Friday, December 26, 2014

Review: Butler Bulldogs - Old Dog House Learns New Tricks


Game 1 - Maine Black Bears at Butler Bulldogs, Saturday, November 15, 2014
Game 2 - Loyola (MD) Greyhounds at Butler Bulldogs, Saturday November 22, 2014
Game 3 - Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks at Butler Bulldogs, Monday, December 22, 2014
The Venue - Hinkle Fieldhouse, 510 W 49th St, Indianapolis, IN 46208
The Seat - Game 1 - Section 305, Row 17, Seat 35 ($21.25 total cost from Ticketmaster)
Game 2&3 - Section 211, Row 3, Seat 11 ($19.50 each as part of 4-game mini-plan)

The first college basketball game in Hinkle Fieldhouse history was played on March 7, 1928. When it was constructed, it was the largest basketball arena in the United States. In 1987, Hinkle Fieldhouse was designated as a National Historic Landmark. Through 86 years and thousands of Bulldogs games, the Dawg House has gone through a few facelifts, including a major renovation during the past off-season.  To paraphrase Robert Palmer, Hinkle Fieldhouse used to look good, but now it is simply irresistible.


Norman Dale Trophy (Updated)

Norman Dale is the fictional high school basketball coach of Hickory High School in the seminal film Hoosiers.  The film's climactic scene occurs during the State Basketball Finals at Hinkle Fieldhouse.  Fieldhouse 2 Fieldhouse is proud to present the Norman Dale Trophy to the top college basketball school in the state of Indiana.  How is the best team to determined? A season-long head-to-head tournament between the Indiana state basketball combatants on the court, of course.  

Norman Dale Trophy Standings


Valparaiso
2-0
+2
Evansville
1-0
+1
Indiana
1-0
+1
Notre Dame
1-0
+1
Purdue
2-1
+1
Butler
1-1
0
Ball State
1-2
-1
Indiana St.
1-2
-1
IUPUI
1-3
-2
IPFW
0-2
-2













Norman Dale Schedule
11/14 - Indiana State 79,  IUPUI 66 (OT)
11/16 -  Purdue 77, IUPUI 57
11/22 - IUPUI 71, Ball State 69 (OT)
12/3 - Butler 77, Indiana State 54
12/6 - Ball State 70, Indiana State 63
12/6 - Evansville 89, IUPUI 62
12/8 - Purdue 63, IPFW 43
12/13 - Valparaiso 65, Ball State 62
12/20 - Indiana 82, Butler 73
12/20 - Notre Dame 94, Purdue 63
12/20 - Valparaiso 75, IPFW 72
1/4 - Evansville at Indiana State
1/4 - IUPUI at IPFW
1/27 - Indiana State at Evansville
1/28 - Indiana at Purdue
2/11 - IPFW at IUPUI
2/19 - Purdue at Indiana

The winner of the Norman Dale Trophy will be the team that is the most games over .500, rather than the team with the most wins or winning percentage.  Winning percentage will be used as a tie-breaker.  Therefore, a 4-1 Purdue team would win out over a 2-0 Butler team, but not a 3-0 Evansville team. Any games against non-Division I opponents do not count towards the Norman Dale Trophy (e.g. Manchester at IPFW and Goshen at Valparaiso). Any post-season meetings also count in the standings. Therefore, the winner of the Norman Dale Trophy will not be announced until it is impossible for any Indiana teams to meet again in the postseason.  We will be tracking the standings as the season continues.

Friday, November 21, 2014

Weekend Preview: Fun Before the Feast


Saturday

Ball State @ IUPUI: After losing two tough games against in-state rivals last week, IUPUI earned its first win this week against Milwaukee. They face off Saturday afternoon against Ball State at the Fairgrounds Coliseum for a chance to move up the Norman Dale Trophy standings.  Ball State also got their first win this week against IU-Kokomo.
Brown @ Indiana State: The Ivy League's Brown Bears travel from Rhode Island to Terre Haute in a preliminary round of the Las Vegas Invitational.
Loyola (MD) @ Butler: It's a battle of the dogs as the Greyhounds head to the home of the Bulldogs.  Butler looks to head to the Bahamas with a 3-0 record. FH2FH will be at Hinkle for the 5pm tip.
Lamar @ Indiana: For the third time this week, Indiana faces off against a school from Texas at Assembly Hall. After the big win against SMU, Lamar should be a breeze. Should.
Notre Dame vs. Massachusetts (Uncasville, CT): The Irish get their first real test of the season on a neutral court against the Minutemen at the Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament (that's not really a tournament).

