My Two Cents: During Heavenly Weekend, Who Rocked the Scarf Better?
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Two things that have brought me a massive amount of joy during the past 50 years are Indiana basketball and the great music of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
Last weekend, I got to experience both. I was at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday for Indiana's upset of No. 1-ranked Purdue. I worked well into the night writing, then left for airport at 5 a.m. to fly to Orlando to catch the third show in Springsteen's first tour since 2017,
For me, a weekend doesn't get better than that from a pure entertainment standpoint. The Hoosiers were great on Saturday, winning 79-74. And Springsteen and mates on Sunday? Well, it was another awesome show by ''The Boss.''
But when I saw some of the postgame pictures from the Indiana game and then from the concert, there was a commonality that really had me laughing.
Two guys ... rocking scarves.
In 2023. So cool.
First, there was Indiana junior guard and fashion icon Trey Galloway rocking a black and white scarf while walking with Hoosiers star Trayce Jackson-Davis. And then Sunday was a great picture of ''The Boss,'' singing with guitarist and sidekick Steven Van Zandt, who was pulling off his patented scarf look.
So, who did it better?
Scarves are apparently in again, as Indiana basketball player Trey Galloway (far left) and Steven Van Zandt (far right) can attest. They are pictured with Two Bosses, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Bruce Springsteen. (HoosiersNow.com graphic by Becky Rigel)
I'm going with Galloway on this one, because I have never seen a basketball player look so cool in a scarf. It's a showstopper. Little Steven, we've see that look on him all the time. Good, but not epic.
So when I saw those two pictures, I had to have a little fun with it. And quite frankly, as good as Galloway has been playing lately, he can wear anything he wants.
The girls won't like that they can't see his long, flowing locks when he's wearing his scarf. But, as I always say, hair is overrated. He just exudes cool.
We've seen Trey often in some solid outfits on the games where he's had to sit out. Been a few of those during his two-plus years. Some are winners, most of them really, and some I wonder about, but that four decades of fashion sense is a huge gap.
The only fashion statement he's made that I don't like was the decision to tuck his candy-striped warm-up pants into his socks. That one I don't get. I like the scarf look way better.
Trey Galloway and Trayce Jackson-Davis exuding cool.
As for Springsteen on Sunday night, well, I've been a huge fan since my college days at Indiana in the late 1970s. I saw my first-ever show in Carbondale, Ill., on Dec. 3, 1978 on campus of Southern Illinois University. A bunch of us road-tripped from Bloomington that day, and we had a wonderful time.
No one is better live than Springsteen and his E Street Band. I've been hooked ever since. I pay for Sirius XM radio in my car — and on my phone now — just for E Street Radio, and a couple of occasional college basketball games. I'm that big of a fan. Anyone who's taken a long ride with me — including my 91-year-old mother — gets the Springsteen treatment.
Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt rock out during a concert in Orlando, Fla. on Sunday.
When I wrote my first novel, ''The Ties That Bind,'' I borrowed a title from a Springsteen song that fit the theme of the book perfectly. I even worked in a lot of references, making the girlfriend of one of the two lead characters a girl from New Jersey who converts him into a Boss fan.
There is a sequel — will you fans let me take six months off to finish it? — and that borrows a Springsteen lyric too for the title.
So, yeah, it's been a fun weekend.
And now we spin to Tuesday night, and a huge Indiana game with Rutgers, a team that has owned them lately, winning six straight times. The Hoosiers are tired of losing to them — and even more tired of hearing all the trash-talking out of New Jersey, especially from former player Geo Baker, who thinks Indiana isn't any good and is soft.
The Hoosiers are tired of hearing it, and I won't be a bit surprised if Indiana really gets after it tonight. I also won't be surprised if this one gets a little chippy. These two teams don't like each other right now, and it could be a very physical game.
With a win, the Hoosiers can tie Rutgers for second place. That's a worthy goal. This one, with certainty, should be a lot of fun. I like Indiana in this one, and they are favored by 4.5 points in a line that's stayed the same all day.
Being favored doesn't mean a lot, though. Indiana was favored in three of those six straight losses. Tonight will be different, though, so turn it up loud inside Assembly Hall.
Let's rock.
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- HOW TO WATCH INDIANA-RUTGERS: Indiana basketball (16-7, 7-5) hosts the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (16-7, 8-4) on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. Here's how to watch, with game time and TV information, three keys to the game, the latest on the point spread, the coaching matchup, series history, stats, rankings and more. CLICK HERE
- OPENING LINE: Indiana has lost six straight games to Rutgers, and eight of nine overall. The No. 18-ranked Hoosiers get another shot on Tuesday night in Bloomington, and enter the game as a favorite. Here's the latest on the opening line, plus a great history of both teams vs. the point spread this season. CLICK HERE
- WOODSON RADIO SHOW: Indiana coach Mike Woodson, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson joined play-by-play broadcaster Don Fischer on the 'Inside Indiana Basketball' radio show on Monday night to discuss the Hoosiers' win over No. 1 Purdue and preview Tuesday's matchup against No. 24 Rutgers. CLICK HERE
- MAWOT MAG OUT FOR SEASON: Rutgers starting forward Mawot Mag suffered a torn ACL on Saturday against Michigan State. He will miss the rest of the season. CLICK HERE
- JAKAI NEWTON BLOCKS NO. 1 RECRUIT: Wheeler High School's Isaiah Collier, the nation's No. 1 recruit, went up for a dunk on Monday night, but Indiana commit Jakai Newton met him at the rim to block the shot. Watch it here. CLICK HERE
- JACKSON-DAVIS, EDEY SHARE AWARD: Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis and Purdue's Zach Edey put on a show Saturday night at Assembly Hall during the Hoosiers' 79-74 victory. Jackson-Davis scored 25 points and Edey scored 33 to earn co-Big Ten Player of the Week honors. CLICK HERE
- NATIONAL MEDIA COMMENTS ON INDIANA: Indiana claimed what many said to be the biggest win of the week in college basketball, defeating No. 1 Purdue 79-74 on Saturday at Assembly Hall. Here's what national media members said about the win. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA IN AP POLL: In this week's Associated Press Top-25 college basketball poll, Indiana moved up to No. 18 after defeating No. 1 Purdue on Saturday. The Boilermakers held on to the top spot, but Houston, Alabama and Arizona also received votes for the No. 1 ranking. Rutgers jumped into the rankings this week, setting up a top-25 matchup at Indiana on Tuesday. CLICK HERE
