Hoopraker

Towing the company line, the spin proffered through the Columbus media had surface appeal: Georgetown was just too good, too athletic and too big.  In the end, there was simply nothing Ohio State could’ve done to stop the Hoya juggernaut.  Here’s a novel theory: Ohio State was outcoached by John Thompson III.

Against Georgetown, and throughout the entire season, when confronted with a tough, disciplined defense, Ohio State struggled mightily to find a decent shot.  For the culprit of this recurrent difficulty, look no further than Thad Matta’s poorly designed half-court offense and its inane reliance on quick 22 foot shots.  Despite possessing its own 6′9″ beomouth in Big Ten Player of the Year Terrence Dials, Ohio State typically refused to look inside for offense.  Rather, the Buckeyes with incessent encouragement from the sidelines continued to jack three pointers, most of which missed their mark.

With the season now over for the Buckeyes, it’s evident that the reliance on sloppy three pointers made them too predictable and too one dimensional and too easy to manipulate.  As the jumpers turned to bricks, well-coached teams, even Northwestern, exposed Ohio State as an outfit confused in the half-court. Out of time outs, they opted for impatient long distance shots, which more often than not missed their mark. When confronted with solid defense, inept and empty possessions became the norm.

Despite the rationalizing undertaken by the friends of Ohio State posing as the Columbus media, don’t be persuaded by the  sugarcoating. Ohio State didn’t lose to so badly to Georgetown because they were outclassed by a more talented team. Ohio State lost to Georgetown because they were outmanuevered by a better coach.

As to Ohio State’s future, it isn’t as glaringly bright as everyone presumes even with the heralded recruiting class coming in next season. As long as Matta coaches offensive impatience, Ohio State will have a difficult time becoming a consistent contender year in year out.  While they certainly can win their share of games in the regular season, as the NCAA Tourney routinely demonstrates, if a team can’t execute an offense, if a team can’t get a good look when it needs a bucket, when it really needs a bucket, they’ll be pressed to win the big game.

big ten basketball | 4 Comments »

The B10 Tourney 2006 is history, however, the performances by the following student-athletes and coaches will live in our collective memories but a few short moments. Painful to watch, these performances were eminently forgettable. So, here they are, the All Tournament Stiffs:

Head Coach Bill Carmody
Asst. Coach Tommy Amaker

1st team
Vedran Vukusic, NU
Ron Coleman, UM
Chris Hunter, UM
Kammron Taylor, WI
Ray Nixon, WI

2nd team
Tim Doyle, NU
Courtney Sims, UM
Robert Vaden, IU
Idong Ibok, MSU
Matt Sylvester, OSU

Finally, congratulations to the Iowa Hawkeyes and seniors Jeff Horner and Greg Brunner. Playing with a bum ankle, Brunner left everything on the court. No excuses from the Heartland. Brunner will be missed.

big ten basketball | No Comments »

There’s no need to rehash the basic facts of the past two days of Big Ten games. If you need to know who won, shooting percentages, how many possessions, tempo-free stats, and other numerical data, a plethora of news outlets and various blogs fit that bill.

Rememeber to Give Thanks

As Iowa progresses through the Big Ten Tournament, leaving Minnesota and the Spartans in their wake, Steve Alford should remember to send a thank you card to Jeff Horner. The senior from Mason City, Iowa has single-handedly kept Alford in the mix for the IU job or a massive contract extension, and for that, Alford should be grateful. For Alford, Brunner and Horner have been a security blanket for four years but one that will be placed in moth balls next season.

Sanctions and Ohio State

So, the Ohio State men’s basketball program will not be penalized with a post-season ban by the NCAA for violations committed during the tenure of former coach Jim O’Brien. While not unexpected, this decision almost clears up the uncertainty surrounding the future of the nation’s top 2006 recruiting class. As is well known, Ohio State had agreed to let the high school players out of their commitment letters if Ohio State was given a post-season ban. What remains unclear, however, is, now that the Buskeyes do not face a post-season ban, (1) will Thad Matta stop hedging his bets as he did failed to do Xavier and demand the removal of his name from consideration for the IU gig and (2) if Matta oddly enough gets an offer from IU and bolts, what happens to that terrific recruiting class? It’s not likely Ohio State will release them from their commitments.

