Conference Tournament Time!

             It’s getting closer and closer to the beginning of March Madness. In just a week and a half 68 teams will be selected to participate in one of the most exciting tournaments on the planet. Before all that begins, there are 21 conference tournaments that have to be played. These conference tourney’s are important because any time that wins one gets an automatic bid for the NCAA Tourney. They are also important because it allows bubble teams to bolster their resume.

            
            Usually when I write about college basketball I list the teams in order from best to worst. In this post, I’m just gonna start with the conference tournament that starts first. The numbers next to each team represents their seeding in each tournament.

Missouri Valley Conference

When: March 1^st- March 4^th

Where: Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri

Indiana teams: #3 Evansville Purple Aces, #8 Indiana State Sycamores

Neither team will make the NCAA Tournament without winning this tournament. The Sycamores play Southern Illinois tomorrow evening. If they win that game they have to go up against #1 Wichita State. The Aces face #6 Missouri State Friday night. If they win they will most likely take on #2 Creighton. It’s possible both teams could face each other in the championship game but I seriously doubt either team will make it that far.
UPDATE: Evansville won their quarterfinal game and now face #2 Creighton in the semi-final game today.

Horizon League

When: March 2^nd - March 6^th

Where: Athletics-Recreation Center at Valparaiso University

Indiana teams: #1 Valparaiso Crusaders, #5 Butler Bulldogs

Valpo won the regular season title but that means little if they can’t at least get to the conference championship game. They finished the regular season 21-10. That’s actually worse than second-place team Cleveland State who finished 22-9. Valpo will face either #5 Butler or #4 Milwaukee on Saturday. The game between Butler and Milwaukee is Friday night.

How epic would a Butler-Valpo showdown be? I’m excited just thinking about it. Not only would the winner of the game play for the Horizon Championship, but the loser would most likely not be selected for the NCAA Tournament.

UPDATE: Butler and Valpo will play each other today but it will NOT be for the Championship. The winner of the game will then play for the Championship. Either way, it will be a great game.

Summit League

When: March 3^rd- March 6^th

Where: Sioux Falls Arena in Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Indiana teams: #7 IUPUI Jaguars, #8 IPFW Mastodons

The two schools representing the Hoosier State are the lowest two seeds in the Summit League Tournament. The Mastodons face the #1 Oral Roberts Golden Eagles Saturday at 6:00 p.m. The Jaguars go up against #2 South Dakota State on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. It will be a miracle if either team win their games.

Ball State, Purdue, Indiana, and Notre Dame still have a couple of games left before their conference tournaments start next week. I will post their tourney info here when the seeds are finalized.

Pacers Reach the Half-Way Point

            With the NBA All-Star weekend finally concluding it’s time to reflect on the first 33 games of the 2012 season and look forward for the final 33 games before the playoffs. Before we get to that though, how about some congratulations for the two players that represented Indiana during the All-Star festivities? Paul George and Roy Hibbert both participated in their first All-Star weekend of their careers. George played in the Rising Stars Game and the Slam Dunk Contest while Hibbert was a bench player in the All-Star Game.

In the Rising Stars Game, George scored 23 points, second highest in the game. He also participated in the Slam Dunk Contest. George threw down three great dunks but somehow didn’t even finish in the top two of voting. George’s first dunk was over a standing Roy Hibbert, who, let’s not forget is 7’ 2”. His second dunk was easily the most creative of any in this year’s contest. With the lights off in arena and George glowing in the dark, he threw down a 360 windmill dunk. The third dunk was impressive, but apparently not the game winner he needed.  

Paul George and his glow-in-the-dark dunk

Hibbert didn’t produce much for his Eastern All-Stars’ team. He only had one basket and that was a tip-in off a missed shot. The All-Star game doesn’t really provide a great showcase for true centers though. Nobody wants to see a post-up player when you can just pass it to Lebron and watch him launch 3’s all night. Of the 12 people on the roster only two were centers so it’s not unreasonable to believe that Hibbert play in future All-Star games. When he does, he will be able to look back on his rookie experience and realized what he did wrong and how he can improve. The same goes for Paul George.

            Indiana is third in the Eastern Conference Standings at the half-way point with a 21-12 record. That is shocking considering how ugly they were playing in mid-February amidst a five-game losing streak. Fortunately for us, the Philadelphia 76ers entered the All-Star break on a five-game losing streak of their own. So Indiana is sitting in third place, which is great. The bad news is I think that’s the best they can do. I don’t think the Pacers will be able to take the #1 or #2 spots because the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls are just too good.

Don’t think that we’re just gonna fall into that #3 position though with a fight. Several other good teams are looking to get home court advantage in the playoffs. As mentioned, the 76ers have a great, young team similar to the Pacers. The Orlando Magic are playing great too, but there’s a good chance their best player, Dwight Howard, will be traded pretty soon. If Howard leaves then so do Orlando’s playoff hopes. The Atlanta Hawks have a dangerous starting five but don’t have as much depth as some of the upper echelon teams. Then there’s the New York Knicks and the most popular basketball player in the world, Jeremy Lin. It is unknown how that team will continue to play, but they could be a scary team to face in the playoffs especially if Lin can gel with Carmelo Anthony.

One huge benefit for the Pacers in the second half of the season is they have a very favorable schedule. Of their final 33 games, 19 are at played at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. However, 19 games are against teams with a record of .500 or better. March will definitely be the more brutal of the final two months. The Pacers play 18 games with 11 of them against teams that have a record above .500. March also includes road trips to Chicago, Miami, Orlando, New York and San Antonio.

