Wednesday, the Jays compete in the rare midweek day game. Actually, outside of St. Louis, this is the first time I can remember the Jays playing a weekday matinee. Couple that fact with Indiana State's usual tepid attendance, and today's gate numbers might be a race to 2,000. Anyone remember the game two years ago that took place at the same time as a Colts playoff game? There couldn't have been triple digits in that place, including staff and players.
The Hulman Center is a quaint place, more gymnasium than arena, and its been at least seven or eight years since I remember an imposing atmosphere in there. In February of 2001, the Jays went into Terre Haute and stole a win from the Michael Menser-led Trees, 77-71, in front of over 7,000 spectators. Every game since has been played in front of fewer and fewer people.
Add in the fact that Creighton hasn't won their MVC road opener since 2004, and this begins to look like the proverbial trap game -- mediocre opponent, no crowd, weekday matinee. Then you factor in the fact that the guy on the other bench was mentored by Dana Altman AND played for Creighton, and you start to wonder if this is a loss waiting to happen.
At least, I do. I'll try to talk myself out of it by the end of this post, when I make my prediction official.
One Big Paragraph With Lots O'Dots (TM): Indiana State is, as you might have heard, coached by Kevin McKenna. McKenna played for Creighton, coached at Creighton, and now is in his second year attempting to turn around the Sycamores. This year's team is once again undermanned, but as you'd expect, they play harder than almost anyone and will pull off a few surprising wins ... Creighton has P'wned the Sycamores since before that term was even in existence, winning 13 of the last 16 and 46 of 68 overall. Heck, they're even 16-14 in Terre Haute, one of the few road venues in the Valley where the Jays have the historical advantage. That said, 15 of the last 30 games have been decided by less than six points, so while the Jays usually win, its generally competitive ... The Sycamores are just 3-9, but are a more respectable 2-2 since starting point guard Harry Marshall returned off an academic suspension. Marshall plays a whopping 37 minutes, averaging 16 points and 4 assists ... Indiana State "upset" Northern Iowa in an overtime contest in Cedar Falls on Sunday. Both teams are struggling to avoid Play-In Thursday in St. Louis, so I hesitate to call it an upset, but it was a nice road W for the Trees nonetheless ... Today's game is the only conference game on the Jays schedule not televised in Omaha, with the remaining 16 on one of the various media outlets that are fighting for TV rights these days. Remember when two or three games were on, max? Now there are TWO local outlets fighting for games (KM3, NET), two national outlets showing games (ESPN, FSN), and an additional game that Cox is graciously picking up from Illinois State's feed. Just one more factor in the Jays swelling fan base.
The Last Time They Played: The Jays put a hurt on the Trees in Omaha, 86-69, but the residual stink from their HORRIBLE game in Terre Haute still lingered. That 62-54 loss last January still sticks in my craw. Dammit anyway, that's reason enough to blow them out today, isn't it?
Gratuitous Linkage: The new Roomba violates all three laws of Roombotics. Wait, I don't know what is more stunning here, that there's a new Roomba (people actually buy those things?), that there are laws of Roombotics, that there's three of the laws, or that Roombotics is a word? In case you couldn't figure it out, this is an article from the Onion, Of course.
Official Gametime Snack: Its New Years Eve, which means the usual fatty treats go bye-bye today. Got to look lean for the ladies. Two apples, sliced into slices, is the official gametime snack of the day. Oh, and two beers, just to prove I'm not totally going soft on you.
The totally random song I'd play right now if I were still a radio DJ: "One Tree Hill" by U2. Yes, I know its a sentimental song about some dude Bono knew who died, but lets forget all of that and think happy thoughts about a lone Sycamore tree, getting chopped down in Terre Haute. And if you disagree, try this one instead.
Prediction: And here we are at prediction time. Well, I've still not talked myself into this being a Jays win. I think the 9.5 points Vegas is giving is absurd, I think the Jays recent history in MVC road openers is not good, I think their recent history in Terre Haute is bad, and I think the small crowd will lead to the Jays playing with no energy.
Jays 76, Sycamores 59
Gotcha! You bet.
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