As to Matta’s purported interest in the IU job, unless he’s pined for the job since Quinn Buckner and Scott May were chasing coeds around Bloomington, it doesn’t compute. Not with the recruiting class; not with the enormous amount of money he makes; not with the wide latitude he has to run the program; and especially not with the hero worship Columbus would bestow upon him if he dropped to a knee and declared Columbus was his last stop. If he’s dropping to a knee, Matta might as well put on a black baseball cap with a red Block O. That wouldn’t hurt.

Where’s Spencer

Here’s a question. On Friday Vincent Grier put in quite a performance but he just didn’t get the help from his teammates the Gophers needed to pull off an upset of Iowa. So, where was Spencer Tollackson? He contributed energy and passion in the victory against Michigan and the Gophers could’ve used some of that toughness against Iowa. There must be an underlying rationale for Monson to keep him on the bench. Or maybe Monson just forgot about him.

Steering a Ship into the Rocks

For the pride of Michigan’s basketball program, Tommy Amaker has to go. Whatever happens this afternoon with the NCCA Tourney selection, Michigan fans can no longer afford to be passengers on this imminent ship wreck. If Michigan was going to turn the corner, it was this season, with a talented senior class led by Daniel Horton. It hasn’t happened. Next season, the picture is bleak in Ann Arbor: with Horton gone; with Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, among others, continuing to bury the Wolverines in recruiting battles; and with Michigan out-coached by every other team in the league, the University of Michigan has turned into a Big Ten afterthought. Once Matt Painter gets the pipeline back up and running in West Lafayette (and he will), Michigan will be battling Northwestern for the bottom of the conference. That’s reality. If Gene Keady ever had the players Amaker had this season, he’d contend for a National Title.
Note to Commissioner Delaney

Finally, memo to Jim Delaney, Commissioner of the Big Ten. If you have any clout, throw it around and demand CBS send two announcers to the B10 Tourney who actually know something about (1) basketball (Jim Nance) and (2) Big Ten basketball in particular (Billy Packer). Packer is an ACC relic with little interest in the Big Ten and Nance is a corporate shill, more interested in his new Big Bertha driver than basketball. Commissioner Delaney, protect the integrity of the league and get rid of these two imposters. Through these two characters, CBS gives a platform for these two tv personalities to malign the reputation and character of the Big Ten Conference to a national audience. As Commissioner, you can do better, much better.

big ten basketball | No Comments »

Tommy Amaker had yet another opportunity after Thursday night’s abomination to take some personal responsibility for his team’s underachievement. Instead, and rather too predictably, he takes the road most cowardly. The latest addition to the his galleria of excuses, deflections, and self-serving spin came today when he scolded those who have the audacity to question his team’s rightness for the field of 65 given that “We have the same conference record as Michigan State and everyone has them getting a bid.”

Hoopraker would gladly offer a few answers:

1. Michigan State is still playing, Amaker’s team was upset by the conference 10 seed. When Michigan State needed a win against an inferior opponent to bolster their resume, they get it done. Same scenario for Michigan and very different result. MSU follows the Purdue win with a monstrous win over Illinois on Friday. They control their destiny while Michigan sits at home playing victim, begging the committee to overlook the stench of 7 losses in the last 9 games.

2. Non-Conference and Overall Strength of Schedule:
RPI: MSU 16, Michigan 37.
Strength Of Schedule Rank: MSU 12, UM 25.
Record vs. Top 30: MSU 5-6, UM 2-8.

UM’s toughest non-con was UCLA, a loss. MSU went 2-1 versus Gonzaga, Boston College, and Arizona. In conference, MSU played all of the top six teams in the conference twice. UM played only four of the top six twice.

