You survived

Congratulations.

The long, grueling summer without any big college sports is now over. We are back!

I'll be at the Louisville-Kentucky game as part of the College GameDay team across the street from Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on Floyd Street next to the new Cardinal Ticket Office.

Come out and say hi.

So far, my Saturday has consisted of a group meeting going over my new diet/workout regime that I've been going through for the last two weeks (tough, but rewarding), along with grocery shopping, going to Subway (6" turkey), working out, showering off, and watching all the college football I possible can.

So far, Pitt looks like the old Pitt, I'm guessing Carolina Steve will call in to our next show thanks to East Carolina's win over Virginia Tech, and the Hoosiers look solid in their opener.

Tomorrow, I've got Louisville beating Kentucky in a great game, 26-21.

Have fun, and feel free to post below!

Another reason why ratings/rankings are meaningless early

In my humble opinion, some of the best computer ratings out there are Jeff Sagarin's (fellow Indiana University grad) ratings.

But even Jeff Sagarin can have some skewed ratings sometimes. Especially when a game hasn't been played.

His preseason college football ratings have Louisville at 15th IN THE COUNTRY.

That makes them the second-highest rated Big East team going into the season, behind West Virginia (7th).

Compare that to:
23 - Texas Tech
26 - Arkansas
29 - Kansas
37 - South Florida
46 - Kentucky
49 - Pittsburgh
79 - Indiana

Off tomorrow...

Just a couple things I was thinking about tonight as I take the day off from the air.

I'm sorry, but I can't picture Pudge Rodriguez in a Yanks uniform.  I've always liked him, but will I be able to like him as a fixture in Yankee Stadium?

That's about all the baseball I can talk about since I'm finally ready to nail in the last hammer on the Reds and their wild card hopes (my hopes lasted longer than all other Reds fans, for better or worse).  But if you want to read about the Reds, the Red Reporter is always a good place.

So now onto college football.  I'm getting super-excited.  Even though UK and U of L are two teams that will have to fight tooth and nail to get to a bowl, I'm still excited to see both of them play each other.  Here's some more season previews (from CollegeFootballNews.com) on UK, U of L, and IU. And even a little Ohio State for you Big Ten fans.

Can't leave without a little Brian Brohm, who was successfully taught by my man Rocco Gasparro (U of L Media Relations Director for Football) how to avoid any tough questions.  That guy won't crack to the NFL media either.  He's going to represent Louisville great.

Some Tuesday Night Links

Just thought I'd start off the new blog campaign with some interesting internet links... at least they're interesting to me.

• Pitino has been very busy recruiting, and he's real close to the # 1 class in 2009. [ESPN Insider]
• An AP article that is interesting regarding how life isn't over for UK football just because BCS chances probably are. [AP]
• Pat Forde's weekly Forde-Yard "Dash" is a weekly must-read. And while UK football isn't talked about, he's got a great quote from UK play-by-play man Tom Leach. [ESPN]
• Out of all the local kids that I can't wait to see in the NFL. The one I truly CANNOT wait to see is James Hardy. I think he's going to be sickening good in the pros, and finally, I find a legitimate columnist that agrees with me, ESPN.com's Bruce Feldman. [ESPN Insider]
• Reds fans, like me, always knew the Big Red Machine was great... but guess what. The Machine thinks the Rockies are awesome. [ESPN Insider]
• Pete Fiutak at CollegeFootballNews.com is always a fun read. Very reader-friendly articles. And this is another one... breaking down the current BCS rankings. [College Football News]
• Colts fans, before you start talking to the fellow Colts and NFL fans about the Patriots game, read this. [Scouts]

That's all for now. Enjoy the show tomorrow.

BIG THREE CHAMPIONSHIP: Game 21

Moving to the East Rutherford Region, our first game features a tournament favorite against a team that barely snuck by in its first round game. The #1 1996 Kentucky Wildcats pounded the #8 ’02 Indiana Hoosiers 83%-17% in its 1st round game. The Cats broke out to an early lead and never looked back. Behind the hot shooting of Tony Delk, the Cats won by the second largest margin in the 1st round. The starters were pulled very early in the 2nd half by Coach Pitino as he looked forward to the 2nd round. The #4 1953 Indiana Hoosiers did not have that kind of luxury in its 1st round game. The Hoosiers barely snuck by the #5 1958 Kentucky Wildcats in what turned out to be a thriller. The final score was 51%-49% in favor of the Hoosiers. Don Schlundt hit a big basket with only :05 on the clock to put the Hoosiers into the lead. The Cats had a chance to tie the game but Vernon Hatton missed a 15 footer as time ran out.

