This and that: How are your brackets doing?
A few notes on a March Madness Friday morning, waiting on that Purdue game.
Support for this edition comes from Food Finders Food Bank, presenting the 13th annual Blue Jean Ball May 2 at the Beck Agricultural Center in West Lafayette. Since the initial event in 2013, the Blue Jean Ball has raised over $1 million in critical operating funds for the food bank. Proceeds are used to fund Food Finders Fighting Hunger, Giving Hope programs designed to address food insecurity by connecting neighbors to both immediate and long-term resources. Get tickets and register for auction items by going to https://wedoauctions.com/app/public/bidapp/foodfinders/tickets/tix_2026
Support for Based in Lafayette also comes from Purdue Convocations, presenting Soul Asylum Acoustic w/ Corey Glover (Living Colour) on Friday, April 10. Spend an evening with legendary alternative rock band Soul Asylum, known for iconic hits like “Runaway Train.” In this rare acoustic performance featuring Dave Pirner and Ryan Smith, the artists revisit songs from across their multi-platinum catalog. The night opens with Corey Glover — powerhouse vocalist of Living Colour — bringing his soulful voice and rock legacy to the stage. Don’t miss this intimate night of music—BUY TICKETS today!
FIRST UP: Today is the last call for a spring sale at Based in Lafayette. New subscribers can take 20% off the regular price for monthly or annual subscriptions for the first year. It’s spring, as of this morning. The deal disappears at the end of the day. Here’s how to get it.
HOW’S YOUR BRACKET DOING THIS MORNING?: Purdue opens its NCAA Tournament at 7:35 p.m. Friday against Queens, in a first-round game from St. Louis. The game will be on TruTV.
Unless Braden Smith gets injured in the pre-game introductions, the Purdue point guard will break the Division I career record for assists. He stands one assist behind the 1,076 Bobby Hurley dished out for some great Duke teams more than 30 years ago. J&C reporter Sam King looked at every player who scored those baskets after getting a feed from Smith: “Breaking down Purdue basketball’s Braden Smith NCAA assists record.”
Brian Neubert, writing for Gold and Black, looked at the odds of who will score on the record-breaking that assist. From his account: “‘It’d be pretty cool to be the guy to do it, just for a bit,’ (Fletcher) Loyer said of his classmate’s inevitable making of history. ‘But after that, it’ll just be behind us.’” Here’s more from Neubert’s pregame report.
Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel had this on Queens, which carried a ceramic German shepherd with it as a team “spirit animal:” “If Purdue has anything to say about it, Queens won’t be here for a good time or a long time. The Boilers want to send home the smallest school to ever reach the NCAA Tournament – enrollment: less than 1,600.” Read it here: “Queens could be the bracket’s best story, but Purdue’s out to spoil the party.”
Speaking of predictions, here’s how things broke down in a BiL survey this week on how deep you had Purdue going in the tournament.
Here’s to the best brackets possible on the second full day of the tournament.
TALK ABOUT TIMING …: Afroman – real name: Joseph Foreman – heads into downtown Lafayette next week, riding a wave of national attention after successfully defending against defamation claims in a civil lawsuit filed by police in Adams County, Ohio, after the rapper and comedian – known best for the Grammy-nominated “Because I Got High” – produced a series of videos that went viral based on security footage from a raid of his home in 2022. The jury found in favor of “Lemon Pound Cake,” “Will You Help Me Repair My Door” and the guy made them. Afroman emerged in a U.S. flag-inspired suit as a First Amendment warrior. Here’s why Afroman, that suit and his persona as a walking embodiment of the First Amendment are probably filling your feed about now, via a good breakdown of the situation from NPR’s Rachel Treisman: “Afroman prevails in cops’ music video defamation suit after a brief but viral trial.”
Afroman plays at Rat Pak Venue, 102 N. Third St. in Lafayette, on Tuesday, March 24. Maybe he’ll give you more on the trial then. Ticket information here.
CORRECTION: In an edition Thursday, I mistakenly reported the conditions of bond for Amanda Milsap, a Lafayette woman facing charges for allegedly trying to bribe a witness not to testify in a trial for her former husband, Thomas Moss. Milsap’s bond does not include conditions that restrict her contact with others while in jail awaiting her trial. Four people, including Moss, charged with attempted murder and more than 10 other felony counts in connection with a related plot that led to the shooting of Judge Steve Meyer are being held on bonds that include restrictions on who they may see or communicate with as they wait for trial.
Here’s a link to a corrected story from Thursday:
Thanks, again, for support for this edition from Food Finders Food Bank, presenting the 13th annual Blue Jean Ball May 2. Get tickets and register for the auction here.
And thanks for support from Purdue Convocations, presenting Soul Asylum Acoustic w/ Corey Glover (Living Colour) on Friday, April 10. Get tickets here.
Thank you for supporting Based in Lafayette, an independent, local reporting project. Free and full-ride subscription options are ready for you here.
Tips, story ideas? I’m at davebangert1@gmail.com.