After an impressive 5-1 First Round record, the Big Ten Conference stumbled on their way out of the Second Round. Some teams ran into opponents worthy of hoisting the National Championship (North Carolina and Florida) and some simply failed to win winnable games (IU, Illinois and Wisconsin). Heading into the Sweet Sixteen, Ohio State is left to carry the torch for the Conference. In loses, however, glimpses of the future offer solace to fans beleaguered by the weekend’s setbacks.
Everyone’s Back in East Lansing
After a hard-nosed team built around outstanding defense and rebounding lost a valiant game in the Second Round to a deeper and more talented North Carolina team on Saturday night, Michigan State heads back to East Lansing will optimism. In a season that began with the void left by three departures to the NBA and numerous injuries to an already shallow bench, the Spartans finished the season 23-12. Not a bad rebuilding season by anyone’s measurement.
As for next season, the sky’s the limit. With co-captains Drew Neitzel and Travis Walton leading all 9 players back, the Spartans add a top-5 recruiting class featuring three five star perimeter recruits, one 7 foot redshirt and a smart, potent scorer (4.0 gpa smart), in 6′6″ walk-on Austin Thornton (Cedar Springs, MI) (was this guy anywhere on Northwestern’s radar?). And don’t forget Raymar Morgan, who Izzo says “can be one of the best forwards to ever play [at Michigan State].”
The First of More for Purdue
Purdue basketball is back. Missed free throws against Florida and the considerable talent of Al Horford did them in down the stretch. Nevertheless, as they did in the win against Arizona, Purdue was able to control the tempo and play floor burn defense. While a win against the hard to like Gators would’ve been beautiful, the season was a great success for Matt Painter. Led by fifth year seniors Carl Landry and David Teague, the Boilermakers won more games this season than the previous two seasons combined. While their graduations will create a significant void, particularly Landry’s, Purdue adds the best recruiting class in the conference and top-5 Nationally to an experienced stable of guards and wings, including Chris Kramer, Chris Lutz and Keaton Grant.
Hoopraker extends a final goodbye to one of our favorites and Co-Hoopraker Player of the Year, Carl Landry. In addition to his consistent effort of the court, watching Uncle Carl casually walk around the United Center with his infant nephew on his shoulder serves as a reminder of what is great in college sport. A sentiment echoed by his coach, Matt Painter: “Carl Landry is a good kid. I played with a guy like Carl by the name of Jimmy Oliver. They don’t realize how good they are. Most guys think they are better than they are. Eighty or 90 percent of the guys you play with or coach think they are better than they are.”
Backcourt Help in Champaign
Illinois needs a point guard and hopefully, Demetri McCamey from Chicago-St. Joe’s will be the answer to the Illini’s penchant to panic with the ball in close games. Against Virginia Tech, Illinois blew a 13-point lead in the final 8 minutes while turning it over 6 times. Bruce Weber revealed that Chester Frazier played the final three games with a partially torn mcl, which shows the size of Frazier’s heart. But in the end, it was the turnovers, which plagued the Illini all season that bit them down the stretch on Friday night
With the continued development of hulk Shaun Pruitt, Illinois’ season will rest on whether Brain Randle can emerge as the player most people hoped he would become this season, before injuries took their toll and his confidence. And they need McCamey to take over running the offense while getting contributions from late signee scoring wingman Quinton Watkins, who de-committed from USC after OJ Mayo signed with Tim Floyd.
A January Peak
In the haze of a bitter loss to UNLV in Chicago, hindsight tells us the Badgers peaked in January. With the loss of Butch, which created a void more dire than first anticipated, the Badgers stumbled badly down the stretch. Starting off slowly became a familiar refrain, one that recurred again on Sunday. Against a well-coached Lon Kruger team, their final slow start was too much to overcome. And despite a stellar career and a special season, all around good guy Alando Tucker appeared to press without Butch, which precluded him from replicating the superstar efforts he displayed in the Marquette and Pitt games.
Even with the graduations of Tucker and Taylor, the Badgers remain in good hands. They have Bo Ryan, a solid recruiting class and a stable of underclassmen, from Marcus Landry, Joe Krabbenhoft, Jason Bohanon, and Travon Hughes, to step in and contribute. They’ll be back.
