Travis Miller of hammerandrails.com joins me to talk Purdue football. Taking a look back at the spring game and how Coach Hazell is settling in. We also discuss the big news out of the Big Ten which are the football divisions along with the move to a nine game conference schedule. As always you can follow me on Twitter @thadvandeventer.
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Rise and Fire
Category: Podcasts, Purdue, Rise and Fire /
Tags: Hammer and Rails, Purdue, Purdue Football, Travis Miller
Inside the Man Room
This week we make a call to the bullpen and bring in the big right hander from Arkansas, Jon Pratt. JP is filling for the Coach as he preps for the semi-state this Saturday. We talk all hoops this episode. Thoughts on IU’s Big Ten Championship and their prospects for March. Valpo wins the Horizon League title to earn their Big Dance ticket. Plus other basketball chatter.
Follow us on Twitter @thadvandeventer, @hoosier31, @IndySportsCrew.
Category: Butler, IU Basketball, Notre Dame, Pacers, Podcasts, Purdue /
Tags: Butler, Butler basketball, Indiana Pacers, IU basketball, Notre Dame, Notre Dame basketball, Pacers, Valparaiso, Valparaiso basketball
Rise and Fire
State Wide Round Ball Round Up
The month where college basketball becomes king is here. March not only marks the beginning of the end for the season, but it is also gives us some of the game’s most lasting memories. Everything is on the line in March. Where players and coaches can put themselves into the fabric of hard court greatness. As we prepare ourselves for the best of all months, we will take a look at where each of the state schools sit with just a few games remaining.
Indiana
The Hoosiers are currently ranked #1 in the country- at least until the new polls come out tomorrow. IU has been one of the top teams in the country the entire season. They are an impressive 25-4 overall and sit atop the Big Ten with a 13-3 conference mark. IU had a five game winning streak snapped this week with a four point loss at Minnesota. The loss brings up a stat that some would say is a source of pride while others may give it concern. The Hoosiers are 6-0 against teams in the AP top 25, which means all four of their losses have come to unranked teams. It shows they are capable of winning big games, but could be susceptible to let downs. Although in an effort of fairness, all four of these teams have spent time in the polls at some point this season.
Moving forward IU has just two regular season games left. They host Ohio State on Tuesday for Senior Night then travel to Michigan next Sunday. If IU wins out, they will claim their first outright conference championship since 1993 and first overall since 2002. Bigger goals still are out there for this team. A #1 seed in the NCAA tournament is nearly a certainty and this team has all the tools needed to win the title. IU’s big three (Zeller, Oladipo, and Watford) when they play well together can carry this team on a deep run. After a 26 year drought, could this be the team Hoosier faithful have been waiting for to put six consecutive wins together and hang the sixth banner? Just one story that makes March great.
Notre Dame
The Irish have been a little up and down in Big East play but sit firmly in the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame is 22-7 overall and 10-6 in the conference which is good for a third place tie. The Big East has proved to be a tough conference to get through this season with the top teams all going through a tough stretch. The Irish have had their difficulty on the road but the best part of the NCAA Tournament is that all games are played at neutral sites. Coach Brey has them playing a balanced brand of basketball right now. Inside Jack Cooley and Tom Knight have played well and control the boards. The perimeter is controlled by Eric Atkins at the point. Atkins runs the show for ND and has a 2.7 assists to turnover ratio for them.
The difference in the tournament for them may be Jerian Grant though. Grant is an athletic scorer and one of the few guys that can create his own shot. ND should fit somewhere around a six or seven seed when the brackets are revealed. Getting out of the first weekend and advancing past the Round of 16 is a possibility for this team. Coach Brey has not had a lot of success in the Big Dance but this team has enough scoring and rebounding to make a run.
Butler
The Bulldogs spent a long time in the top fifteen in the country this season but have come across some rough times over the past few weeks. They have lost five of their last eleven games. The move to the Atlantic 10 has proved to be a step up in competition as BU thought it would be. Their overall record is still good at 22-7, but their conference record of 9-5 is only good for a fourth place tie. Butler has suffered back-to-back losses to the top two teams in the conference- St. Louis and VCU. The VCU was an embarrassing 32 point beat down on national TV.