Here are the first handful of games in the second half of the season for the Pacers:

2/28- vs. Golden State Warriors (13-17)

3/3- at New Orleans Hornets (8-25)

3/5- at Chicago Bulls (27-8)

3/6- vs. Atlanta Hawks (20-14)

            
            Indiana has beaten all of these teams but that doesn’t mean we’ll see a repeat performance. After we beat the Bulls, Derrick Rose vowed he would never lose to us again. Will his promise remain intact or we will beat Chicago again? It should be a great game with a playoff atmosphere in Chicago. I can only speak for myself but I will ecstatic if we beat the Bulls again. We also beat the Hawks early in the season but they turned around and beat us less than a month ago. The Hawks always have our number. Not only could we use a win against Atlanta to help our team’s self-esteem, but if we tie with them in the standings we would win the head-to-head tiebreaker.

It's Almost Time for March Madness!

            Two weeks from this upcoming Sunday, 68 teams will be selected to participate in one of the most exciting tournaments in the world. During the days leading up to Selection Sunday, every conference has a tournament of their own. The winner of each of those tournaments is guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament. Those conference tourneys are going to be key for some Indiana teams to be a part of March Madness.

            Not a lot has changed since I last wrote about college basketball. Notre Dame, Indiana, Valparaiso and Purdue still have the best chances of making the tournament. Don’t look now, but Butler may be on the verge of making another of their historic winning streaks. If the Bulldogs can win the Horizon Tournament, they should get a decent seed for the NCAA tourney.

#18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (19-8, 11-3)

Best wins: #22 Pittsburgh, #15 Marquette, at #10 Louisville, #1 Syracuse

Worst losses: Georgia, Rutgers, Maryland

The Irish finally move ahead of the Hoosiers and become the best (by ranking) team in Indiana. They sit third in the Big East standings and should finish at least fourth. That would grant them a double-bye in the Big East tournament. The latest projections have the Irish getting a #6 seed in the NCAA tournament. That is seriously low in my opinion; the Irish should get at least a #5 or #4.

Remaining games: vs. West Virginia, at St. Johns, at #8 Georgetown, vs. Providence

#24 Indiana Hoosiers (20-7, 8-7)

Best wins: #1 Kentucky, #2 Ohio State, #13 Michigan, #18 Notre Dame

Worst losses: at Nebraska, at Iowa

The Hoosiers are a good team but they cannot win on the road! It’s incomprehensible how much this team struggles when not playing at home. In the latest projections by ESPN, Indiana is a #5 seed in the same 16-team bracket as Notre Dame. How cool would it be to see an Elite 8 matchup of the two teams? Indiana has to be careful to look too far down the road though. They are at a nice looking 20-7, but they have three tough games left before the Big Ten tourney.

Remaining games: vs. North Carolina Central, at Minnesota, vs. #6 Michigan State, vs. Purdue

Valparaiso Crusaders (20-10, 13-4)

Best wins: Cleveland State (twice), Butler, Milwaukee

Worst losses: IPFW, IUPUI, Green Bay

Valpo sits atop the Horizon League standings, one of the best mid-major basketball conferences in the country. If they win their conference tournament they will most likely end up with a #14 or #15 seed. That may be high, but hey, at least they’re in!

Remaining games: vs. Butler

Butler Bulldogs (18-12, 11-6)

Best wins: Purdue, Stanford, Youngstown State (twice)

Worst losses: Evansville, Green Bay, Detroit

Remember back in December when the Bulldogs beat Purdue? They were 5-6 at the time and considered to be in a “rebuilding year”. Besides the Butler faithful, I think I was the only person who still had faith in them. Butler begins every year slowly, so their dismal start to the 2011 season was not shocking. Since that victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, they have gone 12-6 and placed themselves in a pretty good position to make the NCAA Tournament. What could make this storyline even better is if they and Valparaiso meet in the Horizon League Tournament in the final round. Winner gets a ticket to March Madness.

Remaining games: at Valparaiso

UPDATE 2/22/2012- These two teams are now 1-2 in the Horizon League standings. Valpo clinched the regular season championship last night by winning. The matchup between Butler and Valparaiso is this Friday night at 7:00 p.m. It should be a great game. Both teams could use a final great win before the conference tournament starts.

Purdue Boilermakers (17-10, 7-7)

Best wins: Temple, Miami, Illinois, Minnesota

Worst losses: Butler, Penn State

For some reason, many people believe this team should still be in the tournament. As of right now, what makes their resume better than Butler’s? Is it because they play in the Big Ten Conference? Whoopty-doo. Here’s the only stat that matters to me. Purdue has not beaten ONE ranked opponent all season. Not one! They have two games left against ranked opponents. If they win just one of those I will consider them a tournament-quality team. That doesn’t mean I believe they should be in the tournament though.

Remaining games: vs. Nebraska, at #6 Michigan State, vs. Penn State, at #24 Indiana

Remaining teams:

Indiana State Sycamores (16-12, 7-9)

Evansville Purple Aces (14-13, 8-8)

Ball State Cardinals (13-12, 4-8)

IUPUI Jaguars (13-16, 6-10)

IPFW Mastodons (10-17, 4-12)

            Look for a story to be posted right before the conference tournaments begin, around March 5^th or 6th. Then be sure to check back for updates as the week progresses.

Budwieser Shootout Preview

            Even though the Budweiser Shootout isn’t a points race, it’s always one of the most exciting races on the NASCAR schedule. Last year’s edition featured 28 lead changes and a .058 winning margin, both were records in the history of the Shootout.

