[t]aking more than their offered inch, some of the third parties have turned college basketball into a world of shakedown-for-profit, a land where peripheral people use players as pawns in a high-stakes game for profit.

It is quid pro quo at its best — or maybe more accurately, at its worst — and has led to a crisis of conscience for some coaches who are tired of being forced to play dirty to survive.

“It’s never been voiced to me, but there’s an unwritten rule: You want my kid, you pay the price,” said Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel. “You just know it because people have that reputation, and the problem is, if you don’t do it, someone else will.”

The N.B.A. should abolish its age limit.  Raising the limit flew in the face of statistics showing that drafted high school players were relatively successful on and off the court.

When Travis Walton laces up his sneaks for the biggest game of his life this afternoon against UConn, he should consider looking south, to Findlay, Ohio, for some inspiration.  Led by legendary head coach Ron Niekamp and DII Player of the Year, Josh Bostic, the University of Findlay (37-0) secured its first Division II National Championship last week in Springfield, MA.  Niekamp, who sports a jawdropping coaching record of 586-174, happened to coach at Walton’s alma mater Lima Senior (OH) for six seasons before heading North on Interstate 75 to Findlay.  For his part, Bostic graduated from Westland High in Columbus, the same school that gave Michigan State former Spartan guard Doug Davis.  Tangential coincidence, perhaps. We’ll see in a few hours.

Stepping Up, Boxing Out

Throughout the Tournament, Tom Izzo has plucked players from his bench and gotten results.  It’s a testament to great coaching and it’s hallmark of Izzo’s remarkable run in East Lansing.  One gets the sense that, if called upon, even Austin Thornton would answer the bell.  Thus far, the Spartans have received unexpected explosions from Walton, Durrell Summers, Goran Suton, and Draymond Green (who’s learning curve has accelerated in the past three weeks with Raymar Morgan’s fade).  Who’s next, maybe Morgan or Korie Luscious?

Against UConn, the freshmen duo of Green and Delvon Roe, with their ability to rebound and defend the interior, should be factors for the Spartans tonight. Walton gets the assignment of his life as well, guarding AJ Price. Hit the glass and quiet the UConn point guard and the pieces may fall in place for Michigan State, much as they did against Louisville last weekend.

Sweet Music

For Michigan State fans and Big Ten faithful, in yet another season where they’ve absorbed unwarranted barbs from ignorant naysayers, taking out a parade of Floyd, Self, Pitino, Calhoun and Roy Williams would be sweet music.

Enough About Lawson’s Toe

I speak for everyone at Hoopraker when I say I’m really tired of hearing how Ty Lawson is playing through pain.  I’m also tired of hearing how great a coach Roy Williams is. Please. His team is loaded top to bottom with McDonald All-Americans and contains at least six caliber NBA players. The PR engine for Duke and Carolina is nauseating. Hope Nova spanks ‘em.

DeChellis Charm

In the wake of its disappointment on Selection Sunday, Nittany Lion faithful justifiably pointed the finger at the decision of Ed DeChellis to configure a very weak non-conference schedule. DeChellis found some level of redemption in his team’s heroic run to the NIT Championship this week where he beat George Mason, Rhode Island, Florida, Notre Dame, and Baylor, quality wins all.

As Hoopraker favorite Jamelle Cornley said to Taylor Battle moments after the Baylor win, “[y]ou and Drew (Andrew Jones) got to keep it going!”  Building on these wins, Penn State returns a roster full of confidence and one certainly carrying the expectation of an NCAA berth in 2010.

Cheers to Spartans Weblog

Our friends over at Spartans Weblog are doing great work in preparation for the Final Four. Ta-Ta.

When Baylor fell behind, they switched to man-to-man and the Lions adjusted quickly by putting the ball into the hands of Talor Battle.  He hit some nifty lay-ups off of drives to the basket as well as a three pointer that probably was the dagger for Baylor.  Strong offensive rebounding by Penn St. allowed them to retain possession numerous times in this game.  The play of Jones, Brooks, and Jackson was a key to this impressive win as well as the earlier victories.  Give credit the passionate play of three seniors- Cornley, Pringle, and Morrissey, for this championship.  They played their hearts out to bring the NIT trophy to Happy Valley.