3. Overall record:
MSU 22-10
UM 18-10
Yes, 20 wins is still a benchmark in NCAA basketball. Just as it has been in the modern age.

4. Bad losses. MSU lost badly to Hawaii on 11/19/05, their first game of the season. UM lost 94-66 to Iowa on 2/4/06, halfway through the B10 slate.

5. Overall program respect. Some may say it’s all about the numbers for the season at hand and mostly, it is. However, there is something Izzo has earned over his tenure at MSU that you can only dream of. It’s called respect. The National Title, the Final Fours, the Big Ten titles, and all the Top 10, Top 20 rankings that Izzo has notched are worth something. If a selection committee needs to make a judgment call, the Izzo tradition of excellence has, and should, have influence. Not that he needs any favoritism, but when it comes down to shades of gray, the committee is going to give Izzo teams the benefit of the doubt. Amaker on the other hand, has earned nothing but doubt.

6. Not that the selection committee cares about Amaker’s postgame sound bytes, but I think it is worth noting that when Izzo lost Trannon and then Gray to injury, he never used it as an excuse. Meanwhile, the past two seasons Amaker has trotted out the injury excuse at every opportunity.

big ten basketball | No Comments »

I’m 708 miles from the sounds of squeaking sneakers, St. Elmo’s steaks, and Big Ten mascots and I’m bummed.  But with my massage chair and plentiful supply of seltzer water at the ready, I did watch some Big Ten Basketball today.

Minnesota - Michigan. Northwestern Alumnus Brent Musburger reported this afternoon that he was assured by Michigan Athletic Director Bill Martin that Tommy Amaker’s job is safe even if the Maize and Blue play in the NIT. Martin even said that he’d be gone before Amaker. Just wondering what Tommy Amaker has done to engender such blind courage. It’s possible Martin has missed the utter collapses by Amaker’s teams the past two seasons.  It’s also possible he missed this afternoon’s game against Minnesota.  The Golden Gophers couldn’t have played worse in the first half. But rather than playing like a team actually playing for the right to play deep in March, Michigan couldn’t muster the fortitude to play hard, smart, disciplined basketball for 40 minutes. Bad offensive sets, sloopy with the ball, quick shots. Sound familiar? When is enough enough for Michigan? Let’s see what Nate Fenno has to say in tomorrow’s Ann Arbor News.

Matt Painter had his team as ready as they could have been to play Michigan State. They played hard, they hung tough, they didn’t quit, they earned respect. Neitzel played well and thus, so did Michigan State. The Spartans looked in rhythm today and that means tomorrow night’s game against the Illini will be fun.

Looking forward to Day Two.

big ten basketball | No Comments »

Carmody and his team should be ashamed of themselves. This was one of the most lackluster and gutless performances I’ve witnessed from a Big 10 team all season. The Cats came out of the gate like they’d just had an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast at the Ramada. Stone cold shooting, a passive zone that the PSU shooters feasted on early, and they gave up countless offensive boards and putbacks. They worked off the griddlecakes midway through the half and kept contact.

But, the sequence just before halftime was indicative of why Carmody and his team deserve harsh criticism. With the ball out of a T.O., Carmody’s bunch runs a disorganized half-court set, capped off by an ill advised, eyesore 30-foot airball by Evan Seacat. To make matters worse, they don’t get back in transition and give up a layup. It was a fulcrum moment and it says a lot about Carmody and his team today. Poor execution, no heart.

Other than Craig Moore and Mike Jenkins no one in Purple came to play. Vukusic played a lackluster, uninspired game from the start. Where was the senior captain today? No leadership, no passion.

And Carmody and his staff spent most of the game with arms crossed, perhaps dreaming of those salad days in Princeton. Bill, you are in the Big 10. It’s time to start coaching like a guy in the best conference in the country who deserves his half million per annum. Get off your tuffet and unfeather that hair a bit and do some motivating. Your kids embarrassed the conference today, not to mention the program.

