Indianapolis is an underrated sports city.
The Indianapolis Colts of the NFL and Indiana Pacers of the NBA are the city's two major sports franchises, but neither team's home venue -- Lucas Oil Stadium nor Bankers Life Fieldhouse -- ranks as the top sports destination in town.
That distinction belongs to either an historic basketball arena or the world's most famous speedway.
I visited both Hinkle Fieldhouse and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway over Memorial Day weekend and I give the slight nod to Hinkle.
Of course, the winning entry is in the eye of the beholder.
A love of basketball and a distaste for auto racing made me predisposed to vote for Hinkle Fieldhouse.
How's this for a sports tripleheader?
Spend Sunday afternoon witnessing the greatest spectacle in racing, stop at Butler University for a tour of legendary Hinkle Fieldhouse and then watch late-night sports action at the Winner's Circle Pub in downtown Indianapolis where William Hill features a well-appointed race and sports book operation.
William Hill listed Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves at odds of 28/1 to win this year's race.
I thoroughly enjoyed the rich traditions of the Indy 500, from the singing of "Back Home Again in Indiana" to the awesome power of a U.S. Air Force flyover to one of the most famous commands in sports, "Gentlemen, start your engines."
But the best part of my day was a first-ever trip to Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Here's what I learned about Butler's home court and the former site of Indiana's famed high school basketball tournament:
Opened in 1928, the building debuted as Butler Fieldhouse before getting a name change in 1965 to honor Butler's longtime coach and athletic director, Paul "Tony" Hinkle.
Interestingly, Hinkle is credited with working with Spalding to change the color of the basketball from dark brown to orange in the late 1950's.
Hinkle once received high praise from the man considered by many to be greatest college basketball coach of all-time.
John Wooden, who played high school basketball games at Butler Fieldhouse as a teenager in the late 1920's, cited Hinkle as an outstanding coach and leader.
From Wooden himself, "I know of no coach who ever came closer to getting full potential out of the talent available to him than Tony Hinkle."
That's still a great way to judge a basketball coach, or a coach of any team sport, as long as your eye test is confirmed by a head coach's winning point spread record.
And Hinkle is not the only head coach to create headlines for Butler basketball.
Barry Collier started a winning tradition at Butler in the late 1990's, a tradition improved upon by Thad Matta, Todd Lickliter and eventually Brad Stevens, who famously led the Bulldogs to back-to-back championship game appearances in 2010 and 2011, losing as a #5-seed by only two points to #1-seed Duke and unexpectedly returning as a #8-seed only to lose by 12 points to a streaking third-seeded Connecticut squad.
Butler University has parlayed its success on the basketball court to success in the admissions department.
Accomplished high school students are more aware of Butler's academic offerings after the basketball team gained international acclaim as an underdog squad focused on playing "The Butler Way."
A sign inside the men's basketball office details the program's philosophy: The Butler Way demands commitment, denies selfishness, accepts reality, yet seeks improvement every day while putting the team above self.
A 1986 movie titled Hoosiers, starring Gene Hackman, also provided positive notice for Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The final scenes of the successful movie production (cost was $6 million, box office receipts totaled nearly $30 million) were filmed at Hinkle Fieldhouse, site of the 1954 state basketball championship for which the film was loosely-based.
The late film critic Roger Ebert once described Hoosiers as "a movie that's all heart."
It's no coincidence Hoosiers was released in 1986 and Hinkle Fieldhouse one year later was named a National Historical Landmark.
No video screens, no escalators and no air conditioning at Hinkle Fieldhouse but the lack of modern amenities are offset by a sense of basketball tradition and a strong home-court advantage bolstered by a basketball-savvy fan base.
When asked if the small parking lot in front of Hinkle Fieldhouse is a problem for the venue, I was told many of the school's alumni and season ticketholders live near campus and walk to the games.
Capacity in recent years has been reduced from 15,000 to 9,000 to make room for more comfortable seats in the lower sections of the arena.
I saved my favorite Hinkle Fieldhouse story for last.
It involves a conversation with a well-informed member of the Hinkle Fieldhouse security team.
Gamblers who have watched matinee basketball games at Hinkle are well aware of the sunlight that shines on the court from the iconic windows high atop the old fieldhouse.
Of course, we've seen glare play a factor in baseball games, football games and even hockey games (think Winter Classic), but it's an extremely rare situation at an indoor basketball game.