I agree with the game commentators that the technical on Baylor Coach Scott Drew was not justified.  He had every reason to take his coat off given the tightness in this game.  The technical probably was the turning point as the Nittany Lions built up a good lead from that point on.

Scott Drew has done a marvelous job of bringing back the Baylor basketball program in a short time.  Watch Drew as he is one of the better young coaches in the game and he has a strong coaching DNA inherited from his father Homer Drew at Valparaiso in the Horizon League.

This marks the second year in a row that the NIT Championship has been won by a Big Ten team.  In many respects, participation in the NIT can be rewarding for teams that are not quite at the top level in their conferences since it provides an opportunity to play multiple games in a tight tournament schedule and prepare for teams not played against during the season.

A constant in this NIT run for Penn St. was their adherence to great defense throughout.  It was another visible notice that Big Ten basketball is played on both ends of the court and it wins games.  Now let’s get the Spartans to past U Conn.

One of the several pleasures of purist basketball fandom is watching players and teams who defy the easy categorizations of the meat market approach to the game and succeed, indeed flourish, where so many saw failure. - DJ Elsass.

Players like Carl Landry, Roger Powell, Greg Brunner, Mark Vershaw, and Geary Claxton quickly come to mind. There are many more.  Over the past four seasons, we’ve been graced with the effort, passion and talent of Jamelle Cornley. Tonight he looks to end his career with a Championship against Baylor.

The Underdog

Despite his stellar high school career which included a State Championship, Cornley nevertheless entered the Big Ten through the screen door around back.  For those who doubted whether he belonged, Cornley dispelled all such notions upon arrival in State College when bagged the Big Ten’s Freshman of the Year hardware. Since then, through injuries and disappointing seasons for his team, Cornley continued to play hard en route to garnering further nods for his play, including this season’s Second Team All-Big Ten honor.

As he’s done throughout his career and this season in particular, it was Cornley who led Penn State to its semi-final win against Notre Dame. When the mock-turtleneck donning Mike Brey’s underachieving and defense-impaired Irish mounted a late rally to threaten what had seemed an inevitable Penn State win, it was Cornley who demanded the ball. It was Cornley who imposed his will on the game. It was Cornley, with a bum ankle and bad shoulder, who would not be denied.

A Tweener Factory

All knocks on the recruiting powers of DeChellis considered and set aside, there’s no doubt he has developed a knack for finding the diamond in the rough. Before Cornley it was the four-year feast of watching 6′5″ Geary Claxton destroy preconceptions of a Big Ten power forward with pure desire. And while now a veritable star, sophomore Talor Battle fits the mold of a player with a talent and an immeasurable heart lost in the myopic shuffle of big-time recruiting.

On a different level, it’s also worth noticing effort of another two-star recruit, junior Andrew Jones. Over the season, Jones has given DeChellis a steady arch of development highlighted by last night’s dominant effort against second-team All-American Harangody in Madison Square Garden.

Watching a player like Cornley, a player free from the incessant ESPN hype-machine that sees little more than the obvious, continually reaffirms our love for college basketball. Seeing such a player like Cornley toil and excel night in and night out for four years is what still gives amateur athletics its potential to inspire and its reason to believe.

The gold standard of Big Ten coaches, Tom Izzo had his team prepared and his charges responded with one of the most complete games against a great opponent I can recall.  They played with purpose, confidence, composure and aggression, and that’s not easy to do, especially against a team with the talent of Louisville. The Spartans are clicking.  Congratulations to the pride of the Big Ten, the Michigan State Spartans, who head back home to play for it all.

Round One - George Mason

In the first game, PSU beat George Mason 77 to 73 on their home court.  Battle had a terrific game with 24 points, but he received strong support from Brooks (13), Babb (11), and Jones (11).  Their strong man in the middle, Jamelle Cornely, was injured, played only 15 minutes, and scored only 2 points.  An amazing performance given that Cornely was unable to play most of the game.  They shot 50 percent from the field and 45 percent from the 3 point line.

