Hoopraker

The Fighting Illini’s win last night over Michigan State may have salvaged their season. On the heels of a debacle against Purdue, if the Illini lost at home to the Spartans, not only would Bruce Weber be curled up in a fetal position on the floor of Assembly Hall but the Illini would be left groveling for an NIT bid. Today, they remain in the mix for NCAA postseason action. (more…)

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“How many teams have the ball in a guard’s hands and he just dribbles, dribbles, dribbles until he draws the defense? He pitches the ball and someone throws up a 3. That’s not the kind of basketball I like. I don’t like to see value placed on something that doesn’t have value.”

“I just call it pitch-and-shoot. To a great extent, that’s what basketball has developed into and to me it takes away one of the great things about the game and that’s the movement of offense and the necessity of the defense to stay with that movement. There is nothing that has improved so much in any sport than the ability of a kid to dribble the basketball.” (more…)

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Bill Martin’s buttocks are puckering. The reporters at the Ann Arbor News are sharpening their pencils. All that separates The University of Michigan from a separation with its head basketball coach is five victories. Heading into a month in which Tommy Amaker traditionally has been unable to either maintain the focus of his team or hide his program’s inadequacies against Big Ten competition, Amaker desperately needs to foresake his familiar swan drive. (more…)

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January 24, Evanston, Ill. - The Buckeyes visited the less friendly confines of Welsh Ryan Arena in Evanston last night and in a 59-50 victory, found quite a different Northwestern team from a week ago in Columbus. A lot of ink has been written about the Buckeyes great recruiting class, but on this night it appeared that Coach Matta had not yet come up with a game plan that blends the special talents of his star center with his talented teammates. (more…)

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In the past decade, no teams have defined the Big Ten more proudly and resolutely than Michigan State and Illinois. A National Championship and numerous Final Fours are testaments to their stature. Led by two coaches cut from the same woolen cloth, both having been nurtured and assuredly berated for years at the berth of Big Ten legends (Tom Izzo with the great Jud Heathcote and Bruce Weber with icon Gene Keady), each leader has molded teams reflective of their basketball passions. (more…)

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January 13, Evanston, Ill. - Last Saturday’s match-up between Wisconsin and Northwestern proved to be much more interesting than expected. This game was not in complete control until the final seconds with the Badgers holding on to a slim lead of 52 to 50 with 51 seconds on the clock.  They were lucky to have returned to Madison with a 3-0 record in the Big Ten race.  Rather than a 56-50 win, this could have been a very ugly road loss for the Badgers. (more…)

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January 10, Chicago, Ill. - Tonight was a big night for the University of Illinois-Chicago Flames as they upset the 12th ranked Butler Bulldogs 73-67 in OT. The Bulldogs are coached by 6th year man Todd Lickliter (Butler ‘69).  In his time as assistant and head coach at Butler he has marshaled some very impressive wins, including advancing to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament in only his second season. (more…)

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In a season fast approaching February, Penn State’s game against Indiana on Saturday in the Bryce Jordan Center is a bellwether. Not only is it a game Penn State can win, it is one they need to win. With IU leaving Michigan State and Purdue in its wake this past week, Penn State must turn its bow into the Hoosier current and rise to the occasion. (more…)

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