Northwestern to Play on Purple Basketball Court?

Northwestern is hosting a vote (http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/080111aab.html) to determine what thier new floor at Welsch-Ryan Arena should look like.

Here are the four options.

Option 1


Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

I personally like Option 1 the best, but could be talked into Option 4. I think my eyes would hurt after watching long stretches of BBall on a purple court.

Dan Persa For Hiesman

Intresting quick read from ESPNChicago.com

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/colleges/post/_/id/3298/nu-launches-persa-heisman-campaign

Wrigleyville Classic Day 5

I just got back from my walk around Wrigley and here is what I saw.

Shefield is closed down and they are making it into Wildcat Way.

Lots of tents with merchandise, food and drinks. They also have a stage and a large tent set up. Good news for those wondering, you can buy beer in Wildcat way, It's still undertermined if you can buy it in the stadium.

Here's walking up to the set of game day. See that little black thing in the sky on the right. that is going to have a camera mounted on it tomorrow to give overhead shots of the fans. It doesn't look like there is going to be a lot of room for fans to cram in there, so if you want to go to GameDay, get there early. I asked a security gaurd if he knew if they were closing down Clark, he said he didn't think they were, so I am unsure where the people will go if they can't be in the McDonalds parking lot.
Here is a picture of the video board not all the way up yet and the bus


Gameday was filming some pieces. All parties were wearing nice pants behind the desk, but Kirk and Desmon were both wearing sneakers.

After they were done shooting, Erin Andrews walked right by me, I said Hi and she said hi in response. I did not take her picture as she was walking towards me cause I thought that would have been rude.




Here's the stadium in all it's purple glory

The Team Trucks were already there. At this point I was walking through a parking lot I cleary was not supposed to be in, it was blocked off in every direction except where I walked in. Some crew guy and I talked for a sec, and then I left. No issues.




Here's a picture of the light trucks I was talking about yesterday



Lastly, the scoreboard has the other Big Ten games listed on it. I tried to get a picture of it, not sure if they really came out.

It's been a fun 5 days writing about Wrigley leading up to the event. Since I am not gaurenteed tickets, I will leave the gameday write up to the man who is going to the game, ACSS Sr Write Mark Fodor.Like I said before, if you got tickets you need to go, because unless they change the outfield, you will not see a game in Wrigley ever again.

Wrigleyville Classic Becomes Backyard Football

It was just annouced that the Illinois vs Northwestern game at Wrigley Field will feature a unique twist. Each team will be heading West and West only. Safety concerns about the right field wall being too close to the east endzone have turned this game into a game of backyard football. Each team will head the same way, which is to say, crazy.

I know I posted yesterday that Ricketts wants to do this every year, but without moving the right field wall, I see no way this game happens again. I hope you have tickets cause this could truely be a once in a lifetime moment.

Wrigleyville Classic Day 4

That's what I saw as I walked Wrigley last night. Pretty cool huh? For the lights, they brought in two big trucks behind the left field wall to light the field. I think cause no football stadium uses lights in the endzones, they needed to bring in some extra for the twilight hours the game will be finishing at.

GameDay finally started setting up. Like Fodor said, they are in the McDonalds Parking lot across Clark from Wrigley Field. As you know i'm planning on heading over to Wrigley at Lunch time to seem some tapings and see what's going on. I'll let you know what I find out when I get back. Ditka said in an interview, he will be at College Gameday. I assuming he will be the celebrity picker.


According to this article, the Rickets want an annual Wrigley Field Football Game.



I had a few thoughts about the game, but not on the game itself.

Sidelines.

As you may or may not know, Northwestern and Illinois will be sharing a sideline this weekend. This has happened many times before and is not really a big deal. The only time I can see this coming into play is at the end of the half/game when a field goal unit would need to run on the field to kick a field goal for a team with no timeouts left.

Seating

I think the best seats for this game will be down the right field line in the upper deck. I am a little intrested to hear about the site lines, given that all the seats face towards home plate.