Round Two- Rams from Rhode Island

They beat Rhode Island 83 to 72.  Cornely did not play, but Penn State was led by Pringle (19), Battle (16), Jones (14), and Babb (13).  Jones added 10 rebounds to make up for the absence of Cornerly.  Again, their shooting was impressive as they broke into 80 points, shoot 45 percent from the field, 44 percent from the three point line.

Round Three- Florida Gators

This was the most impressive performance.  The Gators Coach, Billy Donovan, uses a version of Rick Pitino’s pressing defense currently employed at Louisville, though it’s not nearly as successful this season.  The game was close from beginning to end, one of the best games we have watched this year.

Without doubt, the most impressive player performance was Cornely who scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds even though his shoulder was heavily bandaged.  He clearly was playing with one arm, but the strength and power of his game was the deciding factor in this game.  He commanded the paint with powerful moves to the basket and the Gators had no one who could stop him.

Cornely has to possess one of the best pair of hands in college basketball as the ball was fully in his command in the paint.  At 6′5″ and 240 pounds, he is a monster and has not been given the recognition he deserves.  The commentators indicated that Cornely wants to finish his fine career at PSU with a great showing and he put together quite a performance against the Gators.  This is what senior leadership can bring to a team and I would not want to bet against the Lions making the Championship game.

For the Big Ten, the Penn State success is a big deal and they should get more recognition for their fine run.  Remember, the Ohio State Buckeyes won the NIT last year and it was another senior, Jamar Butler, who provided the guts and leadership.

Come On Big Ten

Yes, let’s hear some cheers for the successful Nittany Lions NIT run.  The NIT field was strong and they have successfully moved to the NIT Final Four, serving as a strong representative for the Big Ten.  They are averaging well over 70 points, shooting well, and more than holding their own against a strong NIT field. As Big Ten fans, we should be rooting for their success.  Two NIT champs in a row is not shabby!

Talking About Last Night!

Last night, we had two Mid-Major victories:  Cleveland State over Wake Forest and Siena over Ohio State in two overtimes.  As a basketball fan, I would like to see more of the Mid-Major and smaller school conference teams represented since I think the difference between a power conference and the lesser conferences is marginal.  In fact, the cynical side of my brain says that the only difference is that Power Conference coaches are paid much higher salaries and have more assistants who also receive more pay. 

Demetri McCamey of the Illini was quoted saying, after the Illini first round loss to Western Kentucky, that the differences between the power conference teams and lesser conference teams on the hardwood were overstated.  

Let’s face, the power conference control of the tournament structure is all about money.  The six power conference schools harvest large amounts of the TV revenue generated by the Tournament.  The distribution of this revenue is distributed to each of the conferences based on the number of games played with larger distributions going to those teams that win and continue to advance in the final rounds. 

So if you have seven teams in the initial tournament field, the probabilities are very high that a number of those teams will advance to the next rounds and maybe into the Final Eight or Four group.  The odds that the Final Four will consist of only teams only teams from the six power conferences is highly probable statistically.  Let’s take a brief look at the two Mid-Major upsets over power conference teams last night.

Vikings Highjack Deacons

Perhaps the biggest upset in the Tournament so far was the 84 to 69 Viking win over Wake Forest.  The Vikings won the Horizon League Tournament with a 57 to 54 victory over Butler in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, the home of the Bulldogs.  This win put them into the tournament as Butler had an at-large bid.  Butler lost in their first round game.

Gary Waters has a long, impressive coaching resume as he has been successful at Kent State (upset win in the first round Tournament against Indiana several years ago), Rutgers, and now Cleveland State.  Waters applies an intellectual approach to his coaching, selecting teaching techniques from the best of the college coaching fraternity. 