The good news for Butler is that there are a few games left to get this straightened out. Two regular season games remain plus the conference tournament in Brooklyn. Right now Butler is still going to be in the NCAA Tournament but the question for them is where will they be seeded. A few weeks ago they were solidly a top four seed, but now are probably looking more at a seven seed depending on how the next two weeks go.
Valparaiso
Bryce Drew has now won back-to-back conference championships in his first two seasons in charge of the Crusaders. Valpo beat UW-Green Bay yesterday 75-56 to clinch the Horizon League title. They are 24-7 overall and won the Horizon with a 13-3 mark. Winning the conference is even more important in the Horizon League as now Valpo will host the conference tournament throughout their run. This was the same scenario last season, but they lost at home to Detroit in the championship game.
This Valparaiso team is constructed of the same players as last year, but as the saying goes they are another year older and another year wiser. If this team makes the NCAA Tournament, they have all the ingredients for a lower seeded squad that could pull off a major upset. Their top six players are seniors, they have a stud go-to scorer (Ryan Broekhoff 15.9 ppg and probably conference POY), and a very good big guy most “mid-majors” don’t have (Kevin Van Wijk 12.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg).
Evansville
The Purple Aces are doing just want they want to be doing heading into March. They are playing their best at just the right time. UE is on a four game winning streak and finished the Missouri Valley regular season in fourth place at 10-8 (18-13 overall). Colt Ryan is their senior scoring machine. He surpassed 2,000 points in his career just a few weeks ago and is averaging 20.0 ppg. The key to their offense is sharing the basketball as they rank 15th nationally in assists per game with 16.1 per.
As we enter March, Evansville’s only chance of making the Big Dance is running the gauntlet at Arch Madness. The Missouri Valley Conference tournament has been one of the most exciting and competitive tournaments throughout the years. This year should be the same. The Aces are playing well going into St. Louis with Colt Ryan leading the way. Three wins in three days has been done before.
IPFW
Along the same lines as Evansville, the IPFW Mastodons are entering their conference tournament on a hot streak. The Dons have won five straight down the stretch to finish fifth in the Summit League. After a rough start to the season, they finished the regular season 15-16 and 7-9 in the conference. Frank Gaines is the go-to guy. He is averaging 19.5 ppg this season and is one of the top scorers in the conference. As IPFW has gotten hot so has Gaines.
Traveling to the cold weather of South Dakota they will look to stay hot. Gaines will need to lead the way with the help of Luis Jacobo (11.3 ppg) for them to advance deep into the Summit League tournament. Without a tournament championship, the Mastodons could possibly get a CBI bid or may get shut out of postseason play.
Indiana State
Faltering a bit down the stretch the Sycamores lost five of their final six games. They still finished with a 17-13 record and 9-9 in the conference, but finishing in fifth after being tied for first late in the conference schedule is disappointing. Jake Odum has lead this inexperienced team all season. Odum is nearly a lock for MVC first team honors with 14.4 ppg and 4.7 apg.
The best news for ISU might be the new life Arch Madness can give them. Putting together three good games in St. Louis can erase the feeling of these final few weeks. Although they are mostly inexperienced, Coach Greg Lansing and Odum have been there and done this before. Just two years ago they ran through the conference tourney on their way to the NCAA.
Purdue
This has been a very up and down season for Matt Painter and the Boilermakers. With one week remaining in the regular season they sit one game under .500 at 14-15. Purdue’s conference mark is 7-9 with few good wins and some head scratchers. The Boilermakers are coming off possibly their best win of the season over #17 Wisconsin in Madison. A huge second half effort by D.J. Byrd, Terone Johnson, and Sandi Marcius got PU that victory and even caused Coach Painter to crack a smile.
Now the Boilers role will be of spoiler. Two tournament bound teams (Michigan and Minnesota) are left plus the conference tournament. An unbelievable run in Chicago is their only shot at the NCAA tournament. It will take four wins in four games which will be tough for a team that has been so streaky.
Ball State
After a rough start to the season, Ball State has played much better the last month. They have won five out of six to get out of the basement of the MAC West. The Cardinals are 13-14 overall, but now are 6-8 in the conference good for fourth in the division. Billy Taylor has found some consistency and hope to keep this going for two more weeks.
