Well. Here's a development: Indiana released its response to the NCAA yesterday, and surprisingly, it's full of logically sound argument. Also, it's not incredibly boring -- just slightly so. This shocks me. If you're the sort of person that wants to read 82 pages of this sort of thing, check out the .pdf documents at Inside the Hall and the Hoosier Scoop.

If you'd rather read a quick summary, here goes:

Indiana's main arguments are, simply, that the "failure to monitor" charge brought against it by the NCAA can't be true. Why? because former coach Kelvin Sampson and his staff intentionally misled the school about their use of cellphones, particularly in the case of Sampson's infamous party-line maneuver. (If you'll remember, he would have assistant Rob Senderoff three-way call from a recruit into Sampson's cell phone; this was very much against the rules.)

Also, according to the school, the "failure to monitor" can't be true because the University reported all of these violations itself. And lastly, Indiana is making a similar argument to Mad Men's Freddy Rumsen Sunday night -- isn't the embarrassment punishment enough?

Maybe, maybe not. The school seems convinced that the failure to monitor charge is being levied just because they hired Sampson. It's hard to argue that. The guy had a proven track record of skirting phone rules, and despite his apparent contrition, he was a risk. The school took the risk. It failed. Is that "failure to monitor?" Maybe?

In the end, what seems fair is some punishment in between Indiana's self-imposed scholarship sanctions and what the NCAA probably has in mind. The impending Indiana season is going to be a good deal of punishment, and the school will take its long-awaited licks from the likes of Illinois and Purdue. Within reason, the NCAA could probably suspend a scholarship or two in 2009-10; that would hurt, but not cripple, Tom Crean's monster recruiting class in that year, and send a message that the school will have to live with the aching, burning symptoms of its Kelvin Sampson transmitted disease for longer than 12 months.

Until then, Indiana will wait to see whether its convincing response will have any bearing whatsoever on a vengeful -- and yet recently dormant -- NCAA. Will the punishment fit the crime? Will Tom Crean live to fight another day!? Tune in next time for ... Confusing NCAA Rule Compliance Theater!

Related: Big Ten Basketball, Ill-behaved People