Sully's Rebuttal

Sully’s Purdue Rebuttal to the 20 Reasons IU Absolutely Sucks

I've seen Purdue fans posting this listing over the past couple of days.  It has forced me to come out of blogger retirement to provide my rebuttal, to their rebuttal.  Enjoy! Go Hoosiers!!

1. The limestone makes IU’s campus look like an insane asylum.

Sully: Indiana was listed as one of Travel and Leisure’s Most Beautiful Campuses in 2014. Strangely, Purdue was not.

2. Everyone can agree that crimson is the worst shade of red and no one wants to wear a cream colored shirt that looks like you got showered in semen.

S: Leave it to a Purdue fan to bring up semen.

                               

3. Purdue has more players in the NFL that made the playoffs than IU has in the entire league.

S: This is a college debate, right? Well then … We have the #OldOakenBucket.

4. The inventor of chicken nuggets did his research at Purdue.  You’re welcome.

S: The inventor of cutting a chicken into little pieces? Impressive. Really put that engineering degree to good use.

5. The majority of IU’s fanbase went to Ball State or a community college.

S: No one else cares about Purdue. Sorry, I’m not sorry.

6. Everyone is tired of the “IUBB” hashtag. No, IU you will not be getting another banner, give it up.

S: You’re tired of us wanting to get another banner, IU fans are tired of Purdue fans wanting to be relevant.

7. You have no mascot to represent your school. Claiming the “Hoosier” doesn’t make sense considering Purdue also represents Indiana.

S: Most people outside of Indiana probably don’t even realize Purdue is in Indiana.         

8. IU isn’t considered the Ivy league of the Midwest like we are.

S: Hahahahahahahahaha. That is all.

9. Purdue has been ranked as one of the most difficult schools to receive an A, and yes, most graduate with over a 3.0 GPA.

S: How hard is it to get an ‘A’ or a 3.0 when you have to perform research in order to figure out you can cut a chicken in to little pieces?

10. We don’t have a dorm known as McSlut.

S: Purdue wishes they had a dorm known as McSlut.

11. IU’s breakfast clubs are not even comparable to Purdue’s.

S: We tailgated so hard for so many years they finally enforced restrictions which forced us to settle for breakfast clubs.

12. They don’t have Cactus Thursdays, and who doesn’t love Cactus Thursdays? (Neon Cactus was ranked as being one of the 31 Best College Bars in America by Business Insider)

S: Kilroy’s is on that list too, soooooo. Yeah, there’s that.

13. We’re not one of the top party schools, you are correct. We are actually proud of this. We were, however, just ranked as a top 20 public school in the nation. IU was not. We think this is more relevant to potential employers than our party school ranking..

S: Written by someone who never got invited to a college party. Also somewhat contradicts item #12 which brags about the “bar scene.”

                               

14. Purdue is home to 22 Big Ten championships and 28 All-Americans.

S: For your entire athletic department? Pathetic (the lack of detail in your rebuttal is just another example of a #BoilerFail)

15. Purdue fans are known as the most loyal, whether we suck or not.

S: Purdue always sucks, so there is no “whether” about it.

16. Purdue graduate, Neil Armstrong, had the first steps on the moon.  Gene Cernan was the last man to walk on the moon (also a Purdue grad).

S: It’s a step up from bragging about researching chicken nuggets, I’ll give you that.

17. IU classes go later than 6:30 pm and no one has time for that.

S: What else happens at Purdue besides classes? Please enlighten your “potential employers” referenced in item #13.

18. Our food courts win 10 times out of 10. We don’t gain the “freshman 15″ thanks to our new $100 million dollar, 450,000 square feet rec sports facility.

S: Yeah, but does your food court have Potato Ole’s?

19. How can we be your “little brother” when we are 78-32 against you in football and 113-88 against you in basketball?

S: For a school that wants IU fans to stop living in the past isn’t it ironic that you’re providing ‘historical’ data.

20. This.

S:

Beat Purdue!!

L-EARN-ing Their Stripes

Six months ago Ms. Kathryn Sullivan had an idea.  A vision to get her third grade students excited about the possibility of attending college.  Three months ago a project ensued. The result? A video that spoofed "This is Indiana" as seen below:

:

See post related to when the video was released here.

 
Fast forward to today, the video has amassed over 40,000 views (after going viral in the days leading up to an IU basketball game against then #1 Michigan).  It has been recognized on Twitter by big time Hoosier accounts.  Like that of Mark Cuban, IU Bloomington, Inside the Hall and Chronic Hoosier just to name a few.

And just like the original Fox & Weber video inspired these kids, these kids inspired a nation... Hoosier Nation.  Without solicitation, Hoosiers from all over wanted to personally make sure they made it to Bloomington.  From out of state dontaions from as far south as Florida, to being featured on an Indiana University statewide faculty newsletter (click here), to even the Assistant Coach of the 2012 National Champion Hoosier Men's Soccer team, Coach Ernie Yarborough, offering to give the students a tour of the athletics facilities; one thing was clear:  Hoosier Nation embraced the students as their own.

All of the support didn't go by the wayside.  As a result, a vision was realized as evidenced by the below photos taken on campus earlier today:

In front of the Sample Gates sporting IU sunglasses provided by University President Michael McRobbie

 

Having fun with Herman B. Wells

 

Some students ran into Hoosier basketball player Raphael Smith

 

Senior Hoosier basketball player Jordan Hulls taking a group photo with the students

 

 

Indiana University Athletic Director Fred Glass speaking to the students

 

 

Hanging out at Coach Hep's Rock within Memorial Stadium

 

 

Group photo with Hoosier Legend Calbert Cheaney

 

 

On behalf of Ms. Sullivan and her third grade class from Cold Spring Environmental Magnet School in Indianapolis, THANK YOU!!

 

NOTE:  Photos are being provided by both Ms. Sullivan, as well, as directly from IPS Schools. Further updates on the student's trip, including additional photos, can be found on this post or you can follow @IPSSchools on Twitter.

In Hindsight: Michigan Wolverines

Wait, is there a game on tonight?

On a night that featured the highest ranking teams to ever square off in Assembly Hall, this Indiana team did something no other Hoosier team has done: beat the number one team in back-to-back seasons.  It was only fitting that a game of this magnitude was primetime the Saturday before the Super Bowl. 