Jauwan Scaife has upped his play and is scoring at a high rate right now. Scaife leads the team with 16.0 ppg. With some help from Jesse Berry and Majok Majok, the Cards could make some noise in the MAC tourney. The CBI could be a possibility with a good final two weeks which would be big for Coach Taylor building for next year.
IUPUI
This season has been incredibly tough for the Jaguars. Coach Todd Howard’s squad has struggled with injuries all season long which has resulted in a 6-25 record and just 1-15 in the Summit League. The Jags are mired in a fifteen game losing streak and haven’t won since the calendar turned to 2013. Their last win came December 27th against in-state foe IPFW. The conference tournament is the last hope for IUPUI this season. They are matched up with conference co-champion South Dakota St. in the opener who beat the Jags twice this season.
Follow me on Twitter @thadvandeventer.
Category: Ball State, Butler, Evansville, Indiana State, IU Basketball, IUPUI, Notre Dame, Purdue, Rise and Fire /
Rise and Fire
State Wide Round Ball Round Up
We have reached the beginning of February which marks the midway point of conference play in college basketball. Teams at this point have either put themselves in a good position to make a run at the conference crown or have let some work to do.
Indiana
The Hoosiers will be back up to #1 tomorrow. #3 IU beat #1 Michigan last night in Bloomington to stake claim to the top of the polls again (with some help from Oklahoma State as they beat Kansas in Lawrence yesterday). The past week has been the biggest of the season for Indiana (20-2) so far. On Wednesday night, they beat arch rival Purdue 97-60. The worst home loss the Boilermakers have ever suffered. Then with the bright lights of ESPN’s College Gameday shining last night the Hoosiers toppled Michigan. Indiana will not only be #1 in the country, but they are all alone in first place of the Big Ten (8-1). They have a very tough second half road schedule so this start was needed to put them in the championship mix. Bigger things could be out there for IU. A possible #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament followed by a deep run once they get there. Hoosier nation at this point is hopeful the continues on until the National Championship game on April 8.
Butler
The Bulldogs have gone from an unranked team with numerous questions to start the year to a top ten team. Butler gave IU one of their two losses at the Crossroads Classic when IU was last #1 in the country. The addition of Rotnei Clarke (17.1 ppg) has been huge. Clarke not only delivers consistent scoring but seems to exude confidence that the entire team feeds off of. Clarke has come back from a neck injury that caused him to miss a few games, but even with him out of the line up Butler had one of the most memorable games of the season. College Gameday also made an appearance at Hinkle Fieldhouse and when there Butler’s Roosevelt Jones beat Gonzaga on a last second floater.
Butler is still trying to navigate their way through a new conference. The Atlantic 10 has proven to be a tough league this year. Right now four teams have two losses. VCU leads with a 6-2 record with Butler, Charlotte, and St. Louis a half game behind at 5-2. The Bulldogs have lost two of their last four to fall back to the pack.
Notre Dame
Mike Brey is doing it again in South Bend. He has this Fighting Irish team competing at a high level and in the mix for the Big East crown. Notre Dame (18-4, 6-3) sits one game back in the standings. This upcoming week will go a long way in determining ND’s fate as they play at Syracuse on Monday then host Louisville on Saturday. The Irish have been lead by Jack Cooley who is averaging a double-double (15.0 ppg, 11.3 rpg). Cooley along with Tom Knight have given them a strong interior presence and solidifying the back of their defense. Overall, Notre Dame is a NCAA Tournament team, but the question is how far can they advance. They need to get injured forward Scott Martin back but with him is this finally the team that can go deep into March for Coach Brey.
Indiana State
ISU is hanging in the ultra competitive Missouri Valley Conference. The Sycamores lost an overtime heart breaker at Drake last night to fall to 7-4 in conference, 14-8 overall. They sit in third place right now two games behind #21 Creighton and one game behind #15 Wichita State- who they just beat on Tuesday. ISU continues to look for that consistent third option to come along behind Jake Odum and Manny Arop, but they have gotten solid play from several guys. Justin Gant and R.J. Mahurin have stepped up the most to chip in plus have strengthened their already stout defense. With Arch Madness on the horizon, ISU looks to close the conference slate strong to be prepped for a tourney run. There is also one other scenario out there for the Trees to get to the big dance. A strong finish could put ISU on the NCAA Tournament bubble as they already hold victories over #14 Miami and #16 Ole Miss. A date with Creighton at home this week could also add to that resume.
