Thad being Thad

Ok so it seems THE Ohio State coach Thad Matta made a quick phone call to a respected TOSU alum last week in preparation for his game against Indiana. It was none other than former IU coach Bob Knight. Matta, who has a team that can make it to Houston the first weekend of April for the Final Four, needed a way to get his team to pick up the intensity to play defense. The general basically had him implore an old trick of having the starters only play four on defense against five. Seems to have worked as the Buckeyes pretty much had their way with the Hoosiers for pretty much the entire game.

What stuck in the crawl of current Indiana coach Tom Crean was the fact Matta had an enlightening conversation with the officials as everyone went to the locker rooms for halftime. First rule I learned as coach from Dick Harmening, if you see the other coach going to the officials get your butt over there and see what's about and listen. Don't say anything just listen to what he says so you can go into the locker room make the proper adjustment and be ready for what could come in the second half.

Of course when I used coach I called on coach Harmening on many occasions just like Matta did and just like Knight told Matta, Harmening told me "Don't tell anyone we talked." Of course it was kind of hard for my opponents not to notice since I came out with some type of variation of a junk defense from the Harmening playbook and he was up in the stands making sure I was properly doing it to his instructions.

Was Knight trying to help TOSU beat Indiana? Well guess you can say because of course Knight knew the Bucks were playing the Hoosiers this week. Then again maybe Matta really wanted to get his team to pick up the defense and begin that with its game against Indiana before heading into the final week of the regular Big 1(1)0 season with the conference championship still hanging in the balance.

Even in the later years of Knight's tenure at IU highly touted classes which were supposed to keep Knight in good with the higher ups of the university and win a couple more national championships miserably failed to get the job done. That could very easily happen with the dream recruits Crean has coming in the next four years.

Some have said this was a cheap shot by Matta to get one over on Crean. Look college basketball and the recruiting wars is a big-time business. You gotta do what you gotta do to stay ahead of the game. I remember as a salesperson always wanting to take the high road when my competition came in bad mouth me, but sometimes the gloves have to come off and do what you have to do to get the business. That might be the case here and well sometimes when a program is down like Indiana's is right now, you got take every opportunity to kick them and keep them down when you can.

Butler-Loyola

All right the senior day game has begun at the Cathedral of Indiana Basketball - Hinkle Fieldhouse. Dawgs trailing right now and still ooking to get a rhythm - Vanzant just sank a deep two to make 10-9 Ramblers. Meanwhile at Youngstown State, Youngstown State up four on Milwaukee

12:50 Dawgs drain a 3 for a 7-0 run and now leads Ramblers - Penguins up four

under 12:00 media timeout and the Dawgs beginning to look to get into a flow against the Ramblers. Mack's 3 was huge

just got a glimpse of one of the officials in the Youngstown state game and it's none other than Roncalli alum Pic Russell!

Milwaukee has retaken the lead 60-58 at the under 12:00 second half media timeout

Hill is draining it big time on the south goal for Loyola he has nine points all on 3s.

UGH! Guys let's make sure we know the passes are coming.

Shawn with another huge putback; Hahn move your feet on "D"!

So nice seeing Hinkle packed today; I think I am going to e-mail Jim McGrath and see if a picture was taken of it and have it replace my current one from the "snub" year season finale

Butler has to picked up the rebounding on both ends of the floor;

Hill nice move baseline for Loyola - remember when playing defense the baseline is your friend.

under 8:00 media timeout - Dawgs gotta pick it up from the previous stop that one definitely went to Loyola

is there anyone at the Youngstown State game? A lot of red chairback seats impersonating fans today at that game. Not the problem at Hinkle it looks like a SRO crowd on senior day!

now let's work the weave and get a good shot or at least something to get this crowd into the game YES! Howard for 3!

it's been one of those seasons for Hahn, he just can't seem to get the roll even on these soft rims at Hinkle

Youngstown and Milwaukee tied at 65

28 percent from the field for the Dawgs according to AC and Ralph - OUCH!

under 4:00 Dawgs have missed eight of their last nine shots! Smith had no idea that last pass from Nored was coming

Stevens sick and just left to the locker room again - Graves now coaching

Howard warming up - NOW LET'S PLAY SOME "D"

MACK 3 Now let's get going! and Cannon answers UGH!

Nored bucket and the foul! Rebound pass to Nored - Dawgs up 3 under a minute

Butcher! Just stay straight up and try not to bump and MOVE YOUR FEET!

Man, interesting the Dawgs intensity picked up after Stevens left the bench - weird.

MACK FOR 3 AT THE BUZZER Dawgs up 32-26 now to check out what Youngstown State is doing

Who needs Gus Johnson to call the big game, we got Anthony Calhoun!

Youngstown State up 1!

Now Penguins and Panthers tied and UW-Milwaukee at the free-throw line

22.3 left at Youngstown State - Penguins up 1!