News flash–the Cats had a lot to play for today. A lot. An NIT bid was in the balance. For a guy who has been in Evanston for 6 years and has no postseason appearances, that seems to me like adequate impetus to show up for work today with a fire in the belly. The job at NU is not easy. It’s the toughest job in the conference. But a win today and a good effort against the Buckeyes on Friday, maybe even a win, and the program’s momentum can be forever reversed. An NIT bid would be monstrous for this program. It would say to some of the recruits in Chicago and elsewhere who are on the fence about coming to Evanston, hey, maybe this program is on the rise, let’s give this a shot. NIT 2006, NCAA by 2008. Instead, the Cats left Conseco stinking of pancakes and gave NU fans, NU recruits, NU administrators nothing but more doubt about Carmody’s ultimate fitness for the job.

That said, credit to DeChellis and the Nittany Lions. They played with exactly the kind of immediacy and passion that I expected from Northwestern. They played like a team and a program on the rise. DeChellis has turned the corner in Happy Valley. And OSU will have a dogfight on their hands tomorrow. PSU has the NIT locked up, but wouldn’t it be fun to see them continue the run the rest of the weekend and have a chance for the Dance? Dream a little dream. DeChellis might just be the wizard of the weekend.

big ten basketball | No Comments »

In an interview this afternoon with ESPN, Thad Matta offered little solace to Ohio State fans by intimating through loud silence his interest in the Indiana job. Reminiscent of his equivocations during his final days at Xavier, when asked to comment on his much rumored interest in the IU job, Matta demurred, stating he was flattered, mumbling that he’ll assess all matters at the end of the season, and finally he claimed he was contractually prohibited from saying anything further. Contractually prohibited from what? From saying he wanted IU job. Whether he wants the IU job or not, Matta certainly could have said “I love coaching at Ohio State.” He didn’t. He didn’t even say he liked Ohio State.

Even though he’s being paid an enormous salary by Ohio State for services as its head coach, even though five of the finest recruits in the United States have committed to Ohio State to play for him, even though he coaches a Big Ten Championship team that possesses the finest facilities in the Big Ten, Matta couldn’t muster anything resembling an endorsement let alone a statement of loyalty to, or pride in, Ohio State. At his quick stops along the coaching highway, Matta has thus far pushed the right buttons but loyalty has not yet become a factor in his decision calculus.

If Matta is indeed the carpetbagger some have suggested, jitterbugging from one job to another, Butler to Xavier to Ohio State to Indiana, then let him go. Ohio State should cut him loose now and move on. Find someone loyal, cast from the same iron as Tom Izzo, Bo Ryan, Gene Keady, Bruce Weber. Find someone who really wants to coach Ohio State. With near unlimited resources, Ohio State is a destination job, not a drive through teller where a coach fills up his bank account on the way to the next ATM. Perhaps Matta’s hedging his bets on the eve of the NCAA’s decision on whether to penalize Ohio State for various allegations of rules violations. Nevertheless, it’d be nice for Matta to publicly recognize and express some appreciation for the Big Ten job he currently holds, the one at Ohio State.

big ten basketball | No Comments »

I’m in love. With a lovely lady named Gertrude, my son, his sibling in-the-works, Roman espresso, slow-cooked cinghiale, the prose stylings of Padgett Powell, the cinema of the late, great Stanley K, Schlitz draught and syncopation at the Green Mill, watching the chemical sunset over Gary, Indiana on a chaise lounge in front of the Greyhound bus terminal, Chinese checkers and mole poblano. These are but a poo-poo platter.

But, every year from January through March, there is another love that takes hold of me and won’t let go. It is my Brokeback Mountain, my Lolita, my private dancer. My sin, my soul, she is Big 10 hoops.

As a resident of Gotham, my Big 10 fixes are mostly virtual: print media, internet, TV. The best decision I’ve made since switching to organic peanut butter was subscribing to ESPN Full Court. No longer am I hostaged to the inferior brands of basketball being perpetrated in the Big East and the ACC. I get my Big 10 five nights a week. Glorious. I don’t have to listen to Dick Vitale and Mike Patrick perform aural sex acts on the Duke Blue Devils. Praise Jobu. Instead I get a Steve Lavin, a Shon Morris, or a Mike Kelley, sports broadcasters who aren’t mere show ponies and dilettantes, guys who actually know their subject matter and aren’t getting all their intelligence from the AP wire and mob opinion. Testify.