I found myself watching the game at a local beverage distributor with some friends, of which, one was a diehard Michigan fan.  Throughout the game there were certainly some questionable calls that maybe an unbiased fan would say went the Hoosiers way.  Naturally, talks of the "Hall of Calls" and "homer-isms" were directed at the TV by the Wolverine fan and other objective viewers.  This talk would have normally bothered me in the past, but I gained some knowledge from Dan Dakich this past week from his radio show and I want to share it with the rest of you.  I am going to paraphrase what he said and I promise I won't be able to put it as elegantly as he put it:

I don't think people realize when they refer to Assembly Hall as the 'Hall of Calls' I take it as a compliment.  It speaks to tradition.  Does Mackey Arena get those calls? No.  You have individuals that get paid $15,000 to be objective that do not always make the right call.  It's tradition.

After thinking back to Dakich's wisdom, for the first time I embraced the pseudo trash talk. The result? It absolutely increased my enjoyment of the game watching experience, much to the chagrin of the Wolverine fan.  With that small tangent out of the way, let's jump into three things we learned from last night's game:

1.  The real winner last night was Hoosier Nation.  I could only guess that the attendance for College GameDay was one of the largest the show has seen.  The door's opened at 8 AM and when the show started at 10 AM the entire West side of Assembly Hall was completely full.  Hoosier Nation and the tradition of Indiana University basketball were on full display for the world to see.  And let's just say you prefer to watch golf over basketball for whatever reason, you still knew there was a game.

 

 

IU alumnus Jeff Overton received permission from the PGA tour to wear the candy stripe warm-ups for one hole during the third round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open yesterday afternoon.

 

The energy that was showcased during the two hour show on ESPN carried over to tip off.  Local, regional, national media members alike were impressed with the environment.  Mike Pegram, founder of Peegs.com stated it was the loudest first five minutes of a game he's ever attended.  Assistant Athletic Director Jeremy Gray confirmed that last night set a new decibel record at 116.  Post game, Jay Bilas noted that "College GameDay at Indiana was one of our best ever.  Assembly Hall is a special place, and the people of Bloomington were tremendous!"

 

Side Note:  I think what makes events like this special at Indiana is the tradition.  My father graduated from Indiana in 1982.   He still gets goose bumps when he attends games because it has remained unchanged. 

 

 

 

For those who haven't seen it, the above is a picture of Indiana's alternate jersey's provided by Adidas.  Personally, I am not a fan.  I feel like Indiana is unique because they don't give in to fads such as this.  All that I ask is that if the Hoosiers do sport these jerseys at some point, please do not let it be in Assembly Hall and they better not have a name on the back.

 

2.  Victor Oladipo is NBA bound... after this year.  If there was any remaining doubt about whether Oladipo was leaving at season's end, he answered it this week.  In a week that featured two nationally televised games against ranked conference foes, as well as, a heated rivalry game his stat line reads:  17.6 PPG on 58% shooting, 38% from deep, 5.0 RPG, 3.6 SPG, 1.7 APG and 1.3 BPG.  He is the best defender in the Big Ten and arguably the entire country.  He doesn't play five positions, but he can guard all five effectively.  And with the addition of a jump shot that other teams have to respect, he has the most complete offensive skill set on the nations top-rated offense.  With that being said, let the unfortunate countdown begin.  Assembly Hall has four games left to enjoy "Zell-adipo" (they deserve a nickname that rivals Hollywood couples).

 

3.  Trey Burke will be the National POY.  There was a ridiculous stat thrown out there after the game last night.  In forty-five possessions, guarding four different people, Oladipo only gave up four points.  They were to Trey Burke.  I treat that like shooting Chuck Norris the wrong look twice and getting away with it.  His actual stat-line from last night's game was 25 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals.  The crazy thing is, the numbers alone do not do any justice to how impressive he was.  He made step-back fade-aways look easy, did cross-overs that made my ankles hurt and it didn't even look like he was trying.  He is better than advertised and all you need to know is that the only person in Big Ten history to average 17.0+ PPG and 7.0+ APG over the course of an entire season is Magic Johnson.  Burke is currently averaging 18.2 PPG and 7.2 APG.

Beyond Hoosier Pride

If you are an Indiana basketball fan then you are familiar with the “This is Indiana” video created by Hoosier alumni Brice Fox and Daniel Weber:





It went from being a viral YouTube sensation to now being a part of the Hoosier home game routine as the video is played on the big screen in Assembly Hall as halftime comes to a close.  In a 2011 interview with Bloomington’s Herald Times, not even Fox and Weber could have predicted the success the video would have in such a short period of time.  Now fast forward two years.  Would you believe me if I told you that the video has become bigger than any basketball team or University?  I think Kathryn Sullivan’s third grade class at Cold Spring Environmental Magnet School in Indianapolis would.  As you will find out, this generation’s Hoosier anthem has become next generation’s inspiration.

Part of the third grade curriculum within the Indianapolis Public School system is college preparation and readiness.  As an alumnus of Indiana University, Ms. Sullivan decided to use her alma mater as a learning tool for her students.  According to Ms. Sullivan, it was encouraged to teach the students as much about her chosen school as possible.  Outside of the advantages of attending college, the students learned the school song, cheers, what campus life was like, the types of degrees that could be earned at IU among other things.  When discussing Indiana athletics, Ms. Sullivan decided to introduce her class to “This is Indiana.”  It was an instant hit.  I will let the following video show you just how big of a hit it was:

[Disclaimer:  Still awaiting proper approvals to show video as it is footage from within the school.  The video shows the students heads down studying listening to the song and as soon as the phrase "This is I-U-U-U" comes on, every student makes the motion with their hands.]

The song is played multiple times a day while her students are studying or taking tests.  Ms. Sullivan has said that this song has helped her drive home the importance of attending college.  In the four months she has been teaching college preparation and readiness, she has seen improvement in many of their grades, as well as, their eagerness to learn increase.  “All of my students want to go to college now.  They all come into my classroom each day with the drive and dream of one day taking that step.”

It is that improvement that gave Ms. Sullivan the idea of taking things one step further.  As part of a third grade project entitled “College Bound,” she decided to recreate the “This is Indiana” video with the hopes that it could lead to a campus visit for the students. 