Beer Sales

I am wondering if they are going to allow Beer to be sold at the game. I know it's a college game, so I am thinking no, but it is Wrigley, the "World's Largest Outdoor Beer Garden." I honestly wouldn't be suprised either way.

7th Inning

I doubt they are going to do a 7th Inning/ End of 3rd Qtr stretch like they do during the baseball season. Still wouldn't suprise me if they did.

Wrigleyville Classic Day 3

That picture was from my run around the stadium last night. There were two new TV trucks in the parking lot. I also looked a the Wrigley scoreboard and it was blank. I hope they fill it up with Big Ten score and National Scores. Heck they already have names for the following teams.

Minnesota
Florida
Washington
Texas
Colorado
Arizona


Here's an interview with Pat Fitzgerald




I also listend to an interview with Erin Andrews yesterday. She said that they will be setting up in front of the main Wrigley Field Marquee. ACSS reporter says it will be in the McDonalds parking lot, but I don't think they will fit there. I think they will start setting up tonight so I will let you know after my tour of the ballpark.

Erin Andrews also said that they will begin taping pieces for ESPN SportsCenter hits between 11-12 on Friday. The broadcast on Saturday begins at 8 on ESPNU with the main show starting on ESPN at 9.

Lastly, she was looking for ideas for good pieces to do about Wrigley. She is already planning on looking into doing features on the following.

Locker Rooms
Scoreboard
Rooftops
Appartment Over Looking the Field
Right Field Wall

If you can think of any more, post them in the comments and I will try and relay them to her. Yes I have an indirect way of doing this.

Wrigleyville Classic Day 2

Many places are discussing how close the right field wall comes to the back of the endzone including PTI



I agree with Wilbon. If the engineers say it's safe, then I trust them. It will be a little obstacle, but I think the players will be able to adjust.

I also heard they will not but putting up nets on the right field side, look for lots of fans hanging around Sheffield waiting for a Field Goal or extra point to be kicked into the street. Heck, I might try to get one.

Also found out that the Wildcats will be taking a bus instead of the "EL". I am a little disappointed in this, but honestly not a big deal. All it means to us fans is we will miss a 30 second clip that shows Northwestern getting to the stadium.

Gameday on ESPNU starts at 8 and then the main show on ESPN starts at 9. I plan on going, not sure when I’ll get there. Still not sure where they will be setting up. I am still thinking they will close down the streets and have it set up in front of the main marquee. Also, Big Ten Network will be having it’s kick off show at Wrigley as well.

My run around the stadium wasn’t very exciting. One of the gates on Waveland was open with a security guard. I asked him what was going on tonight, he said he didn’t know. I am not sure if I believe him, but no lights were on the field, and when I peaked in from Sheffield, I didn’t see any movement. I am going to assume it was just routine maintenance or cleaning. I don’t know how I didn’t notice the marquee turning purple, that was just dumb on me. I don’t think there were any new signs put up, but man, All-State is making sure you know they are sponsoring this game. Their name is everywhere. Lastly, Desmond Clark was at Murphy’s Bleachers for a radio show with 670 with a crowd of maybe 40 people there. I guess everyone has forgotten about him just like the Bears.

More tomorrow.

Wrigleyville Classic

This video is up on ESPN Chicago showing Wrigley getting ready for the game on Saturday. (Full Article here)




I live two blocks away from Wrigley and plan on going around the stadium each night this week and then to GameDay Saturday morning and possibly the game Saturday (from scalpers). When I went by last night, I did notice a lot of purple trim, but I didn't realize the main Wrigley sign had turned purple. I also tried to peek in the gates on Shefield, expecting to see this.





Nope, all I saw was the back of some padding. Also, I was surprised to find out the field is going East and West instead of not north and south like I have seen in old pictures.




I will continue to update as I hear more.