                
            The biggest complaint I usually have against the Shootout (and the All-Star race in May) is that the rules and eligibility to get in are complicated and a bit insane. This year though, the rules have been made pretty simple. The Top 25 drivers from last year’s points standings are allowed to race. Any driver who has ever won a race at Daytona is also allowed in.

                
             This year’s race will be 75 laps long and divided into two segments. The first segment will be 25 laps. Then there will be a 10-minute break that will allow teams to change tires, add fuel, and make other minor changes. The race concludes with a 50-lap race sprint. The driver that crosses the finish line first walks away with a huge chunk of money.

                
            The starting lineup is basically decided randomly. Each driver selects a Budweiser beer bottle that has a number inside of it, ranging from 1 through 25. The drawing was Friday night and this is the lineup for the 2012 Bud Shootout:

1- #56 Martin Truex Jr.

2- #18 Kyle Busch

3- #2 Brad Keselowski

4- # 1 Jamie McMurray

5- #34 David Ragan

6- #51 Kurt Busch

7- #16 Greg Bifle

8- #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

9- #22 A.J. Allmendinger

10- #20 Joey Logano

11- #99 Carl Edwards

12- #31 Jeff Burton

13- #39 Ryan Newman

14- #24 Jeff Gordon

15- #14 Tony Stewart

16- #11 Denny Hamlin

17- #15 Clint Bowyer

18- #48 Jimmie Johnson

19- #5 Kasey Kahne

20- #55 Michael Waltrip

21- #9 Marcos Ambrose

22- #29 Kevin Harvick

23- #17 Matt Kenseth

24- #27 Paul Menard

25- #42 Juan Pablo Montoya

            The most intriguing aspect of this lineup is the quality of drivers starting in the back. From 11^th-25^th you have Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick. It will be interesting to see how those guys handle the first 25 lap segment. I wouldn’t be surprised to see most of them hang back and not try to race towards the front.

            This will be a great preview of the Daytona 500 next Sunday. Watch for drivers that team up and how they handle working with each other. Will the Hendrick guys work together better than the Childress team? Will the Chevys be faster than the Fords? All that will be answered tonight. 

My picks to win: Jamie McMurray, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick

Hard Times for Pacers

            It has been a rough past 10 days for the Indiana Pacers. In the seven games during that span they went 2-5 with five consecutive losses sandwiched by two wins. That five-game losing streak was a dismal and somewhat bleak time for Pacers fans. The five losses were: 87-97 to the Atlanta Hawks, 92-98 to the Memphis Grizzlies, 109-113 to the Denver Nuggets, 90-105 to the Miami Heat, 87-98 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Indiana played awful in each of those games. It was ugly and sometimes hard to watch. They didn’t play with any energy on offense or defense. They made sloppy plays. It just seemed like none of the players actually wanted to play.

                
            What made the lackadaisical play even more frustrating was that Paul George and Roy Hibbert, two players who will participate in All-Star festivities, were playing like anything but All-Stars. Hibbert averaged 10.8 points and 7.6 rebounds George averaged 10.2 points and shot 5-21 from behind the arc during the losing streak. Their poor play really contributed to the Pacers recent woes. Going on a tangent here but I’m sick of seeing George going for “look at me” slam dunks when he could be laying it up. When your team is losing, you need to get actual points not style points.

                
            It also didn’t help that back-up guard, George Hill, has missed the last 10 games due to an ankle injury. Even though Hill isn’t a starter, he is an integral part of the team. He is the leader of the second team and without him on the floor; nobody is stepping up to take charge.      

            His absence also shows just how weak our bench is. Guards A.J. Price and Lance Stephenson are never going to be starter-quality players. Never. Neither is forward Lou Admundson. Those three on the floor really prohibit Indiana from competing against any other team’s backup players. Throw in the inconsistency of forward Tyler Hansbrough and center Jeff Foster and who knows how the second squad is going to perform on a nightly basis. Our front office needs to spend money we have just sitting around and get a guy that can produce immediately. Whether that player is a guard, forward, or center, we just need somebody who can score.

            Through that five game streak though, I realized that this team may have been given some premature and lofty expectations. Just a few weeks ago they were third in the Eastern Conference and many believed they were one of the best teams in the NBA. After a sudden fall from grace, it’s important to remember that this Pacers team is young and still in a building process. The average age of our starters is 25.8. The average age of the entire team is 26.6. Compare that to these average ages of the top Eastern Conference teams:

Miami Heat      - 28.4

Atlanta Hawks - 28.3

Chicago Bulls - 28.1

Philadelphia 76ers- 27.5

Orlando Magic - 25.4

            Only the Orlando Magic are a younger team but don’t forget they have the best center in the NBA, Dwight Howard. Put Howard on the Pacers and you’d be looking at a league championship contender.

                
            If you’re an optimist, you will view the recent losing skid as something the Pacers can use as a teaching tool. Hopefully they learned what went wrong and how they can prevent it from happening again. Fortunately they don’t play again until February 19^th so they’ll have time to rest up and hit the practice court.

Here the remaining games in February:

Feb. 19- vs. Charlotte Bobcats

Feb. 21- vs. New Orleans Hornets

Feb. 22- at Charlotte Bobcats

Feb. 28- vs. Golden State

                
            That is, by far, the easiest stint of games the Pacers have faced so far this season. Four games in ten days against three teams with a combined record of 20-66. If we can get through with a 4-0 record, that will build some confidence before a tough stretch of games in the first half of March. Nine of the first ten games in March are against teams with winning records.

