TGS "Bracketology" Update... And Best-Kept Secret Revealed!

Last summer, we were waiting out a rain delay at Comerica Park in Detroit as the Tigers were prepairing to take the field for a Friday night game vs. the Kansas City Royals. We got involved in a discussion with a rabid Tigers fan who, not surprisingly, was also a big NFL Lions booster. This chap was a diehard supporter, one who traveled to watch Lion road games as well.

When we asked him about his favorite NFL road trip, he immediately said “Indianapolis.” We gave him a curious look before the Lions fan made the shhhh gesture with his index finger in front of his mouth. “It’s the best kept secret in the league,” he said, before rattling off why he enjoyed the trip to the capital city of Indiana.

Well, we’re not quite as sure that we’d put Indy as the top destination for an NFL road trip. But we definitely concur with that Tigers/Lions fan who couldn’t wait to expound the virtues of the hometown of the Colts and Pacers. Indianapolis is a very underrated sporting venue, and it is definitely worth a visit for a major sporting event.

Basketball, of course, remains a big deal in the state, immortalized by the mid ‘80s sports movie classic Hoosiers. And the hoop heartbeat certainly beats strongly in Indianapolis. The presence of the incomparable Conseco Fieldhouse, home of the NBA Pacers, is testament to that fact. But no trip to Indy for a hoop aficionado would be complete without a visit to Butler University and its grand old palace, Hinkle Fieldhouse, located in a pleasant residential neighborhood a few miles north of downtown. Indeed, a trip to Hinkle is so special for a college hoops addict that we’d liken it to a pilgrimage. And we made our annual visit to Indy and Hinkle Fieldhouse last week to watch Butler take on Loyola-Chicago in Horizon League action.

Before we get to last Thursday’s nailbiter at Hinkle, however, we’d be remiss if not disclosing a few of those “secrets” that make Indy such a cool stop for a sports fanatic.

Most will arrive in town at the airport, located on the west side of the city about 7 miles from downtown. Although nothing spectacular, we’ve definitely experienced worse and more annoying airports. So, by comparison, there is something undeniably cozy and refreshingly unpretentious about Indianapolis International. After seeing so many overdone (DFW), uncomfortable (JFK), and downright miserable (LAX) airports elsewhere in the country, there is something comforting about a serviceable facility without all of the frills that make trips through O’Hare, DFW, and countless other mega-airports such a pain in the rear.

(To get a taste of the quaint Indy International Airport, however, will require making a trip before September 2008. That’s because a big, new facility is being built about a mile west of the existing airport. We’re sure it’s going to have all of the bells and whistles and conveniences of new airports elsewhere, but we can hope that the instinctive unpretentiousness of the Indy people will nonetheless be reflected in their sparkling new airport.)

Our flight into town last Thursday was an interesting one, as loads of potential pro football draftees were all converging upon Indy for the NFL Scouting Combine at the RCA Dome. Quarterbacks and receivers were due in town that day, and we immediately recognized several on our connecting flight from Denver, including Washington QB Isaiah Stanback (right), as well as Oregon WR Jordan Kent, Nevada QB Jeff Rowe, Boise State WR Drisan James, and a few others. We sat next to an agent from Corvallis, Oregon on the flight, matching notes and observations as well as recalling the long-ago glory days of Oregon State football from the late 1960s (and Dee Andros’ famed 1967 “Giant Killers” as well). So, as far as flights go, it was an interesting one.

Any trip for a first-time visitor to Indianapolis has to include a stop at the famed Motor Speedway, a few miles northwest of downtown. We had been there before, but since my wife hadn’t, I decided to give her a quick tour of the speedway and its very interesting Hall of Fame and Museum, which is reached by driving under the grandstand and racetrack and ending up in the infield, where the stately museum sits. To her credit, she at least pretended not to be bored, but even casual sports fans would probably get a real kick out of this particular HOF. Although it's hard to really get a perspective of the the speedway unless you're driving on the track itself, because from most vantage points in the infield, you simply can't see the entire facility, or comprehend its enormity.

