by Kyle Miller
This picture has nothing to do with this post, but it is pretty damn cool
Is it bad to consider the weekend not over until after Monday Night Football? Since my weekend is dominated by my addiction to fantasy football, I see nothing wrong with a three day weekend, every weekend. What a great time of the year. College basketball is heating up as conference play approaches, its bowl season for college football, the NFL is nearing the playoffs, and the start of the NBA season is just days away – oh, and did I mention its Christmas season. This weekend was the start of winter break for most college students and what a way to kick it off.
How can I not start with the Crossroads Classic, which every person living or dead in Indiana had to enjoy? In the first game, Butler rallied back against a Purdue team that simply is incapable of scoring outside of Robbie Hummel. That’s not a smack in Purdue’s face, well maybe it is, but I just don’t see how they will finish in the top eight of the Big Ten with the scoring options they possess. If you can’t shoot, you can’t play. Lewis Jackson, Kelsey Barlow and Terone Johnson can’t shoot – at all. If they want any chance – at all, they need to give the ball to Hummel and get out the way.
The Hoosiers continued their sweep through the state. They’ve already drubbed Evansville and beat Butler, and now have grinded one out against Mike Brey’s Notre Dame Irish. IU came out flat and unenthused, but what did you expect after they recorded their biggest win in Tom Crean’s era? It took IU about a half to shake off that win, and realize they haven’t earned anything yet.
This game, however, did raise a few concerns of mine. Notre Dame dictated a slower pace and had they been able to put the ball into that circular orange rim, this game would have been a nail biter. But Notre Dame looked like a bunch of 12-year-olds trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. The pace was a concern. If IU is forced to play a slow-it-down game then they must be able to execute their offense in the half court because unlike Notre Dame, teams likes Michigan, Northwestern and Wisconsin, who all slow it down, can and will put the ball in the hole.
Speaking of not being able to put the ball in the basket, Howard is god-awful. IU definitely played well, but no Division I basketball team should be beat by 57 points. That score reminded me of some AAU games at the Indiana Basketball Academy in fourth grade.
Friday night I went to the Pacers first preseason game versus the Chicago Bulls. The Pacers looked good – in the first quarter – and then struggled mightily the remaining three quarters. There certainly is a sense of excitement surrounding Pacer basketball this year, but is it warranted, I’m not sure. The shortened season benefits the Pacers because for one, I’m not sold that the first unit is better than the second unit. And two, we still lack a late game scorer that can create his own shot, or at least create an open shot for someone else.
I don’t see the Pacers finishing better than fifth in the East. That puts them in front of Philadelphia, Atlanta and Orlando. Atlanta’s on the downslide, Philadelphia has a good core with Elton Brand, Evan Turner, Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams (Andre Iguodala is overrated), and depending on where/when/if Dwight Howard departs to could have a huge effect on the eastern conference. If he stays in Orlando, then Orlando will be tough; if he goes to L.A., then Orlando and the East get worse; and if he goes to New Jersey with D-Will then New Jersey has to be considered a playoff contender.
Finally, how ‘bout dem Colts? Am I the only Colts fan that doesn’t want the Colts to get the number one pick? I just don’t want the endless discussions that started about week six to continue all the way to the NFL draft about what the Colts should do with Peyton Manning. I want Manning. Manning is the only Colts quarterback I can really ever remember, so is that opinion bias, you bet your ass it is. However, I do think we can fill a lot of holes by trading a top three pick. An offensive lineman maybe, a defensive back, or a defensive tackle are all viable options. On the season though it’s great to see the Colts avoid the record books, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the Colts ran the table from here on out. The remaining two games are at home versus T.J. Yates and crew and on the road versus Jacksonville, who I refuse to admit are better than the Colts.
