Hoops invasion

Odd thoughts while watching the football field slowly turn white with frost down in Berne, and slowly losing all feeling in my extremities ...

* So I see the Indiana basketball team hung 116 points on Mississippi Valley State last night, suggesting that, mostly by necessity, the Hoosiers are bringing back the Hurryin' Hoosiers of lore and memory.

*  And I see Purdue won, too, beating Samford and, presumably, also Son.

*   And I see Notre Dame bounced Binghamton, which made the state's Big Three 3-for-3 on Friday night.

Maybe it's just the cold.  But something about the "Friday night" part of that is a trifle off-putting.

I know it's November and I know that's the great intersection of football and basketball, but, on a night when football regionals took center stage on the high school level in Indiana, couldn't college hoops have waited decently in the wings for one more night? Really? Purdue, IU and Notre Dame all had to open on a Friday night -- traditionally high school sports night in Indiana and elsewhere?

Sure, I get that high school football is down to a handful of teams, and that IU, Purdue and Notre Dame playing hoops on the same night didn't hurt anyone's gate as a consequence. But it just looks bad. And it seems so unnecessary, given that both Purdue and IU football are on the road today and Notre Dame playing Northwestern at 3:30 p.m. could have segued neatly into a football-basketball doubleheader.

Instead, they decided to Friday Night Lights the deal. Likely not an intentional or actual slap in the face, but a symbolic slap in the face nonetheless.