Sprint Cup Drivers to Watch in 2012.

            It’s almost time for NASCAR to get back on the track and begin the season. Two weeks from today the 2012 season will begin with the Daytona 500. It will begin a new season of new expectations, new rivalries, new teammates, but the same old excitement that is always there.

            
            Last season was one of the most memorable in the history of NASCAR. It started with 20-year old Trevor Bayne’s Daytona 500 victory and concluded with Tony Stewart ending Jimmie Johnson’s championship streak in the final race of 2011. In between there were numerous first time winners, Jeff Gordon moving to third on the all-time win list, Dale Earnhardt Jr. beginning to race competitively for the first time in years, Kyle Busch getting suspended for two races, and Johnson’s era of dominance coming to a close.

            
             It will be hard to top all of what happened last year but it should be a great season. Here are my 10 drivers to watch this season

Tony Stewart- #14 Office Depot Chevrolet

The 2011 Champion has to be the obvious favorite to win the 2012 Championship. He had five wins last year, all coming in the final ten races of the season. He has a new crew chief so it will take some time to build some chemistry. However, as Stewart showed last season, you don’t have to start winning until the Chase starts.

Carl Edwards- #99 Fastenal Ford

He only won one race in 2011 but he had 19 Top 5’s and 26 Top 10’s, those two statistics were the best for any driver. The only bad news for Carl is he finished second in the 2011 standings. Since 2007, the driver that has finished second has not finished in the Top 5 of the next year’s standings.

Kevin Harvick- #29 Budweiser Chevrolet

“Happy” was one of the favorites when the Chase started but he wasn’t able to win any race and only had 6 Top 10’s in NASCAR’s postseason. Harvick and his new crew chief will look to continue the regular season success the team had last year and carry that into the Chase this year.

Brad Keselowski- #2 Miller Lite Dodge

Nobody, in the history of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, has ever earned a spot like Keselowski did. After the Brickyard 400, he was 21^st in points. In the next nine races before the Chase, Brad drove like a bat out of hell, won two races and clinched the #11 seed. He wasn’t able to win any of the ten races in the Chase, but he proved that he can race with the best of them and finished in the Top 5 four times.  

Jimmie Johnson- #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet

The five-time Sprint Cup Champion was finally dethroned. Johnson finished sixth in the standings and only visited winner's circle once. It will be interesting to see how Johnson handles this season, the first one he won’t be the reigning champ.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. - #88 National Guard/ Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet

Break out the #88 t-shirts and hats Jr. fans because this may be the year he finally breaks his losing streak that dates back to 2008. Dale and his crew chief Lance McGrew really gelled last year and came pretty close to winning a couple of races. They should be even better this year and that should translate into some wins.

Kasey Kahne- #5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet

To say Kasey has had it easy in the first half of his NASCAR career easy would be a complete fabrication. Through those difficulties in the past, Kahne has accumulated 12 wins and 102 Top 10’s in his 8-year career. He has never been a part of a team so financially sound and consistently successful as his new team, Hendrick Motorsports. He is one of the most talented drivers in the garage and this could be the year he finally proves that.

-It could be an interesting year at Hendrick. The #24 and #48 have been so successful for the past decade and forced the #88 and #5 to just be an afterthought. This could be the year the #88 and #5 take the front stage.

A.J. Allmendinger- #22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge

It’s no secret that A.J. is my favorite driver, but I’m not the only one expecting big things from his this year. The Dinger has only gotten better in his five-year NASCAR career and he came very close to winning more than one race in 2011. In similar fashion to Kasey Kahne, A.J. has never been on a healthy team like Penske. He raced for Red Bull Racing in 2007-2008 and then raced at Richard Petty Motorsports from 2009-2011.

-To make it even more difficult for us Allmendinger fans, his number has changed almost every year. From 2007 until now, he has been: #84, #84, #44, #43, #43, and #22. Four different numbers plus four different sponsors is why I refuse to buy Dinger apparel.

Regan Smith- #78 Furniture Row Chevrolet

Smith got the first victory of his career in 2011 at one of NASCAR’s crown jewels, Darlington Speedway. That was clearly the apex of his season though as he finished 26^th in the points standings. Regan is part of one-car operation so he doesn’t have the same amount of resources as bigger operations like Roush, Childress, or Hendricks. That could prohibit him from making the Chase, but he should be able to rack up some more Top 10’s and sneak in a win or two.

Marcos Ambrose- #9 Stanley Tools/DeWalt Ford

Like Smith, Ambrose got the first win of his career in 2011 too. His win came on a road course, which is his specialty. This year Marcos is looking to break the stereotype that he can only win on road courses though. He and his crew chief Todd Parrot have tons of confidence and believe they can win at every track. I expect Ambrose to compete for a Chase spot this season and get a win on an oval.

Other notables:

Kyle Busch- #18 M&M’s/Snickers/Combos Toyota

Jeff Gordon- #24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet

Matt Kenseth- #17 Valvoline/Best Buy Ford

Denny Hamlin- #11 FedEx Toyota

Ryan Newman- #39 U.S. Army/ Quicken Loans/Haas Automation Chevrolet.

