1. Watching Purdue lose today was pretty decisive. I saw them play several times this year, and this game was pretty indicative of their season – they can be very good, but they can’t sustain it. Robbie Hummel’s night is a microcosm of their issues – Hummel had 15 points in the first seven minutes or so, and would up with 17 on the night in 35 minutes of action. That’s not to take anything away from UConn , mind you. They have all sorts of distractions and excuses to put in a less-than-perfect effort, yet they played pretty fine today. I still don’t think they have what it takes to win it all, but they looked nothing but business like and impressive tonight.
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We are going to take a break from college basketball for the next couple of days, but before we do I want to look ahead to the Sweet Sixteen while the first two rounds are still fresh in my mind. Keep in mind, as always, that any opinions given are just my own and don’t necessarily reflect or agree with anything official from Maddux Sports. That being said, the first two rounds could certainly have gone worse for me, so I am feeling good. Here, then, are thoughts on what we have in store on Thursday and Friday:
1. Watching Michigan lose today wasn’t much fun. I realize that I am not particularly unbiased in this regard, but I noticed something watching Oklahoma that I have seen in the other couple games I have seen them play – the refs give Blake Griffin a lot of leeway. Michigan got called for a lot of things today that Griffin in particular and Oklahoma and general didn’t. The foul calls were very unbalanced today, and when I looked back at Oklahoma’s stats that’s not uncommon. I’m not saying that that is why Michigan lost – the long scoring droughts didn’t help – but it sure makes it easier to win when you are getting the calls. Reputation and name has more impact in college basketball than it really should.
College basketball is brilliant, and it gets better and better every week as the season progresses. This is shaping up to be a great weekend. Here’s a look at five games I will be paying particular attention to:
It’s halfway through the Sugar Bowl, and I have contentedly been watching college football almost non-stop for three days. This is such a great, great time of year. As I sit here at halftime hoping that Utah can hold on and keep Alabama at bay, it seems like a good time to look back to see what we have learned the last few days:
The last installment. These are the New Year’s Day games and beyond.
Outback Bowl – Iowa -3. The Hawkeyes won five of six. South Carolina looked terrible in their last two, and they can’t stop the run.
Same qualifier as last time – these are my picks, not official Maddux picks. They are also, as the name says, gut feelings, not carefully researched opinions.
Independence Bowl – Louisiana Tech (even). Northern Illinois comes in winning just one of four. Louisiana Tech won four of five. They are just the better team, so picking them when you don’t have to give up any points is a good thing.
Papa John’s Bowl – Rutgers -7. Both teams closed out hot, but Rutgers was better. They won their last six, and they finished off with a blowout of Louisville.
I absolutely love bowls. People complain that there are too many, but I wish that there were more. As I’ve been looking over the bowls trying to get ready for them, some matchups have jumped out more than others. Here are the ten bowls, in order, that have me the most excited. Some won’t bethe ones you think:
1. Go, go Buffalo. I was thrilled to see the Bulls win the MAC championship on Friday night by beating Ball State. I was there for their first game this year, and I have seen them play a couple other times, too. The team has a couple of nice players, but the big lesson here is that coach Turner Gill is really, really good. He has interviewed for Auburn, and he’ll get looks regularly until he gets hired somewhere else. The guy is going to end up at a top program sooner or later, and he is going to do very well once he gets there.
If you have read this blog or any time at all then you know that I bleed Maize and Blue. If you have eyes, you also know that this has been a very, very ugly time to be a Michigan fan. After years of underwhelming futility and disappointment at the end of the Lloyd Carr era, the football team redefined just how bad a season can be in Ann Arbor this year. I am certain that things will get better, but that assertion is more than just a small test of my faith. Same basic story in basketball – Tommy Amaker led us to bland underachievement, then the world imploded last year in the first season under a new coach from West Virginia. We have had many glory days in both sports, but they seem just a distant, practically impossible memory now. Us Michigan fans deserve a break, so you can forgive my gloating now as I say this – Michigan may be the greatest basketball team in the history of the sport!!!
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