BIG THREE CHAMPIONSHIP: Game 17

Game 17 of the Big Three Championship is the first game of the second round. It matches two National Champions against each other after each won easily in their first round games. The #1 1976 Indiana Hoosiers beat the #8 1959 Louisville Cardinals by a large margin in the opening game of the tournament 85%-15%. Scott May and Kent Benson led the Hoosiers in scoring and provided an early spark that sent the team out to a big lead. Early in the second half, Coach Bob Knight took out his stars to save them for the next game. The #4 1951 Kentucky Wildcats won their first round game by a comfortable 60%-40% margin. The game saw Bill Spivey and Shelby Linville lead the Cats over the #5 1940 Indiana Hoosiers. Coach Rupp left his starters in for most of the game due to a second half run put forth by the Hoosiers, but the Cats fought back and won easily.

VOTING OVER!
PHILADELPHIA REGION - REGIONAL SEMIFINAL
# 1 '76 Indiana: 51%
# 4 '51 Kentucky: 49%
UPDATED BRACKET

BIG THREE CHAMPIONSHIP: Game 16

The final game of the first round of the Big Three Championship features a one-loss team against a team that made an incredible run. The #2 1975 Indiana Hoosiers face-off against the #7 2003 Kentucky Wildcats. The '75 Hoosiers were 31-1 and Big Ten Champions. Under Coach Bob Knight, the Hoosiers did not lose a game until the NCAA Regional Final where they were defeated by Kentucky. The '03 Cats were SEC regular season and tournament Champions during a 26-game winning streak. The Cats were the second Kentucky team to go 16-0 in regular season play along with the '96 Cats. They were led by Keith Bogans, Gerald Fitch, and Marquis Estill. Many fans believe these two teams would have been National Champions if their star players hadn't got hurt. IU lost Scott May and UK lost Keith Bogans during their runs in the NCAA Tournament.

VOTING OVER!
INDIANAPOLIS REGION - ROUND 1
# 2 '75 Indiana: 51%
# 7 '03 Kentucky: 49%
UPDATED BRACKET

BIG THREE CHAMPIONSHIP: Game 15

Game 15 of the Big Three Championship pits the #3 1948 Kentucky Wildcats against the #6 1981 Indiana Hoosiers. The '48 Cats were know as the Fabulous Five and won the school's first National Championship. The Cats were also named World Champions after winning the gold medal at the London Olympics that year. They were led by Alex Groza, Ralph Beard, and Wallace "Wah-Wah" Jones. The '81 Hoosiers were also National Champions as well as Big Ten Champions. The National Championship victory was the school's second in six years. The Championship game saw the Hoosiers avenge an early season loss to North Carolina. They were led by Isiah Thomas, Randy Wittman, Ray Tolbert, Ted Kitchel, and Landon Turner.

VOTING OVER!
INDIANAPOLIS REGION - ROUND 1
# 3 '48 Kentucky: 66%
# 6 '81 Indiana: 34%
UPDATED BRACKET

BIG THREE CHAMPIONSHIP: Game 13

Game 13 of the Big Three Championship pits the #1 1980 Louisville Cardinals against the #8 1973 Indiana Hoosiers. The ’80 Cardinals went 33-3 en route to winning the school’s first National Championship giving Coach Denny Crum his first Championship as a head coach. The Cards were Metro Conference Regular Season and Tournament Champions. The Cards were led by Darrell Griffith, Derek Smith, Wiley Brown, Rodney McCray and Jerry Eaves. The ’73 Hoosiers were Big Ten Champions and advanced to the Final Four with a record of 22-6. The Hoosiers were led by Big Ten MVP Steve Downing and played in the Final Four in St. Louis, Missouri.