To help her with this vision, Ms. Sullivan needed someone with experience in creating videos.  Mika Brown, a freelance camera operator that has helped broadcast live sports for networks such as ESPN and Fox Sports, was approached and accepted the task.   Brown's initial reaction to the idea, "Wow, what a great opportunity to not only support IU Basketball, but more importantly help make a difference in these kids lives."  For one week, with their parents permission, the students stayed after school for a total of four hours to create a spoof of a video they have grown to love.  On her part with the project, Brown notes, "I really enjoyed playing a small role in this project.  [Ms. Sullivan] had a vision and really made it come to life.  I'm excited for other's to see it."

I am extremely honored to be a part of the debut of this video to Hoosier Nation and the rest of the blogosphere.  Ms. Sullivan not only has these students one step closer to a campus visit that otherwise wouldn’t have happened, she has them enthused about the prospects of attending college.  “'This is Indiana' helped create the excitement for college that turned a one month requirement into a yearlong project.  They now understand why they come to school every day and have a goal that they can continually work towards.”

Ladies and gentleman, non-Hoosiers and Hoosiers alike, I present to you:

"This is Indiana" - Cold Spring Environmental Magnet 3rd Graders from mika brown on Vimeo.

 

 

 

Thank you to Mika Brown for taking the time to answer some questions, as well as, for her part in this story. To view other videos that Mika Brown has created, you can access her Vimeo page here.  You can also follow her on Instagram @MikaMakenzie.

 

Additionally, I'd like to extend a special thanks to Kathryn Sullivan for allowing me to share this wonderful story.  She found a unique way to inspire her students and in turn created an environment that fosters setting and achieving goals, as evidenced by this video.  Fantastic job sis, very proud of you!!

UPDATE (02/01/2013 4:24 PM):  For those wishing to donate money to help make the campus visit possible for Ms. Sullivan's 3rd grade class, you can mail checks to the following address:

Cold Spring Environmental Magnet School
Attn: Kathryn Sullivan
3650 Cold Spring Road
Indianapolis, IN 46222

Please make checks payable to "Cold Spring School."

B1G Thoughts

There is not much, as far as analysis is concerned, that can be said with regards to yesterday's tilt with Northwestern.  A more talented Indiana team dominated an inferior opponent in the first half.  This was promptly followed up by a hard to watch second half whereby Bill Carmody made adjustments and the Hoosiers just stayed the same.  I've already made my opinion known regarding Tom Crean's in-game coaching ability, here.  But, at the end of the day, one can not argue that the Hoosiers are currently 4-1 with three road wins in the toughest conference in the country.

Those three road wins are tops in the Big Ten.  Schools with two road wins include Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Northwestern.  On the other side of the spectrum, the only teams that do not have a Big Ten road victory on its resume are Illinois and Penn State.  Of course I know the Hoosier hater's response to the above statistic, "Well, look who they have played!" 

As only a Hoosier fan could, allow me to find the silver lining in each of Indiana's Big Ten road victories:

at Iowa - Iowa just beat Wisconsin.  That is the same Wisconsin team that was coming off of an unbelievable victory on the road against the number two team in the country (at this point the fact that team was Indiana is irrelevant to me).  Wisconsin simultaneously made Indiana look amazing and awful in the same game.  It proves that Iowa City is indeed a tougher place to play than most people realize.  Of course, that is in my completely unbiased opinion.

at Penn State -  It is quite simple.  Penn State beat Bucknell at home.  Purdue lost to Bucknell at home.  Purdue sucks.

at Northwestern -  Northwestern was coming off of its signature win of the season at then-ranked Illinois in Champaign.  That is the same Illinois team that beat Ohio State.  Illinois's other signature win?  Follow me through this semi-tangent:

Illinois also beat a top ten team that lost to Butler, has a stud seven footer, an inconsistent veteran forward that has a history of showing up for big games, a do it all guard and a young inexperienced point guard that shows flashes of brilliance.  No, Illinois hasn't already played Indiana, I'm referring to Gonzaga.  The more I thought about the similarities between the Zags and Hoosiers it began to scare me.  For this reason, I'm already concerned about the February 7th game at the fake Assembly Hall.  Someone please tell Crean that if they watch any tape in preparation for that game that it be the early season match-up between the Illini and Bulldogs.

My overriding point is any three road wins in this conference at this point in the season is impressive.  Indiana has done a lot of things right.  To this point, I do feel that this young team has handled the lofty preseason expectations well.  In order to end up where Hoosier Nation would like them to be at the end of the season, they still have a of work to do.  With that being said, I have identified three areas that I feel will dictate just how successful this team can be:

1.  Yogi needs to find his confidence.  Everyone knows what kind of point guard he is.  His ball-handling skills and court awareness are second to none on this team.  But when you look down Indiana's starting line-up, who are opposing teams least likely to game plan for?  This certainly isn't a knock against the freshman.  The fact is, you're beginning to see how teams are going to start playing Indiana.  They're playing off Yogi to prevent him from getting to the basket and to make it hard for entry passes into the post.  People from Indiana know he can score.  I have heard analysts say that his lack of confidence in his shot stems from the fact that he has gained so much muscle mass since arriving in Bloomington.  As such, his shot has yet to conform to his new body.  As soon as he trusts his shot, the number one offense in the country just got a lot better.

2.  A healthy #BenchMob.  One of the biggest advantages heading into the season was the fact that Indiana was going to be legitimately 13 players deep.  Of course, the Hoosiers have already lost Austin Etherington for the season at a time when he was beginning to provide quality minutes.  Add in injuries to both Maurice Creek and Derek Elston and you have a team that has had to deal with more injuries than most teams.  Creek provides another scoring threat that can come off of the bench for short bursts in order to provide others with rest.  Elston is a battle-tested veteran that brings an element of toughness to the Hoosiers second unit.  Given the up and down style that Crean uses, it cannot be stressed how important a deep bench is for this team; which also leads me into my final point:

3.  A rested Victor Oladipo is a stellar Victor Oladipo.  This isn't to say that the other players don't play hard and deserve rest, but realistically speaking, no one else for the Hoosiers has the motor that Oladipo has.  Because of that, I am already worried about how much his effectiveness could potentially diminish late in the season if we can't find him more minutes of rest.  Of course, the above point regarding a healthy bench (specifically Maurice Creek) can help this situation.  I honestly do think that Oladipo's newly formed habit of fouling jump shooters could have something to do with fatigue. At any rate, he thrives in this system, as evidenced by many calling "snub" on the fact he didn't make The Wooden Award mid-season 25 list.  In order to maintain his production, however, the Hoosiers need to find ways to sustain for longer periods of time without him on the court than they have shown so far this season.

