It felt like a lot longer- in a good way- but it was really a "get in, get out" sort of trip. My thoughts:

Indianapolis: Color me impressed. I've never spent time in the city, and I really enjoyed it. I found a wonderful whisky bar on Mass Ave. that also sold pizza by the very large slice. Getting around downtown was easy and pleasant, and nothing felt too far away. Their airport is one of the better ones in the US. I should have expected this, but everything closes by midnight. Grade: A-

Seeing the Bobcats live: The last game I was at was USF in 2012. So, yeah, it had been a while. And living in Texas, I found myself physically and mentally distanced from Ohio basketball. It was work to keep up with things and I was less interested as a result. But, man, being there live, it all came back. It felt like it always did, even though this was a group of people I've never seen before. It was like settling into a warm bath. We want them to win, but the experience isn't changed by the result. The wanting them to win and supporting the team is what truly matters. Grade: A+

Bobcat fans: We outnumbered Creighton by 3:1, if not 4:1, and they seemed shocked. We were engaged, loud, and supportive until the end. When the canned fight song ended, we all knew exactly what to do and the timing. We even didn't unnecessarily speed up the "defense" chant! We even did the very OHIO thing of, "OK, down 10 with a minute left, if they hit a three..." Because we never stopped. The only problem was the same that happens in every neutral venue: Ohio fans are scattershot and there's nobody to really take charge and lead. I started asking myself, should I start a cheer? Would people know it? Are there ones I don't know? I realize I was probably the only person thinking about this. And it was truly special to see so many people I've known. It was like coming across this group of people who knew a secret that nobody else did. Grade: A

Creighton fans: You would think, given the fact this program had not been to the Sweet 16 in a very long time, and they were cruising in the second half, that you'd get some enthusiasm from the fans. But they could only muster a "Let's go Jays!" every once in a while. How do you allow yourselves to get schooled by the fans of the team losing by 15? Grade: C-

The team: Someone compared this to Tennessee in 2010, and there's something to that. We crested in the first round and it just wasn't going to happen for us on Monday. The legs didn't bend quite as much. That's basketball, and sometimes stuff doesn't go down. I don't think we played particularly poorly and I don't think Creighton was significantly better. We got their "B" game and we had a "D" shooting day. It happens. If I could have changed one thing, it was I wish they had prioritized getting the ball inside more, because we were exploiting them near the rim. We took that early lead and I know the people with me and myself thought, yeah, we got this. Then we missed some threes. Then we missed some more. Then we missed a bunny or two. And the crap just started falling downhill. But they did just enough to keep the Jays honest. Preston didn't have a good night, which is a weird thing to say about a guard who nearly puts up a double-double off rebounds and assists. He either couldn't or didn't want to be the driving force, whether that was getting to the rim, or shooting from outside. You could see the wheels turning in his head. He made bad passes, some because he was trying to be flashy. We had a lot of turnovers from someone passing to a place where they thought someone was gonna be, or someone not catching a pass, or someone not seeing the defender ready to pounce the passing lane. Honestly, I would not have minded seeing Granger more, because he was doing some positive things. I dunno, it was just weird, and I don't think it was a representative performance. At least they saved me the trouble of flying back this weekend. But as Coach says, this team is about character. That's something that I highly value from our alma mater's representatives. Win or lose, we can be proud of these guys. Grade: C+

Creighton's team: Obviously, they performed well. Congratulations to them and the program, which has made tremendous strides the last several years. Grade: F--

Hyatt Place Airport: One of the friendliest staffs I've come across at a hotel not owned by Disney. Grade: A

COVID unexpected blessings: The NCAA has been slowly sucking the soul out of basketball this century. Bland, identical courts; imposition of corporate sponsors on everything; rigid rules for bands and cheerleaders; moving from arenas to giant stadia that were never meant to host basketball; a sterile feeling of "The NCAA Presents: An Approved Demonstration of Basketball." But, sports have had to do a lot of "we just need to make something work" this last year, and fans have benefitted in some unexpected ways. Like in F1, we got to see tracks never before raced or the return of popular tracks that hadn't hosted Grands Prix in a while. For NCAA basketball, it's the return of the tournament to Mecca locations like Hinkle Fieldhouse. I can't tell you how special it is to be able to see your team in the Round of 32 at a bucket list location. And it was really, really cool for everyone to be in the same city. And it was a lot of fun to chuckle just loud enough for the Purdue fan passing you to hear. Grade: A

Having a layover in Austin, then your flight getting delayed so much it would've been faster to drive home: D-

75% of the Austin airport's food options being closed at 3 PM: F

Shaka Smart's hair: D

Not worrying about the offseason and who might be leaving or coming back and just taking it as it comes: Que sera sera.

Your program winning three consecutive first round games against major schools: A+

Would love to know how many coaches bring tape measures.

Thanks to JSF and bornacatfan for the reviews. I enjoyed my time in Indianapolis and Bloomington. I want to come back when the COVID issues have dissipated further and explore a lot of these sites. Being in Assembly Hall and Hinkle was awesome.

"Like button" to this whole thread.

I, for one, am kinda excited to welcome JSF into the fold of engaged former courtside agitators.

EFCA

We meet on Saturdays for about half the fall, Wednesdays and Saturdays in the winter when CBSSN doesn't reschedule us.

One of my favorite things about downtown Indy is how clean it seems to be. After living in Cincinnati for 10 years and now Austin, it's something you don't really pay attention to until you actually see it.

I kinda miss that drive on 74 between Cinci and Indy though, as it was super convenient that they were that close and rarely any cops. Love leaving town after the 500 because the Indy State Patrol essentially just wants you the hell out of their state and you can put the pedal to the floor until you reach the Ohio border.