2011 Crossroads Classic

            Last Saturday night, the Indiana Hoosiers returned to national relevance by defeating the number-one ranked Kentucky Wildcats. The victory came in dramatic fashion as Hoosier Christian Watford hit a 3-pointer to win the game, 75-74. This victory was one that head coach Tom Crean has been building the foundation since he arrived at IU three years ago. This victory was one that let the world know that Indiana basketball is back. This was a victory that nobody ever thought they would see again.

           

            This brings me to the game the Hoosiers have this Saturday. They take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as part of the Crossroads Classic. The C.C. is a new series that brings together those two teams, as well as the Butler Bulldogs and Purdue Boilermakers. This year, as I’ve already noted, ND takes on IU, while Butler plays Purdue (next year ND gets Purdue and IU gets Butler).

            

             I was incredibly excited for these games before the season started. I knew all these teams were going to be really good and a good chance that at least two would be ranked in the Top 25. Now we get to this weekend, and the only team ranked is Indiana! I would have never guessed that.

           

            Butler has struggled all year and is 4-6. They are clearly not the same team they have been the past two seasons. Purdue is 9-2, but they aren’t as good as they were last year either. This would be the perfect game for the Bulldogs to get a win and build some momentum before conference play starts. The Boilermakers need this win to stay in the talks of “best team in the state”. The Bulldogs play good defense, and if they can shut down Robbie Hummel, they will have a great chance to win.

Prediction: Butler-60, Purdue-59

           

            Notre Dame heads into their showdown on a two-game winning streak. They seem to have finally found a way to win games after All-Big East candidate Tim Abromitis, went down with a season-ending injury. The only significant stats category the Irish rank in the Top 100 of is assists per game. As for the Hoosiers, you may have heard about their win against Kentucky. They have a complete team that plays great on both sides of the ball.

Prediction: Indiana- 73, Notre Dame- 66

-That’s the first time I have ever picked against the Irish in my blog.

UPDATE: Butler beats Purdue 67-65 on a last second layup. Indiana handles Notre Dame and wins 69-58.