VOTING OVER!
INDIANAPOLIS REGION - ROUND 1
# 1 '80 Louisville: 51%
# 8 '73 Indiana: 49%
UPDATED BRACKET

BIG THREE CHAMPIONSHIP: Game 12

Game 12 of the Big Three Championship matches up a storied Kentucky basketball team against a very good Indiana team. The game features the #2 1966 Kentucky Wildcats against the #7 1992 Indiana Hoosiers. The ’66 Cats were known as Rupp’s Runts with no starter taller than 6 foot 5 inches. The Cats were 27-2 under Coach Adolph Rupp and advanced to the NCAA Championship game after winning the Sec Championship. The Cats were led by Pat Riley, Louie Dampier, Thad Jaracz, Larry Conley and Tommy Kron. The ’92 Hoosiers went 27-7 under Bobby Knight advancing to the Final Four before losing to Duke who was the defending champ and went on to win back-to-back titles.. It was the 7th Final Four appearance for Indiana. The Hoosiers were led by Calbert Cheaney, Alan Henderson, Damon Bailey and Eric Anderson.

VOTING OVER!
EAST RUTHERFORD REGION - ROUND 1
# 7 '92 Indiana: 56%
# 2 '66 Kentucky: 44%
UPDATED BRACKET

BIG THREE CHAMPIONSHIP: Game 10

Game 10 of the Big Three Championship pits the #4 1953 Indiana Hoosiers against the #5 1958 Kentucky Wildcats. The '53 Hoosiers went 23-3 and were Big Ten Champions as well as National Champions under coach Branch McCracken. It was Indiana's 2nd Championship win. They were led by Don Schlundt and Bob Leonard as they beat Kansas in the Championship game. The '58 Wildcats were coached by Adolph Rupp and won the school's 4th National Championship in 11 years. The Cats were SEC Champions with a 23-6 record. They were led by Vernon Hatton, Johnny Cox, John Crigler, Adrian Smith and Ed Beck.

VOTING OVER!
EAST RUTHERFORD REGION - ROUND 1
# 4 '53 Indiana: 51%
# 5 '58 Kentucky: 49%
UPDATED BRACKET

BIG THREE CHAMPIONSHIP: Game 9

Game 9 of the Big Three Championship features two teams from not so long ago. The #1 '96 Kentucky Wildcats face off against the #8 '02 Indiana Hoosiers. Arguably one of the best college basketball teams of all-time, the '96 Cats went 34-2 and 16-0 in the SEC regular season, the first team to go undefeated in league play in 40 years. The Cats won the National Championship under Coach Rick Pitino, his only championship to date. They were lead in scoring by Tony Delk, Antoine Walker, Walter McCarty, Derek Anderson, and Ron Mercer. The '02 Hoosiers were Big Ten Co-Champions under Coach Mike Davis. They were National Runner-Up after losing to Maryland in the Championship in Atlanta, GA. The Hoosiers were led by Jared Jeffries, A.J. Moye, Tom Coverdale, Jeff Newton, Dane Fife, Jarrad Odle, and Kyle Hornsby. The Hoosiers advanced to the Final Four after defeating Duke in Rupp Arena in the Regional Final.


VOTING OVER!
EAST RUTHERFORD REGION - ROUND 1
# 1 '96 Kentucky: 83%
# 8 '02 Louisville: 17%
UPDATED BRACKET

BIG THREE CHAMPIONSHIP: Game 2

Game 2 features two teams from way back. It pits the #4 ’51 Kentucky Wildcats against the #5 ’40 Indiana Hoosiers. The ’51 Cats had a record of 32-3 and were SEC Champions. The team won UK ’s third National Championship in four years under Head Coach Adolph Rupp. The Cats were led by juniors Bill Spivey and Shelby Linville along with team captain Walt Hirsch. The ’40 Hoosiers won IU’s first National Championship under Head Coach Branch McCracken. The Hoosiers went 20-3 and were led by senior Marvin Huffman and junior Jay McCreary.