The blinding glare adversely affects the clarity/contrast of the television coverage as well as the shooting percentages of the teams forced to deal with it.
Enter Derrick, the security guard.
My ears perked up when I overheard him say, "The NCAA was really mad with us this past March when we failed to cover the windows for the first game of the tournament."
The first NCAA tournament game at Hinkle Fieldhouse was a Friday afternoon contest (start time was 12:15 ET) between Florida and Virginia Tech.
The game was competitively-priced with Florida a slight 1.5-point favorite and a total of 134.
How much do you bet on UNDER 134 if you know the players are going to struggle shooting the basketball with a bright strip of sunlight nearly two feet wide, intersecting the lane between the free-throw line and the restricted circle, stretching across most of the width (50 feet) of the court on the north end?
Wait 'til you hear the results.
But first, I peppered the Hinkle Fieldhouse employee with questions.
Was there talk of covering the windows at halftime? (No)
Did you cover the windows for subsequent games? (Yes)
Did anyone besides the NCAA criticize the Butler staff for the snafu? (Yes)
CBS color commentator Bill Raftery caused a stir when he joked to broadcast partner Jim Nantz that "maybe we could chip in for shades" to improve the shooting conditions for the young players.
Unlike some broadcasters who are climbing the professional ladder, Raftery, at age 78, has the "onions" to say whatever he thinks.
Refreshing, to say the least.
But here's the heartbreaking news if a gambler had secured some inside info from Hinkle Fieldhouse.
A bet on UNDER 134 should have won after only 128 points were scored when the buzzer sounded at the end of regulation.
Only one problem.
Tech's left-handed shooting guard Nahiem Alleyne nailed a 25-foot jumper to tie the game with only 1.4 seconds remaining on the clock.
The scoreboard read: Florida 64 Virginia Tech 64.
As sportscaster Dan Patrick would say in a slow, drawn-out voice, "Oooooo-ver-time."
Final score: Florida 75 Virginia Tech 70 (OT).
The totals edge was sabotaged by a five-minute overtime period.
But upon further review, a bigger edge came in the form of first-half bets and halftime wagers based on the more favorable side of the court.
The team shooting into the sun, so to speak, lost each half by six points and lost the five-minute overtime session by five points.
Lesson learned.
The Indianapolis Colts of the NFL and Indiana Pacers of the NBA are the city's two major sports franchises, but neither team's home venue -- Lucas Oil Stadium nor Bankers Life Fieldhouse -- ranks as the top sports destination in town.
That distinction belongs to either an historic basketball arena or the world's most famous speedway.
I visited both Hinkle Fieldhouse and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway over Memorial Day weekend and I give the slight nod to Hinkle.
Of course, the winning entry is in the eye of the beholder.
A love of basketball and a distaste for auto racing made me predisposed to vote for Hinkle Fieldhouse.
How's this for a sports tripleheader?
Spend Sunday afternoon witnessing the greatest spectacle in racing, stop at Butler University for a tour of legendary Hinkle Fieldhouse and then watch late-night sports action at the Winner's Circle Pub in downtown Indianapolis where William Hill features a well-appointed race and sports book operation.
William Hill listed Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves at odds of 28/1 to win this year's race.
I thoroughly enjoyed the rich traditions of the Indy 500, from the singing of "Back Home Again in Indiana" to the awesome power of a U.S. Air Force flyover to one of the most famous commands in sports, "Gentlemen, start your engines."
But the best part of my day was a first-ever trip to Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Here's what I learned about Butler's home court and the former site of Indiana's famed high school basketball tournament:
Opened in 1928, the building debuted as Butler Fieldhouse before getting a name change in 1965 to honor Butler's longtime coach and athletic director, Paul "Tony" Hinkle.
Interestingly, Hinkle is credited with working with Spalding to change the color of the basketball from dark brown to orange in the late 1950's.
Hinkle once received high praise from the man considered by many to be greatest college basketball coach of all-time.
John Wooden, who played high school basketball games at Butler Fieldhouse as a teenager in the late 1920's, cited Hinkle as an outstanding coach and leader.
From Wooden himself, "I know of no coach who ever came closer to getting full potential out of the talent available to him than Tony Hinkle."
That's still a great way to judge a basketball coach, or a coach of any team sport, as long as your eye test is confirmed by a head coach's winning point spread record.
And Hinkle is not the only head coach to create headlines for Butler basketball.