            It’s also going to be fun watching drivers getting acquainted to their new teams. Kurt Busch was released by Penske Racing and is now the sole driver for lower-tier team Phoenix Racing. David Reutimann, who has two career wins, was released by Michael Waltrip and will split time with Danica Patrick as part of Tommy Baldwin Racing. Mark Martin is also racing part- time, but he takes Reutimann’s spot at MWR and will split time with Michael Waltrip. Clint Bowyer is also new to the MWR team since he decided to leave Richard Childress Racing; that move was a real head scratcher. David Ragan was let go by Roush Racing and will drive for Front Row Motorsports. Aric Almirola takes over the famed #43 after Allmendinger left.

            I would make predictions for the Chase, but come on, nobody can predict what’s going to happen in one race, let alone 36. I will say, however, that Carl Edwards is my favorite to win the championship. I would also recommend keeping an eye on Brad Keselowski and Dale Jr.

Watch for a Daytona 500 preview in about a week. Also, don’t forget the IndyCar season starts March 25^th. I will have a preview of their season around that time.

One Month Until March Madness!

             Four weeks from this Sunday, 68 teams will be selected to play in the NCAA Tournament. You may know this better as the March Madness Tournament, or that big bracket people fill out to win tons of money. With a month of games left, how many schools from Indiana will make it?

            The college basketball season began with a lot of hype and hopes for Indiana teams. Butler, Purdue, and Notre Dame were expected to make a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. Indiana State, Valparaiso, and Ball State were also expected to have strong teams. Then the success of Indiana University had the whole state buzzing. Most of us Hoosiers thought that four or five teams would be representing Indiana and showing why we love basketball.

            That was back in November. Now, three months later, our expectations have dipped just a bit. The only teams that still have a legitimate chance of making the Tourney in March are: Notre Dame, Purdue, Indiana and Valparaiso. Sure, the rest of the teams could win their conference tournament and earn an automatic bid, but that is going to take a lot of work, and some luck.  

-Note: Rankings are as of the Week 14 (February 6^th) polls. Records are as of games played through February 9^th.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (16-8, 8-3)

Best wins: #19 Marquette, at UConn, vs. #2 Syracuse, at Seton Hall

Worst losses: Georgia, Rutgers, Maryland

The Irish started the season 9-6. The train of thought around the program was the Irish would be playing in the NIT Tournament in March.  They had been blown out by Missouri and Gonzaga, and tough losses in winnable games against Maryland and Georgia. It didn’t get any better as the Irish went 2-2 in their next four games, but now they are on a five-game winning streak and in third place in the Big East Conference. They still aren’t getting much respect (Joe Junardi of ESPN has them projected to get a #8 seed in the NCAA Tourney) but they could earn another runner-up spot in their conference.

Remaining games: vs. DePaul, vs. Rutgers, at Villanova, vs. West Virginia, at St. Johns, at #11 Georgetown, vs. Providence.

Indiana Hoosiers (19-6, 7-6)

Best wins: #1 Kentucky, #3 Ohio State, #25 Michigan

Worst losses: Minnesota, at Nebraska,

Can you believe this team was once 15-1 and was flirting with a very real chance of getting a #1 seed in the Tourney? It’s been a rough January for IU as they went 4-4 with losses to Minnesota and Nebraska. It was a nervous time when the Hoosiers were 17-6 and facing two tough games against Purdue and Illinois. They won both of those games and set themselves up for a great chance to finish with at least 22 wins.

Remaining games: vs. Northwestern, at Iowa, vs. N.C. Central, vs. #12 Michigan State, vs. Purdue

Purdue Boilermakers (15-9, 5-6)

Best wins: Temple, Miami, Illinois, Minnesota

Worst losses: Butler, Penn State, Alabama

The biggest problem with the Boilermakers is they don’t have any great wins, particularly any against a ranked team. They will get three chances in their final seven games though. They played great at Ohio State on February 7^th and almost won there. If they play like that in the final month, they will get to 20 wins no problem.

Remaining games: vs. Northwestern, at Illinois, vs. #12 Michigan State, vs. Nebraska, at #25 Michigan, vs. Penn State, at #23 Indiana

Valparaiso Crusaders (18-8, 11-3)

Best wins: Cleveland State (twice), Butler, Milwaukee

Key losses: IPFW, IUPUI, Green Bay

The Crusaders are one of the best shooting teams in the country as they average a 47% field goal percentage each game. That contributes to the fact they have scored more than 70 points in 15 of their games. They are also in first place in the Horizon Conference. If they win the regular season title, there’s a good chance they will be in the NCAA Tournament, regardless of what happens in the conference tournament. The only tough games left are a trip to Youngstown State and a home bout against Butler.

Remaining games: at Youngstown State, vs. U.I.-Chicago, at Loyola Marymount, vs. Loyola, vs. Butler

Butler Bulldogs (14-12, 8-6)

Best wins: Purdue, Stanford, Youngstown State (twice)

Worst losses: Evansville, Green Bay, Detroit

I may have Butler too high, but let’s not forget this is a team led by one of the best coaches in America. It’s also a team that’s been in the championship game the past two seasons. The Bulldogs are a young team, but one that you can never take lightly. It’s a long shot, but they could win out and sneak into the NCAA Tourney as a #13 or #14 seed just on the strength of what they have accomplished the last two years.

Remaining games: at Cleveland State, vs. Loyola, Indiana State, U.I.-Chicago, at Valparaiso.

Indiana State Sycamores (14-11, 5-9)

Best wins: Ball State, at Vanderbilt, Northern Iowa (twice)

Worst losses: Bradley, Southern Illinois, Boise State

Like Butler, the Sycamores could win the rest of their games and make a case to be selected as a high seed for the Tournament. That’s a huge longshot though, esp. since four of the last five opponents have winning records.