For a relative bargain of $3, visitors can tour the museum and see many of the same cars that once won the famed 500-mile race, all lined in orderly fashion with descriptions of the vehicle and specifics about that year’s race. About the only thing we couldn’t do was take the bus tour around the famed oval, because the heavy snow from the previous week (left) had yet to melt or be cleared from the track itself. We’ve always been particularly intrigued by Andy Granatelli’s old bright red “turbo” cars with their Pratt & Whitney engines from the late ‘60s. Those cars were the rage of the day, with what were essentially turbine jets powering the cars, and both Parnelli Jones’ 1967 (right) and Joe Leonard’s 1968 turbos are on display. We vividly recall the jet-like noise emitted from the turbos, distinctly different from the traditional roar of race car engines. Unfortunately, both turbos experienced mechanical failures when comfortably leading late in the 1967 (Parnelli’s $10 gear box dropping dead an agonizing 4 laps from the finish) & ‘68 (Leonard breaking down with 10 laps to go) races. A.J. Foyt (‘67) and Bobby Unser (‘68) eventually capitalized on those breakdowns and drove into victory lane instead. In fact, none of the four turbo cars (Graham Hill and Art Pollard also drove Granatelli’s creation in 1968) ever finished the race before disappearing forever from the Indy scene. Still, it’s one of the highlights of the tour, and the well-informed hosts are quick to point out the unique features of the turbo cars, including the exhaust pipe that had to point into the air, instead of behind the car, because the direct heat from the turbo exhausts would burn anyone who was behind it on pit row.

Indeed, we always thought it ironic that immediately after Granatelli’s turbo creations disappeared from Indy, one of his more-traditional "STP specials" finally won the race for him the following year in 1969, with Mario Andretti behind the wheel (in victory lane, that's Andy planting a kiss on Mario's cheek at left!). Even that win wasn’t easy, as Andretti had crashed Granatelli’s newest creation, a 4-wheel drive Lotus, in a practice run and instead won the race with a decidedly more-mainstream, 1-year old Hawk. Granatelli’s story is one of several highlighted in the theater on the premises, which continually shows a 20-minute movie about the intriguing history of the brickyard. And we are always amused by the exhibit dedicated to legendary Indy race announcer Sid Collins, whose unique microphone harness contraption that allowed him swivel and watch the race unfold as he passed the baton to announcers on turn one, turn two, the backstretch, turn three, turn four, and the straightaway, merits its own display! The veteran race fans who double as the hosts at the museum are another treat. Mostly oldtimers, these guys have probably retired from other jobs but are race fans at heart and are apparently having the time of their lives actually working at the museum and guiding folks around the facility. All have a keen knowledge of Indy and car racing history. One of these pleasant chaps, named Roger, was a veritable fountain of information. He informed me that A.J. Foyt’s 1964 winning car (right, which had been delivered to the museum right after that race, and was never restored like most of the winning cars on display) was undergoing its first restoration job and would be making a special appearance along with Foyt’s other winning cars (from 1961, ‘67, and ‘78) when they honor the Texan at this year’s renewal on Memorial Day weekend.

For $3, this museum is really a bargain! From the brickyard, it’s a relatively short drive to the surprisingly clean and easy-to-access downtown area. And that's what the chap from the Tigers game was really referring to when lauding the city. For a football fan in town to see the Colts at RCA Dome, or a basketball fan in town to watch the Pacers or perhaps some college action at Conseco Fieldhouse (this year, the Big Ten women's tourney will have to do, because the men will be playing in Chicago), everything is within walking distance. And we mean everything.