Barry Collier started a winning tradition at Butler in the late 1990's, a tradition improved upon by Thad Matta, Todd Lickliter and eventually Brad Stevens, who famously led the Bulldogs to back-to-back championship game appearances in 2010 and 2011, losing as a #5-seed by only two points to #1-seed Duke and unexpectedly returning as a #8-seed only to lose by 12 points to a streaking third-seeded Connecticut squad.
Butler University has parlayed its success on the basketball court to success in the admissions department.
Accomplished high school students are more aware of Butler's academic offerings after the basketball team gained international acclaim as an underdog squad focused on playing "The Butler Way."
A sign inside the men's basketball office details the program's philosophy: The Butler Way demands commitment, denies selfishness, accepts reality, yet seeks improvement every day while putting the team above self.
A 1986 movie titled Hoosiers, starring Gene Hackman, also provided positive notice for Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The final scenes of the successful movie production (cost was $6 million, box office receipts totaled nearly $30 million) were filmed at Hinkle Fieldhouse, site of the 1954 state basketball championship for which the film was loosely-based.
The late film critic Roger Ebert once described Hoosiers as "a movie that's all heart."
It's no coincidence Hoosiers was released in 1986 and Hinkle Fieldhouse one year later was named a National Historical Landmark.
No video screens, no escalators and no air conditioning at Hinkle Fieldhouse but the lack of modern amenities are offset by a sense of basketball tradition and a strong home-court advantage bolstered by a basketball-savvy fan base.
When asked if the small parking lot in front of Hinkle Fieldhouse is a problem for the venue, I was told many of the school's alumni and season ticketholders live near campus and walk to the games.
Capacity in recent years has been reduced from 15,000 to 9,000 to make room for more comfortable seats in the lower sections of the arena.
I saved my favorite Hinkle Fieldhouse story for last.
It involves a conversation with a well-informed member of the Hinkle Fieldhouse security team.
Gamblers who have watched matinee basketball games at Hinkle are well aware of the sunlight that shines on the court from the iconic windows high atop the old fieldhouse.
Of course, we've seen glare play a factor in baseball games, football games and even hockey games (think Winter Classic), but it's an extremely rare situation at an indoor basketball game.
The blinding glare adversely affects the clarity/contrast of the television coverage as well as the shooting percentages of the teams forced to deal with it.
Enter Derrick, the security guard.
My ears perked up when I overheard him say, "The NCAA was really mad with us this past March when we failed to cover the windows for the first game of the tournament."
The first NCAA tournament game at Hinkle Fieldhouse was a Friday afternoon contest (start time was 12:15 ET) between Florida and Virginia Tech.
The game was competitively-priced with Florida a slight 1.5-point favorite and a total of 134.
How much do you bet on UNDER 134 if you know the players are going to struggle shooting the basketball with a bright strip of sunlight nearly two feet wide, intersecting the lane between the free-throw line and the restricted circle, stretching across most of the width (50 feet) of the court on the north end?
Wait 'til you hear the results.
But first, I peppered the Hinkle Fieldhouse employee with questions.
Was there talk of covering the windows at halftime? (No)
Did you cover the windows for subsequent games? (Yes)
Did anyone besides the NCAA criticize the Butler staff for the snafu? (Yes)
CBS color commentator Bill Raftery caused a stir when he joked to broadcast partner Jim Nantz that "maybe we could chip in for shades" to improve the shooting conditions for the young players.
Unlike some broadcasters who are climbing the professional ladder, Raftery, at age 78, has the "onions" to say whatever he thinks.
Refreshing, to say the least.
But here's the heartbreaking news if a gambler had secured some inside info from Hinkle Fieldhouse.
A bet on UNDER 134 should have won after only 128 points were scored when the buzzer sounded at the end of regulation.
Only one problem.
Tech's left-handed shooting guard Nahiem Alleyne nailed a 25-foot jumper to tie the game with only 1.4 seconds remaining on the clock.
The scoreboard read: Florida 64 Virginia Tech 64.
As sportscaster Dan Patrick would say in a slow, drawn-out voice, "Oooooo-ver-time."
Final score: Florida 75 Virginia Tech 70 (OT).
The totals edge was sabotaged by a five-minute overtime period.
But upon further review, a bigger edge came in the form of first-half bets and halftime wagers based on the more favorable side of the court.
The team shooting into the sun, so to speak, lost each half by six points and lost the five-minute overtime session by five points.
Lesson learned.
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