OVERTIME AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE

anyone else think Vytas Sulskis looks like AJ Styles

spreading the floor hopefully will open up the blocks later in this game for the Dawg

Panthers up 3 and Chase Stigall sinks a 3 back at Hinkle Smith with the layup TO by Loyola. Now is the time to throw the knockout punch!

2:30 to go at Youngstown in overtime! Penguins settling for 3s and they just need to go back to what they were doing to have the lead late in regulation 

Look like the Dawgs are playing for second as Milwaukee just drained a 3 to make it 88-82 

YSU falling apart at the wrong time; Looks like the under 16:00 media timeout coming here and a review of the video

Why is it lately that Matt Howard never makes the first of a two-shot foul?

that was a weak foul call. then again Matt was moving and didn't get set

So if Butler wins does Graves get the win or does it default to Stevens?

Howard missed the layup came right back and stole the ball - lead pass to Mack - Layup and another Loyola TO! Come on guys put 'em away right here. We should be up double digits by next media TO

Stevens left the game with an eye infection. He is on the way to the eye doctor for further examination. Had that earlier this year - man it hurts

Best effort I have seen so far in this game from the Dawgs - Loyola suddenly forgetting to go rebound shots

Hahn just can't get the rolls this year.

How hard is it to blockout? 

Milwaukee wins - Horizon League Tournament goes through Milwaukee - at least the second round and semifinals. 

Hill picks up fourth foul for Loyola.

Smith back in for Butcher after picking up his third

Smith is a summer away from being one of Butler's best big men ever. But he better spend time shooting at least 100 free throws a day as well 

Have I mentioned yet how awesome it looks seeing Hinkle filled to the rafters today?

Stigall! nice steal and layup.


under 8:00 media timeout up 50-43 in the battle for second seed in the Horizon League tournament; come on Dawgs get it to double digits!

Stanley for 3, the Ramblers are like that little gnat that won't go away

Stigall coming up big today!

It's Matt Howard Day in Connersville! I doubt Basil Mawby or Phil Cox or Myron Dickerson ever had the town give them their own day

Nored finds the space and drives for the basket; now let's get a defense stop - Ralph, you read my mind

Loyola speeding the game up; Even though we began the season as an up-and-down court team, the last six games we have played at a much more steady tempo.

on second thought I am not sure I would have called that timeout as Graves did, but then again fatigue being a factor

Nice push off by the big loaf of Loyola to give us the under 4:00 media timeout;

Dawgs are playing good defense but we need a basket here - Shawn drains a 3! That should give some breathing room; then Howard picks up a typical hustle foul that he is prone to get but what a great block

missed the first free-throw Polka did - ball never lies!

Loyola forcing to foul to extend the game and try to catch the Dawgs; now Hahn going to line - can he get the roll from 15 feet? YES! SWISH!

Hahn out

Averkamp pushes off Howard and called for the player control foul - his fifth - see ya!

Graves it's over - clear the bench and let the Seniors have their moment and kiss the Dawg at midcourt!

Kent Sterling's kid coming in for mop up minutes. Yeah it's all over! Dawgs No. 2 seed

I am wiping the tears away as Howard comes off the floor - Dawgs win 63-56!

Hey Pic Russell just affirmed he was doing the Youngstown State-UW-Milwaukee game! Evidence people reading my blog!

Now watching the senior ceremonies - smart moving holding off to doing it AFTER the game

Man, Blue II even looks fatigued from the game obviously he coached as hard as I did today

This is the best team in America because of the BUTLER WAY!

 Thank you Mr. Paul D. "Tony" Hinkle!

The Butler Basketball Band plays Kool and the Gang's "Celebrate" and now the journey in March begins!

Four straight Horizon League Champions! I have a feeling the semifinal game will be in Milwaukee but the championship will be at HINKLE

Just updating

So much has happened since my last post. My father died unexpectedly back in September and has thrown my whole life into complete disarray. Sucks to be quite honest with you especially Thursdays when I would go to his house to watch TNA Wrestling and eat a heaping bowl of ice cream. I have somehow made it through this season officiating, but that comes to an end Tuesday night at Delta High School as I officiate my final game. Looking forward to being home and possibly writing more on this blog since it seems writing is what I really like to do compared to anything else in the world. Also after Dad's death I dropped out of graduate school at IUPUI. Not really sure if I will return or not since the main reason why I was going back took place and was filled even before my classes began. Oh well so is life I guess. My life would have been miserable anyway because the Fabulous Rueff Boys and my wife would have hated living in New Castle. There are days when I think I have picked myself up off the canvas and told life to bring it and then others like today (a Thursday no less) when I just want to stay down and never get up again. Have begun training for a triathlon in August in downtown Indianapolis, just hoping Wendy will allow me to do it. Looking forward to the baseball season - not sure though why mainly because I basically missed out seeing the Reds in the playoffs because of dealing with the death of my Dad. I thought when my mother passed in 2007 it took a lot of me, that was nothing compared to this. Hoping the Dawgs can get keep it turned around too and win the Horizon League tournament in March and make another decent showing in the NCAAs.