First, before I forget, IU athletic director Rick Greenspan, who was in charge of making the decision of Sampson’s fate, sat next to me when the Hoosiers played at Williams in January. Little did I know then that I would be seeing his face on my television screen for an entire week  - small world.

Tubby Smith’s relationship with Sampson has been well publicized. They have been good friends since the 1970’s and both families have built ties since. Smith was asked last week what he thought about the allegations against Sampson. Today, at media availability, Smith was again asked about his friend – now that the situation has been finalized.

"It’s sad. It’s sad, because I’ve known Kelvin since 1977,” Smith said. “Kelvin’s a good person. We all make mistakes. “

“We know in this profession that there are certain things that are going to get you in this business and that is one of the things. I just hope that he can get through this, I feel for him and his family because this is a trying time. “

On the NCAA violations:

“That doesn’t make him a criminal. I’m not making light of what happened, it’s obviously bad for college basketball, for Indiana, and those players involved.  So hopefully he’ll recover and return, if that’s what he wants to do," he said.