The center of downtown is the appropriately named Monument Circle, at the confluence of Meridien and Market Streets. A dramatic, 10-story high war memorial sits in the center, and the Euro-style traffic circle around it evokes comparisons to similar venues in places like Madrid or Rome. But like everything else in downtown Indy, Monument Circle is clean, with various restaurants and hotels (including Radisson and Hilton) along the circumference of the circle. The bustling downtown area extends several blocks each way, with more hotels and restaurants, the stately capitol building a couple of blocks to the west, Conseco Fieldhouse a few blocks to the southeast, and the RCA Dome/Indiana Convention Center a few blocks to the southwest. Between all are various eateries, bars, and shopping, including an enclosed multi-story mall, the Circle Centre, a massive shopping mecca that includes Nordstrom’s as an anchor tenant and one that also links to the RCA Dome. A few blocks further to the southwest is the new minor league baseball park for the local Indianapolis Indians, Victory Field, as well as a spanking new Lucas Oil Stadium, a replacement for the RCA Dome being built literally across the street from the existing stadium. This new Colts home is well on its way to completion in time for the 2008 season. Various museums and other cultural centers are also within easy walking distance downtown. What really strikes the visitor, however, is how this particular downtown seems to be a destination for Indy residents, who flock to the area for the shopping, eating, and sports events. It is a far cry from many rundown downtown districts we have seen elsewhere in the country, where locals avoid whenever possible. And though many downtown districts in the country have undergone something of a renaissance, it often involves just a few blocks of the city. Indy’s entire downtown area is nice and clean, and by big-city standards, it’s relatively safe, too. One never gets a claustrophobic feeling, either, and with the parks and public squares, there’s a very pleasant ambiance about the place.

The mention of Conseco Fieldhouse, home of the Pacers, should also perk up any sports fan. The retro-themed facility is singular amongst all “new” arenas, many of which bear striking similarity to one another. The exception is Conseco, with sightlines unmatched in other new arenas. The vast Entry Pavilion to Conseco resembles an old-time train station, complete with gift shops, restaurants, and an Indiana hoops museum, honoring the rich history of basketball in the state. Nearby, adjacent to White River State Park, is the NCAA‘s Hall of Champions, which moved along with the NCAA’s offices from Overland Park, Kansas a few years ago.

But the real treat for college hoop fans is a trip a few miles north to Butler, which was our destination last Thursday for the Horizon league rematch vs. Loyola-Chicago. We had been at the first meeting four weeks earlier in the windy city, a classic struggle won by Butler in overtime, 70-66. Little did we know that the return encounter would be just as exciting.

The drive from downtown to Butler takes less than 15 minutes north on Meridien Avenue. Although the area deteriorates for short stretch north of downtown, once past 38th Street, Meridien turns into a real-life historic district, with impressive mansions lining the boulevard. This is the old-line of Indy, with mansions on impressive lots of an acre or more, and they keep coming, block after block. At 46th Street, it’s time for a left turn, and after a few more blocks of nice neighborhood, the quaint Butler campus suddenly appears.

Butler isn’t a big school, but it’s impressive nonetheless (especially the beautiful Clowes Hall, left). With its Gothic architecture, the school reminds a bit of a scaled-down Duke, but it is small, with an enrollment of only 4200. The “collegiate fell” permeates the place, however, and definitely envelopes the proud Hinkle Fieldhouse, a few blocks to the north of the main campus, adjacent to the “Butler Bowl,” the school’s football facility that once boasted of a 36,000 capacity. But the football stadium has been scaled down considerably over the years, and the true gem of the athletic complex is Hinkle.

And what a trip down memory lane it is to watch a game at Hinkle! The big, brick facility looks like it could be a big, old train station, one that could be converted to an airplane or blimp hangar if architects so desired. That distinctive style was once the rage of college fieldhouses in the ‘30s and ‘40s, but even then, Hinkle (built in 1928) stood out from the rest. After all, how many college sports arenas are listed in the national Register of Historic Buildings? When the facility (originally called Butler Fieldhouse before being remaned for legendary Bulldog coach & AD Tony Hinkle in 1966) first opened, it was the largest basketball arena in the country, retaining that distinction for over 20 years. For the first 60 years of its existence, it was virtually unchanged, but it underwent a massive facelift in 1989, with new chairback seats in the lower arena, new doors and windows, new offices, training rooms, and locker areas of the main arena, a VIP lounge, repaved parking lot, and new public address system. Further renovations in the early 1990s reduced the seating capacity from 15,000 to the present 11,043. But the splendor, character, and atmosphere of the building still remain, and while a visit doesn’t necessarily conjure up images of peach baskets and cages surrounding the floor, it does harken to a long-forgotten era of hoops.

