More from Dodds in West Lafayette

by **Hoofprint** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 11:24 pm

We had our practice this afternoon in Purdue's Mackey Arena, and I really liked the gym. The only weird thing was the way it sounds in there. It has this weird sound when you clap your hands - it sounds like birds chirping. I don't know, maybe it was the sound echoing off the seats, because outside of our team and a few media, the place was empty. Maybe it will be different tomorrow with more people in there.

We had dinner last night at the same restaurant as the team from Tennessee, which was pretty cool, because you see them on TV all the time. But they're a college basketball team, just like we are. We've gotten over the fact that yes, we're in the NCAA Tournament, and now we have to come out tomorrow and play like we're as good as any other team in the tournament.

I think last year when we played Duke in the CancÃƒÂºn tournament, I think some of us got a little star-struck. Maybe that wasn't the case, but for whatever reason, we didn't play well. We didn't drive like we normally do, we didn't shoot like we normally do - we just didn't play well. I don't see that being a problem with this team, though. First of all, we're older. Secondly, we've got a coaching staff that has been through these NCAA games before. They're not nervous at all, because they've been in big games before. The Conference USA Tournament was three big games in a row, so we've seen the coaches serious and intense for big games. These games, obviously, mean just as much.

We know Notre Dame is a very good team. They're very good at rebounding and on defense, so it's going to be important that our defense is on point, and we've got to box out every single time - we can not slip up on that. The coaches have reminded us several times that Notre Dame has 80 more offensive rebounds this year than we do - and in one fewer game - so we realize how good they are on the boards. That's one thing everyone can watch (on ESPNU) tomorrow afternoon.

That's it for now. We're off to Olive Garden for dinner tonight. We need a lot of carbs, because we plan to run a lot tomorrow afternoon.