Big Ten Power Rankings, Week Three

This is just going to be a quick ranking, since the games start soon. Every Big Ten team is in action this Saturday. The top six teams are all undefeated.

1. No. 2 Ohio State (vs. Ohio) - The Buckeyes are fresh off a big win against Miami at home and get their in-state patsies at the Horseshoe. They'll be 3-0 by the second quarter, unlike two years ago, when they let the Bobcats (I think that's Ohio's mascot) hang in until almost the end of the game. Ohio already got their massive upset of the year when they beat Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament.

2. No. 11 Wisconsin (vs. Arizona State) - Ah, home cookin'. If Bucky Badger had to go to Tempe, this might be a more frightening matchup, but I expect Ball and Clay to run the ball about 66% of the time in this one, put us all to sleep, and leave Wisco undefeated at the end of the day.

3. No. 9 Iowa (at No. 24 Arizona) - The lone Big Ten team with a road game against a decent opponent this week, Iowa looks to prove itself and get a quality win that they can point to down the road.

4. Michigan State (vs. Notre Dame) - I know what the Noffkes will be watching. Prime time, ABC, 8 PM. After Sparty wins this one, I expect to get some offers on firebriankelly.com. Oh wait, I haven't bought it yet? Crap...

5. Northwestern (at Rice) - Dan Persa has looked like the real deal so far, as has the 'Cats defense and the new crew of wide receivers. The lack of a star running back will be NU's only Achilles heel this year. I expect a comfortable win against the Owls, even on the road.



6. No. 20 Michigan (vs. Massachussets) - Shoelace for Heisman? How ironic would it be if Denard Robinson beat out Terrelle Pryor for the trophy this year? Obviously UMass is a patsy, so you can expect the overhyping of Michigan to continue for another week, despite the fact that their defense is terrible and their offense is one-dimensional.

7. No. 22 Penn State (vs. Kent State) - Going from No. 1 Alabama on the road to Kent State at home is about the biggest dropoff in opponent quality I can imagine. This Nittany Lions team is one of the weakest I can remember, but they will look better today.

8. Indiana (at Western Kentucky) - Fred Glass has been so busy rebuilding the IU football culture (and doing a great job, by the way), that he forgot to schedule a Week Two game, and settled for a road date down in bluegrass country today. The Hoosiers had better win this game and stay undefeated.

9. Purdue (vs. Ball State) - They stink less than Illinois.

10. Illinois (vs. Northern Illinois) - Ron Zook gets a look at the type of team he'll probably be coaching next. A directional university, that is.

11. Minnesota (vs. No. 18 USC) - Who remembers Minny-Cal last year? Yeah, I'm expecting about the same. If the Gophers win this one, it would be one hell of a turnaround after losing to South Dakota State last week.

Big Ten Power Rankings (Early Edition)

There's some easy parts and some tricky parts about deciding who the favorites are in Big Ten football this year. The easy? Well, you know Ohio State's gotta be the favorite. And you know who the top also-rans are -- it's Penn State, Iowa, and Wisconsin in some order.

Oh, and Illinois is terrible.

But the tough part? Deciding what to do with rankings number 5 through 10. Here's how I think the Big Ten is looking going into the 2010 season. Just for fun, I'll throw Nebraska in there too.

1. Ohio State - Terrelle Pryor is the conference's best Heisman candidate, although there are several others worth consideration.

With WR Dane Sanzenbacher back (and I didn't even look up that spelling!) as well as Rolle at linebacker, the Buckeyes are what we always expect them to be - a great team with great depth who won't spend any time outside of the Top Ten nationwide.

2. Iowa - Adrian Clayborn was the best defensive player in the Big Ten last year, and proved it with his highlight reel field goal block and TD return against Penn State. He's back this year to make his case as a top five NFL draft pick.

Ricky Stanzi? I'm not quite as sold. But the Hawkeyes are aiming for ten wins and a BCS game.

