Saturday, March 19, 2016
It’s a rainy day in southwest Indiana. Not a lot happening on the farm today. It’s a good day to stay in and watch basketball. Of course, NCAA March Madness is in full swing, and that’s always fun to watch. The Purdue upset on Thursday, knocks some of the luster off this event for me, for we were not expecting to be sent home so quickly. Upon reflecting, the loss still stings, but I am a loyal Boilermaker, and will be looking forward to next season, with the hope of a deep run into the tournament.
We spent last Friday-Sunday in Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to experience the Big Ten Tournament. We saw 7 games over the 3 days, each one with its special appeal. The Hoosier fans were quickly sent home disappointed, and some of us Boiler fans were disappointed for/with them: we were hoping for a rematch with the Hoosiers. It was a really special weekend for Purdue fans, watching the team and drinking in the whole atmosphere. The wins over Illinois and Michigan were really sweet. The Boiler Brass pep band was superb, and it was heart-warming to hear the voices of the loyal fans fill BLF with the sounds of “Hail, Purdue”. In the championship game against Michigan State, the Spartans proved to be a bit too much for us this time. We had recently knocked them off in Mackey Arena, but came a little short on Sunday in Indianapolis. We went home exhausted, but content.
I think BLF is the best location for that conference tourney, and Indianapolis is a great host city. Fans to whom we spoke, from Maryland to Michigan State were very complimentary about their experience in Indy. I guess Indy will have to share the event with Washington DC, New York City, and Chicago. But you’d be hard pressed to find any basketball fan who had a negative thing to say about the tourney in Indy.
It is also Semi-State weekend for Indiana HS basketball. Each of the four classes, 1-4A, will have two semi-state games today, and that will determine the teams that will play in BLF on Saturday the 26th for a state championship. Bloomfield in 1A and Evansville Bosse in 3A are the only SWIN teams left in the tournament. Good luck to the Cardinals and Bulldogs today.
So, we will park in front of the TV and watch some good basketball. A few B1G teams remain, including the Hoosiers. A win for Hoosiers will be happiness for our son Philip and daughter-in-law Ashley–alumni of IU. And, through Philip, we have a connection to the Oregon Ducks, so we hope their success will continue.
You ought to be able to get your fill of basketball this week!
Winter lingers… even though we have had a day in the 70s this week, there is a chance of snow overnight!