Evansville
The Purple Aces are scratching and clawing in the MVC. They have let a few games slip away but still sit in fourth at 6-5, 13-10 overall. Colt Ryan is the man for UE. Ryan is averaging 17.8 ppg and 4.0 apg. Without Doug McDermott in the MVC, Ryan would be the favorite for conference Player of the Year. Evansville has some big games left down the stretch- with seven regular season games to go they still play Creighton, Wichita St., and Indiana State again. They have the opportunity to put themselves in a good position for Arch Madness in St. Louis. Plus with a guy like Colt Ryan on board, Marty Simmons’ boys have a guy that can carry them for three days and sneak into the dance.
Purdue
The Boilermakers are having some struggles recently. They have lost three of their last four games and our .500 for the year at 11-11. They are 4-5 in conference even with their recent woes. The biggest bright spot for the Boilers is the production they are getting from their freshmen. A.J. Hammons was lightly recruited but he is proving his worth. The seven footer from Carmel is averaging 11.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg. He set a career high against IU by dropping 30. Along with point guard Ronnie Johnson and forward Raphael Davis, this core looks like they have bright days coming in West Lafayette. With a spoiler role in mind, Coach Matt Painter is going to try to close the season strong and at least make the NIT.
Valparaiso
Bryce Drew has his Crusaders in first place in the Horizon League and looking for their second straight regular season championship. This has even more meaning in the HL as the highest seeded team will host the semi-finals and finals. Valpo lost at home in the championship game last year but with their core crew back again they look to host the conference tourney at the ARC again. Ryan Broekhoff and Kevin Van Wijk are leading the way for VU. Broekhoff is on his way to conference player of the year putting up 16.6 ppg and 8.4 rpg. At 17-6 overall the Crusaders are probably not going to be in the discussion for an at-large berth in the tourney so taking care of business in the conference tournament is there ticket back to the dance.
Ball State
The Cardinals struggles this season have continued in conference play. BSU has started just 2-6 in the MAC putting them at the bottom of the West Division. Billy Taylor’s squad biggest issue this season has been scoring. They are averaging just 63.8 ppg which is 263rd in the country. To coincide with that the Cards field goal percentage is just 42.4% and they only average 12.3 assists a game. Without question the offense has been a struggle for Ball State, but one bright spot has been senior guard Jauwan Scaife averaging 13.0 ppg. There are still a lot of games remaining and as with everyone else the will get a second chance in March with the conference tournament.
IUPUI
This entire season for IUPUI has been a case study in injuries and how they can affect a team. The Jags have had so many injury issues that in several games they have suited up only seven scholarship players. Putting together makeshift line ups has made it difficult for them to find continuity. Sitting now at 6-19 and just 1-10 in the Summit League is not where coach Todd Howard envisioned his team. One player that has stuck out is Mitchell Patton. The junior big man is pouring in 13.4 points and grabbing five rebounds per game. His improvement from his freshman year has been awesome if you include the fact that he has also been struggling with a foot and leg injury issue.
IPFW
The Mastodons have had their difficulty in Summit League games thus far. They are just 3-7 in league games and 10-14 overall. They have lost some tight games though where one possession here or there changes the outcome. Frank Gaines leads the team in scoring at 19 ppg and grabs 4.3 rpg. Surprisingly, the Dons only have six regular season games left before the conference tournament. Only a few more weeks to see if they can gain some momentum going into March.
Follow me on Twitter @thadvandeventer and @IndySportsCrew.
Category: Ball State, Butler, Evansville, Indiana State, IU Basketball, IUPUI, Notre Dame, Purdue, Rise and Fire /
Rise and Fire
Indiana vs. Purdue Preview
In preparation for the IU-Purdue showdown on Wednesday, I spoke with Greg Rakestraw of HTSN and 1070thefan.com. Greg and I look at how both teams are playing now and the keys to getting a win Wednesday at Mackey Arena. Follow me on Twitter @thadvandeventer and @IndySportsCrew. Follow Greg @gregrakestraw.
