A couple close shaves.

Fortunately, last night I was working and didn't have a heart attack watching Purdue and Minnesota playing on the road against Northwestern and Wisconsin respectively. Both games came down to the wire, and both ended with victories for the team I was pulling for. Thank goodness.
I think it taught us something about both teams though (and maybe not. Like I said, I missed the games). Purdue still expects to roll inferior opponents, but in the Big Ten, there are no such teams this year. Minnesota, on the other hand, has struggled against the top tier opponents they have faced, and perhaps came out flat because of nerves in Madison against the Badgers. Fortunately, both teams have the talent to overcome rocky starts this season.
Furthermore, they are lucky to have coaches that so well fit the demeanor of their teams. In the case of the Boilers, Matt Painter is a young coach with a lot of spirit, needed to light a fire under the lackadaisical Purdue team. On the other hand, a calmer, experienced Tubby Smith helped the Gophers relax and play their game. After so many disappointing basketball seasons from a personal perspective, this season is shaping up to be my favorite in a while.
(It's Friday, so I wrote about happy things instead of things that are pissing me off, like the Colts being out of the playoffs, the Twins already being mathematically eliminated from post season contention and the Wild are meagerly holding on to the last playoff spot in the West.)