. Athletic director Rick Greenspan said the coaching search has been on for a week, but he declined to say if the school has interviewed anyone yet.
Dakich wants the job.

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