Category: IU Basketball, Podcasts, Purdue, Rise and Fire /
Tags: Indiana basketball, IU, IU basketball, Purdue, Purdue Basketball
Inside the Man Room
We’re back!!! After a short time off due to the holidays and the birth of Graham, the Coach and I are back in the Man Room talking basketball. We had a ton of college basketball action to catch up on. Indiana and Butler are both in the top 10 plus other teams playing well. Listen and get ready for the weekly podcasts once again. Follow us on Twitter @thadvandeventer, @C_K_42, and @IndySportsCrew.
Rise and Fire
Statewide Round Ball Round Up
Just as we did last year at the start of each month we will run through the Division I college basketball programs in the state to get you caught up on where every program is. This month I waited an extra week as this completes the first full month of games. So lets get started.
Indiana
The Hoosiers are ranked #1 in the nation and through their first nine games have shown no reason why they shouldn’t be. IU has won all nine games this year by an average of 31.7 ppg. The schedule has not been loaded with top notch competition but in the three games so far against BCS conference teams Indiana has handled all of them with double-digit victories.
Indiana has showcased numerous offensive weapons as they have five players averaging double figures. The Hoosiers lead the country in scoring with 89.1 points per game. Cody Zeller, the preseason National Player of the Year, leads the team in both scoring and rebounding at 15.4 ppg and 8.9 rpg. IU has one more game against a solid opponent left before entering conference play as they will take on Butler next Saturday in the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Notre Dame
Notre Dame is the only other ranked team in the state coming in at #22 right now. They have rolled through the first month of the season with a record of 8-1. Their signature win thus far is a home victory over then #8 Kentucky 64-50. The Irish dominated that contest and showed that Coach Brey’s squad has the tools to compete with top competition. The question that still exist for them however is if they are just a home team or if they are able to play the same way on the road.
ND is lead this year by the same guy that lead them last year- Jack Cooley. Cooley is averaging a double-double with 14.2 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. They have also shown a balanced offense having three other players scoring in double figures (Jerian Grant, Eric Atkins, and Michigan State transfer Garrick Sherman). For Coach Brey however this may finally be the team that can some noise in March. The Irish’s next game is against Purdue in the Crossroads Classic.
Butler
Butler has been a little under the radar to this point even though they are 7-2 with several good wins. Butler showed what they are capable of at the Maui Invitational. The Bulldogs beat Marquette on a last second Rotnei Clarke trey and pounded North Carolina on their way to the title game. There they lost to still undefeated Illinois.
The improvement this year has come from the additions of Clarke and freshman Kellen Dunham who give the Bulldogs the outside shooting they missed last year. Clarke (17.3 ppg) and Dunham (11.0 ppg) have allowed the offense better spacing opening the post and driving lanes for Andrew Smith, Khyle Marshall, and Roosevelt Jones. Butler has played a tough schedule so far to get prepared for their new conference the Atlantic 10. The Dawgs will get their biggest test next Saturday against #1 Indiana. This will be a good game for both teams as it will be an offense versus defense battle. Butler’s defense has been very good and very physical while as we talked about before IU leads the nation in scoring.
Purdue
Matt Painter has a young team this season and they have started off slow. The Boilers are just 4-5 and coming off a very disappointing loss at Eastern Michigan. They lost that game 47-44 shooting a dismal 29.8% from the field. Purdue has been very up and down as you may expect from a young team. They have looked good in a few games (Clemson and UNC-Wilmington) while really struggling in others (Bucknell, Oregon St., and Eastern Michigan).
The biggest bright spot for Purdue is their work on the boards. They have out rebounded every opponent this year and rank eighth nationally with 44.2 rebounds per game. Terone Johnson and A.J. Hammons have been their most consistent scorers. Johnson is only Boiler averaging double figures at 13 a game. Hammons as a freshman is becoming a reliable post presence. He is putting in 9.3 points a game and six rebounds. Purdue only has three games remaining before the conference schedule hits so they have limited time to get it straightened out before going against the top league in the country.