Like this Hoosier team, the Big Ten season is still young.  This is certainly going to be one of the most entertaining and unpredictable seasons in recent memory.  Although a lot has to go right in a season like this, Indiana is more than capable of being the last team standing.  Three conference road wins are three steps in the right direction, but the three areas above are going to go a long way in determining how far this team can dance.

CBB Picks: 1/17/2013

Well it's a few games into the conference season and I think it's time to actually start making some picks.  I've gotten to watch most of the Big Ten teams several times and hopefully have calibrated my pick-making skill... yeah, let's call it skill.  Unlike when I first started the blog, I'm going to keep the reasoning short in sweet.  Who cares much about the reasoning behind picks if you're getting them right, right? Right.

So here we go, my first college basketball picks of the 2012-13 season:

Game:  Michigan @ Minnesota, 7:00PM
Pick:  Michigan ML (+125)

Ah, I've missed this.  First pick right out of the gate is a road dog in a clash of top 10 teams in the Big Ten where road wins are a luxury.  Let's revisit Michigan's first loss against rival Ohio State.  Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. shot a combined 9 for 28 from the field and Nick Stauskas didn't register a single point (averages 12.7ppg).  It's quite simple, I don't expect that the Wolverines top two offensive threats and one of the best three point shooters in the country to have off nights in the same game tonight.  They lost by three, on the road, against their heated rival with those performances.  The Barn is an extremely tough place to play, but I'm predicting Michigan to win out right by four to seven points.  If you want to play it safe, I obviously am not opposed to Michigan +2.5 either.

Game:  Florida @ Texas A&M, 7:00PM
Pick:  Texas A&M +10.5

Let me preface this pick with the fact that I don't follow the SEC all that much.  Color me crazy, but giving a home team 10.5 points during conference play, a team that is coming off a big road win at Kentucky (I know Kentucky isn't as good as people thought, but any win at Rupp Arena is legit), doesn't sit right with me.  I'm purely taking Texas A&M out of principle.  Also, the total on this game is 122.  Friendly advice from a friend of mine suggested coupling your home dog with the over.  All you need is Texas A&M to get to 56 points (they're averaging 67 points) and you're at least going to push on the game.

Game:  Northwestern @ Illinois, 8:15 PM
Pick:  Illinois -10.0

If Northwestern had Drew Crawford, well not only would I not pick Illinois here they would probably only be six or seven point favorites.  The Wildcats just don't have the athletes to effectively and consistently defend the Illini.  They are known for their Princeton style offense which can give teams fits at times, but they won't be able to score enough points.  I expect this to be a night where Brandon Paul gets 25+ points and has a legit shot to add another 40 point game to his resume.  Illinois is the team that lives and dies by the three.  This may be one of the few games in conference they won't have to be reliant on the deep ball, but if they're hitting, it could get ugly quick.

Over Reaction or Valid Concern?

How far can talent alone take a team?  That's something to ask John Calipari about his 2010 team (a team that featured John Wall, Demarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe that fell short in the Elite 8).  How far can pure genius, from an in-game coaching perspective, take a team?  That's something to ask Brad Stevens about his 2010 and 2011 teams (neither team had high pre season expectations, but in hindsight his 2010 team was legitimately good).

One thing is for certain, Indiana has enough talent to make a run at both the Big Ten and National championships.  And up until this point, Coach Tom Crean has lived up to any and all expectations placed on him when he took the head coaching position.  He inherited a program with nothing to offer aside from its tradition and rich history and built it back up to where it used to be from a personnel stand point.  It is now "cool" to go to Indiana to play basketball once again.  However, for three years he was able to hide behind the fact that there just wasn't a lot of talent on the roster.  Now that the talent has arrived, fans have finally gotten the chance to see what the Crean system looks like.

It's fast paced, it's exciting and to use a term that Stephen A. Smith coined to describe RGIII, it's "box office"... when shots are falling, that is.  What seems to be occurring more and more frequently are long periods of stagnant offense.  This was never more apparent and more glaring than last night at home in Assembly Hall against Wisconsin.  Sure, the Hoosiers went into halftime with a one point lead, but our offensive struggles were overshadowed by Cody Zeller's 8-8 from the field for 18 point performance.  Take Zeller's statistics away and the Hoosiers shot in the 25-27% range. 

During his interview heading into the visiting locker room, Bo Ryan made it clear they were willing to allow Zeller to score at will, as they were trying to take away the Hoosiers three point shooting.  This was abundantly clear all game with how the Badgers swarmed Jordan Hulls every time he touched the ball.  I was expecting the Hoosiers to come out and run some set plays to free some of their shooters up, but they never came.  At each timeout, as the offense continued to struggle, I kept telling myself that adjustments were coming, but they didn't.

An offense that is predicated on taking place primarily in transition was stymied by a disciplined Wisco defense that forced the Hoosiers to play in the half court.  Their set plays, if you want to call them that, rely on the defense not being completely set and with enough ball movement, usually leads to wide open jump shots or easy baskets.  But when the transition game isn't effective, what is the Hoosier's Plan B?  I honesty don't have an answer to that.

Don't get me wrong, I would put Crean up against any coach in the country when it comes to recruiting (I've mentioned in a previous post that he is 3-0 in head to head recruiting battle with Roy Williams) and player development (Victor Oladipo, unranked high school recruit to top 30 prospect in most NBA mock drafts).  As far as in game adjustments?  That's where the uncertainty for this team lies. 

Call it an over reaction and I can admit that I'm still not quite thinking clearly after the loss, but could it be that Indiana's ceiling is based on Crean's ability (or lack thereof) to adjust to the flow of each game?  I know some people will say that some of the blame has to lie with the players and that he can't control how they play, I get it.  But much like the quarterback position in football, the head coach in college basketball has to call audibles to get his team in the best position to win.  I didn't see that from Crean last night and it's not the first time I haven't seen it from him this season. 

I'm not an expert.  I don't claim to be.  I am, however, an avid fan that has an opinion based on what I have been seeing.  That doesn't mean my support for Crean has diminished in any way, shape or form, but that doesn't mean I'm not concerned.

Consider this post my opinionated-driven, amateur-esque attempt at a call to action.  Shut me up Crean.  Shut up those that are having doubts, whether they're over reacting or not, and the Hoosiers will be just fine.