Remaining games: vs. Southern Illinois, vs. Illinois State, at Butler, at Missouri South, vs. #15 Creighton

Ball State Cardinals (12-10, 4-6)

Best wins: Butler

Worst losses: Miami (OH), Eastern Michigan

The Cardinals are in the midst of a five-game losing streak. Before the streak began they were 12-5 and in contention for a conference title. Now their season is all but done. The good news for Ball State fans is the schedule does get easier.

Remaining games: at Kent State, vs. Toledo, vs. Southern Illinois, at Western Michigan, at Eastern Michigan, vs. Central Michigan, vs. Northern Illinois

These bottom three teams are just playing for pride.

Evansville Aces (12-12, 7-7)

IUPUI Jaguars (10-16, 4-10)

IPFW Mastodons (10-14, 4-10)

-each team has five games left.

What's Next For Indy?

            
            We did it Indianapolis! We showed the world that we aren’t just some Midwestern town. We proved that we are a city capable of hosting any event, anytime of the year. Super Bowl XLVI? No problem. More than 1 million people in a week? We can do that. Free concerts every night in frigid temperatures? Yep. Showing “Hoosier Hospitality” to thousands of visitors from across America and the world? Check. Nothing stood in the way of Indianapolis and a successful Super Bowl. Everybody in Indiana should pat themselves on the back because we all played a part in hosting one of the best Super Bowls in history.

           

So what’s next for Indy? Of course we will make another bid for the Super Bowl. In fact, rumor is we will most likely have the 2017 game. What else is out there though? Should we look for just sporting events?

            I read a few articles that said we should try to get a political convention. My first thought is “BORING!” What would that accomplish for us? How would that improve our image? In one of the articles, the writer said that thousands more reporters cover the big conventions than the Super Bowl (I find that incredible hard to believe). Ok great, but do 111 million Americans watch the conventions? Denver held the 2008 Democratic Convention. They have never had a Super Bowl. We are better than Denver. If hosting a convention like that is our next goal, then somebody needs to go to a dictionary and look up the word “ambition”.

Why not stick with sporting events? Indianapolis has the potential to be the greatest sports city in America. We have a professional football and basketball team. We have a minor league baseball and hockey team. We are the home of the NCAA. Dozens of NHRA and IndyCar teams are headquartered here. We are in the heart of Big Ten country. We host the Big 10 Basketball and Football Championships. Did I mention we host the most prestigious race in the United States?

What Indianapolis really needs is a big college football game. I’m pretty certain that we are the only city that has hosted the Final Four and Super Bowl, but never a bowl game. It’s outrageous that some Midwest schools have to travel more than 1,000 miles to play in bowl games while Southern and West Coast teams travel less than 100 miles. Put a big name bowl game in Indy and give the Big Ten an advantage like other conferences get.

If we’re not going to get a post season bowl game, why not a game at the beginning of the season? Chik-fil-A has sponsored a game in Atlanta the past few seasons that matches up two Top 25 teams. There is also an annual kick-off game in Dallas in the new Cowboys Stadium. Sure, we wouldn’t be able to get a showdown between Ohio State and Notre Dame at first, but someday that may happen. It could start off with a second-tier Big Ten team (Purdue, Iowa, Penn State, Nebraska) and second-tier ACC team (Virginia, Clemson, Georgia Tech). Maybe I’m just biased, but a preseason or postseason college football game would be awesome.

            I have also heard people mention hosting an international event. The Olympics or the World Cup is too big for us, so there is a limit on what we could or should have. London is hosting the 2012 Summer Olympic Games and Beijing had them in 2008. We are not on the same level as either of those two. It would be great if Chicago was the host city for either of those events. Then some events and festivities could be held here.

Besides the Super Bowl, Olympics, and the World Cup, what else is there? There are World Championships every year, but Indy has hosted one of those before. There are Formula 1 races, but we had several of those in the early 2000’s. If Indy really wants to break into the soccer world and get some events, then we need to get a professional team. No World Cup or exhibition game is ever going to be played here if we don’t have a soccer team of our own.

             Regardless of what Indianapolis goes after next, I can without a doubt guarantee we will not only get that event, but be the best hosts possible and surpass the expectations of every party involved. Indy is here to stay. Get used to it Chicago and Detroit!

Pacers Keep on Winning

 It was a near perfect week for the Indiana Pacers. Starting on January 29^th, the Pacers went on a four-game winning streak that included wins against a couple of solid teams. They had wins at Orlando and defending champion Dallas. They were also able to beat Kevin Love and the Timberwolves as well as the New Jersey Nets. However, they were not able to win five games in one week when the Magic came to Banker’s Life. The Magic left out Super Bity with a four-point win.

            By going 4-1 in the past five games, Indiana has a 16-7 record and holds the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference. It’s a tight race for the top seeds, and one that is ever-changing. The Bulls, Heat, 76ers, Magic, Hawks and Pacers are separated by five games. Even though we have already beaten the Bulls, they and the Heat are the likely contenders for the top two spot. That leaves the other four teams to battle for the 3-6 spots.

I’m a little biased, but I believe the Pacers are the best out of all of those teams; although our record against those teams doesn’t really prove that. We have played the Hawks and 76ers once. We beat the Hawks but lost to the 76ers, mainly because we were without three key players. We have a 1-2 record against the Magic but still have one game left against them so that record could end up at .500. Indiana will face Atlanta two more times and Philly three more times. Two of the 76ers games come in the final five games of the schedule, so those will most likely play a huge part in which team gets a higher seed for the playoffs.

