College football in Indiana has had it’s notable struggles. In fact, since 2008, when Notre Dame, IU, and Ball State went bowling, only Notre Dame has been bowling since, and even they’ve been just once.
But as bad as college football has been in-state the past two years, college basketball has been just as good, if not better.
Start out with Purdue. Yes they’ve lost Robbie Hummel. Yes he was their best player. But yes, the Boilers are still talented enough to make a deep run in this year’s tournament. The Boilers are already 13-1, with their only loss to a good Richmond team. They sit at 13th in the nation, and 1-0 in the Big Ten. Their competition will certainly rocket up once they play the MSU’s and OSU’s, but a 3-4 seed is not out of the question whatsoever.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been a pleasant surprise too. ND has just 2 losses so far this season, both to top 15 ranked teams in UK and Syracuse. They’ve also beaten a top 10 team in Georgetown. Notre Dame is also sitting pretty as a top 15 team themselves.
The magic carpet ride ended for Butler. Their best player is now more than 1,000 miles away. Yet anyone sleeping on this years team is in for a rude awakening. Just ask Stanford. Mack is a top 20 NCAA talent. Howard is the conference’s best big man. And Ron Nored will shut down your best player. Plus, Hinkle’s arguably the most historic gym in America. That alone is reason enough to watch this team.
The ride of the last few years hasn’t been quite so fun for Indiana. The team is currently riding a four game losing streak, and it’s not about to get any easier. But don’t tell that to IU fans. Assembly Hall is constantly packed, even during Christmas break. And the environment there is second to a very select few.
It has been a slow and steady climb for the Ball State Cardinals, but it appears as if for the first time since 2003 the team has a legit chance at winning the conference. In fact, Jeff Sagarin agrees, he has the Cards first in the MAC and top 95 in the nation. BSU has already beaten one Big East team this year, and taken another to OT. The school may not have the following that the above schools do, but when the teams are good, the students come in bunches.
Valparaiso is no where near central Indiana, and gets over shadowed by its closest neighbor, Notre Dame. If you’re a college basketball fan, you don’t need to be told what Valpo could do with a Tournament bid . If that doesn’t give you goosebumps, you probably shouldn’t be reading this blog… Just kidding Scott, probably not a good idea to drive away viewers with the first post. Valpo had Butler within 5 late just yesterday. They led Purdue in the 2nd half. And Butler better be ready come tourney time. Valpo is one of the 2-3 teams that could steal their auto-bid.
Speaking of teams that played Butler well, Evansville has already beaten them. The Aces just beat Indiana State and have moved to 7-5 in conference.
But Indiana State is no slouch. Just ask Purdue. ISU was within 5 points of the Boilers with 8 to play in mid-December. Iowa transfer Jake Kelly is in his final year, and have another solid season. Question is, can they win the Missouri Valley Conference. A conference known for solid mid-majors.
IPFW and IUPUI have represented the state satellite schools well at times this year too. The Jaguars gave Ohio State all the could handle in a close loss in Columbus. The Mastadons had just a 1 point loss… in OT… AT Xavier. That’s closer than the Bulldogs were.
And that’s just Division 1 in the state. Southern Indiana currently sits #12 in the nation in D2, and has knocked off two top 25 teams on their journey there.
If you’re a basketball fan in the state of Indiana, it’s almost impossible to live more than an hour away from a quality college basketball team, and or environment. You’re not going to lose the weight, odds of you communicating with your great aunt more are slim.
Make your New Years Resolution one that will help you, and others. Support your local/favorite college basketball team in the state of Indiana.