Four Indiana teams will make tourney

Spring is just around the corner.
At least, that’s what this month’s questions lead me to believe. And I hope we can all agree we’ve had enough of this sub-zero temperature nonsense.
The questions from readers range from March Madness to golf to baseball, and those last two topics bring to mind green grass and warming temperatures.
Here’s hoping those features come sooner rather than later. For now, here are the answers to those questions.
••••••••••
What are your predictions for Big Ten coach, player and freshman of the year, and first team? How many Indiana schools are going to the Big Dance?
—Jenae Blasdel, Portland

Let’s lead off with Big Ten Coach of the Year, because it’s an easy choice. I like Matt Painter, who currently has Purdue in a three-way tie for second place in the conference.
My all-conference first team would include leading scorer D.J. Newbill of Penn State, D’Angelo Russell of Ohio State, Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin and Yogi Ferrell and James Blackmon Jr. of Indiana.
My votes for freshman of the year and player of the year would both go to Russell. He averages 19 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 46 percent from the field and 43 percent from 3-point range.
Finally, I believe the state gets four teams in the NCAA Tournament, but the only lock is Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are 24-4 overall and second in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
I also think Butler (19-8) and Indiana (19-9) will make the field, and Valparaiso (25-4) is the favorite to win the Horizon League and earn an automatic bid.
Purdue could give the state a fifth tournament team, but its current RPI of 61 is unlikely to impress those who draw up the brackets. The Boilermakers’ best case is to stay hot — they’ve won seven of their last eight, including two victories over Indiana — and make a good showing in the Big Ten Tournament.
••••••••••
Do you think Tiger Woods will win another major? I think in two years he will have a special run winning majors.
—Alex Hunt,
Knoxville, Tennessee

Tiger Woods winning another major tournament wouldn’t be any great surprise. He could certainly catch lightning in a bottle for a four-day stretch.
But I think he’s done.
Woods’ last major win came at the U.S. Open in 2008. That may not seem like so long ago, but it’s been seven years. That’s an eternity in the sports world.
Let’s look at what Tiger has done since that tournament at Torrey Pines.
He had a solid run over the next six majors, finishing in the top six five times, including a runner-up effort at the 2009 PGA Tournament. But since then, he’s finished outside the top 20 nine times in 14 tournaments. He’s been in the top five just three times, with his best finish a third-place effort at the 2012 British Open.
Tiger Woods is 39 years old. He’s struggled with injuries, missing most of the 2014 season.
He may win one more, but I doubt it. And as for a special run and his chance of breaking Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors, forget it.
••••••••••
What is the highest team ranking that a Jay County High School team has had in a statewide poll?
—Jan Simmons, Portland

This questions was actually asked and answered last month. But it was a tough one to research, and at the time I noted that I’d be happy to revisit the question if readers were able to provide more information.
First, let’s review last month’s answer.
The 2006-07 Patriot boys basketball team and the 2008 baseball team shared the top spot, both reaching No. 5 in their respective polls. The girls basketball team climbed to No. 6 during the 2008-09 campaign.
Simmons noted on Facebook that he remembers the 1982-83 baseball team reaching the No. 5 spot in the poll as well.
Here’s what I found:
The 1982-83 team topped out at No. 6. It finished with a 26-6 record and was ranked eighth in the final poll of the season.
The Patriots’ year ended with a 9-6 loss to Blackford in the sectional championship. Simmons, a senior on that squad, started at shortstop and had one RBI in that game.