The Viking squad is lead by two very tough seniors, Bullock and Jackson.  Bullock is a force at 6′5″ and 240 pounds he is a good scorer, rebounder, and defender.  Jackson also is a physical performer yielding good scoring and rebounding statistics.  Bullock played quarterback on his Flint, Michigan high school team and many think he has a good future in the NFL, though he has not played college football.  Though the Vikings do not have the length or athleticism of Wake Forest, they were in complete control during this game.  Cleveland State now moves on to play Arizona.  Given that many thought Arizona did not belong in this tournament, Cleveland State has a good chance to advance to the Sweet Sixteen round.

Saints Stun Buckeyes

While Siena was a 9th Seed, they were expected to lose to the Buckeyes, a 9th seed team.  The Buckeyes at various points in the second half appeared to have the game under control, but Siena worked its way back by good defensive play and some key shooting when it was needed. 

Siena is coached by Fran McCaffery who was featured in Feinstein’s “Last Amateur” book about a season in the Patriot League where, at the time, he was coach at Lehigh.  His coaching resume is impressive and he has done a marvelous job at Siena where he has built them into a consistent winner.  Last year, they upset Vanderbilt in the first round of the tournament. 

On paper, the Buckeyes appeared to be the superior squad with more athleticism and size than Siena.  But the Saints line-up had a bit more maturity in their line-up and all five starters scored in double figures.  The picture of Dallas Lauderdale putting a slim Rossiter to the floor with a simple movement of the left arm epitomized the size differential Siena had to overcome. 

The Buckeyes could have cemented the victory had they made their free throws in the closing minutes on the regular game clock.  Bufford missed two, Turner and Mullens each missed one at crucial points at the end of the game.  These misses plus the inability to play tight defense in the final seconds in the game and its overtime led to the Siena victory.

Mullens is Done, Maybe Turner’s Not

With consideration given to his upbringing in Columbus’ rough and tumble Bottoms, it’s tough for Ohio State fans to deride a decision by BJ Mullens to continue his basketball life and its attendant financial security in the NBA starting this June. According to the Columbus Dispatch, all signs and inferences suggest Mullens played his last game for Thad Matta last night in Dayton. Like his two predecessors in the post, he’s one and done.

Leaving the door slightly cracked, Evan Turner says he has unfinished business in Columbus.  We’ll know more if Turner decides to test the NBA waters. For Ohio State fans, hopefully he comes back because without him, the Buckeyes would no doubt find themselves adrift in dire straits.

As of today, according to ESPN Insider and Scouts.com, Ohio State has zero recruits signed for 2009 with only Bill Edwards, a 6′5″ small forward from Middletown, Ohio considering the Buckeyes.  With the void at point guard, it’s also likely Ohio State is searching for another reliable player to run the team. Still, it’s clear Ohio State is again banking its short-term future on another Oden-style five member class starting in 2010, led by JJ Sullinger’s big little brother Jared and DeShaun Thomas, both more potential one and dones.  Until the next class of high flying Frosh arrive, a loss of Turner in addition to Mullens would be a major setback for Ohio State.

It’s More Than Talent

Much is made of the necessity of recruiting top tier talent.  To compete for National Championships, maybe. However, in Tournament games like last night’s against Siena, it’s about much more than talent.  It’s about team basketball.  It’s about pride in process.

At the end of a season that saw Ohio State lose its highly touted point guard recruit (Anthony Crater) and its best defender (David Lighty), Ohio State was simply the Evan Turner show.  For whatever reason, whether coaching or personnel issues, the players surrounding him never fully found a rhythm during the season. Throughout the year, the offense offered flashes of purpose and patience but too often it quickly reverted to quick, bad shots and possessions marked by malaise.

As Evan Turner said after the loss, the Buckeyes never should have needed him to make last second shot to win the game.

The First of Manny

Highlight of Day One on the Big Ten set was Michigan’s win over a tough, athletic Clemson team.  Our friends at UM Hoops break down the game here, one where the Wolverines cared for the ball like a newborn baby.  While it’s a stretch to call one win a seismic event, for Michigan fans, getting this one after 11 years of futility and NIT wins is simply huge.