Enough screed. On the eve of the Big Tens, here are a few takes on things past and to come:

1. Buckeyes: Heck of a season. Matta is a peerless motivator. A case study in getting college athletes to believe and overachieve. His kids played hard every night on both ends of the floor and won five roadies in a conference where the road was poison. The improvement in shooting with this team alone has earned Matta Coach of the Year. Dials, Foster, and Sullinger are everything I love about the Big 10. Guys who got better every year, and are reaping the benefits as seniors. I relish watching the Bucks ride a 2-seed in the Memphis bracket to an Elite 8 or better.

FYI, Oden is large and talented, but he won’t lead the Bucks to the title in one year. And he’s sure to bail after one in Columbus. So the key to this class are the other guys, Conley, Cook, Lighty. They are the future of the program and by the time they are sophs and juniors, watch out.

2. Illinois. Roy Williams coach of the year? Laughable. He gets nothing but McD All-Americans every year and we celebrate his team’s overachievement? How about Bruce Weber? He loses Head, Williams, and Powell and the Illini have only five losses and finish runner-up in the toughest conference in the nation. Sure, he has blue chippers like Brown and Augustine, but what makes the Illini tick is what Weber gets out of his support personnel–McBride, Arnold, Randle, the frosh Smith and Frazier, Jack Ingram last year. And Weber’s motion and team defense are so sound, so well coached. I see the Illini taking the B10 tournament this weekend and returning to Indy for the Final 4. They are peaking at the right time.

3. Iowa. Again, let’s salute the seniors. Brunner, Horner, and Hanson had banner years. If you were to make a Big 10 prototype it would be Brunner. Under the radar recruit, tweener, not super athletic, but that kid has the heart of a lion and plays one of the craftiest, smartest, and most effective post games in the country. Watch Greg without the ball and enjoy the clinic. I will miss him. I’m not a huge Alford stalwart, but he did get his kids to play better defense than I’ve ever seen from an Iowa team and that, along with the seniors and Haluska, got it done. They will, as always, be tough in the BTT. I see them in the Sweet Sixteen, but no more.

Caveat Emptor Indiana—Do you really want Alford? Think hard about it.

4. Wisconsin. Bo Ryan is another of the conference’s coaching lions. And like Weber he will be here until he retires—so much more refreshing than carpetbaggers like Bill Self who are always pimping themselves for the next job or the NBA. The loss of Landry and Steimsma really impacted the Badger depth. Tucker is fabulous, but without another step-up scorer, you stop Alando, you stop the Badgers. Taylor and Butch have been inconsistent. Krabbenhoft is going to be very good, but he’s a frosh. Anyone miss Mike Wilkinson? I do and so does Bo Ryan. He gave the Badgers the inside/outside balance they are sorely missing this season. Nonetheless, do you want to play Wisconsin in the Dance? No. They are too well coached to ever overlook. And watch out for the Badgers next season. They should be conference favorites.

5. Indiana. After Davis’s hiatus a couple weeks ago, the Hoosiers are playing more inspired basketball. But, about that hiatus. Davis took a destination job at a state U where basketball is a religion. And he took a pooh on it. He has the audacity to badmouth the fans at IU? Blames them for having high expectations? Uh, Mike? You are the coach at Indiana University, a temple of the game, hollowed ground, and you have a state full of knowledgeable, passionate fans who love the game and love the way it has been played at IU for decades—at a very high level with great class and featuring some of the state’s finest schoolboys. In a lame effort to deflect criticism, you blame the fans? Shame on you and good riddance. Let’s get a coach to restore IU to its former glory. Remember when the Hoosiers ran onto the floor in those candystripes and it gave you goosebumps? Remember guys like Brian Evans, Matt Nover, Joe Hillman? Imagine a team with 10 Errek Suhr types picking, floor burning, making plays, hitting shots, playing like they gave a damn. Oh, right, that’s what Indiana before Davis was all about. Now it’s baggie shorts and woofing and players who underachieve. Sounds like the NBA you’ve been pining for all these years. Mike, you are an NBA assistant coach. That’s your destiny. Enjoy.