           

There are three players that have really stepped up their game in the past week. First is second-year man Paul George. George had a career-high 24 points against the Nets and has shot .533 from three-point range in the past five games. Veteran leader Danny Granger is also performing at a high level. Granger had a season-high 36 points against the Timberwolves and has averaged 23.5 points in the past five games. It’s nice to see Granger scoring a lot of points, and more importantly, taking good shots. In the beginning of the season, he still had the mentality of “I have to do everything”. It seems like he has realized that his teammates have the ability make baskets too.

            Last, but still least, is Lou Admundson. Admundson was added to the team before the season began and he has yet to impress me, but he is slowly chipping away at my disgust to him. In the past two games, Lou has gone 8 for 8 on field goals. He still has a lot of work to do to become a consistent force off the bench, but he is showing improvement from where he was at the beginning of the season.

Next 7 games for the Indiana Pacers:

2/7- vs. Utah Jazz (13-10)

2/8- at Atlanta Hawks (16-9)

2/10- at Memphis Grizzlies (12-13)

2/11- vs. Denver Nuggets (15-10)

2/14- vs. Miami Heat (18-6)

2/15- at Cleveland Cavaliers (9-13)

2/16- vs. New Jersey Nets (8-18)

            Six of those games are winnable for the Pacers. Can you guess the one that’s not? That’s right, the Heat. The last time we played Miami they man handled us, and that was without Dwayne Wade. The Jazz and Nuggets are playing well right now, but so are the Pacers. We’ve already beaten Atlanta, Cleveland, and New Jersey so they shouldn’t be a problem. 

UPDATE 2/14: Pacers got off to a good start with a victory against Utah. It all went downhill from there as they lost the next three. The team is playing good but they're just getting beat by better teams. I may just be making excuses but our bench is really sub-par. We have money and cap space to sign a good player and that's what we need to do. Our starting five can compete with anybody. It's our bench players that are failing.

            Watch for my next Pacers’ post in a couple of weeks.

Champions of the World

            The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 21-17 to claim the NFL Championship in dramatic fashion. The Giants had a 9-0 lead in the first quarter, but Tom Brady led his team to a 10-9 lead at halftime. In the third quarter, the Patriots scored another touchdown and kept the Giants to two field goals and had a 17-15 advantage heading into the final quarter. In the 4^th quarter, both teams traded punches but neither was able to score until there was less than two minutes left in the game. That’s when Eli Manning marched his offense down the field and set up a five-yard Ahmad Bradshaw touchdown run. With 57 seconds left, Tom Brady was unable to score a winning touchdown of his own and New York won.

You could not have a scripted a better ending to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. Who would have thought that when the season began, or even when the playoffs began, Eli Manning would be the defender of his brother’s stadium against the hated New England Patriots? Who would have thought that the 9-7 Giants would win three times on the road against higher seeded teams in the playoffs? Who would have thought that they win the Super Bowl in nearly the same way they did four years ago against the same team?

             Nobody thought any of that would happen, but it did, and that’s what makes the Giants victory so special. They are always considered the underdog, but they always find a way to win. Although it was not the result Hoosiers dreamed of before the season, it was pretty close because a quarterback with the last name “Manning” won.

Congrats Giants! Thank you for defeating the Patriots!

Super Bowl Prop Bets

            The Super Bowl is the most watched event on television every year. To say that it is just a game would be a complete understatement. People all across America are hosting “Super Bowl Parties” and people who never watch sports will sit down tonight and tune into the game that decides the NFL Champion.

            The Super Bowl is also one of the most gambled-on sporting events in the world. I thought it would be fun to make up some over/under’s for tonight’s game.

Number of times the announcers say “Peyton” or “Peyton Manning”

Over/under: 3.5

Number of Budweiser/Bud Light commercials

Over/under: 5.5

Number of GoDaddy.com commercials

Over/under: 1.5

Number of songs Madonna sings at halftime

Over/under: 4.5

Number of times the announcer says “Naptown”

Over/under: 2.5

Number of times Monument Circle is shown

Over/under: 3.5

Here are some other bets I found on the internet:

Will Kelly Clarkson’s belly be showing when she performs the national anthem?

Yes or no

What will be the result of the coin toss?

Heads or tails

Will what will Madonna use on stage?

Headset or hand microphone

Will Lebron James score more points against the Raptors tonight than Eli Manning will throw completions?

Yes or no

Super Bowl Preview

  
The rematch. Eli in his brother’s house. Patriots in their rival’s stadium. Brady and Belichick try to make history. Eli attempts to cement his legacy.

            
            Those are just some of story lines for Super Bowl XLVI between the New England Patriots and New York Giants. The Patriots are currently -2.5 point favorites, but that number has dropped since a week ago when it was 3.5. These two teams are almost exact replicas of each other as you’ll see in this preview, so it’s very likely that the game will be decided by three or less points.

            
            In this preview of the Super Bowl I’ll go through each aspect of the game and give a breakdown of how each team handles it.

Pass Offense

Patriots

Starting wide receivers and tight ends: Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez

Led by quarterback Tom Brady, they have one of the most productive passing attacks in the history of the NFL. Brady is helped extensively by two freakishly athletic tight ends, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Those two have combined for 169 receptions, 2200 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns. The Patriots wide receivers are also some of the best. Wes Welker leads the team with 122 receptions, 1560 yards and 9 touchdowns. Keep an eye on receiver Deion Branch too.