The win also emphasized the incalculable import of having a talented player with assertive confidence.  A cursory glance at the numbers don’t evidence the single play that saved Michigan from a colossal collapse: Manny Harris aggressively taking the ball with 30 seconds left, driving into a traffic-filled lane and converting an old school three point play.  A beautiful play.  Up next is Oklahoma, a team ripe for a Michigan upset.

Gophers Still Seeking Their Stride

In a one and done loss to Texas, ably recounted by The Daily Gopher here, Gophers fans saw the subtext to the season: 10 players playing 10 or more minutes and failing to find their rhythm.  From the start of the season, Tubby rotated players with abandon and in the end it seems as if his fluid rotations indicated a not so subtle discomfort with this players.  As it did for much of the year, against Texas, the deep rotation was an endless search for a lineup that possessed chemistry.

Still, in the end, getting back to the NCAA Tournament in itself is a major accomplishment for Minnesota.  Despite a blazing start to the season, the Gophers were at their essence an eighth place team searching for an identity and too often tripping over their collective feet down the stretch.  Whether the Gophers can build upon this season’s relative success will depend on whether Tubby’ recruits and the returning roster can develop  into a cohesive team with a consistent identity.

Five Minutes of Fighting

Illinois was unable to defend for 35 minutes Western Kentucky and now finds itself a team of players with questions.  No doubt, not having Chester Frazier impacted the Illini’s ability to defend the perimeter but save a heroic final game from Trent Meacham, many questions abound for Illinois going forward.

Who is Demetri McCamey?  Will Mike Tisdale have the metabolism to consistently produce in the post?  With his smooth offensive skills, why can’t Mike Davis score 20 points a night? Where is Alex Legion’s head and does he ever make an impact in Champaign?  And ultimately, how does the returning roster integrate with the impact freshman joining the team next season?

We consider McCamey to be the linchpin.  If he commits to the next step in his development and becomes more consistent, next year’s version of the Illini has the potential to be very, very good.

The invites mark the arrival of a new era of basketball in Minnesota and Michigan and again validates the prudent hires of Smith and Beilein.  Ohio State (if Mullens, Buford and Turner stay) and Illinois are both stocked with underclassmen and one year away from elite status.  As most Big Ten teams are in the Dance one year early, don’t mistake this Tournament as a referendum on Big Ten Basketball.  And rather than fret over the the ambient noise from ESPN or what passes for a sports section at the New York Times, let’s just watch the games and enjoy. Time will tell tales over the next three weeks

Ignorance in Certainties

Big Ten bashing in March is as predictable as a morning constitutional.  The chirping occurred when Illinois went to the Final Four, Michigan State before and after them, and Ohio State after them.  If you listen to the conformists from Bristol, you hear it again now. The perceived bias is most likely a pure sense of the aesthetic, but at the end of the day, it’s entirely irrelevant.

Some people prefer offense and tacit defense.  They find a faster pace more entertaining, more amenable to television, and hence more amenable to revenue.  That’s a choice and it’s theirs but it’s not the tradition of the Big Ten.

Andy Katz of ESPN singles out Missouri as a team to watch, calling it most entertaining:

This version of the Tigers is playing the fastest 40 minutes in basketball. Coach Mike Anderson, who could be coveted by Alabama, has made the Tigers a must-see when they’re clicking at a fevered pace

We’ve watched Missouri and we’re not impressed.  Neither, apparently, were the Fighting Illini when they beat the entertaining Tigers 74-59 in December.

Our DNA: Hard Work

Like it or not, ours is a Conference a conference built on the traditions forged by Coach Knight, Coach Keady and Coach Heathcote.  It’s in their DNA:  All teams defend.  All teams prepare.  All teams play hard.  Each possession in the Big Ten matter.

The arenas are soaked with knowledgeable, passionate fans who appreciate hard work in their daily lives and in their teams. Teams play defense with as much reverence as they play offense.  If that’s basketball you don’t like, I’m okay with that.  Don’t watch it if you don’t prefer it.  That’s okay.  But the only reason to condemn it is either ignorance or jealousy.

