LAFAYETTE, La. – The
bus ride from New Orleans to Lafayette was pretty quiet. That loss was as hard
as any I can remember. Fortunately, despite their youth, this team is
resilient, and confidence remains high for today’s game.
The bus stopped in Baton Rouge, about halfway between New
Orleans and Lafayette, for a meal at the Texas Roadhouse. If you’ve never been
to one, it’s a nationwide chain that is decorated with all things Texas. What
struck me was the history on the back of the menu. Texas Roadhouse, it seems,
was started in Clarksville, Indiana. Apparently, Indiana Roadhouse didn’t quite
have enough of a ring to it.
“Off” days on the road are always a little strange. Everyone
is used to the routine of arriving one day, playing the next and flying out the
morning of the third day. There is always a feeling like something is supposed to
be on the schedule, but for the most part the day is spent killing time until
game day with the exception of a two-hour practice. After a full night’s sleep,
the team practiced for two hours followed by some weight lifting at a health
club near the Cajundome. The team seemed to be a spectacle to the other people
working out. The remainder of the day was spent eating and conserving energy.
The team walked to Outback Steakhouse, just across the river from the hotel,
for dinner last night after which the team hung out in their hotel rooms.
Breakfast this morning was in the hotel restaurant at 9:30,
followed by shoot around at 11 a.m. As usual, the pregame meal was grilled
chicken, pasta with meat sauce and green veggies, served in a private meeting
room four hours before tip time, which in this case was 1 p.m. At 3:15 p.m., it
was finally time to head back to the Cajundome for pregame warm-ups and
shooting. The game this afternoon will be aired on Cox Sports Television in
this region and ESPN+ everywhere else, so anyone with the ESPN Full Court
package will be able to watch the game live with Eric Richey and Wimp Sanderson
calling the action. Additionally, the game is available on the Internet at
ESPN360.com, which is free for all college students.
After the game today, we’ll jump right back on the bus and
return to New Orleans around 10 p.m. We are booked on the first flight out
tomorrow morning, so we will get a couple hours sleep prior to an early 4 a.m.
wakeup call.
Shirt
Update: After Thursday’s loss in New Orleans, Mitch Hyder
probably will not be seen wearing his infamous ShamWow shirt during road games.
If nothing else, the shirt would be a little warm in some of the upcoming Sun
Belt towns, especially the ones in South Florida. Either way, at 14-3 the shirt
retains a little mystique.
Yearly travel totals:
Total Flights – 11
Total Mileage Flown
– 7,655
Total Bus Miles –
1,161
Total Number of
Hotels – 8
Total Number of
Different Airports – 7
Total Number of
Airline Delays – 1
Total Number of
Cancelled Flights – 1
Total Number of Bags
Lost – 1
Number of Restaurants
with “Texas” in their name that were founded in Indiana – 1 (Texas
Roadhouse in Baton Rouge after Thursday’s game – not sure if they serve waffles
shaped like Texas, too.)
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