VOTING OVER!
PHILADELPHIA REGION - ROUND 1
# 4 '51 Kentucky: 60%
# 5 '40 Indiana: 40%
UPDATED BRACKET

BIG THREE CHAMPIONSHIP: Game 1

The first matchup of the tournament matches the #8 '59 Louisville Cardinals against the #1 '76 Indiana Hoosiers. The '59 Cardinals went 19-12 under coach Bernard Hickman. They were lead to the Final Four by captains Harold Andrews and Don Goldstein. The '76 Hoosiers were undefeated under coach Bob Knight and won the NCAA Championship. They were led by Scott May, Kent Benson, and Quinn Buckner.

VOTING OVER!
PHILADELPHIA REGION - ROUND 1
# 1 '76 Indiana: 85%
# 8 '59 Louisville: 15%

UPDATED BRACKET

ALL-TIME BIG THREE CHAMPIONSHIP

For the rest of the summer, we here at The Big EZ Show thought it would be fun to find out (via the listeners) who the best teams in the history of IU, UK, and U of L were. And this is, by far, the most fun way to do it. MAKE A BRACKET.

So start up that July office pool. This should be a lot of fun.

Now, don't hold us to the seeding. We admit, we didn't spend a whole lot of time on it. And yes, we know we left some teams out (I hate that the '04 UK team didn't make it, but they lost in the 2nd round). If there are any obvious errors, speak now, or just don't. All these teams made it to the Elite Eight or better (EXCEPTION: '54 UK team, who was undefeated but declined an NCAA bid).

We'll do one game a day for the rest of the summer, and you can vote online at http://www.bigezshow.com/. Stay tuned to The Big EZ Show for the start date. You can post in the comments section, or you can e-mail EZ at mailto:ez@1570thezone.com.

Back from Out of Town

Just wanted to get some thoughts off of my chest while I was thinking about them, as I am back in town and will be back in the driver's seat tomorrow on the Friday edition of the show.

1. I am just really saddended by the passing of Indiana University head football coach Terry Hoeppner. The rumblings began (at least the ones I heard) about a month or so ago that it wasn't looking great, but still, no one thought he'd be gone this soon. It's a shame. I hope the players and fans will appreciate what he did for the program by playing hard and attending and cheering at the games respectively.


2. The U of L-UK football game will be on television, I'm fairly certain of that. But it will be on some obscure network and if you don't have a ticket or you don't subscribe to all the "cool" sports networks, you'll probably have to go to a bar. My question: how much will this UP the value of the ticket for the game?


3. Sammy Sosa is a hall of famer, no question. So are Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, and others. There was a steriod era of baseball and other players used it that we don't know about it, some of which are already in the Hall of Fame. So, for about the tenth time I say, they're all IN!


4. Rosie O'Donnell is taking over for Bob Barker on The Price Is Right. Short term, I think it's a great idea. Long term, it'll be terrible, and Rosie won't last more than 18 months. You heard it here first.

It's good to be back. Talk to you guys tomorrow.

MY CONFERENCE TOURNEY HOOPS PICKS

I didn't make many friends today in picking the winners of all of the conference tournament games. Here they are. Let's stick with the three teams that we cover, and their conferences.

BIG TEN CONFERENCE
ROUND 1 (Thursday, March 8)
# 8 Michigan vs. # 9 Minnesota MY PICK: MICHIGAN
# 7 Michigan State vs. # 10 Northwestern MY PICK: MICHIGAN STATE
# 6 Illinois over # 11 Penn State MY PICK: ILLINOIS

NOTE: Probably the most uninteresting first round of the Big Ten Tournament EVER

QUARTERFINALS (Friday, March 9)
# 1 Ohio State vs. # 8 Michigan MY PICK: OHIO STATE
# 4 Iowa vs. # 5 Purdue MY PICK: IOWA
# 2 Wisconsin vs. # 7 Michigan State MY PICK: MICHIGAN STATE
# 3 Indiana vs. # 6 Illinois MY PICK: ILLINOIS

NOTE: I know, I know... I can't help it. I don't like IU on the road (or the pseudo-road in Illinois against the Illini), at least not against a Big Ten foe. In the NCAA Tournament, against an opponent that may not know as much about Indiana, then let's talk.