Sunday:

Valparaiso v. Maine (Mount Pleasant, MI): After dispatching Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the first round of the Central Michigan Tournament (that's not really a tournament), the Crusaders face off against the Black Bears, a team Butler bludgeoned 99-57 last week. This game starts at 9:30 in the morning.
Notre Dame vs. Providence:  In its final game of the Hall of Fame Tip-off, the Irish face off former Big East foes, the Friars. Two wins against northeast teams while playing in Connecticut would give Mike Brey's team a big boost of confidence before Michigan State comes to town in December.

Purdue takes the weekend off to travel to Hawaii before its first game in the Maui Invitational against Kansas State on Monday.
IPFW travels home from Atlanta after a tough loss to Georgia Tech Friday before facing Jacksonville at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum on Monday.
Evansville travels to Estero, Florida for the Gulf Coast Showcase. The 2-0 Purple Aces face Fresno State on Monday.

Review: IUPUI Jaguars - A Fair Affair at the Fair


The Game - Indiana State Sycamores at IUPUI Jaguars, Friday, November 14, 2014
The Venue - Fairgrounds Indiana Farmers Coliseum, 1202 E 38th St, Indianapolis, IN 46205
The Seat - Section 109, Row C, Seat 15 ($18.40 total cost from Ticketmaster)

Fairgrounds Coliseum originally opened in 1939 and was built as part of the Works Progress Administration. The central building at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, the Coliseum was the original home of the Indiana Pacers during their ABA days. From 2012-2014, the Coliseum underwent a 22-month, $63 million renovation. During the renovation, the IUPUI Athletic Department and the Indiana State Fair Commission reached a partnership which move the Jaguars' basketball games from its on campus site to the Fairgrounds. On December 2, 2014, the arena became Indiana Farmers Coliseum as the mutual insurance company purchased naming rights for ten years.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Weekend Recap and Week Preview


The Weekend That Was:

Ball State: lost at #25 Utah 90-72 Friday, beat IU-Kokomo 101-62 Monday. Cardinals put up a good fight against a very good Utes squad in Salt Lake City.
Butler: beat Maine 99-57 Saturday.  The Bulldogs shot a school-record 71.9% from the field in blasting past the Black Bears.
Evansville: beat Earlham 116-45 Saturday. Purple Aces treated a Division III opponent just as a Missouri Valley team should treat a Divsion III team. The Aces had six players in double figure scoring.
Indiana: beat Mississippi Valley State 116-61 Friday and beat Texas Southern 83-64. James Blackmon Jr. scored a game-high 25 points in his Hoosiers debut. Mike Davis returned to Assembly Hall with Texas Southern in a losing effort.
Indiana State: defeated IUPUI 79-66 in overtime Friday. The Sycamores survived a scare from a very game Jaguars squad. The Trees finally exerted their might in the overtime session, outscoring IUPUI by thirteen points in extra time.
IPFW: defeated Manchester 74-50 and won at SIU-Edwardsville 74-71 Monday. After a home win against a D-III school, IPFW backed it up with a tough road win at the SIUE Cougars.
IUPUI: lost two hard fought games to in-state rivals, 79-66 (OT) to Indiana State Friday and 77-57 at Purdue Sunday.  Jaguars showed a lot of depth, but just did not have quite enough talent to notch a win against either the Sycamores or the Boilermakers.
Notre Dame: defeated Binghamton 82-39 Friday and Navy 92-53 Sunday. Solid Irish performances against overmatched opponents.
Purdue: defeated Samford 80-40 Friday and IUPUI 77-57 Sunday. Freshman Vince Edwards averaged 19.5 ppg in the two weekend wins.
Valparaiso: defeated East Tennessee State 90-76 Friday, lost at Missouri 56-41 Sunday. The only split weekend of Indiana teams. Trailed by only one point at halftime against Mizzou, but just could not score consistently in the second half.


Coming Attractions:
Tuesday:

St. Louis at Indiana State - After a season-opening win at IUPUI, the Sycamores face the Billikens in a match-up of teams with really unique nicknames. SLU has made the last three NCAA tournaments, but lost a great deal to graduation since last year.
Chattanooga at Butler: The Mocs take a shot at the 'Dogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler looks to continue its hot shooting from Saturday against Maine.
#4 Duke vs. #19 Michigan State, #1 Kentucky vs. #5 Kansas - The Champions Classic makes its first ever stop in Indianapolis. Anytime four of the top teams in the country make a local stop, it is a must-see event. FH2FH will be at Bankers Life Fieldhouse for its fifth and sixth games in the first five days of the season.
Wednesday:
Coppin State at Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish look to continue their momentum against another low-major opponent.
IU-South Bend at Valparaiso: Crusaders look to get their scoring back on track after a rough game at Missouri.
Evansville at Miami (OH): Purple Aces make their way to Oxford for a battle with the MAC's Redhawks.
IUPUI at Milwaukee: After two tough losses, IUPUI looks for their first win against the defending Horizon League tournament champions.