Indiana State
The Sycamores are in a similar situation as Purdue in that they have a young squad. Coach Greg Lansing is relying heavily on Jake Odum to steer his ship. Just as the Boilers, they have had their ups and downs early on. After dropping their opener at UCLA, the Trees won four straight games. They have dropped their last two however which were a tough overtime home loss to #25 New Mexico and yesterday on the road at Morehead State.
Sitting at 4-3 right now the Sycamores are starting to gear up for Missouri Valley Conference play. ”The Mayor” Jake Odum leads the team in scoring 15.1, assists 4.4, and steals 1.6. They will rely on him all season to put them in positions to win. Gonzaga transfer Manny Arop has been a nice addition as well even as he is learning to fit in. Arop is putting in 10.9 points and pulling down 6.4 rebounds a game. Moving forward in the MVC they will also need freshman Khristian Smith (from Pike High School in Indianapolis) to continue to improve as he is starting to score more consistently at 9.4 ppg.
IUPUI
The Jaguars have had a rough start to the season. Not only in the win-loss column but also on the health front. The Jags have started off 3-8, but have not been able to put consistent line ups on the court. Yesterday in their game at Western Kentucky, IUPUI made the trip with only eight scholarship players able to play.
The largest bright spot and possibly surprise has been Mitchell Patton. Patton is second on the team scoring 14.6 points and rebounding 5.7. He is struggling with a lower leg injury right now, but the improvement he has made from his freshman year to now has been impressive. Purdue transfer John Hart leads the team in scoring at 14.9 ppg. For the Jags right now the biggest thing is getting healthy. It is going to be tough but in a one bid league they need to focus on getting back on track and peaking at the right time for the conference tournament.
Ball State
Billy Taylor’s team is off to a 4-4 start, but the Cardinals are still trying to find their offensive rhythm. They are only scoring 62.4 points per game. Finding buckets consistently has been a major issue for the Cards. Majok Majok has been a big contributor so far. He is averaging a double-double at this point with 13.1 points and 10.9 rebounds. The Cards are going to have to work inside out a little more to open opportunities for Jesse Berry and Jauwan Scaife. They have four games remaining before MAC play begins with a major test coming against Purdue on December 18. The Cards dropped their other big match ups this year against IU and Butler. A win against Purdue to boost their momentum into the conference.
Evansville
The Purple Aces have been playing some good basketball even with an injury to star Colt Ryan. The Aces are 5-4 but have lost tough road games to Notre Dame and Colorado State. They also dropped a home contest to very good and underrated Murray State. Once completely healthy the Aces should be a player in the MVC this year.
Stud freshman D.J. Balentine is leading the team in scoring (12.1 ppg). Balentine was an Indiana All-Star last year and after a slow start has really taken off. With Colt Ryan (second on the team with 11.6 ppg) back, UE looks to get back on track. We will learn a lot about where they are at the final week of December as they will play at Butler the 22nd and at #16 Creighton the 29th.
Valparaiso
The Crusaders are off to a solid start at 6-3. Bryce Drew has his team playing well even in their three losses. Losing at two NCAA tournament teams from last season in Saint Louis and New Mexico. Drew always lays out a non-conference schedule that is challenging for his team and gets them ready for the Horizon League.
Valpo returned their top two scorers from last year in Ryan Broekhoff and Kevin Van Wijk. So far this season they have not disappointed. Broekhoff is averaging 17.4 ppg and 7.3 rpg and will be a candidate for Horizon League Player of the Year. Van Wijk is a big key for the Crusaders. If he can stay out of foul trouble, Valpo has a solid team and will be able to win a lot of ball games. The Crusaders should be challenging at the top of a very competitive Horizon League.
Follow me on Twitter @thadvandeventer and @IndySportsCrew.
Category: Ball State, Butler, Evansville, Indiana State, IU Basketball, IUPUI, Notre Dame, Purdue, Rise and Fire /
Tags: Ball State, Ball State Basketball, Butler, Butler basketball, Evansville basketball, Indiana State, IU, IU basketball, IUPUI, Notre Dame, Notre Dame basketball, Purdue, Purdue Basketball
Inside the Man Room
The podcast is a little late this week and for that we apologize, but we have a lot of stuff to talk about. The Colts have the playoffs in their sights after a crazy comeback win at Detroit. Indy hosts Tennessee tomorrow. We also talk about the new Purdue football coach Darrell Hazell and the first quarter of the Pacers season.
