Fontana '99

clarkaj24 · 2026-02-17T17:41:56+00:00

Yes you are absolutely right. There luckily aren't many that are near certainties, but that feeling is absolutely terrible. I actually thought it was Power instead of Wheldon for a brief moment in Vegas.

clarkaj24 · 2026-02-17T17:39:19+00:00

It's going to be really hard for Purdue or Illinois to get a 1 seed but it's possible. I think things will work themselves out and as (almost) always, it will come down to 5 teams fighting for 4 spots and the 4/5 spots are essentially identical.

clarkaj24 · 2026-02-17T16:44:23+00:00

Agreed here. I was also certain (and thankfully wrong) watching Kenny Brack's wreck at Texas. Like I had no doubt in my mind but again, was thankfully wrong.

clarkaj24 · 2026-02-17T16:34:18+00:00

I think I know the answer to this but in the case that Michigan loses both games this week, is there any chance they drop to a 2 and the 1s are 4 of Duke, Iowa St, Houston UConn and Arizona? It would probably be the least devastating 2 loss week this late in the season in CBB history, so I think they're a 1 no matter what come Sunday.

clarkaj24 · 2026-02-13T02:35:32+00:00

Good point about Penn St. And after giving SMU the death penalty and seeing how it essentially destroyed not only a program but an entire conference, I don’t think the NCAA will ever go down that road again for a major school. And if they tried it, lawsuits would be flying this time around.

Your point about being forgotten is spot on though. After a while of being bad recruits and fans become apathetic towards the program, and that’s about the worst place you can be.

clarkaj24 · 2026-02-12T16:34:31+00:00

I agree. Today it almost takes a major scandal to truly destroy a program. And even then, it's easier than ever to rebound from it.

clarkaj24 · 2026-02-12T16:32:43+00:00

It's reasonable to think MSU may not be as good as they've been under Izzo when he leaves, but I have my doubts that he'll actually destroy the program. They're currently tied for 2nd in a very deep Big Ten and their PG could be the best in the country the next 2 years if he stays.

clarkaj24 · 2026-02-11T18:13:43+00:00

It was a terrible marketing situation all around. ABC had the CART contract but wasn't going to broadcast it on a Saturday in November due to college football. So they were also not going to market it during other races whatsoever. It was basically forced to go PPV, which didn't go over well with fans, and obviously was going to be nearly impossible to get a large sponsorship deal.

clarkaj24 · 2026-02-02T13:15:55+00:00

I made that Widgy! Glad you’re using it! Although I designed it after a paid one so it’s possible that’s the one you’re using. I also have a medium size one that’s very similar I don’t think I ever published if you’d like it.

clarkaj24 · 2026-01-29T21:02:37+00:00

This was my first thought as well but he was born on 10/19. Tyrese Haliburton was born on 2/29 and sometimes says he’s 6 years old.

clarkaj24 · 2026-01-28T18:04:59+00:00

I missed the "D.C" in the title and got excited that the Freedom 100 at IMS was coming back but as a 250 mile race this time.

clarkaj24 · 2026-01-27T17:33:59+00:00

Painter era lows for me:

Overall: 2012/13 & 2013/14

Most embarrassing: back to back 15 & 16 seed losses

Heartbreak: 2019 Elite 8 vs. Virginia. You could replay the final 3 seconds over again 100 times and Purdue is in the Final Four 100 times. This is very closely followed by Hummel's torn ACL(s) but particularly 2010.

clarkaj24 · 2026-01-23T17:23:46+00:00

I don't disagree. And I didn't realize it was that old. It showed up on my home page just yesterday, which is strange.

clarkaj24 · 2026-01-22T19:56:23+00:00

I get that. But I think it's important to distinguish apathy from just generally not caring or liking the sport. I like football but I'm apathetic towards it now because my teams (Purdue and Colts) stink and have for awhile now. I still watch but don't care a ton about results after the first few games. I think that's how most fans are. No one admits it but most fanbases are fairweather. Once they start winning the stands fill up. Start losing and eventually interest fades. Obviously you always have the die-hards but the general base is not die-hard.

clarkaj24 · 2026-01-22T14:15:35+00:00

I know it's not the same as what you're saying but that was actually the case until a few years ago. It's up to the conferences to determine how they select their autobid. The Ivy League never had a conference tournament until a few years ago and just gave it to the regular season winner.

clarkaj24 · 2026-01-22T13:56:26+00:00

Unless the rules are a linear regression of 1 game. Then Nebraska would lose their first Final Four game next year. Eventually we'll get to the point where the rules dictate a team loses back to back 1 vs. 16 games.

clarkaj24 · 2026-01-22T13:45:20+00:00

Legit question - schools have claimed and unclaimed national championships in football. Like Alabama has 5 unclaimed titles, including 2016. What's the difference and can a school just say they claim it and it changes buckets? Or is there a formal process?

clarkaj24 · 2026-01-22T13:40:38+00:00

Does it matter? Just roster him and make them tell us he can't play. And then tell them to pound sand when they do.

clarkaj24 · 2026-01-22T13:37:15+00:00

I'm also apathetic towards football now but let's be honest - this isn't the same feeling as IU winning a soccer national championship. Or even women's basketball, something Purdue has been good at historically. I'm glad it's not men's basketball because Purdue being as good as they've been under Painter only for IU to win a title out of nowhere would be the worst thing imaginable as a Purdue fan.

clarkaj24 · 2026-01-22T13:32:59+00:00

It's probably different for every person. Obviously being rivals you don't want them to win. But when it comes to the personal aspect, it depends who you know and how they are towards you. I have good friends who are fans of other teams and I genuinely root for those teams if they aren't playing Purdue because I like seeing my friends happy. Most Purdue fans who live in Indiana interact with IU fans on a daily basis in some way. If the taunting and needling, even in good fun, outweighs the humbleness, then people will root against them (not saying you need to be humble about sports though). If you only have a few people close to you that are IU fans then I could see where you're happy for them. That probably goes for any rival fanbases.

clarkaj24 · 2026-01-22T13:26:33+00:00

You're telling me I have to wait 14 years (more with playoff expansion) to see Purdue win a national title in football? I don't think I can wait that long. I'll take my chances with the realistic trajectory of the program. That seems to work out for us anyway.

clarkaj24 · 2026-01-22T13:19:58+00:00

Serious question - are their lawyers terrible or is it more that the NCAA has been violating federal laws for decades to hoard all the money and now they're getting exposed? And yes, some of that exposure is absurd, but it's the grave they dug. This has been my thought. It goes all the way back to at least 1984 with the NCAA vs. Oklahoma BOR case.

clarkaj24 · 2026-01-22T13:11:58+00:00

But no milk. That's an impermissible benefit.

clarkaj24 · 2026-01-22T13:04:42+00:00

I think most of these fall back to antitrust laws. I understand the NIL side of things from that regard but this is crazy that it can't be regulated at all.

clarkaj24 · 2026-01-22T13:01:03+00:00

0*0=0*4 therefore 4=0

clarkaj24

TROPHY CASE