Purdue Boilermakers Dance Into Round Two

On Thursday Purdue beat Northern Iowa (although not as handily as I had hoped) to advance in the NCAA Tournament. Woo hoo! Go Boilers!

On Saturday afternoon, they will face off against the Washington Huskies. I've been hearing about that team all year here in the Pacific Northwest, and there's no question that they are talented, tough and well-coached. They will also have the added advantage of virtually being the home team, playing as they are in Portland. It will be one of the best games in the tournament, rivaling even the finals. But I am an optimist! Purdue is a team that came from the middle of the pack to win the Big Ten championship. They are on a roll, winning games away from their home court.

The Purdue Boilermakers are a fun team to watch, and loaded with talent. Although there are several great players, my favorite player has become sophomore Robbie Hummel. 'Though it's no surprise that Matt Painter's team is tough, there is something about Hummmel's enthusiasm and intensity that I find immensely enjoyable to watch. And he always seems to be in just the right place to get things going.

Whether or not Purdue moves on after Saturday's game remains to be seen. Optimist that I am, I have them reaching the finals, in spite of having to face the UConn Huskies if they beat the Washington Huskies. Anything can happen in the Big Dance.

March Madness (Go Boilers!)

The Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team is in the Big Dance with a 5th seed in the West. They will be playing in Portland, Ore., and if they win their first game they will face the Washington Huskies, a team I've been familiar with this year due to their coverage in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

But I have a beef with the NCAA. Why is there a "West" bracket being played on the east coast? And why does a team like Purdue or Wisconsin have to play two time zones away, but Duke and North Carolina both get to play in North Carolina? Shouldn't the divisions labeled things like "Midwest" and "South" be for teams from those geographical areas?

While I realize that they try not to have a cluster of the top seeded teams play each other in the first rounds because they are in the same division or geographic area, it seems that they should either place every team away from a home court advantage, or go back to keeping everyone home and tough it out.

Think about it, NCAA. If you tried that kind of unequal division in a preschool class, you'd be in time out.