BottomLine

Imagine beautiful women and handsome men walking a red carpet while flashbulbs pop and adoring fans cheer. The time has come to accept my victory as the champion of the 2022-23 Indiana Prediction League. Thank you for all of your applause, from everyone except Josh, who thinks he won. I certainly enjoyed this year's contest. I would like to thank Strt8Hoosiers for running the league in the past and LIHoosier for taking over this year when Str8Hoosiers was unable to continue. You guys are the tops. Without your thankless efforts the basketball season would not have been the same. I would like to congratulate Rico and rcs29 for their excellent seasons. They are tough competitors and worthy adversaries. I wish them all the luck in the future. Super job guys! This is my third year as a contestant in the Prediction League. Two years ago I finished 10th. Last year I was 5th. Both years I hovered near the top of the standings until I started to throw in contrary selections at the end of the season in an attempt to make up points. Alas, in both cases the breaks did not go my way. I'm sure many of you have tried the same strategy this year and in the past. This year I just played it straight and emerged victorious. As for me, how did I put together a championship season. I wasn't easy. I managed to put together a consistent year. I selected the winner in 27 of 35 games. Luckily most of the losers were losers for almost everyone (Rutgers, Northwestern, Illinois, Purdue x2, Iowa, Penn St, and Miami of Florida). I won only one week and received 48 points for the effort. I didn't need to use that number. As for picking the actual scores, I was terrible. I received a 10 point bonus for only one game. That is one win for 70 opportunities. Not much to be proud of there. Finally, who is BottomLine and what background enabled him to win this year? Come on. Don't we all wonder where those handles come from and what do they mean? I have been an Indiana basketball fan for almost 70 years and have kept score for almost every game I have ever watched. I'm originally from Seymour and was graduated from IU in 1969. Which means I'm 75 going on 76. I retired as a history teacher in 2013, after 43 years in the classroom. Aren't all basketball coaches either PE teachers, social studies teachers, or Drivers Ed teachers? It follows that I was a basketball coach for 18 years. It doesn't end there. As a second job I worked as a sportswriter for 30 years covering horse racing in the Chicago area. For 21 of those years I was the handicapper and racing columnist for the Daily Herald, Chicago's largest suburban paper. In addition to picking horses every day, I had a mythical bankroll in the paper where I bet the horses in public every day. The name of that column was The Bottom Line. Get the connection? I left the Daily Herald in 1999, I've added a link below for anyone who is interested in that story. In addition to the Daily Herald I have covered racing for Associated Press, The Illinois Racing News, and was a consultant for NBC Sports and several Las Vegas sportsbooks. After leaving the Daily Herald I turned down offers to work for several on-line racing touts. Juggling so many employment hats, my record for consecutive days working without a day off was 187. I seldom engage in chat sites. After years and years as Bottom Line on the old Indianapolis Star site, Peegs and here, I learned long ago that it is a waste of time trying to change anyone's opinion about anything. Hope everyone has a great year waiting for next year's Hoosiers. I'll be back again to defend my title, if the good Lord is willing and the crick don't rise. Go Hoosiers! https://www.angelfire.com/fl/brad61yazell/hallet.html

Figures to be another close game. We play better defense. They play better offense. We are back to an ACC - Big10 challenge game on a neutral floor. We do all the things that we do well well I think we take this but it is a last basket made type game. Hoosiers 75 That Miami team from down south - 74

Everyone here seems to want to pick the Hoosiers and obviously, based upon the seeds, we should be favored. However, this shouldn't be a walk in the park. We need to show up ready to play. Kent State was the upset winner of the MAC tournament, upsetting Toledo, which came into the game with a 17 game winning streak. I think the last time we played these guys it took a last second jumpshot down the baseline by Will Sheehey (sp) to pull out the win. I'm picking the Hoosiers to move on here. Indiana 71 Kent State 68

Too little and too late sucker. Maybe you can do better next year.

The last time I was on top I bragged a bit and got knocked on my a**. Just playing it straight this time. Revenge game here. Penn State crushed us on the road by 19. It rained 3s that day - 19 to be exact. They haven't matched that total since and won't again. Penn State has been scrappy as all get out but they must be getting tired. This is the third game in three days for them. Let's hope they are a step slow all day. We need to get out and guard that line. Indiana 71 Penn State 69

Hat off. A gutsy pick. Good luck. I went the other way but I can see this happening.

