Win A Trip To Hawaii -- Sort Of

Hey, how would you like to win a trip to Hawaii or a new Ferrari or the next spot on Dancing With The Stars? All you have to do is correctly predict Indiana's Big Ten basketball finish, number of victories and average elapsed time in which Kelvin Sampson first takes off his blue suit coat and the News-Sentinel will award you with...

Sorry. Got carried away. The News-Sentinel WILL NOT have any awards at this time, although we can always hope. Still, the Sampson era is set to begin tonight with Lafayette (1-0) in the Preseason NIT and all things are possible. Really.

The Hoosiers have talent with plays such as D.J. White, Earl Calloway (pictured) and Rod Wilmont. They have focus and determination and a coach who knows how to maximize potential. Wisconsin, with four returning starters, is the Big Ten favorite. Ohio State, if Greg Oden recovers in time from wrist surgery, will be a major factor. After that, it's anybody's race unless you're, say, Northwestern.

But this isn't about the struggling Wildcats. It's about IU's prospects for the season. Tell us what you think (victories and Big Ten finish) and we'll tabulate it all and let you know the results. It might not lead to Hawaii, but then, do you really want to go to Hawaii when there are so many reasons to enjoy a Hoosier winter?

Okay, don't answer that.