RebKell's Junkie Boards

[BallState1984]

Just some quick observations from today:

Where else can you see two barn burners, nail biters and every other cliche to descibe a tighly fought contest in one venue and for the princely sum of $5?

Those of you who are still dissing the Hoosiers or feel Indiana is still in the dire straights from the Lizard and Bennett eras, I say to the former, get over it, and to the latter, peace be with you. The grittiness and skill instilled by Sharon Versyp did not go away and Felisha Legette-Jack has those kids truly believing in themselves. Trust me, the confindence is palpitable. Indiana does not own an 8-2 record because of a mush schedule. The wins over Kentucky, Valpo and Notre Dame were no flukes. I could make a crack about the loss to that pissant MAC school Bowling Green, but I will not.

As a Boiler fan, I though Nikki Smith was gone, but she still has two more seasons to terrorize other school's back courts. And terrorize she will.

The Hoosier who everyone seems to hate is in no way the player she was earlier in her career. Sarah McKay is finally playing solid ball. She is no longer hesitant and for the lack of a better desciption, no longer seems afraid of her size.

Having said that, I hope they have a shitty outing December 18.

Purdue will sweep the series in the upcoming Big Ten season because Versyp truly understands she can lose other games, but she simply cannot lose to Indiana and she will not allow that to happen under her watch.

Ball State overcame a swarming Valparaiso defense and NBA range three point shooting to beat the Crusaders 68-59. What I feel is Ball State's not so secret weapon this season is how one kid each game has a career game and the rest of the team feeds off that emotion. Porchia Green got fed up with behind and knocked down her first double double this afternoon, which jacked the Cards in gear for the game winning run at the end. Same thing at Butler last Saturday with Lisa Rusche getting 36 points and 10 boards when her previous scoring best was 13.

What really pleased me was the fact it was a pretty full house. True, a lot of high schools, including my own, has a bigger gym, but I noticed a lot of non parent fans in the stands.