TERRE HAUTE —
The college men’s basketball schedule is in its final month with Selection Sunday less than four weeks away.
Nationally, two teams figure to be top contenders for the No. 1 seed: Syracuse and Kentucky.
Based on current records and standings, six Big Ten teams should be in the field. Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State all should be a No. 4 seed or better.
For a time, it appeared Northwestern had a good chance to get its first ticket ever for the NCAA but the Wildcats will need a strong finish. Illinois also will have to do better to get in the tournament in spite of some quality wins over Ohio State and Michigan State, being 5-7 in the conference.
Missouri Valley teams had a great nonconference mark and this season should be one of those years for at least two bids. Creighton and Wichita State have great marks and should get in even if neither team wins the conference tournament.
The Shockers hiked their road mark to 8-1 with their victory at Creighton, when they were 17 of 17 at the free throw line.
The Valley should benefit from the showing of Pac-12 teams. That league may just have one team in the Big Dance.
We’ll see.
• Regionals set — Clay City, Sullivan and Riverton Parke’s girls basketball teams all won sectional titles and are set for regional action.
Sullivan has the toughest first-round regional game. The No. 8-ranked Golden Arrows face top-ranked Evansville Mater Dei in the Class 2A Paoli Regional.
Riverton Parke was ranked No. 6 in the final Class A poll and plays in the Tri-Central Regional. Tri-Central was ranked ninth last week but failed to make it out of the sectional, losing to 5-18 Lafayette Central Catholic.
Clay City was 10th in the last poll and faces 14th-ranked Jac-Cen-Del in the Southwestern (Shelby) Regional.
Three Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference teams made it with North Central besting Hamilton Southeastern, ranked 15th in the USA Today national poll last week. Ben Davis and Lawrence North were the other winners and will meet in the regional.
Two Blue Chip Conference teams were winners and are in the West Washington Regional. They are unbeaten Barr-Reeve, ranked second last week, and No. 5 and 19-4 Northeast Dubois — that’s my alma mater and the Jeeps won their 10th Class A sectional championship.
We won’t make any picks. We just hope the Eels, Arrows, Panthers and Jeeps win.
• Tom-Cattin’ It — Carmel won its 26th straight girls swim title last week. That’s some feat.
• Former Indianapolis Colts player Orlando Lowery is the new football coach at Park Tudor. Former coach and longtime official Jerry Steiner died at the age of 94 last week.
• Marshall and Sullivan’s junior varsity boys basketball teams have lost just one game, with Marshall winding up the season this week.
Terre Haute South is 11-5 in JV action and finished 4-3 in MIC games, losing to North Central in overtime last week.
• Katie Wise, the 100-meter champ in track from Indian Creek, will compete for Indiana State.
• Lawrenceville defeated Red Hill recently in boys basketball, snapping a 14-game losing streak in the rivalry.
• Marshall’s seventh-grade boys basketball team won regional and sectional titles to earn a trip to the state finals.
• Vincennes University improved to 23-2 in men’s basketball by beating third-ranked Indian Hills of Iowa.
Tom Reck may be contacted by telephone at (812) 232-3231, by email at tm_reck@yahoo.com or by mail at 4284 South 5th Street, Apt. 3, Terre Haute, IN 47802.
Local Interest
RAMBLIN' RECK: Assessing the NCAA tournament jumble
- Local Interest
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MVP of the MVC: Lucas first Sycamore to earn Player of Year honors
Indiana State’s baseball team got the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season hardware last week and it’s hoping to grab more gold this week in its quest to win the Missouri Valley Conference baseball tournament.
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Sycamores try to catch Missouri Valley Conference tourney vibe
A Missouri Valley Conference championship season has bloomed for the Indiana State baseball team in 2012. The Sycamores have been dominant through most of the season.
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Braves, Knights open with wins
It was an excellent night for starting softball pitchers to help their own cause Monday night in the Class 4A Northview Sectional.
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Lough dreamt about McMillan
A two-time state finalist in wrestling and a two-time all-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference football player and wrestler, Tsali Lough of Terre Haute South was named the male recipient of the 2012 McMillan Award on Monday night at South’s Senior Awards Night.
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METRO ROUNDUP: ISU 5th in MVC all-sport standings
Winning three league championships in 2011-12 helped Indiana State finish fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference All-Sports Trophy standings announced Monday by the league office.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Panthers cruise in sectional opener
Sarah Burnham pitched a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts in high school softball Monday evening as host Riverton Parke defeated defending champion Rockville 10-0 in opening-round action at the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional.
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Notable tradition bodes well for Riverton Parke
Located practically in the shadow of a high school that sets one state standard in track and field, Riverton Parke has a tendency to be overlooked in that sport.