This game is a real brain buster. First IU has a record of playing poorly in the B10 Tourney. IU is 15-24 overall and has made the finals only once, in 2001 when we lost to Iowa. We all know how the past is a good predictor of the future. Secondly, Maryland spanked us pretty good 66-55 at Maryland during the regular season. It was our second lowest point total of the year. OTOH Maryland was practically unbeatable in home games this year. It is hard to avoid the feeling that Maryland matches up well to us and has our number (Like we have Purdue's). Finally, Maryland has been a terrible road team all year. Before beating Minnesota yesterday, Maryland was 1-9 against the Big 10 this year away from home. They are just a different team without the home court. BTW both wins were against Minnesota, who everybody kicks to the gutter. Thus we have a game predicted on negative factors instead of positive. I'm going with the Hoosiers in a coin flip game. Indiana 69 Maryland 68

I cheated and waited until after Maryland had won to post. Not a prediction but it seemed like everyone was posting M as our opponent. Though it looks like this game could end up a tie.

Indiana plays Maryland'

Why don't we all be woke and give a trophy to everyone or not keep score so everyone wins.

Don't count your chickens until they hatch. That breath on the back of your neck is me. Those footsteps you hear just behind you are mine. Don't be like Race Thompson and choke with only seconds left. Sitting here in the catbirds seat and waiting for only a tiny mistake. Remember that when you make your pick.

I am so ready to go. Do we really have to wait until Friday to play? It could get a bit wilder around here between now and then.

I'm a retired history teacher. Always told my students I knew Abraham Lincoln. Does that count? I do know quite a bit about him. You going to tell me you helped dig the well for the well house? Did buffalo still roam the campus back then? No, wait, you were around to pump up the first basketball for the Hoosiers. I give up. You are older than me, but we are both still older than dust.

Depends are a good thing! Just realized Class of '66 Old Fart and I were probable on campus at the same time. Maybe we knew each other. At our ages it is so easy to forget.

Fine by me. I figure I'm the oldest one on here. IU class of 69. That means I'll be 76 this July. Usually in bed by 2 and up around 10-10:30. Of course that doesn't take into account the bathroom trips in the middle of the night or getting up at 6 to take care of the dogs and the cat. They are my pick'em mentors. I "read" their droppings.

Usually don't like to engage with my inferiors. Just make them feel even worse about their inability to keep up. But now I'm upset. Who are you calling a pansy - pansy. We may need to meet at dawn to settle this gentlemanly dispute.

Quietly and in the background you have done a great job and have made up a lot of ground. Alas it is too little and too late. No victory this year.

Thanks for the good thoughts. Just waiting to see who flinches first. Just for the record I came within an eyelash of picking Michigan today. Dodged a bullet for sure. Wishing the worst right back at ya.

Missed that. Thanks.

Senior night can always throw a wrench into the works. IU must play through the emotion. Expect Xavier Johnson to make a final token appearance in Bloomington for a big round of cheers. Oh what might have been, but those are the breaks. Let's not forget that the game at Michigan went down to the wire. Michigan has specialize in losing close games this year but they are not as bad as they seem. Think they need to go off from outside to beat the Hoosiers. That seems to be the formula that works best against IU. Hope the guys realize that they are playing for something worthwhile. Seeding in the Big10 tourney is important. After this game we have two tourneys to go. That means win or go home. The time for throwing in a clunker and shrugging the shoulders is over. We have our fate in our hands. IU 76 Michigan 69

Funny! I finally won a week and I didn't even use the score. One of my dropped scores was actually higher than the winning score and that is how I closed the gap a bit. If we don't start playing defense again, like we did against Purdue, we probable only have three games left.

I hope the loss by our women's team can serve as a warning for our men. IU 15-1 at home. Iowa 4-9 away from Iowa City. Home cooking for the Hoosiers. Iowa loves to score but not play defense. We must shut down the outside shooters and stop the fast break.. IU 80 Iowa 75

Today we play a school where the fans chant "IU SUCKS" even when they are playing someone else. All class. Unfortunately IU has gone flat and is struggling every game to find a way. Think we have taken a step back since the last game in Bloomington, and for Purdue this is a revenge game. Hope we can find a way but it is hard to see what that might be. IU 65 PU 74

Sorry. Wait, Is that a back and forth? Always try to explain why I make my pick and I'm interested in what others are thinking when they make theirs. I think it adds a bit more interest. I stand corrected. I should not have responded and will not in the future. Now, on to the game. I root with my heart and not with my head. Go Hoosiers..

Point taken. However I don't see the intensity except in spurts. We are giving up too many straight line drives to the basket. Also score is also a result of pace and we have slowed down considerably on offense, thus reducing the number of possessions. Still you are right. We are playing some good defense, just not the dominate type that we were during our winning streak. Thus the margins are getting smaller.