Columnist Asks Who Chokes First: Purdue Or Notre Dame?

The Boiling Point: Fort Wayne columnist wonders if Purdue and Notre Dame can hold up long enough to meet in Sweet 16 and then make Final Four.

When the NCAA Tournament field was announced on Sunday, many Purdue fans enjoyed the potential Sweet 16 match-up for the Boilers. If they could win their first two games this weekend and Notre Dame did the same, the two would square off in San Antonio in two weekends. But according to a Fort Wayne columnist, that’s a big if.

"Purdue and Notre Dame are on a collision course for NCAA men’s basketball glory, so one question comes to mind: Who’s going to choke first?Seriously, these two elite basketball programs always seem to have great days in January and February. Scratch that. They have their greatest days in January and February.March? They’ll drive you mad.Purdue’s last Final Four came the year I graduated from high school. I’m 49.Notre Dame’s last Final Four was two years earlier in 1978. So I guess the Final Four trump card goes to Purdue. Boiler up!"

The columnist never makes a prediction that either school will shake the ghosts of March, but he did go out on a limb and say that the No. 2 and 3 seed would meet in the Sweet 16. From there, who knows?