Giants

Starting wide receivers and tight ends: Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, Jake Ballard

Before the season, Eli Manning said he should be considered an elite quarterback. Most people scoffed at this idea, including myself. He proved that he does deserve to be in the same class as Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning as he threw for 4933 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2011. Most of the yards and touchdowns were thrown to the Giants young wide receiving corps consisting of Mario Manningham, Victor Cruz, and Hakeem Nicks. The triplet combined for 3,521 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Advantage: I would say the Patriots but Rob Gronkowski may have an injured ankle. If he is not able to perform at 100% then the Patriots offense will struggle. Giants and Eli Manning have the advantage.

Rush Offense

Patriots

Starting offensive line: Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Connolly, Brian Waters, Nate Solder

Running backs: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Kevin Faulk, Danny Woodhead, Stevan Ridley

They have a running game? You may not know because you never hear about it. BenJarvus Green-Ellis (possibly the worst name ever) ran the ball 181 times for 667 yards and 11 touchdowns. However, in the playoffs, he has run the ball 28 times for just 96 yards and 1 touchdown. The Patriots also utilize Stevan Ridley and Danny Woodhead in the backfield. New England will need Green-Ellis to get some production on the ground to open up the passing game and give Brady time to throw the ball.

Giants

Starting offensive line: David Diehl, Kevin Boothe, David Baas, Chris Snee, Kareem McKenzie

Running backs: Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, Henry Hynoski

I had no idea of this, but the Giants have the worst ranked rushing attack in the NFL. Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs split time in the backfield pretty equally. Bradshaw has 171 rushes and 659 yards. Jacobs has 159 rushes for 571 yards. It will be interesting to see how those two share the backfield tonight.

Advantage: Both are pretty equal in my mind. The Patriots may produce more yards, but it’s going to be tough to run against the Giants’ defensive line. Both teams use the pass to set up the run, so whoever has more success in the passing game will have more success in the running game.

Secondary

Patriots

Starting defensive backs: Devin McCourty, Kyle Arrington, James Ihedigbo, Patrick Chung

New England ranks 31^st in passing yards given up, 31^st in total defense and allowed the opposing team to score 20+ points in 13 of their 18 games. Defense is not their strength. Fortunately they have produced 23 interceptions and defended 56 passes. They have not faced many great offenses like the Giants, but they were able to hold Eli Manning to 250 yards and two touchdowns when the teams met earlier this year.

Giants

Starting defensive backs: Corey Webster, Kenny Phillips, Antrel Rolle, Aaron Ross

New York’s’ secondary may not be as bad statistically as New England’s, but it’s still pretty bad. They rank 29^th in passing yards given up and 27^th in total defense. During the season they forced 20 interceptions and defended 82 passes. The Giants have faced three great offenses in the post season and have no problem stopping any of them. They shut out the Falcons, stopped Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, and held the 49ers to less than 200 passing yards. Tom Brady destroyed this unit when they met earlier in the season as he threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns.

Advantage: Patriots.

Linebackers

Patriots

Starting linebackers: Jerod Mayo, Brandon Spikes, Rob Ninkovich, Tracy White

New England uses a 4-3 and 3-4 defense and ranks 17^th in rushing yards given up. The team’s leading tackler and starting linebacker, Jerard Mayo, is one of the best young linebackers and tallied up 95 tackles and 2 interceptions during the season. The Patriots have struggled to stop the run in the postseason and allowed more than 100 yards in each of their games.

Giants

Starting linebackers: Michael Boley, Chase Blackburn, Mathias Kiwanuka

New York gives up an average of 121 rushing yards per game, which puts them at 19^th in the NFL. During the playoffs, the Giants held the Falcons to just 64 yards. They allowed the 49ers and Packers to rush for 150 yards in each games, but did not give up any touchdowns.

Advantage: Giants

Defensive Line

Patriots

Starters: Shaun Ellis, Vince Wilfork, Mark Anderson, Kyle Love, Brandon Deaderick

New England switches between a 3-4 and 4-3 defense, that’s why there are five guys listed. They use both formations to keep offenses off balance and you know Belichick is going to do all he can to confuse Eli Manning. This unit has accumulated 20 sacks and 8 tackles for loss. Their star player is 300 lb. Vince Wilfork who has two interceptions and two great returns.

Giants

Starters: Justin Tuck, Linval Joseph, Chris Canty, Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora

I would consider this the best defensive line in the NFL. Tuck and Pierre-Paul are quick defensive ends that can get to the quarterback quickly (a la Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney of the Colts). You know your line is good when a 2010 All-Pro player is a backup. The Giants defensive linemen sacked opposing quarterbacks 36 times during the season, and had 14 tackles for loss.

Advantage: Giants. This is where the game is going to be won for the Giants. If they can get to Brady and force him to make quick decisions, they can force turnovers and incomplete passes. They did just that against the Packers. It should continue today.

Coaching

Both teams have great coaches. Bill Belichick is considered one of the best coaches of all time, but if he wants that consideration from me than he has to win this Super Bowl. Tom Coughlin has never gotten any kind of recognition for what he has done. In fact, he spends most of the regular season on the hot seat. He could give himself a couple years of security with a win tonight.

Advantage: Belichick, slightly.

            The Giants and the Patriots are equal in nearly every aspect. I said it up there and I’ll say it again. The deciding factor in the game will be how much pressure each defensive line can get on the opposing quarterback. New York has the advantage there and that’s why I think they will get the win.

Prediction: Giants beat the Patriots 27-17.