Follow us on Twitter @thadvandeventer, @C_K_42, and @IndySportsCrew.
Category: Butler, Colts, IU Basketball, Notre Dame, Pacers, Podcasts, Purdue /
Tags: Colts, Indiana Pacers, Indianapolis Colts, Pacers, Purdue, Purdue Football
Inside the Man Room
The Coach and I finally get caught back up on all of the sports action in this week’s podcast. Tons of discussion about both football and basketball. Notre Dame is going to the national championship game and the Coach tells us what this means to him. Follow us on Twitter @thadvandeventer, @C_K_42, @IndySportsCrew.
Rise and Fire
Who? What? When? Where?
College Football Recap Week 13 (or Notre Dame Edition)
Who?
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has taken the Fighting Irish to the National Championship game. In just his third year at the school, Kelly has turned the program around and changed the fortunes of the most recognizable college football institution in the country. The Irish were not expected to be in this situation at the season’s outset, but coach Kelly remade this team. The Irish became a physical team relying on the run game and defense. This was not Kelly’s M.O. coming to Notre Dame. He was known as an offensive guy who utilized the spread offense to out score his opponents. This season however he was smart enough to play to his team’s strengths and now they have earned the opportunity of playing for ND’s first national championship since 1988.
What?
The Notre Dame defense has been one of the most surprising things in all of college football this season. The Irish defense has finished their regular season second nationally in points against average (10.3 ppg). ND has played this season in an old fashioned style depending heavily on the defense. Manti Te’o and the boys did not disappoint. The most points they allowed in a game was a 26 point effort by Pittsburgh in triple overtime. The play by the defense was without a doubt keyed by their leader Te’o. Te’o leads the team with 103 tackles and seven interceptions. He also has 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and two fumbles recovered. Without a doubt Te’o will be in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony and his defense will be showcased in the title game.
When?
Notre Dame coaches have had a great history of championship third seasons under the golden dome. Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian, Dan Devine, and Lou Holtz all won national titles in their third season guiding the Irish. Brian Kelly looks to join the pantheon of legendary ND coaches this year. Kelly has the Irish on the precipice of hoisting that crystal football. They are the only undefeated team in the FBS ranks and are awaiting to find out who their final opponent will be. Kelly has turned Notre Dame back into the winning program many have hoped for. They have the chance now to put his name down with the rest of the legends in South Bend including Mr. Rockne himself.
Where?
Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida is the location the Irish will take the field against the SEC Champion with the national championship on the line. Notre Dame has played in some big games but without a doubt this will be the biggest contest since 1993. Notre Dame will look to do what they did following the 1989 Fiesta Bowl and that is rush the field to celebrate an undefeated season and national championship.
Other Notes from the Final Week
The Ball State Cardinals won their sixth straight game to finish the season 9-3. BSU took down Miami (OH) on Friday 31-24. Pete Lembo has completely turned this program around and back to where it was a few years ago under coach Brady Hoke. Lembo’s Cardinals finished second in the MAC West and third overall in the conference. Now Ball St. will wait to see what bowl game they will get invited to and who their opponent will be.
Purdue beat Indiana for the second straight season. With their third straight victory, the Boilers became bowl eligible. They finish the regular season 6-6. Although Purdue beat IU again and will be going bowling, that was not enough for coach Danny Hope to stay on board. Purdue Athletic Director Morgan Burke announced this afternoon that coach Hope will not be returning and will not coach the bowl game.
The Marian University Knights have advanced to their second consecutive NAIA Football Championship Series semifinal. Marian beat fellow in-state NAIA power St. Francis 45-34. The Knights lost last season in the semifinal round to St. Xavier. Next Saturday Marian will travel to #2 rated Missouri Valley College with a trip to Rome, GA and the NAIA title game on the line.
Follow me on Twitter @thadvandeventer and @IndySportsCrew.
Category: Ball State, Notre Dame, Purdue, Rise and Fire /
Tags: Ball State, Ball State Football, Marian University football, Notre Dame, Notre Dame football, Purdue, Purdue Football
