Big Ten – Mikey & Nicky D Hot Corner

March Madness Bracket Update

Update through the Elite 8

Men Bracket – Hot Corner

Women Bracket – Jaime Llamas is the leader

March Madness Brackets Group

Password for both bracket – hot corner

So we’re getting ready to do men’s and women’s basketball brackets in the ESPN March madness. Brackets are free and you can have up to four brackets in the group.

If you have any questions, you can ask me or Nick, either by email to the group or comment on the post will answer any questions we can.

Mikeynickydhotcorner@gmail.com

Thoughts on Mike Woodson and Polls

Mike Woodson gave up on IU Basketball and his team last night in the Big Ten Tournament. I honestly stuck up for Woodson the last couple weeks saying he should come back as IU coach. But after last night I honestly don’t know how the team can take him back.

Here is the poll off Twitter and FB group we took in last 12 hrs.

What make basketball so important to Indiana!

I’ve been asked all the time why is it basketball so important to the state of Indiana. Indiana has been a basketball state for years and years. it really is all about high school basketball and about how they really played basketball different than other states at the high school level. You can also say it goes back to the college rivalry between Indiana and Purdue, Gene Keady vs. Bobby Knight! You can also say what put Indiana on the map for high school basketball was the 1954 championship with Milan high school vs. Muncie Central high school which was the smallest school in the state of Indiana with an enrollment of 151 students against one of the biggest schools in the state which didn’t inspired the movie Hoosiers.

But this week we lost our coach, the coach brought Indiana back to glory. The passing of Bob Knight has brought back so many memories of what he did for basketball. Back in the early 70s when he first got there he led the 1976 Indiana basketball team to the only perfect record in college basketball and this is the only team to ever go through the season and postseason undefeated. And he won two more championships with two great basketball, players, and Isaiah Thomas and Steve Afford. A lot of people might not know what Coach Knight did for so many people all they know is the bad stuff that ended his career. I had his own charity, which he probably supported. I would do anything for the students of Indiana. I’m they came to while I was teaching.

The movie Hoosiers shine the light on Indiana basketball and brought to the forefront how a tiny school could go onto face giant school for the championship. Based on that true story about the Milan high school brought to the forefront Indiana high school and what it meant back in the day to the people of Indiana. Gene Hackman‘s character was based on Bobby knight as a coach actually.

But back to basketball, when November 1st hit it always became time for college and high school basketball to start. Baseball might be America’s pastime, but in Indiana basketball always came first. In all honesty, I think high school basketball was the most important part of basketball to Indiana. It’s just something about those Friday nights in a high school gym watching high school boys basketball could be the smallest school or the biggest school in the state. But it would always put on a show.

I grew up in Peru, Indiana, hearing stories about Kyle Macy, and about his greatness as a high school basketball player. I also watched many other high school basketball players come out of Indiana and be amazing. You also grew up hearing the story of Milan, Indiana. Which inspired Hoosiers about that small school came from the middle of nowhere to win state championship when they shouldn’t even been there, or there was no chance for them to be there. When November hit, you’d wake up, put that movie on and think about what was about to happen for the next three months.

Yeah, you can see basketball started with two colleges in the state of Indiana under huge rivalry that happens twice a year maybe three times a year now if they play in the Big Ten championship but it’s not the same not like it used to be. Coach Knight and Keady, are not on the sidelines roaming around yelling at each other, laughing at each other before war happen. Maybe each other after the game for a little bit before talking again about what was going to happen the next time they met it’s not the same anymore.

Since I moved to Texas, I hear people talk about Friday night lights about high school football, Texas is Friday night. Lights is like our high school basketball in the gym. Once you get five men on the team to go out there battle with the other five, that means more Indiana than any other sport and last from November to March every single year. Every single year you had new kids with the old kids on the team and start the hunt for high school greatness on a state championship.

It’s officially basketball season!

Victory Jesus… Notre Dame Football

This one is for Philip “Doc” Troxell.

After a rough season last year for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this year has high hopes with an amazing defense and the transfer quarterback. Notre Dame started a year off 4-0 and rank inside top 25 so far this year.

The highest rank all year was #9 so far this year. Best week game with nothing more than an amazing game with Ohio State which lived up to all the hype that have been giving to it. it was a battle between top 10 teams that went down to the final play with Ohio State winning the game. Another cool part of about that weekend was college game day was at South Bend, and the plaza in front of victory. Jesus was absolutely amazing with all the Ohio State fans and Notre Dame fans.

Marcus Freeman in his second year is really showing how good coach for Notre Dame. Marcus had a rough year last year to start but this season got better and Notre Dame finished strong to end of the year. This year, there’s been a lot of hype about how good their defense and their offense would be led by him as a coach.

As of two weeks ago, Notre Dame was 60 wins of having 1000 for school history. This is truly an amazing accomplishment for the school, and likely to happen in the next five or six years. Notre Dame is number four on the all-time win list behind Michigan, Ohio State, and Alabama.

Leading the way for Irish this year is Sam Hartman who is the quarterback for the team. All American running back AUDRIC ESTIMÉ who has been a dominating at running back. With him and Sam leading the way, Notre Dame‘s offense has not missed a beat and been leading away in there four wins this year. But what else has been good about this team is that the defense is back and they’re stronger than ever being one of the most dominating defenses in college football. In the Ohio State game, they held I Ohio State offense to 17 points. The 17 points would’ve been less but we gave up a touchdown on the last play with sealed the game.

Now let’s get down to business. It’s time for Notre Dame to join the conference. In my mind it should be the Big Ten conference I should’ve been there a long time ago. Last few years they’ve been playing at the hybrid team and the ACC conference playing six games at a time so they can keep the NBC contract for TV. Now that the Big Ten has a contract with NBC for football and basketball this is actually a no-brainer they could keep the deal they have now and just join the conference. Notre Dame has been an independent for years and sticking to the independent side. Now in basketball and all other sports, did you join the ACC along time ago and have been there for years! Now is the time to join a major conference for good and stay there. Join the Big Ten would be awesome because when the big added all the schools out west, most of the schools in the Big Ten now rivals for Notre Dame. The rivals in the Big Ten, are USC, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Purdue. It’s just time for this to happen.

With another win over a top 25 opponent in Duke on Saturday makes you wonder. Does Notre Dame have a chance to show me the playoffs at the end of the year?

I wrote this article because of my friend, Philip Troxell, it was a beloved Notre Dame fan, who went to many games. He recently passed away the last couple weeks and we went back for his funeral. We talked about the love he had for Notre Dame and it made me think about about writing this article.

All I’ll say is GO IRISH!!!