In Hindsight: Iowa Hawkeyes

Blogger's Note:  While most of you made resolutions to get healthier or to give up a vice or two, I've decided that one of my New Year's resolutions will be to post more on this blog.  According to the site, I haven't posted since May 12, 2012.  In my defense, there was absolutely nothing going on in the world of Indiana athletics.  However, since my last post Hoosier Men's Soccer added an 8th National Championship (second most in the nation behind the University of Saint Louis); Tom Crean has continued his dominance on the recruiting trail landing 2013's No. 7 overall prospect Noah Vonleh (which increases CTC's head-to-head recruiting record with Roy Williams to 3-0 since coming to Indiana -- Cody Zeller & Troy Williams being the other two recruits); and Robert Montgomery Knight made a step, albeit a really small one, in coming home to Hoosier Nation when he called his first Indiana basketball game on November 19th against the Georgia Bulldogs. 

A lot has happened in between posts.  But the Hoosiers just started B1G play, which will be the focus of this post and hopefully the many more to follow. 

Sully's back ... at least through the basketball season.

 

 

I really think the above picture depicts the type of game we saw in Indiana's B1G opener against Iowa in Iowa City on New Year's Eve.  It wasn't pretty, but it still goes in the "W" column.  There wasn't much to take away from the non-conference schedule other than Assembly Hall is a really tough place to play, the Tarheels were overrated and the Bulldogs were underrated.  So what could we take away after one game into the B1G season?

 

1.  The Hoosiers won in spite of Jordan Hulls's struggles.  The Hawkeyes didn't lose because of Roy Marble's struggles.

 

Simple math would indicate that if Marble went 4 - 14 rather than 1 - 14 shooting the Hawkeye's should have won.  Maybe so.  My point is that nine times out of ten Hulls will not go opher from the floor.  Additionally, nine times out of ten Victor Oladipo will shut down Marble.  The only evidence you need is to go back and look at the shot selection of both players.  Over half of the shots that Hulls attempted were open looks that he normally makes with a blindfold on; while over half of shots Marble took were either highly contested or just forced.  Marble can say that Indiana is a team they know they can beat all he wants (which is exactly what he said postgame), I just hope he knows that if Oladipo is guarding him they'll have to do it without him.

 

2.  Zone defense is something IU fans will have t get used to during the B1G season.

 

I don't have any advanced metrics or crazy statistics to back up what I am about to say, but they're unnecessary.  The eye test confirms the Hoosiers are a much better man-to-man team.  Countless times Iowa would claw their way back into the game by converting uncontested shots given up by the Hoosier zone.  Why does CTC continuously revert to this scheme?  Protection.  There aren't many teams, if any, that the back court of Jordan Hulls and Yogi Ferrell can guard for multiple possessions.  Case and point:  After Hulls picked up his second foul early in the first half (both came while in man-to-man), whenever Hulls saw the floor (up until several minutes into the second half) the Hoosiers were strictly in a zone.  It appeared to me that it was to help prevent Hulls from picking up his third foul.  As much as Hulls has improved his defensive skill set (for those that follow closely, it is obvious that he has), he will still get punished by other guards in the B1G.  Switching to a less effective zone defense shows his worth on the offensive end.  Don't chalk this up to CTC's lack of in game adjustments, this is nothing more than a tactic to maintain Hulls's playing time while only occasionally (at best) catching teams off guard.

 

3.  The Hoosiers have a chip on their shoulder this season... and his name is Will Sheehey.

 

I can list a few recent Hoosiers that had relentless energy and could single-handedly change the momentum upon checking into any given game.  Guys like A.J. Moye, Roderick Wilmont, and most notably the legend that is Tijan Jobe.  Not since Dane Fife has Indiana had some one in which Hoosier Nation adored while every other fan base despised.  Let me paint a picture for you:

 

Will Sheehey steps to the free throw line for the first time in Iowa City.  Even while watching on TV, audible "Shee-hey Sucks!" chants could be heard from the Hawkeye student section (probably because they're jealous of his oh so sweet mid-range game.  I'm not kidding, I would put his mid-range jumper up against anyone else's in the country... P-U-R-E).  As if he's the only person in the arena he bounces the ball twice, eyes the shot.... Swish.  Silence.

 

Sheehey relishes the role of being the thorn to every non-Hoosier fan in the country.  It is that exact attitude that the entire team needs to adopt if they want to meet the lofty pre-season expectations fans and national syndicates alike have bestowed upon them.  They need to be un-flappable, un-phaseable (word?), ultra-competitive, scrappy... they need to be like, Will Sheehey.



Off Season: It's Nothing Personal...

... It's just business.  Sit back and think about how much not only college basketball, but collegiate athletics as a whole, has changed in the new millennium.  Specifically, focus in on the Indiana Hoosier basketball team.  You will not find a college program that has gone through more in the past 12 years than the Hoosiers have had to endure.

What triggered it all?  The firing of legendary coach Bob Knight in 2000.  Since then I would argue that the Hoosiers have been on the wildest roller coaster ride in the history of college athletics.  It all started in what surely Hoosier Nation thought was the lowest of lows after the abrupt departure of Knight.  What everyone failed to realize at that point was the fact that the old school, tradition laden ways left with him.

Of course, when you're a blue-blood program, winning creates a naivete that blinds even the smartest fans from what is actually taking place, cough cough Mike Davis cough.  He takes the Hoosiers to a national title game and all seems to be forgiven.  At the time, no one seemed to care that he did it with Bob Knight's players.  Hindsight is of course 20/20 because I'm sure plenty of people will now say they didn't agree with the contract extension that followed the championship run because of that fact alone.

Or maybe it was because of this:

It happened against Kentucky no-less (I'll speak on Kentucky a little bit later).  Enter Kelvin Sampson.  This was a pretty controversial hire as he had a previous issues with the NCAA.  He starts winning, naivete strikes again.  I can even admit I was skeptical at first, but as soon as DJ White and company dawned the candy stripes and started playing, I thought he was the best thing since Knight.

We all know what happened after that, there is no need to go through the turmoil that clouded over Bloomington the following 5 years.

Tom Crean finally has the program on the rise and is on the verge of obtaining the program's first preseason number one ranking in over 20 years.  From the outside looking in it appears to have been done the right way (I refuse to ever let winning get in the way of my perception of this team again).

And just when everything seemed to be back at the status quo, Kentucky AND Indiana pulled the proverbially rug out from under the college basketball universe.