Thursday:
Grambling State at Purdue: The worst team in college basketball, according KenPom projections, heads to Mackey Arena for the first of its three games in the state of Indiana in seven days.
SMU at Indiana:  After missing out on the NCAA tournament last year largely due to a weak non-conference schedule, Larry Brown's Mustangs head to Assembly Hall looking for a eye-opening win against the Hoosiers.

  

Friday, November 14, 2014

Weekend Preview: It's Been Such a Long Time


It's time to finally stop just talking about college basketball and start watching it! This weekend's games for schools from Indiana:

Friday

Binghampton (KenPom #304) at Notre Dame (KenPom #70)
Mike Brey and crew start their campaign with a visit from the America East's Bearcats.
Manchester at IPFW (KenPom #219)
Northeast Indiana schools clash as the Mastodons welcome the Spartans.
Mississippi Valley State (KenPom #304) at Indiana (KenPom #26)
The Delta Devils are known for being the college home of Jerry Rice.  Their basketball program?  Not so well known.
Samford (KenPom #304) at Purdue (KenPom #40)
It's Samford, not Stanford, so things look good for the Boilermakers.  However, Northern Kentucky pushed Purdue to the brink on opening night last year.
East Tennessee State (KenPom #195) at Valparaiso (KenPom #160)
Probably the most evenly matched game of the first weekend. Crusaders have a chance to get themselves a decent pelt on the wall on opening night against the Buccaneers.
Indiana State (KenPom #132) at IUPUI (KenPom #324)
Basketball returns to the Fairgrounds Coliseum and it's a in-state battle between the Sycamores and the Jaguars. IUPUI Coach Jason Gardner celebrates his 34th birthday by coaching his first college game. FH2FH will be there.
Ball State (KenPom #282) at #25 Utah (KenPom #42)
The Utes are tied with Harvard in the AP Top 25.  It's probably not going to be a pleasant trip out west for the Cardinals.

Saturday

Earlham at Evansville (KenPom #158)
It's E school vs. E school as the Purple Aces tip off against Division III Hustin' Quakers.
Maine (KenPom #343) at Butler (KenPom #68)
The Black Bears are the opponent at Hinkle Fieldhouse's housewarming party after major renovations during the off-season.  FH2FH will be there.

Sunday

Navy (KenPom #303) at Notre Dame (KenPom #70)
After starting the season with a game at home against Michigan State, the Midshipmen are treated to a flight to northern Indiana to face the Irish.  Probably a better football game than basketball.
Valparaiso (KenPom #160) at Missouri (KenPom #70)
Valpo has a chance to make a statement in the first weekend of the season. Mizzou has a new coach and a lot of question marks.
IUPUI (KenPom #324) at Purdue (KenPom #40)
IUPUI starts its season with its second straight game against an intrastate power. FH2FH will be there.


Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Mission Statement


Hello, and welcome to Fieldhouse 2 Fieldhouse.

What is Fieldhouse 2 Fieldhouse?
Fieldhouse 2 Fieldhouse is a blog dedicated to the glorious sport of college basketball and the arenas in which the sport is played.  Fieldhouse 2 Fieldhouse gets its name from the two venerable basketball arenas in Indianapolis, Hinkle Fieldhouse and Bankers Life Fieldhouse.  Fieldhouse 2 Fieldhouse is a chronicle of NCAA Division I men's basketball arenas, with reviews, ratings, and rankings based upon the author's personal live observations.  The author is a resident of western Indiana, so the vast majority of the arenas visited will be located in the Midwest.  The author plans to attend about 50 NCAA basketball games during the 2014-15 season (including visits to all 10 teams in the state of Indiana), and will record his observations on this blog.  This blog is intended to be a record of the best and worst of attending live college basketball at arenas throughout the nation.

Who is Fieldhouse 2 Fieldhouse?
Fieldhouse 2 Fieldhouse is written by Stephen McGrady.  Stephen is an attorney by day and trivia host by night, while having an unquenchable desire for sports and travel.  Stephen is a fan of the Duke Blue Devils, the Southern Illinois Salukis, and the Purdue Boilermakers.