SEMIFINALS (Saturday, March 10)
# 1 Ohio State vs. # 4 Iowa MY PICK: OHIO STATE
# 2 Wisconsin vs. # 6 Illinois MY PICK: ILLINOIS

NOTE: Another upset here. I like Bruce Weber, I really do. And that team has struggled at times, but I'm seeing some tournament magic.

CHAMPIONSHIP (Sunday, March 11)
# 1 Ohio State vs. # 6 Illinois MY PICK: OHIO STATE

NOTE: No upset here... Ohio State has an easy top half of the bracket, and whoever comes out of the bottom half to face them in the final will probably be wiped. I'd be VERY surprised if anyone other than the Buckeyes came away with the Big Ten Tourney Title.

===================

BIG EAST CONFERENCE
ROUND 1 (Wednesday, March 7)
# 8 DePaul vs. # 9 Villanova MY PICK: VILLANOVA
# 5 Syracuse vs. # 12 Connecticut MY PICK: CONNECTICUT
# 7 West Virginia vs. # 10 Providence MY PICK: WEST VIRGINIA
# 6 Marquette vs. # 11 St. John's MY PICK: MARQUETTE

NOTE: No real surprises here, except for UConn. I'd like to think that teams with better talent will find a way to pick up their play a notch, and we all know who has the better raw talent here.

QUARTERFINALS (Thursday, March 8)
# 9 Villanova vs. # 1 Georgetown MY PICK: GEORGETOWN
# 12 Connecticut vs. # 4 Notre Dame MY PICK: NOTRE DAME
# 7 West Virginia vs. # 2 Louisville MY PICK: WEST VIRGINIA
# 6 Marquette vs. # 3 Pittsburgh MY PICK: MARQUETTE

NOTE: Yeah, I know, U of L fans hate me. Listen, I really like the way Louisville is playing. I'll just say this... a team that heaves a lot of threes against a team who plays zone (albeit a good zone) defense with a backup man-to-man (not a great defense for U of L) has got me worried about that defensive team. If this game gets in the 70's, I don't like Louisville's chances. Under 70, I feel a little better.

SEMIFINALS (Friday, March 9)
# 1 Georgetown vs. # 4 Notre Dame MY PICK: GEORGETOWN
# 7 West Virginia vs. # 6 Marquette MY PICK: MARQUETTE

NOTE: The bottom half of the Big East bracket is completely up for grabs, but I like Marquette, who is a little better of a defensive matchup against West Virginia than Louisville is, even though Marquette has already had their trouble with West Virginia this season.

FINALS (Saturday, March 10)
# 1 Georgetown vs. # 6 Marquette MY PICK: GEORGETOWN

NOTE: Revenge for Georgetown.

=================

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
ROUND 1 (Thursday, March 8)
W5 Alabama vs. E4 Kentucky MY PICK: KENTUCKY
E6 South Carolina vs. W3 Arkansas MY PICK: ARKANSAS
E5 Georgia vs. W4 Auburn MY PICK: GEORGIA
W6 LSU vs. E3 Tennessee MY PICK: TENNESSEE

NOTE: Finally!!! I pick a local team to win a conference tournament game. The Kentucky players will win one for ORLANDO! After all, Ramel Bradley STILL calls this the "Wildcat Invitational." It'll be time for him to put up or shut up.

QUARTERFINALS (Friday, March 9)
E4 Kentucky vs. W1 Mississippi State MY PICK: KENTUCKY
W3 Arkansas vs. E2 Vanderbilt MY PICK: ARKANSAS
E5 Georgia vs. E1 Florida MY PICK: FLORIDA
E3 Tennessee vs. W2 Ole Miss MY PICK: TENNESSEE

NOTE: Of course, Kentucky fans wouldn't call a win over Mississippi State an upset. I wouldn't either, but remember, Mississippi State throttled 'Bama just last week. I like underdog Arkansas to upset Vanderbilt, a team who is obviously better, but I think they'll fold under the lights of a tournament situation, as we see most teams do when they become favorites in a tournament situation for the first time in a long time.

SEMIFINALS (Saturday, March 10)
E4 Kentucky vs. W3 Arkansas MY PICK: KENTUCKY
E1 Florida vs. E3 Tennessee MY PICK: FLORIDA

NOTE: UK in the tourney final... all will be well (momentarily) in Wildcat Nation. Florida gets revenge after UT bashed the Gators in Knoxville last week.

