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College basketball’s closest connection to Super Bowl XLVII

Super Bowl Football

This combo image made of Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013, photos shows San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, left, in Atlanta, and Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh in Foxborough, Mass., during their NFL football conference championship games. Get ready for the Brother Bowl_ it’ll be Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh when Big Bro John’s Baltimore Ravens (13-6) play Little Bro Jim’s San Francisco 49ers (13-4-1) in the Super Bowl at New Orleans in two weeks. (AP Photos/Mark Humphrey, Matt Slocum)

AP

It’s ironic that on the day that President Obama gets inaugurated for his second term, Craig Robinson -- Michelle Obama’s brother -- becomes the second-most relevant brother-in-law in college hoops.

That’s what happens when you’re Tom Crean and you happen to be married to the sister of Jim and John Harbaugh, the two brothers squaring off in Super Bowl XLVII on February 3rd.

Imagine that.

You’re a Final Four head coach and at the helm of the Indiana basketball program in the year that they’ve finally returned to national relevancy as a title favorite, and you’re the third most-famous and most-accomplished coach at the table during Thanksgiving dinner.

The Super Bowl comes one day after Indiana squares off with Michigan for the first time this season, which just so happens to be a 9:00 p.m. tip. But you better believe that he’ll be at the game:

Does this actually surprise anyone? When you’re provided with free tickets to the Super Bowl, you don’t turn them down. I don’t care what your job is.

For what it’s worth, Crean said the following on twitter after the Ravens beat New England last night, clinching the “Harbowl":

We can’t put into words what it means to see John and Jim achieve this incredible milestone. We talked to Jim b4 his team plane left. All he wanted to know was how was John doing? How were they playing? One incredible family who puts the care, well being and love for each other at the forefront like most families do. Again, we are very proud of them. Going to be exciting to watch it unfold.

You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.