Kentucky (aka Coach Cal) doesn't want to subject his young players to hostile environments ... fine, I get that.  Indiana wants to make the game more accessible and affordable to it's student body ... sure, makes sense.  But for these two storied programs to be unable to arrive at some sort of compromise is absolutely unacceptable.

This game has been played every year since 1969.  At both neutral sites and home-and-homes.  Not only did these programs just put themselves before tradition; AND implicitly say they were individually bigger than the rivalry; AND made this about egos rather than the game ... they took away what was sure to be the marquee non-conference match up of the entire season next year.  When did Kentucky become all about money (dumb question, but I'm on a roll just go with it)? And when did Indiana become so stubborn (after all they turned down back to back games in Banker's Life and Lucas Oil in favor of a home-and-home)?

Next year's match-up could have been the coming out party for the new era between old rivals.  Last year's result was completely unexpected.  But next year could have been special.  Six times these teams have met when both were ranked in the Top 5.  The last time that happened?  An overtime game 25 years ago in 1987.

Who knows when the next time we'll see the Indiana Hoosiers play the Kentucky Wildcats? But if it makes you feel any better, it's nothing personal Indiana / Kentucky fans, it's just business.

Off Season: Scholly Situation

In the second post of my "Off Season" series, previewing the 2012-13 Indiana Hoosier basketball season, I'm going to go through some possible scenarios that Coach Crean will consider with regards to the team's current scholarship situation.  With the return of both Christian Watford and Cody Zeller (see my reaction here), as well as, the arrival of The Movement, the Hoosiers will have 14 scholarship players.  That is one more than the 13 scholarships that the NCAA allows.

Had a similar situation happened over the last four years, I could easily give a laundry list of players that I would prefer to see transfer or give up a scholarship to make room ... but this year, not so much.  For the first time that I can remember, the Hoosiers have 12 legitimate D1 players on their roster.  In all likelihood, we will have potential future first round draft picks coming off the bench next year.  I don't want to see any changes to our current roster, but something obviously has to give.  Below, I will go through a few possible solutions, how I would react to those solutions, and how likely I think they will happen.

1.  Austin Etherington gives up his scholarship.  When you look up and down the returning scholarship players on the roster, Etherington stands out as the player who didn't get as much playing time or make that much of an impact.  I know a lot of people will throw out the suggestion to just red-shirt him for his sophomore year.  The assumption people make here is that because he doesn't play his scholarship won't count.  Wrong.  Players that red-shirt who receive a scholarship still count against the maximum amount the NCAA allows.  I do think this makes the most sense based on the amount of playing time, or lack there of, Etherington will see next year ... but I think this is the least likely thing to happen.  Tom Crean is as loyal as they come.  Etherington was the first domino to fall in the 2012 class and as soon as he committed he devoted his time to recruiting Cody Zeller which ultimately lead to The Movement.  How much impact Etherington had recruiting Zeller?  No one for sure knows, but I expect Crean to honor Etherington's commitment before the resurrection occurred.

2.  Cody Zeller gives up his scholarship.  Let's crunch some numbers real quick.  Zeller has two older brother's.  Both of them received full rides to Notre Dame and North Carolina respectively.  Tyler will be making six figures in the NBA next season.  Cody is already projected to be the #1 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and will himself be making six figures.  You would think if there was one player on the Hoosiers current roster that would not be affected financially by giving up a scholarship it would be Zeller.  It also wouldn't be first time we've seen the star player of a collegiate team make this kind of sacrifice.  Freshman center and highly touted recruit Andre Drummond decided to walk on to Connecticut's basketball team, just last season, rather than take a scholarship that a teammate had to have given up .  He knew that he would be entering the NBA Draft the following year and didn't want to take anything away from someone who was probably staying all four years.  I don't know how likely this scenario is, but I do know that if it does happen, it's a sign pointing to the fact that Zeller will be entering the draft after next season.

3.  Someone from The Movement attends a prep school.  Let me be more specific, it would either be Peter Jurkin or Ron Patterson.  Of those two I would say the more likely to happen would be Ron Patterson based on depth.  Had Remy Abell not come on late in the season and proven himself to be a viable back-up  this would be a little bit more cloudy for me.  But when you look at the Hoosier's depth in the front court I think it's safe to say that Peter Jurkin needs to be on our roster.  Right now our front court is Cody Zeller, Hanner Perea, which Perea could find himself in the starting lineup at some point during the season. Should that happen, that would only leave Derek Elston on the bench as a back up.  In a crunch situation, Watford could play the 4, but after his best season in candy stripes playing his true position, why would we ever put him back down low?

Anything at this point is just pure speculation.  Without a doubt I think Crean has more than earned the trust of Hooiser Nation which is why there is nothing close to panic regarding this situation.  However this situation works itself out, the Hoosiers are on their way to their first preseason number one ranking since the 1979-80 season and a lock for their first top five preseason ranking since 1992-93.  It only took Crean 4 full seasons to bring the Hoosiers back into the national spotlight.  In my opinion, it was well worth the wait.

Off Season: Welcome Back!!

It certainly has been a while.  I fell behind on my picks, my posts and I know all of you have missed me... right??

It is now my favorite season of the year, it's baseball tiiiiime (in Pauly D's t-shirt time voice)!! I don't really bet baseball all that much (even though I'm in two fantasy baseball leagues and absolutely love the game) and it's probably because I'm a Reds fan (Pete Rose ruined it for me).  There will still be picks to be made every now and then, but it won't be as often as the NCAABB picks.  That being said, I think I'm going to change it up on this blog over the next couple of months.

How could I not start trying to preview the Indiana Hoosier basketball season already? How could this not be the first post of that series? Zeroes to heroes.  Unranked to a probable preseason #1 ranking.  No official rankings have been released yet, but there is no shortage of hype surrounding the 2012-13 Hoosier basketball team only a few short weeks after the season ended.  Yahoo! Sports, USA Today, ESPN.com and NBC Sports all have mock preseason rankings that have Indiana holding the number one spot.  Each one of them giving the caveat that they would hold that position assuming Junior F Christian Watford and Freshman F Cody Zeller returned to Bloomington.  And they did.

Watford was testing the NBA waters and some analysts and people close to his situation even said that he was 90% gone.  What changed his mind?  Maybe it was the fact that Chad Ford had him slatted as the 131st overall prospect and said that a high second round pick was his ceiling.  Or maybe he wanted to come back to be the leader on one of the nation's best teams.  You think that may help his draft stock for next year?