Of course, there’s something extra every movie buff knows about Hinkle, because it was used as the site to film the championship game sequence of the great movie Hoosiers in the mid ‘80s. The filming took place in December of 1985, when the court was transformed into a 1950's style to shoot the climactic scene of the movie. Of course, filming at Hinkle didn’t require any stretch of the imagination, as it looked basically the same as it did when the team the movie was based upon, tiny Milan, Indiana High, miraculously won the state title over Muncie Central in 1954, 32-30, thanks to a last-minute shot by hero Bobby Plump (the real-life “Jimmy Chitwood” from the movie). Plump subsequently played at Butler in the mid ‘50s and to this day is a celebrity in the state. It's no surprise that Hinkle indeed hosted the Indiana state tourney (and Plump's title game heroics) from 1928 through 1971.

And yes, there is the temptation to look for Gene Hackman (right, as coach Norman Dale in the movie) roaming the sidelines at Hinkle. Those with more active imaginations might even dream about seeing Barbara Hershey sitting in the stands (go ahead, guys, you can admit it!), but once the mind begins to wander in that direction, it really is time to get back to reality and the game at hand.

It was another cold night last Thursday, and walking into Hinkle from the surrounding neighborhood meant navigating the snow and ice that had been piled up along the sidewalks and parking lot. But it was plenty comfy inside the old edifice, and it was time for mid-major college hoops at its best.

The collegiate feel of Hinkle is infectious, and the surroundings simply intoxicate of basketball. We’ve found that some of the best viewing at any arena in the country comes from the second level seats behind the baskets at Hinkle. This is a rare baseline vantage point above the action, but so close to the court it almost feels as if the players are within touching distance. Given the configuration of Hinkle, these are the best seats to really feel a part of the action, and it’s a vantage point unmatched at any college venue. The sprited crowd is worked into a lather by tipoff. A clever addition to Butler’s pregame ritual is the “real” bulldog mascot, Blue II, being released from its leash on one end of the court, and charging across to the other end, where happy cheerleaders await with a dog biscuit. At that stage, it’s really hard not to fall in love with Butler.

And the game was a real doozy (Butler's Brandon Crone and Loyola's Leon Young battle at left). Butler entered the contest ranked 13th in the nation, but Loyola was hot, having won 6 in a row, and the Ramblers were ready to deal. As usual, however, the Bulldogs were making things difficult by running their modified Princeton offense with precision. Yet after a shaky start, the Loyola defenders began to adjust after the first few minutes, not leaving their feet, and forcing Butler into pass after pass after pass before often having to settle for forced jumpers as the shot clock wound down. It was the best defense we’d seen from the Ramblers in the past couple of years, and one could sense the satisfaction Rambler coach Jim Whitesell and staff must have felt as they watched their troops clamp down on the dangerous Bulldogs.

On the other end of the court, Loyola’s unique 6'7" point guard, Blake Schilb, began to take over the game midway in the first half, at one stage scoring 10 points in a row to stake the Ramblers to a 38-33 halftime lead (which was originally 38-36 until referees took away a 3-point basket by Butler’s Pete Campbell, ruled following video replay review to have come after the halftime buzzer).

Halftime provided another highlight, as Colts coach Tony Dungy and GM Bill Polian began their city-wide tour with the Super Bowl trophy at Hinkle, parading out to midcourt amidst their cheers of the local fans and sharing the Vince Lombardi Trophy with the appreciative audience. The Butler student section got a particular kick out of the ceremony and presented both Dungy and Polian with Butler booster t-shirts, and each obliged by wearing the shirts, which drew a big cheer. It was truly a night of sports royalty at the old palace, as also in attendance was the star of Loyola’s epic 1963 NCAA title-winning squad, Jerry Harkness. Harkness, as fine a gentlemen as the sport knows, is a longtime Indy resident who still keeps close ties with Loyola and supports the Ramblers. Harkness also gained some notoriety in the first year of the old ABA when playing for the hometown Pacers, nailing a record 92-foot shot at the buzzer in a game against the Dallas Chaparrals on November 13, 1967. That was originally counted as a 2-point basket before the officials realized it was indeed a 3 (the ABA had the 3-point shot from its beginning in the 1967-68 season) and therefore the game-winner for the Pacers! The ABA refs were temporarily stumped about the shot beyond half-court, forgetting that those counted as triples just as much as ones made beyond the infamous arc!