3. Wisconsin - John Clay is the Big Ten's best running back and a dark horse Heisman candidate - think Toby Gerhart, but Clay does it against better defenses. Wisco is coming off a big bowl win and looking to improve.

4. Penn State - Even though they lost a ton of players, JoePa recruits better than anyone not named Sweater Vest in the conference. Plus, that home field advantage at Happy Valley is awesome.

5. Northwestern - My love for Pat Fitzgerald is well-documented. He's Joe Paterno in diapers. The Wildcats are marketing Chicago hard this year, with hopes of improving attendance at Ryan Field, and I believe there are plenty of wannabe fans in the area that should flock to what is a thoroughly enjoyable gameday experience.

Dan Persa is more than capable at quarterback. The biggest question is whether the 'Cats can rely on Arby Fields to actually gain yardage at RB. Northwestern hasn't really had a good running back since Damien Anderson. Finding one would be a huge plus.

5a. Nebraska - That defense was one of the best in the nation last season, but loses Ndamukong Suh and Barry "Bears Practice Squad" Turner, and their offense is nothing to write home about.

However, cornerback Prince Amukamara (yes, I cheated here) is a superstar in waiting, and I expect the Blackshirts defense to make the Huskers' last season in the Big 12 a memorable one.

6. Michigan State - Kirk Cousins returns at quarterback, and is probably the Big Ten's biggest darkhorse Heisman hopeful as a junior. But Sparty has had a ton of offseason controversy and I just don't see them sneaking up on anyone.

7. Purdue - Miami transfer Robert Marve (QB) is carrying the hopes of Boiler Nation. Danny Hope is a good solid coach, but I don't know that Purdue has the depth or talent to do much more than hope for six wins.

8. Indiana - With Ben Chappell back at QB, and probably the best wide receivers in the entire Big Ten, Indiana figures to score a ton this year. Fred Glass has done a great job getting butts in seats at Memorial Stadium.

But after losing DEs Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton, LB Matt Mayberry, and safeties Austin Thomas and Nick Polk, the Hoosiers will have some serious issues on defense. Can the Replogle Brothers become the faces of a retooled D? They'll put up great stats, but IU looks to be giving up 28+ a game this year in the Big Ten.

However, soft out of conference matchups (Arkansas State is the best of the four) should guarantee at least four wins, or else Bill Lynch is a goner. Is it wrong to say that my heart wouldn't exactly be broken by that?

Whatever, I bought my season tickets.

9. Michigan - I thought Rich Rodriguez was amazing at West Virginia. What happened? It's looking more and more like Carr should have stayed in Ann Arbor, and Rich Rod should have stayed in Morgantown. Capital One Bowl > No Bowl.

10. Minnesota - If you can't win with talent like Eric Decker, you can't win without talent like Eric Decker. Tim Brewster is gone after this year.

11. Illinois - After a train wreck in 2009, Illinois isn't looking a whole lot better in 2010. It may be a long year in Champaign. And, by the way, I do expect Ron Zook to join Brewster on the firing line.

College Football is Coming!

Today we got a dispatch from Iraq (thanks, Alec) reminding us at the Superstar that while it may be 90 degrees outside right now (okay, maybe a bit hotter over there), we're not too far away from September in the grand scheme of things.

And you know what September means, boys and girls.
(that's right... three wins and high hopes for Indiana that will inevitably lead to heartbreak. The annual Bill Lynch tease.)

I digress. Here's a nice article from Hail to Purple regarding Northwestern's preseason rankings in the major magazines and online. Interesting tidbit: Because the big mags (like Athlon) tend to market to bigger audiences, NU almost always gets screwed over.

Also, more evidence that Mark Schlabach is an idiot; he "called NU one of the teams most likely to 'freefall' in 2009 vs. 2008 and predicted no bowl for the 'Cats."

I'm thinking we will have our own college football preview out soon, so let us know what you want to read about.