The Role Of Smart Scheduling

Going forward, it’s clear the teams that have challenged themselves with quality pre-conference scheduling have leg up on getting into the NCAA Tournament.  And those that have largely ducked tough competition, while in some instances a justified protection for fragile, youth-laden rosters, find themselves, like Penn State, in the NIT.

In a conference where a team’s ability to snatch a few big wins on the road is the factor that separates the wheat from the chafe, it seems a wise strategy to use November and December, in part, to plop your developing ball club into a few hostile environments.  Whether in victory or defeat these kind of early road tests are team unifying, team clarifying experiences that pay exponential dividends for the season to come. As the obvious logic goes, the fastest way to get better is to keep good competition.

The Gold Standard

The perennial gold standard of muscular non-conference scheduling is Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans.  Unlike his jettisoned predecessor, Michigan’s John Beilein has the Wolverines dancing for the first time in a decade on account of challenging non-conference schedule with wins against UCLA and Duke.  Bruce Weber can point to his team’s  win against Missouri as self-evidence that media darlings like Mike Anderson don’t fare well against teams committed to defense.  Ohio State scheduled Butler, Notre Dame, Miami and West Virginia.   Minnesota is in the tournament because it beat Louisville.

Penn State is in the NIT because it played no one of consequence in the pre-season and it’s bubble buddy, Arizona, played and beat Gonzaga and Kansas.  Until Penn State musters the wherewithal to compose a serious non-conference schedule, it’s margin for error in conference, such as a double overtime loss to Iowa, is very, very slim.

Time Tell Tales

Time will tell tales over the next three weeks.  For some reason, I keep picking the Spartans to win a rematch with North Carolina.  And for some other reason I keep thinking Michigan is going to make a run.

Minny Holds Off the Wildcats

In the first game, Northwestern had difficulty in waking up as they played a very passionless first half, lucky to be down only 6 at the half 31 to 25.  The only bright spot for the Cats in the first half was the scoring of Coble, who had 19 of their 25 points.  In the second half, Tubby had his team clamp down on Coble, holding him to only 2 points.

Unfortunately, no one else on the Wildcat team was able to step forward and sustain a scoring drive, though they actually went ahead briefly late in the second half.  Moore had a major “off game” shooting making only 3 shots in 14 shots.  Michael Thompson has, in the past, been able to step up when Coble and Moore are contained, but he battled foul problems and was unable to hit key shots in the late minutes. In this game, their post players contributed little in rebounds and scoring.

There is an unwelcome pattern in the way the Cats have been playing.  In the last three games, they have had poor first halves and then have scrambled to come back to make games close.  At Purdue, they were able to squeeze out a win, but against Ohio State and Minnesota, they were unable to sustain momentum when they captured leads late in the game.

One has to question whether the NU coaching staff has been able to make convincing cases for early game passion and attention to details that are essential to pull out close wins.  The Wildcats have had a historic year in big wins (Michigan St., Purdue, Ohio State, Minnesota, and Florida State), but they have a long way to go in establishing a winning tradition.

Double D Boys

Michigan came to play as Coach Bielien had them ready to play.  The ”Double D” boys, Harris and Sims, both from Detroit displayed their athleticism and shooting skills throughout this game.  The remainder of the Wolverines were able to compliment these two stars with solid team defensive and rigorous adherence to the offensive sets in the  Bielien spread offense.  Frankly, I suspect that Iowa could pull the upset in this first round game, but clearly Bielien has established a new tradition for the Wolverines in that they do not overlook opponents.

The Wolverines will be a very tough out in the NCAA Tournament as teams that have not played against the effective 1-3-1 defense, or been called on to contain two very able scorers in Harris and Sims, may find themselves packing early for spring vacations.  Ask Duke and UCLA who both lost to Michigan earlier this year. Jake Kelly, who has been as effective as any in recent Big Ten games, was contained and often did not handle the ball as he likes to do.  If there is a weakness to Kelly’s game, it is his penchant to dribble continuously in trying to find holes in the defense.  He was unable to find ones in this game and was held to 10 points.  The only bright spot for Iowa was the return of a healthy Tate, who led the Haweyes with 12 points.