CHAMPIONSHIP (Sunday, March 11)
E4 Kentucky vs. E1 Florida MY PICK: FLORIDA

NOTE: The magic ends here for the Cats. Florida is just better, especially when the game isn't at Rupp. If this game were to go down, I see it going a lot like the game last Sunday in Gainesville. Close for awhile, high-scoring. But in the end, Florida takes control. It should be closer though.

NO DOUBT THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR!

Indiana loses to Purdue

Indiana fans weren't happy with me today about my "bad feeling" I had about the Hoosiers in West Lafayette. Indiana loses by double digits to Purdue. Not right often, but I'll gloat when I am.

Let's be honest. That game was going to be super tough to win. First off, it was postponed, which would certainly hurt the road team in a situation like that.

Rivalry game... Purdue hasn't won since 2003 in the series. They were due.

Teams in rivalry games don't take kindly to ass-kickings liek the one the Boilers took in Bloomington in early January, 85-58.

It was time.

Now, for IU, it's probably straight on up to Ann Arbor, I would think. That's got to be tough on a team whose been dismal on the road thus far this season.

This Indiana game at Michigan this weekend should give you a really good gauge of what kind of tournament team this will be. Two straight games on away from home, one off day in between. We'll see if the Hoosiers can bounce back.

But count me in the group of people that think this game on Saturday is THE most important regular season game of the year for the Hoosiers.

IU-UK Gameday Blog

I may update this post from time-to-time today. But really I'm just excited to be here. It's nice to see this game have a little "home-court advantage", regardless of which way that home court advantage goes. I've really got only one pick for EZ Monday today, and that is for this IU-UK game.

First off, I think the UNDER in this game is a LOCK. I see a very slow-paced game. We'll see how it turns out, but I see a lot of zone as well as both teams only have one real inside threat and both coaches will try to keep that player out of foul trouble early.

I see IU falling to a very bad start. They will trail by double digits in this game thanks to the home crowd of which IU players have never seen before. But IU will claw back late in the second half thanks to very good defense forcing UK to take some very ill-advised shots. IU may even come back and take the lead. I see this one going down to the wire, but UK holds on.

EZ MONEY: College Hoops
W-L Record going in: 3-0

Indiana (+5) vs. KENTUCKY ** PUSH **

W-L Record going out: 3-0-1

Some first half thoughts:

• The defense from both teams is very solid. Ill-advised shots on both ends making it tough for either team to get anything going offensively.
• DJ White had a better first half than I expected.
• UK free throws are hurting them in the first half.
• If IU doesn't double Randolph than he will have 30 before the day is out.
• IU's open looks seem not to be falling.
• Good surge at the end of the first half for UK. Getting Stevenson involved may be the 2nd half key for the Cats.
• HALFTIME: UK 28, IU 26 (sidenote: UK is 5-0 when tied or leading at half... 0-3 when they trail)

Second half droppings:

• UK picking up their pace, to the pleasure of former UK standout Kenny "Sky" Walker sitting two seats down.
• DJ White is not going to be able to do it all by himself today for Indiana. A guard will need to get involved.
• Either team is two outside shots away from breaking the game open. Neither is shooting well from outside.
• IU's offensive rebounding has been very impressive in this game.
• Sheray Thomas gets booed when he comes into the game.
• Earl Calloway is the first guard for either team that decides that he can take over this game as he sparks a 6-0 run, scoring four of those points, giving IU the lead back at 39-36 with 12:38 remaining.
• Kentucky responds with an 9-0 run of their own to take a 45-36 lead.
• E-MAIL: Someone wrote and asked if I would tell them how many IU fans I can estimate being here. Let me tell you... it's not much. I'll say 1,000 at most.
• I never would've thought DJ White would win the battle underneath today, but he has.
• Morris should touch the ball inside each possession. It's a shame he isn't. That keeps Indiana in it.
• Indiana's defense is insane good, but their offense just can't match it this early in the season.... or so it seems.
• The hard work by both of these teams today is to be commended. It's not often you see a knock-down dragout like this one. I'm appreciative. The Cats earned this one!