More Info on the Northwestern Wrigley Field Game

This post by ESPN's big ten Blogger Adam Rittenberg lays out a bunch of good and quick information about the upcoming Wrigley Field game.

A couple of highlights

Ticket Allotment: The Cubs receive 5,000 tickets, Illinois receives 3,000 and Northwestern gets the rest (30,000 plus). Looks like tickets might be hard to come by. There will be no additional seating on the field

Northwestern wants to put it's student section and Band in the right field bleachers

Beer will be sold at the game!

The Cubs say the clock on the famous Wrigley Field scoreboard still works for football and will be used Nov. 20. (score board can kind of be seen in picture)






Coach Fitzgerald is said to want his team to take the "EL" from Evanston to Wrigley field. (Roughly 20 min ride).

Illinois vs Northwestern at Wrigley

ESPN Chicago is reporting that the Illinois vs Northwestern game will take place at Wrigley Field on November 20th, 2010.

2010 NIT Bracket Breakdown: Why I Love the Little Dance

The National Invitation Tournament is the red-headed stepchild of the college basketball postseason. While 65 programs get to experience the glory and the headlines that come with an invitation to the Big Dance, the snubbed squads of the nation let out a collective sigh and get ready for a possible trip to Madison Square Garden.

But the NIT isn't that bad of a consolation prize. Winning this tourney can redeem a lost season, prove that pesky selection committee wrong, or lay the groundwork for a better 2011.

Granted, Penn State followed their 2009 title with a disastrous 2010, but at least Talor Battle got to cut down somebody's nets during his time at State College.

Here are eight great reasons to watch this season's National Invitation Tournament, which kicks off Tuesday and Wednesday with first-round action around the country:

Burst Bubbles

These are the schools whose video feeds we didn't get to see on CBS Selection Sunday. Which is probably for the best, because coaches Seth Greenberg (Hokies) and Bruce Weber (Illini) may have needed a three-second audio delay in lieu of serious self-control.

Illinois (No. 52 in the Pomeroy Ratings), Virginia Tech (No. 31, the highest rated team in the field), and Memphis (No. 51) all have legitimate beefs with the committee this year.

Tech's Malcolm Delaney is a bonafide star, making the all-ACC first team this year on his way to a lucrative NBA career. He averaged over twenty points a game for the Hokies, along with 4.3 assists and 3.6 boards, while hitting the 30 point mark five times. Four came against NCAA Tournament teams including Clemson, Temple, and Georgia Tech.

Memphis, in its first year without John Calipari, is just two years removed from a trip to the NCAA Championship game. The Tigers lost to Houston in the C-USA tournament by a single point, sending the Cougars on their way to an improbable dance invite while costing themselves a bid.

Sophomore guard Elliot Williams, a Duke transfer, leads the team in scoring (18.3 ppg). But he needs to get his mojo back if Memphis wants to make a run - he has shot just 17-53 over the Tigers' last five.

Illinois thought their win over Wisconsin, coupled with taking Ohio State to double overtime in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals, might be enough to earn them a dance card. But a 19-14 record and bad losses to teams like Utah and Bradley were enough to sway the committee the other way.

Juniors Demetri McCamey and Mike Tisdale give the Fighting Illini a solid inside-outside game. As a one-seed, they draw Stony Brook in the first round, and I look for Illinois to play with a chip on their shoulder while making a deep run in the NIT.

Goliath


Ah, North Carolina. The perennial powerhouse is one of those schools that you expect to see in your bracket each and every year, but they barely qualified for even the NIT in 2010 at 16-16.

I guess losing Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson would be enough to make anybody take a step back, but Carolina's preseason ranking has proven even more inaccurate than the most optimistic Duke fan could have hoped.

Ken Pomeroy projects a comfortable Tar Heels win in the first round, but will fans show up for the NIT? Roy Williams is probably the best coach in this tournament, but he has struggled to deal with this .500 season. Carolina ended the season losing 9 of their last 12, including Georgia Tech in the early rounds of the ACC tourney.