Lions Roar!

The Littany Lions had a easy time against the hapless Indiana team that set records for season wins.  Not since the 1915-16 season has a Hoosier team won just 6 games.  It has been impressive to watch Coach Crean never give up on his youthful team, but they simply do not have the talent level and experience to compete in this Conference.  Coach DeChellis left nothing to fate as he had his team ready to respond to any effort on the part of the Hoosiers to pull an upset.

The play of Cornley and Pringle, two the strongest seniors in the small Conference senior class was impressive.  While Indiana may a small run late in the first half, the Littany Lions responded with strong runs to put this game into the win column.  While this win will not be surprise to the people who are looking at NCAA tournaement resume, imagine what a loss would have done to their strong case for a bid.  Penn St. now must be ready to continue their strong play against a hungry Purdue squad who had two tough losses late in the season.

Again, the results below are certified the accounting firm of Monte And Stepson, “Oh, we’ll get your money, don’t you worry ’bout that, providing timely, aggressive results since Monte’s parole in 2002.“

Defensive Player of the Year

Damian Johnson

Defense is in the DNA of The Big Ten Conference.  In this category, it was truly difficult to identify one player who stood out on the defensive end more than Chester Frazier, Travis Walton or Chris Kramer, all great defensive players in their own right.  All three guards consistently caused grief for their opposition and in most Conferences would win the award going away.

But in the end, we’ve gone with Minnesota’s Damian Johnson.  The long, cat-quick Johnson disrupted the offensive rhythm of more teams and impacted the game on the defensive in more ways than anyone else in the Conference.  He deflects passes on the perimeter, blocks shots, makes steals, doesn’t take a possession off, and guards the opposition’s best players.  The job he did on Louisville’s Earl Clark was textbook. Watching Johnson play defense has been one of the highlights of a great Big Ten season.

Big Ten Player of the Year

Evan Turner

The vote was close.  Manny Harris and Kalin Lucas merited very serious discussion here. It’s hard to deny Lucas is the primary reason the Spartans, the regular season champs, could be starring at a Number 1 Seed if they plow through the field in Indy next week.  With help from Durrell Summer and the stabilizing influence of Goran Suton, Kalin Lucas was the engine that propelled the Spartans during the absence of Raymar Morgan.

Still, it’s hard to deny Turner his due here.  Morphing into a 6′6″ point forward midway through the season, the sophomore was given and took complete responsibility for Ohio State’s season. With obvious basketball smarts sowed by Gene Pingatore at St. Joe’s in Chicago, Turner’s combination of rebounding, scoring, passing and creating winning opportunities off the dribble is better than any other player in the Conference.

Coach of the Year

Ed DeChellis

Heading into last week’s thriller in State College, Bruce Weber was in the running to beat DeChellis.  What the Penn State coach lacks in hair he makes up for with coaching acumen.  With several big wins on his resume and an NCAA bearth in his hands, he’s gotten the most from a collection of marginal Big Ten recruits, most few schools wanted, including All-Big Ten performers Talor Battle and Jamelle Cornley.  He’s called the right moves more often than not this year, from mixing up defenses to getting the ball into hands of the right player at the right time.

Right on the tail of DeChellis tail are John Beilein and Bill Carmody.  Beilein’s big wins against Duke and UCLA overshadow his deft ability to call effective plays out of timeouts and the job he’s done getting Michigan to compete all season, through wins and losses.  Carmody not only saved his job this season but he seems to have finally turned the corner in getting Northwestern to play at a competitive level and with mental toughness night in and night out in the Big Ten all the while without compromising the academic rigors of Evanston.

Without further delay and in a concerted effort to steal the thunder of the Big Ten Conference whose own list comes out after this one, Hoopraker would like to honor the following individuals as graduating the season with honors. Thanks for the inspired basketball gentlemen.

The results below are certified by waiter Jake and the accounting firm of Monte And Stepson, “Oh, we’ll get your money, don’t you worry ’bout that,” providing timely, aggressive results since Monte’s parole in 2002.