Zeller wasn't that much of a surprise.  During his announcement he said, "My college experience at IU this year has exceeded my expectations, on and off the court."  I think I can speak for any and all IU alumni, as well as, any of my friends that came to visit me while I was there.... DUH!!  Unfortunately, I think this is Zeller's last year.  He's already projected to be the #1 pick in the 2013 NBA draft.  But if he leaves with a B10 POY, National POY, a B10 Championship and a National Championship what else would there be to accomplish in college?  Yea, yea, I'm getting waaaaaay ahead of myself, but if you want to talk about odds; the Hoosiers will be favored to win the titles and Zeller will be favored to take home the hardware. Statistics are currently on my side.

Basketball season is over, but there is so much to cover over the next several months for Hoosier fans.  Returning all five starters + a new and improved #benchmob + a top 10 recruiting class.  It may technically be baseball season, but the State of Indiana is going to be reminded that when the Hoosiers are relevant, it's always basketball season.

I can't think of a better way to end this post than to remind everyone that there are only 184 days to Hoosier Hysteria.

Blogger's Note:  My next post in the "Off Season" series is going to focus in on Indiana's scholarship situations and take a look at some possible scenarios on how things will work themselves out.  As it currently stands, the Hoosiers have 14 scholarship players which is one over the limit of 13.

Round of 32: B1G Picks Pt. II

Game:  Michigan State vs Saint Louis
Spread:  Michigan State -7


One of three.  That's what Draymond Green is.  He joined Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NCAA history to record more than on triple-double in tournament play.  I would imagine that Green won't get his third against the Billikens and their 8th ranked defense (according to the Pomeroy rankings).  That doesn't mean that Day-Day won't dominate yet another game.

Match-up to watch:  Kwamain Mitchell vs Keith Appling.  Kwamain keyed the Billiken's second half run against Memphis and finished with 22 points and a pair of three pointers.  He's only 5'10'', but is extremely quick.  With Branden Dawson out, I think Appling will continue to be the x-factor for the Spartans, especially now that they're going to be playing a team that has some size in their front court.  Green may be able to get his points, but I wouldn't count on Derrick Nix to be as dominant as he was in the first round.  Appling should be able to use his length, on both sides of the ball, to his advantage all game.

Pick:  Michigan State -7


Game:  Kansas vs Purdue
Spread:  Kansas -7.5


I'm a huge Hoosier fan, but I'm also a huge college basketball fan.  And as a college basketball fan, this really is an anti-climactic ending to a great career for Robbie Hummel.  The biggest problem the Boilermaker's have tried to battle all season is their lack of a presence down low.  Now they have to figure out how to contain one of the best big men in the country in Thomas Robinson.  If they double team him, who's going to guard the Jayhawk's seven footer?  The only chance Purdue has to make this a game is to use their quickness and athleticism that they have in their much smaller line-up to force Kansas to play small with them.  If they are hitting from deep it could be a close game.

Match-up to watch:  Ryne Smith / DJ Byrd vs Jayhawk Perimeter Defense.  Kansas knows they need to swarm Robbie Hummel, but the keys to this game will be whether or not the other perimeter shooters for Purdue can get going.  If they can't, this could wind up being a long game. At the end of the day, it's a tough way to see Hummel go.

Pick:  Kansas -7.5

Rapid Reaction: Hoosiers S16 Bound

There's a combination of two words in the gambling world that means there's no pressure, that you know you're at least not going to lose any money: free roll.  The Indiana Hoosiers have just earned that in a Sweet 16 rematch with rival Kentucky.  Regardless of the outcome of that game, the Hoosiers season has been a success; most would consider this year an overachievement.

And sure the Wildcats could blow out the Hoosiers by twenty come Friday, but you know what will be the take away from this rivalry after the Madness has ended? Hoosier Nation, foes and the college basketball world witnessed the come back of a storied program... at the expense of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Free roll.  There will be no pressure on the Hoosiers on Friday.  They can't play any worse than they did tonight.  They turned the ball over a season high 22 times against probably the best defensive scheme left in the tournament.  What was lost in all of the turnover's was the fact that Indiana was playing it's best defense of the season as well in the second half.  A half which they held the Rams to just 19 points and held them to under 40% shooting.

Free roll.  The Hoosiers weren't even supposed to make the tournament this year and they're in the Sweet 16.  They don't have four lottery picks on their team.  They aren't expected to win this game.  Seth Davis will probably pick against this team one more time.  And maybe that's how this team wants it to be. They've thrived in similar situations all season.

Free roll. Something the Kentucky Wildcats are not on. They have championship expectations facing a team that has already beaten them.  A team that clearly is less talented at an individual level, but team-wise can compete with anyone and they know it.

On Friday when these two schools battle for a spot in the Elite 8, if you're an Indiana fan just sit back and enjoy.  After all, this is supposedly where the road ends. You know, since we were supposedly headed for the NIT before the season started.  Oh and we were supposedly one and done once we made the tournament field.

If you're a Kentucky fan?  This is your worst nightmare.  Nothing worse than playing a team in March that knows they have nothing to lose.

Blogger's Note:  There's a few times that I'll have to let my fandom take over and obviously tonight is one of those instances.  I'm 5-4 in my B1G picks so far in the tournament.  I will post my preview / analysis / picks for the remaining Round of 32 games tomorrow morning before tip.  GO HOOSIERS!!

Round of 32: B1G Picks Pt. I

First Round Bracket Results:
Overall: 21-11
Sweet 16 Teams Lost: 2 (Mizzou & Temple)
Elite 8 / Final 4 Team Lost:  1 (Mizzou)

Tournament Picks:  3-3


Game:  Ohio State vs Gonzaga
Spread:  Ohio State -7.5


If you're a fan of a school from a big conference, the last thing you wanted was a reason for these smaller schools to have a chip on their shoulders.  And then there were two 15 seed upsets within a span of three hours.  And now, the 2 seeded Ohio State Buckeyes get to face the mid-major who wrote the book on being a March Madness Cinderella: Gonzaga.  All of a sudden it feels like it's not a good year to be a 2 seed.

Throw in that the East is the only bracket in the tournament that didn't see a first round upset and it's almost common sense that something's gotta give.  Maybe this game won't end up as an upset, but 7.5 points is a lot to give a team who always plays their best basketball in March.  I know in the previous post I gave the WCC a hard time, but of the three losses they have against the B1G, the Zags were involved in two of those games (Illinois, Wisconsin).  If they could take away anything from those games, it's a sense of the B1G style of play.