Loyola surged to a 45-33 lead at the outset of the second half before Butler began to find its range and chip away at the lead. With Towson transfer guard Mike Green and backcourt mate A.J. Graves bombing away, the Bulldogs crawled back in the game, finally catching the Ramblers and passing them at 61-57 deep into the second half. Loyola, however, wasn’t finished, as Schilb went back to work, and the Ramblers clawed back to take the lead at 62-61. It was back-and-forth the rest of the way, Loyola hanging tough despite losings guards Majak Kou and J.R. Blount to fouls. The battling Ramblers finally went up for good, 70-69, on an old-fashioned 3-point play by freshman power forward Andy Polka with just over a minute to play. Loyola reserve guard Tracy Robinson, who had been shooting free throws at a poor 38% clip in Horizon Conference play prior to the game, then calmly nailed 5 straight from the charity stripe in the final moments to preserve a pulsating 75-71 win for the Ramblers, dealing the stunned Bulldogs their second loss in three games. For those who are counting, that final score means that in the two games between Butler and Loyola this season, the total tally is Butler 141, Loyola 141. There’s a good chance the two will meet again in the Horizon League semifinals Saturday night at Wright State’s Nutter Center in Dayton. If you’re in the area, we’d suggest you attend, or at least tune in. It might be another good one.

And we also suggest a trip to Indianapolis for any college hoop junkie, especially on a night Butler is playing at home. Like chicken soup, a trip to Hinkle Fieldhouse really is good for the basketball fan's soul!

*-“Play-in” game would feature SWAC’s Mississippi Valley State and Northeast’s Central Connecticut State.

We have made some changes from last week. From the ACC, Clemson and Florida State have been demoted, while we’ve added Purdue and Illinois from the Big Ten. Texas Tech also makes our field this week at the expense of Alabama. We don’t have a single SEC West team in the field this week, which could (and should) change by the time Selection Sunday rolls around.

Florida’s hold on a top seed looks tenuous after setbacks vs. dangerous LSU & Tennessee in the last week, but if the Gators can regroup and win the SEC Tournament, we believe they’ll be a number one seed. Some other potential top seeds have also lost in the last week, including North Carolina. In the meantime, we have moved Kansas into one of the top regional seeds at the expense of Wisconsin, which will finish behind Ohio State in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes and UCLA round out our top seeds. For the moment, Texas A&M, Memphis, the Tar Heels, and Badgers are our number two seeds.

Our “last two in” this week are Appalachian State and Bruiser Flint's (left) Drexel Dragons. We still believe the Mountaineers have a legit shot at an at-large (as would SoCon rival Davidson) based upon impressive non-league wins over Vandy, Virginia, VCU, and Wichita State. Drexel might have to advance to the Colonial finals to warrant at-large consideration, but the Dragons have the best non-conference profile of any CAA contender despite their 4th-place finish in the league standings. The Colonial might be underrated in some quarters, but not by us at TGS. Right now we think there’s a good chance three CAA teams (Old Dominion, VCU, and Bruiser Flint’s Dragons) could all be dancing on Selection Sunday.

Last week was a big one for a few sides. Oregon, in particular, steadied its ship with home wins over Washington State (and a season sweep of the high-flying Cougars) and Washington, and thus had its ticket basically punched to the Dance. Xavier’s hot streak means the Musketeers could be in line for an at-large bid should they stumble in the A-10 Tourney at Atlantic City (that’s right, Atlantic City). But it’s still touch-and-go for several teams. Stanford (sweating out the injury status of G Anthony Goods, right) would be well advised not to be swept at home by the Arizona schools this weekend. West Virginia is in a precarious position; indeed, we have a heavy dose of 7 Big East teams in our current field, and that doesn’t even include Villanova. Purdue and Illinois are in tenuous positions as well. Waiting in the wings are Jay Wright’s Wildcats, Georgia, a slew of SEC West entries (Alabama, Ole Miss, Mississippi State), Kansas State and Oklahoma State from the Big XII, San Diego State from the Mountain West, and a few others. The most interesting possibilities, as usual, involve the upcoming conference tourneys, where season-long disappointments such as LSU or a young, rebuilding UConn squad (among others) are liable to hit stride and make a dramatic tourney run. There’s still a lot of basketball to be played before Selection Sunday. As always, stay tuned...

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