I've made no secret of the fact that I'm no fan of the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic. See here and here. Oh, and here. But since we can't change the tourney or its participants, at least the Jays opponent this evening in the title game is DePaul. While neither the Blue Demons or the Billikins are great opponents, playing a third A-10 school wouldn't necessarily be a huge boost to the RPI. Meanwhile, if they can beat DePaul, they'll at least have the benefit of the Big East's likely #1 conference RPI on their schedule strength. Granted, DePaul might be one of the worst teams in the Big East, but still, its better than beating Southern. Or playing Southern. Or having to watch Southern. In fact, lets just change the topic, shall we?
When last the Jays saw DePaul, they were a "potential" sleeper team in the Big East, coming into the Qwest Center for a rare Friday night game. I use the word potential loosely, because it was really only DePaul fans who believed they were a sleeper team, but someone believed it, which doesn't technically make saying it now a false statement. Right? Right. The Jays fell behind big early, before a huge rally led by P'Allen Stinnett's virtuoso scoring performance: 9-12 from the floor, 5-5 from behind the arc, 23 points, all in the second half. After that game, Blue Demons fans watched in horror as their team went 11-19 and 6-12 in the league.
Back is Mac Koshwal, who averages a double-double and grabbed 11 rebounds last year in Omaha. Also back is Dar Tucker, who averages 18 points and 6 boards. Tucker was in foul trouble most of the night last year, and fouled out with just 8 points, although he did grab 6 boards. DePaul outrebounded the Jays 41-38 in last year's game, and their best Windex men from that contest will be playing tonight. Sounds like a good test of the Jays improvement on the boards to me.
One Big Paragraph With Lots O'Dots (TM): The Jays and Blue Demons have a long history, and once upon a time, used to play pretty regularly. DePaul leads the series 15-6, with 12 of the games coming in Chicago. Before the 2005 contest, the game in which Nate Funk originally injured his shoulder, the teams hadn't met since 1990 ... Dana Altman is 4-5 against the Big East conference, a surprising record to anyone who listens to a certain local radio duo whose color palette is on the left side of the RGB spectrum. The four wins? Louisville in the 1999 NCAA Tournament, Notre Dame in the 2002 Guardians Classic, DePaul last year in Omaha, and Providence in the 200 Energia Systems Thanksgivng Tournament. No big surprise that with the exception of DePaul, all of those contests came on neutral floors ... To say that DePaul is not very efficient from the floor would be an understatement. They shoot just 39% from the field, and just 26% from behind the arc. Despite those numbers, they somehow manage to average 66 points a game. Problem is, they give up almost 65 ... Coach Jerry Wainwright has taken some significant heat of late from the Blue Demon fan base, and his 50-52 record at a school with DePaul's history, recruiting base and conference pedigree is tough to defend ... DePaul's defense has been porous at times, which could pose big problems against a Creighton team which shoots 44% from the floor and 39% from three point range.
The Last Time They Played: P'Allen Stinnett went off for 23 second-half points, endearing himself to Creighton fans in his first regular season game, in a 74-62 win. The Jays fell behind 23-6 early before rallying to cut the lead to 38-32 at the half, before blowing past them in the second half.
Gratuitous Linkage: The curious origin of NORAD's Santa Tracking radar. This is why, as a designer, I double-check all copy before sending it to the printer. Although my mistakes rarely turn out this awesome, and I guarantee no one will be talking about any of them in 50 years.
Official Gametime Snack: After much experimentation, I have devised a method for creating your own Qwest Center-esque mini donuts, in the comforts of your own kitchen, for less than a buck a dozen. Seriously. Stop drooling and pay attention.
Go to your favorite grocer, and in the frozen foods section, buy a tube or six of Pillsbury Biscuits. There are usually store brands for half the price next to the name brand, and these are just as good, but cheaper. The package shows a photo of golden buttermilk biscuits, but that's if you follow THEIR directions. Follow mine, and you'll get mini donuts instead.
Slowly peel back the paper on the tube, and enjoy it as the air is released and a giant POP sound happens. That's the best part of the pre-eating portion of this recipe. Or maybe I'm just a huge dork. Probably the latter. Lets go with that. Moving on...The tube of biscuit dough is pre-cut into 10 or 12 silver-dollar sized portions depending on the brand you buy; separate them and lay them out on a plate or your counter.
Next you have two options: drop the biscuits two or three at a time into a Fry Daddy (or Fry Baby, or any of the myriad home fryers on the market) and cook them until they're golden brown. Remove them at that point, and allow them to cool on a paper towel.
If you don't have a Fry Daddy, take out a cookie sheet and spray it with PAM. Also spray the biscuits with PAM. Cook them in the oven until golden brown, then remove.
You'll notice the biscuits, because of the cooking method, don't look like biscuits...they look and are the size of mini donuts! They taste like 'em too. Now, of course, you've got to top these babies off, so here's my advice.
Put sugar, powdered sugar, or cinnamon and sugar mixed, into a Ziploc bag. Drop the donuts in two at a time, shake the bag, remove, and eat. You can also top them with Chocolate cake frosting, available in the baking aisle at the grocer. That's an option the Qwest Center doesn't even offer!
They are a new definition of delicious, and all it costs you is about a buck and ten minutes of your time. One more note: if you prefer to eat them in a paper sack for the authentic Qwest Center feel, stop by the aisle and buy a package of 'em. Ah, mini donuts. Yum. You bet.
To recap:
One: Buy Pillsbury biscuits in a tube, or generic equivalent
Two: Separate the pre-cut biscuits
Three: Cook in a Fry-Daddy or a greased cookie sheet in the oven
Four: Add toppings, enjoy
You're welcome. Consider this my Christmas gift to you!
The totally random song I'd play right now if I were still a radio DJ: Styx, "Too Much Time on My Hands". Some would say I'm Santa Claus for devising the mini donuts at home method. Some would say I have too much time on my hands. I leave that up to you and your taste buds to decide.
Prediction: Jays 82, DePaul 61. The Jays hot shooting from the second half carries over, and P'Allen Stinnett, jitters from his first collegiate game in his hometown gone, goes off for 25 points in a big Jays win.
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