Match-up to watch:  Kevin Pangos vs Aaron Craft.  The Zags got off to a fast start against the Mountaineers thanks to Pangos'.  He scored the Zags first five points and ended up hitting his first five shots of the game (including a couple of three pointers).  Hopefully Craft can stay out of foul trouble in this game because he's the Buckeye's only shot to slow him down.

Also consider:  The Zags have a true 7-footer in Robert Sacre while the tallest player the Buckeyes have that sees regular minutes is 6'9''.  Sullinger may be more athletic, but Evan Ravenel may have to see extended minutes in this game to keep Sully from getting in foul trouble.  I wouldn't exactly consider that an advantage for Ohio State.

Pick:  Gonzaga +7.5


Game: Wisconsin vs Vanderbilt
Spread:  Vanderbilt -1


The selection committee wasn't kind to Wisconsin.  They passed the first test against a high scoring team, in Montana, that relied on their point guard to create.  Luckily the Badger's size down low disrupted any chance Cherry Hill had to get going, specifically Jared Berggren who finished with a career high seven blocks.

Now they get to play one of the best scoring duos in the country in Vandy's John Jenkins and Jeffrey Taylor.  Neither are small point guards, both can shoot lights out, both can create of the dribble... Uh-oh.  This will be interesting to see which style of play prevails in this one.  The Commodores want to get out and run a little bit, but I guess any school likes to get out and run a bit when compared to Wisconsin.  Vanderbilt also has the athletes to crash the boards with Wisconsin which is where they had one of their biggest mis-matches against Montana.  And don't think anyone on Vanderbilt is going to let Jordan Taylor tea-bag them going for a rebound like he did against the Grizz's seven footer on Thursday.  I think this is just a mis-match nightmare for the Badgers.

Match-up to watch:  John Jenkins vs Badgers Perimeter Defense.  If Jenkins gets into a rhythm from deep, game over.  If Wisconsin can keep him from getting comfortable with his shot then they may have a chance.  I honestly do think that Wisconsin needs another miracle performance from Rob Wilson (yeah, I may still be bitter about his 30 point performance against the Hoosiers) to win this one.

Pick:  Vanderbilt -1


Game:  Indiana vs VCU
Spread: Indiana -6


Simple, if Indiana shoots the way they did against New Mexico State, this game will be over quickly.  Only problem is, can the Hoosiers can get the ball across mid court to get in their half court sets? Indiana hasn't seen any "havoc" like what Shaka Smart's squad is going to throw at them for forty minutes tonight.  Turnover's have been an issue periodically this season for Indiana and limiting them is the biggest key to this game.

Everyone knows VCU has athletes, but not many people know that they can shoot the three just as good as any team in the country.  Another problem area for Indiana throughout this season: perimeter defense.  Any team that can consistently hit open three's can stay in a game with the Hoosiers (i.e., Wisconsin in the B1G tournament).

This analysis really is simple.

Match-up to watch:  Indiana's Guards vs VCU's Havoc.  If they can handle the pressure and / or get out in transition to avoid the pressure without turning the ball over, Indiana can book a ticket to the Sweet 16.  Unfortunately, Indiana hasn't seen anything resembling this kind of pressure all season.  No tournament experience meets Final Four experience (oddly enough).

Pick:  VCU +6

Round of 64: B1G Picks Pt. II

Yesterday is why I decided not to join any pools.  I went 11-5 and didn't lose any Sweet 16 games as of yet, which doesn't sound bad.  But my wife, who doesn't know much outside of Indiana basketball went 14-2 (including picking 11 seeded Colorado, from the Pac12 ... who would take anyone from the Pac12??? Well, my wife did and got it right).  Anyway, today is a new day.

I went 1-2 in my B1G picks yesterday.  Didn't see Wisconsin's offensive explosion coming, or Montana's lack of offense for that matter either.  If the Hoosiers keep winning when I pick against them, I'll keep picking against them simple as that. And I'll admit I got lucky in the Ohio State game.  I really wasn't expecting them to sit their starters with 3 minutes left.


Game:  Michigan vs Ohio
Spread:  Michigan -5.5


FACT: Michigan shot more three pointers than any team in the B1G; is 16th nationally in three pointers attempted per game; is 27th nationally in three pointers made per game; and is 8th nationally in three pointers attempted as a percentage of totals shots attempted per game.

FACT: Ohio University has the 18th ranked defense against the three pointer, holding opponents to just 30.3% on the season.

FACT: Michigan went 2-1 in the B1G against teams who were better defensively against the three than Ohio. They beat Wisconsin, ranked 7th defensively against the three by holding opponents to 29.0% beyond the arc and they split with Michigan State, ranked 10th defensively against the three, holding opponents to 29.2% shooting from deep.

FACT: Ohio University allows 31.1% three point shooting away from home, which would rank them 40th in the country.

FACT:  Ohio University has allowed 41.8% three point shooting over their last three games, which would only rank them 344 out of 345 Division I schools (all on a neutral court for the Mid American conference tournament).

Conclusion:  Ohio University is in trouble.

Pick:  Michigan -5.5


Game: St. Mary's vs Purdue
Spread:  St. Mary's -1.5


I know what Purdue is capable of and I know what Robbie Hummel is capable of.  The problem is I'm unaware of what St. Mary's is capable of.  I know they're the only team in the last 11 years to win a West Coast Conference tournament title other than Gonzaga.  How do you compare the top team of a mid-major conference to a middle of the road team in what was considered to be the toughest conference in the country all year.  You go with what you know. The B1G tournament teams were 3-0 against WCC tournament teams.  It's hard to argue with the competition the Boilermaker's faced week in and week out.  Hard to argue that Purdue wouldn't be more prepared than St. Mary's.  They're also more well rested as they didn't make a deep run in the B1G conference tournament.  B1G continues it's strong showing in the tournament thus far and the Boilermaker's give the conference it's only possible upset in the Round of 64.

Pick:  Purdue +1.5


Game:  Michigan State vs Long Island
Spread:  Michigan State -19.5


I don't care what happened with Syracuse yesterday.  You should always expect the 1 seeds to win by 20+.  Do I need anymore analysis than that?  Oh yeah, one more word that means something in March: Izzo.

Pick:  Michigan State -19.5