That first round prediction looks safe, except that UNC happens to have drawn a particularly interesting opponent...

David

William and Mary has enjoyed serious hype all year, much more than their unassuming profile (No. 113 Pomeroy, No. 58 RPI) would dictate.

Their reputation as a giant killer precedes them, and was earned by beating Richmond (home), Maryland (road), and Wake Forest (road) during a brutal nonconference schedule. All three are in the Big Dance. Sophomore swingman Quinn McDowell (6'5", 212) might be one of the best players in the NIT this year - he is capable of offensive explosions and is joined by steady senior guard David Schneider in a duo that can give opposing guards fits.

Is Carolina's defensive ace Marcus Ginyard up to the challenge, or can William and Mary add another scalp to their wall and atone for losing to Old Dominion in the Colonial conference finals?

SEC Snubs

Mississippi State (No. 54 Pomeroy) and Mississippi (No. 41) enjoy a classic intra-state rivalry, and one that State has gotten the better of twice this year.

The powers that be at the NIT placed the Rebels (or should I make it the Ackbars?) and the Bulldogs on opposite sides of the bracket, setting up a potentially epic clash in the finals if both schools can survive.

Bulldog forward Jarvis Varnado might be the biggest name in this year's tourney. Averaging a double-double and almost five blocks a game, the senior gives opposing players fits in the paint.

Mississippi junior guard Chris Warren paces the Ackbars, shooting .415 from downtown to average over seventeen points a game. But his team has struggled in big games, with their only two big wins coming in early season action against Kansas State and UTEP.

Cardiac Cats Go East

Northwestern (No. 77) just had its best season in school history, notching twenty wins after losing its best player before the season even began. Pomeroy rates their matchup with Rhode Island as Wednesday's game to watch.

Rhode Island skidded into the postseason with painful losses to also-rans St. Bonaventure and Massachusetts, as well as a 57-44 pasting at the hands of NCAA 5-seed Temple, but they are 13-2 at home this year. Northwestern is 2-8 on the road.

Guard Michael "Juice" Thompson plays over 90% of minutes for the Wildcats and was one of the Big Ten's best point guards all season. Sophomore John Shurna was one of the best players in the Big Ten, period, averaging just over 18 and 6 from the forward spot.

URI's best win came over Oklahoma State in the early going. Northwestern's best wins include Purdue, Notre Dame, fellow NIT teams NC State and Illinois. As a Wildcat partisan, I'm hoping that the road will be kind to Northwestern. Either way, it should be an exciting game.

Gang of Five

According to pundits around the country, the Big East is the nation's best conference. Eight Big East teams got into the NCAAs. Five more are in the NIT. That's a whole lot of postseason love.

South Florida (#78 Pomeroy), Connecticut (#55), Seton Hall (#62), Cincinnati (#69), and St. Johns (#72) ought to give Madison Square Garden a distinctive Big East flavor in the coming weeks.

Four-seed Seton Hall welcomes Texas Tech before a probable second rounder against Arizona State, both major conference opponents who could feel the wrath of the East.

UConn (another 4 seed) draws 20-12 Northeastern, a talented squad, and could play Va. Tech in second round. Behind Carolina's Williams, UConn's Jim Calhoun is the second best coach in the NIT, although his health problems have certainly played a role in the Huskies' struggles this year.

USF (a 3-seed) will play NC State in the first round, yet another major conference matchup. Their star guard Dominique Jones averages 21.3 points per game and gives the NIT yet another superstar to watch.

Cincinnati (2-seed) gets Weber State (20-10, #109) from Big Sky in first round, a team that has a lot of postseason experience getting knocked out in the first round.

St. Johns is the only Big East school denied home court advantage in the first round, and drew Memphis. If they can survive the Tigers, they get to come home to the Garden and a probable game against Ole Miss.

