If there was ever a night to be in multiple places at one time, tonight is the night. Hoosiers are known for their hoops, and there plenty of that going on Tuesday night in the basketball state.
Four games in four different venues, all beginning at 7 p.m.
No. 5 Michigan State at No. 18 Indiana
Assembly Hall is the best place to be tonight. Two ranked teams, a sold-out environment televised nationally on ESPN. Indiana has won four of five, beat No. 1 Kentucky and No. 2 Ohio State at home and they want to get another huge win tonight.
Coach Tom Izzo has done an amazing job with his team and they are already guaranteed a share of the Big Ten regular season title. They want it outright, of course. Draymond Green deserves to be the Big Ten Player of the Year and will be a force to watch. They are 7-3 in true road games, and have won their last three road games against ranked opponents.
Former IU player Dane Fife joined the Spartans staff as top assistant this season and tonight will return to Assembly Hall in different colors. [Remember the special time these two teams met with Fife on the court?]
The Hoosiers hope to win out, earn the best possible seed in the conference tournament, and have momentum heading into the postseason.
Coaches Tom Crean and Tom Izzo worked together for years in East Lansing and remain very close friends. IU leads the series, but the Spartans have won the last two in Bloomington.
No. 1 Hamilton Southeastern vs. No. 3 North Central
This is the best matchup you could see in the IHSAA tournament. Unfortunately, it’s just the first game.
They’ve already played twice this season. North Central took the first one, 81-76 in a home game, but lost to the Royals in the Hall of Fame Classic game 89-80.
The talent at the two schools is deep. HSE has Gary Harris (Michigan State), junior Zak Irvin (Michigan). North Central is led by Ronnie Johnson, (Purdue) Patrick Ingram (Iowa) and center Darius Latham who will probably play football in college.
If you’re going to this game at Noblesville, get there early! This will sell-out fast, because both teams travel well and have a loud fan base.
Golden State Warriors at Indiana Pacers
The Pacers return to action after the all-star break. They finished the first half of the season 21-12, good for third place in the Eastern Conference.
My favorite Pacer player ever, Mark Jackson, returns to the city where he had a lot of success. No. 13 is third all-time in assists and he brought success with class to the blue and gold.
Indy hasn’t quite jumped on board yet. The biggest factor may be the lack of a superstar. But they are winning, and winning the right way. They have won at the Lakers, Bulls, Hawks, and Celtics. And if it wasn’t for a bad five-game losing streak, they’d have an even better record.
I expect George Hill to return to play, after missing over a month with a bone chip in his ankle. It’s time for these Pacers to make a run and they’re going to need fans to fill the stands. They’re 28th in the league in attendance, averaging 14,041 fans a game (and that seems high).
[Fill the fieldhouse. You can buy a pair of tickets on StubHub for under $1, or sit in row 9 for $32!]
Wright State at Butler
The Bulldogs have had a down year but they’ve figured it out in the last month. With the fifth seed in the conference tournament, it is their lowest seed since 2005.
Butler beat Wright St in both meetings this season, a one point win on the road and a double-digit victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse. They shouldn’t have any problem, especially the way they’ve been playing.
Until losing their last game against Valparaiso, Butler had won five straight and was coasting in the right direction. They may not have the talent this season but Coach Stevens will have them playing and senior Ronald Nored, who has meant so much to the program, will leave it all on the floor. If they want to make the NCAA Tournament, they have to win the Horizon League Tournament.