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Vikings get 18th win over Shakamak
West Vigo began a busy week of high school baseball Monday on a winning note, defeating Shakamak 6-3.
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Greencastle new site for girls tennis regional
The starting times might prove to be a bone of contention, but otherwise coaches Bill Blankenbaker and Emily Goff are thrilled their respective girls high school tennis teams will begin play today at the Greencastle Regional.
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METRO ROUNDUP: ISU’s Beisser honored with good neighbor award
Softball pitcher Lindsey Beisser has been named Indiana State’s spring representative for the Missouri Valley Conference State Farm Good Neighbor Award.
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From Terre Haute to the major leagues
Jake Petricka had a whirlwind week, going from Winston-Salem to Birmingham, then back to Winston-Salem — all in the span of just over 24 hours.
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METRO ROUNDUP: Bloomington runners win Run Through the Jungle 5K
Kevin Murphy, an Indiana University student from Bloomington, was the overall winner of the eighth annual Run Through The Jungle 5K at the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center Point on Saturday.
His winning time was 17 minutes, 0.71 seconds. -
Knights will get at least a share of WIC title
Monday was a good day for Northview in high school baseball.
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Colts have no plan to move from Anderson
Apparently the Indianapolis Colts and Anderson University officials found a way to work out a few last-minute snags concerning the team’s summer training camp site.
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PREP ROUNDUP: South dominates Sullivan in tennis
Visiting Terre Haute South dominated the No. 1 spots in high school tennis Monday evening as the Braves defeated Sullivan 5-0.
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METRO ROUNDUP: HCAC tourney at Rose
Rose-Hulman will serve as host for the 2012 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball tournament, featuring four familiar in-state rivals.
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Taking aim: No shortage of pitchers in this week’s Big 4 round robin
High school baseball pitching depth is almost always at a premium. Toss in a Big 4 round-robin tournament that includes three games, one a big conference game for all teams involved, and other conference matchups in between and it equals a major headache for the coaches of the four teams.
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Colts fill need at cornerback
While the Indianapolis Colts failed to add any cornerbacks among the 10 players selected during this past weekend’s National Football League draft, general manager Ryan Grigson and the team’s scouting department were able to snag three undrafted free agents to play the position.
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METRO/PREP ROUNDUP: Moren, Hile enter Hall of Fame
Amy Hile, Indiana State’s all-time leading scorer and its all-time leading rebounder until last season, and current Sycamore women’s coach Teri Moren were honored Saturday at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
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Uphill Battle: ISU 23 strokes back of MVC leader No. Iowa
Indiana State maintained sixth place after two rounds of the Missouri Valley Conference Golf Championships, but the Sycamores face a tough challenge to move into the top half of the league after today’s final round at the Country Club of Terre Haute.
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Enter Cummings, exit McWhorter
All it took was a stat sheet to show Indiana State men’s basketball coach Greg Lansing the glaring need the Sycamores had as they built their 2013 team.
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TH golf community steps up for ISU
The Terre Haute golf community and the Indiana State women’s golf program can be a thriving partnership, and this week’s Missouri Valley Golf Championships have put that potential on display.
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METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman gets shot at HCAC title
First place in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball race is on the line this evening at Art Nehf Field when Rose-Hulman hosts Anderson.
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South golfers lose at Rea Park
Greencastle outscored Terre Haute South 156-172 in high school boys golf action in cool, windy conditions Monday at Rea Park.
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School Board honors Branam
The Vigo County School Board observed a moment of silence Monday to honor the memory of Matt Branam, the 14th president of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, who died Friday in Union Hospital.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Cook gets Patriots’ lone singles win
Morgan Cook of the Terre Haute North improved to 8-1 on the season at No. 3 singles but was the only winner for the Patriots in a 4-1 girls high school tennis loss Monday to second-ranked Evansville Memorial.
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METRO ROUNDUP: ISU's Padgett breaks school record in 10,000 meters
Indiana State senior Craig Padgett broke a five-year-old school record in the 10,000 meters late Thursday night and junior Albaro Escalera ran the third fastest 10,000 meters in school history at Hilmer Lodge Stadium during the 54th Mt. SAC Relays.
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Military, baseball mix for Valley Air Force veteran
The Terre Haute Men’s Senior Baseball League, founded in 1991 and playing its games at Haley Field near the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds since then, includes the community’s doctors, lawyers, policemen, construction workers and college students to name a few.
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Class basketball debate draws 46 to Vincennes
In a blast from the past, the Indiana high school class basketball debate raged into 2012 on Monday in a town meeting at Vincennes, 16 years after the multi-class system was approved by the Indiana High School Athletic Association.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Lakers win pitchers’ duel vs. T-birds
Two Ben Davis pitchers held host Terre Haute South to three singles Monday night, enabling the Giants to win 4-2 in Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball.
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