The Big East has to be the favorite to cut down the nets in Madison Square, on numbers alone.

The Mid-Major Superstar

Illinois State's Osiris Eldridge (6'3", 215, senior guard) has been starting in Bloomington-Normal since he was a freshman. This year, he leads a deep, experienced Redbirds squad that will play Dayton on the road in Round One. The Flyers are arguably the best team State has faced all year outside of Northern Iowa, and Eldridge and Co. couldn't handle UNI.

The Missouri Valley is well-represented this year, with Wichita State joining ISU in the NIT bracket, and Northern Iowa getting hard-earned hype in the Big Dance.

A Blessing In Disguise

Coastal Carolina had a great year. Yet at 28-6, they're out, while Winthrop dances. That's gotta hurt.


The Chanticleers drew Mike Davis' UAB Blazers in the first round, creating an exciting medieval matchup - the Blazers' mascot is a dragon, while a Chanticleer, by all appearances, is some kind of mythical rooster.

Junior Chad Grey (6'7", 205) and senior Joseph Harris (6'5", 180) lead the scoring for Coastal, and both shoot good percentages at well over 50%. The Chanticleers got beat down by Duke on Nov. 16, 74-49, in their only game against a true major opponent.

UAB may be favored to win on their home floor in Birmingham, but Coastal Carolina is honestly lucky to have choked against Winthrop. Those poor saps get to go to the play-in game for the honor of battling Duke in the first round of the other tourney.

Who do you think has a better chance to make a run? I'll take the Chanticleers for all the marbles, please.

Day Two: Tonight We Dine In Hell

Okay, so yesterday was a grind. Today we have FOUR games on tap at the lovely (albeit slightly rainy) Big Ten Tourney. I'm about to head up there, definitely need to get myself a nice healthy breakfast at some point, my system is reeling from barley, hops, and Kilroys steak overload.

First up, Ohio State vs. Michigan. Then we've also got Wisconsin vs. Illinois (a must win for the Illini against what is definitely a top-25 type squad in the Badgers with Leuer), Purdue vs. Northwestern, and Minnesota vs. Michigan State.

I see upset potential in those last two games. Of course, I'm biased, but still. Minnesota played really well against inferior competition yesterday, and Michigan State hasn't exactly been on a tear to end the season. It'll be interesting to see how motivated the Spartans are.

And for the record, it's going to be about TEN HOURS of basketball today, not counting break time (tailgate) and travel. That's a freakin' marathon. Can't wait.

Adam Rittenburg's Big Ten Blog at ESPN had some very interesting insights on the NU vs. Indiana game yesterday as well as on the tourney as a whole.

Check this out. Directly related to what I was saying last night.


"After scoring only three points in an ugly first half, Thompson exploded for 13 in the final 20 minutes and really provided a lift from beyond the arc (four 3-pointers). The man nicknamed "Juice" didn't have much of it early, but an elbow to the throat from Indiana's Tijan Jobe early in the second half changed that.

Though the elbow wasn't intentional, no foul was called and the 5-9 Thompson let the 7-feet Jobe know about it. Thompson got in Jobe's face and the officials called double technical fouls with Indiana leading 35-29 and 17:08 left.

"He felt like the big guy was trying to bully the little guy," Wildcats guard Jeremy Nash said. "He was like, 'I'm not having it. I'm going to show you how big I can play.'" Thompson did in the final nine minutes, sparking Northwestern with his shooting and showing emotion rarely displayed.

"That really got me going," he said of the altercation with Jobe. "It gave me a lot more energy to make me want to go out there and play hard. It was just me being small and him trying to move me out the way. "


Basically, IU lost thanks to Tijan being out there flailing around blindly. Awesome.

Big Ten Tourney Day One

I just got back from a three-game stretch in Conseco, and thought I better throw some thoughts everybody's way. Here's three observations from each game:

(8) Michigan over (9) Iowa

1 - This was actually a very entertaining game. We got in at halftime and it was 32-23, I believe? Anyway, it was fast paced and both teams played decent defense.