6. Michigan State. State is a wounded animal. Which is an animal you should give wide berth. Before anyone starts grave dancing on Izzo’s bunch, realize they played the toughest conference slate (all six of the top teams twice) and lost their biggest intangibles guy in Trannon during the key last weeks of the B10 race. Trannon did the dirty work that simply wins games, and he provided key depth for a team with a young bench. He was missed. While I am not bull on Neitzel, I am not going to assign too much blame to him either. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t he the starting point for their Final 4 team last year? I am quicker to criticize the leadership of the seniors, Davis and, especially, Ager. Both have been woefully inconsistent. You look at their key losses, Ager and Davis have simply not shown up as senior studs should. And it isn’t merely about scoring. It’s about leading by example, playing with the kind of sustained intensity that Izzo teams are all about—rebounding, defense, guts. Remember Kelvin Torbert’s toughness last year? That is what I mean by an Izzo senior leading by example. Ager and Davis have a few weeks to prove what I still believe. MSU is a Final 4 caliber team. Look for them to get loose in the bracket. Like a mustang.

7. Michigan. If Horton goes off or everyone else shoots 60%, the Wolverines can win games. Otherwise, count on them to play about ten levels beneath their talent, take horrible shots five seconds into the shot clock, and play bullfighter defense. Amaker is a mockery and I’m not talking about his turtlenecks. Even with the injuries and behavioral layoffs of this year and last, he has as much talent as any of the top teams in the conference. Give his bunch to Ed DeChellis and this team would be vying for a conference title. Under Tommy Boy they limp to 500. The Wolverines will backdoor the Dance and lose to a mid-major.

8. Penn State. Ed DeChellis is great coach. What he did with this squad is admirable. They never quit and won some huge games. I hope Happy Valley stays patient with him and gives him a chance. If he can continue to draw studs like Cornley and Claxton and find solid role players like Luber stateside, the Lions are going to continue to be a very tough out. This is an NIT squad that could make a run to MSG.

9. Northwestern. Carmody’s team isn’t good for the heart. No game is easy for his undermanned bunch, but by golly, most of their games, even against the conference heavies, come down to the last five minutes. The wins over Iowa and Wisky were something to behold. They had the Buckeyes on the ropes, but let it slip away. I think Carmody’s system is perfect for NU. It’s just a matter of bringing in higher quality talent. Craig Moore and Sterling Williams are the right direction. His class for next year is promising. Imagine NU with three or four good shooters on the floor at all times and a competent biggie. This year it was two shooters if they were lucky (Vukusic and Moore) and an incompetent biggie (Vince Scott) or no biggie at all. If David Booker, a schoolboy stud from Mississippi commits, look for NU to be a nice surprise next year.

The Cats need to beat Penn State to get an NIT nod. Can they do it? Yes they can. And I would love to see the Cats confound some teams in the NIT, maybe even pull off a little run.

10. Minny. Monson is a likeable guy and I’m generally favorable, but I don’t like the way he hands the keys to his program over to narcissistic ball hogs. First it was Kris Humphries, now its Grier. The team game suffers. Maybe Aaron Robinson was the distributor they sorely miss this year. Whatever the case, they still play very hard and if they get everybody involved, are difficult to put away. Look for them to upset Amaker tomorrow.

11. Purdue. The Boiler faithful should be optimistic. With Painter at the helm this program will rise like a phoenix from this momentary blip and will be a perennial contender for league crowns and the postseason. The Keady routine in other words. They will be top five in the league next year. Landry anybody?

big ten basketball | 1 Comment »