2 - Iowa's Cully Payne played well. He may be a better prospect as a frosh PG than Indiana's Jordan Hulls.

3 - Does Michigan have a chance against Ohio State tomorrow? I doubt it.

(7) Northwestern over (10) Indiana

1 - Michael Thompson was clutch in this game. His second half barrage of treys doomed Indiana.

2 - Starting Tijan Jobe? Really? I understand him being a senior and a hard worker in practice, and Indiana really didn't play badly until 28 minutes in, but still. Jobe hasn't done anything all year. He didn't do anything today. Start Elston or Capobianco, or even Pritchard.

2a - I made a few quarter bet victories on Pritchard finally scoring in the second half. Devan Dumes didn't help me out nearly as much.

3 - Once again, Indiana falls apart down the stretch. It was really, really hard to watch this team in the second half. Just very little offense, and even less defense. It's hard to be truly optimistic when your team can't stop anybody.

(6) Minnesota vs. (11) Penn State

1 - I thought, just maybe, that Penn State could give Minny a run here. Not so much.

2 - Damian Johnson, the super-athletic forward from Minnesota, is one of my favorite guys in the entire Big Ten this year. On a team where the "name" guys are Lawrence Westbrook, Ralph Sampson The Younger, and even *bleeping* Blake Hoffarber, I think Johnson is really the man to watch.

3 - Poor Talor Battle. I guess he has an NIT title to show for his four years at Penn State. Still, without much to say for his pro prospects, it would be hard to feel good about going to PSU right now if you were Battle.

I'm pretty excited for tomorrow. It's a busy slate and should be an intense day of basketball. Let me know if there's anything you guys want from the insider (balcony) perspective.

And no, they're not selling beer at Conseco. Because the Big Ten and Indiana are full of idiots.

Northwestern's Head Coach Bill Carmody Chatting on ESPNChicago.com Wed at 11 CST

Just wanted to give everyone the heads up that Northwestern's Head Coach Bill Carmody is Chatting on ESPNChicago.com Wed at 11 CST. I think this will be an interesting read for Hoosier fans as well as Wildcats fans because of the two schools' first round matchup.

Notre Dame vs Maryland in Washington D.C. Why Can't Chicago get games like this?

Over 100,000 spectators attended the 1926, Army/Navy Game at Soldier Field



It was announced today that Notre Dame will play Maryland in Landover Maryland at the Redskins Stadium. Now this isn't that huge of news since UND had already announced plans to play there. The thing that jumped out at me in the article was the number of big games being played there.

I already knew about IU vs Penn State (as discussed on ACSS here) but they also are getting Boise State vs Va Tech, Cincinnati vs Va Tech and Army vs Navy.

I know Chicago used to get these types of games played at Soldier Field (I went to a Northwestern vs Oklahoma kickoff classic once), but what happened, why don't we get them anymore?


Chicago has a defacto home team in Northwestern which allows us Chicagoans to go to a game relatively easily. But, what if I don't want to watch NU (sorry Fodor)? I also know that Iowa played NIU at Soldier Field a few seasons ago. I don't want to see Big Ten teams play mid majors. I want to see big name colleges come in like what is happening in Atlanta, Dallas and now DC. We are one of the unofficial homes of the Big Ten, why couldn't we bring some of the elite teams. Offer a big pay-day, and a prime time date. I know there's enough college football fans that there would be no problem selling out the 60K+ seats in Soldier Field.

Or another idea that could work. Instead of making NU vs U of I a one time thing at Wrigley, have Wrigley be the host site for these games. We know the new owner is looking to turn a profit. This is another way to make money on a stadium that would be going unused at the time.

Maybe I'm crazy and maybe it's just me, but I would love to see major college football come to Chicago every year. Maybe you disagree or could care less about college football, but I think this would work in Chicago.