2008-09 All-Hoopraker Teams

First Team

Evan Turner, Ohio State
Talor Battle, Penn State
Kalin Lucas, Michigan State
Manny Harris, Michigan
Kevin Coble, Northwestern

We have to acknowledge the impact injuries played in the composition of the First Team.  Purdue’s Robbie Hummel and Michigan State’s Raymar Morgan surely would’ve factored into the voting if they hadn’t missed extended periods with injuries and illness.  Not surprisingly, the outstanding sophomore class dominates the team, which doesn’t include one senior.  With nods to Craig Moore, Jamelle Cornley, Chester Frazier, Badger killer Lawrence Westbrook, Marcus Landry, Travis Walton and Goran Suton, the senior class, on a whole, may be one of the weakest in memory.  Attrition from their freshman year was a staggering 67%.

It was very hard to keep JuJuan Johnson off the first team, however, at critical times in critical games he tended to disappear. The player who supplanted Johnson, in our subjective eyes, was Coble, a gamer in the biggest tilts of the conference slate.  Turner essentially stepped into the player-coach role as the season progressed; he’s dominant and Ohio State’s season rests in his hands.  Turner’s an All-American if he stays for his junior year.  Manny Harris and Talor Battle both are atop the conference in scoring and are the primary reasons Michigan and Penn State remain relevant in NCAA Tournament discussions. Kalin Lucas is the best player and the engine on the conference’s best team and, like Turner, has All-American written all over him.  He and the Spartans deserve another crack at Memphis or North Carolina.

Second Team

Craig Moore, Northwestern
Jamelle Cornley, Penn State
JuJuan Johnson, Purdue
Jake Kelly, Iowa
DeShawn Sims, Michigan

Also meriting serious consideration were Mike Davis and Demetri McCamey, but in the end both were too inconsistent down the stretch.  Moore gets the old timey, nostalgia nod here for his quick release jumper, high basketball IQ, and leadership. DeShawn Sims was hard to keep off the first team as he put up some monster games this season, including the UCLA and Purdue wins.  Jake Kelly deserves the first team, maybe as much as Coble.  Cornley, undersized in the post, is all Penn State has underneath.  His heart, effort and four year contributions merit honors.  Omitted here, to our chagrin is E’Twuan Moore, but his shooting slump in Hummel’s absence seemed to impact his overall game.  Like Johnson, we’d like to see Moore get more assertive as the Boilermakers roll into late March.

All-Freshman Team

Matt Gatens, Iowa
Delvon Roe, Michigan State
Verdell Jones III, Indiana
B.J. Mullens, Ohio State
Ralph Sampson III, Minnesota

John Shurna, Colton Iverson and William Buford also merited serious consideration here.  As soon as next season, Gatens will be the sure-shooting compliment to Jake Kelly, which would put Iowa one point guard away from respectability.  As his health improved, Roe has shown the ability, with soft hands and a high hoop IQ to become a superstar of national stature for Izzo.  Like Roe’s high school teammate Tom Pritchard, Jones III has handled the adversity of Indiana’s season as an opportunity.  As Sampson III increased his intensity on defense, he’s increased the level of his overall play and has shown signs he’ll become one of the conference’s best big men. Despite limited touches, Mullens made the team by converting over 70% of his shots, most dunks.  He’s a legitimate seven footer with speed and coordination.  Buford was kept off the team by a nonchalant defensive effort and his penchant for quick shots, both of which have found him seated next to Thad Matta down the stretch.

Next up on our agenda: Big Ten Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player and Coach of the Year.

Inked Stained Weber

A recurrent and problematic pattern is the Illini’s inability to score for long stretches in their motion oriented offense.  With 5:12 left on the clock, Illinois had a 10 point lead, and Steve Lavin conceded the Lions had blown an opportunity to greatly strengthen their Tournament resume by defeating the Illini twice.  Showing true heart, the Lions weren’t listening and steadily chipped away, outscoring the Illini 14 to 3 in the game’s final minutes for the victory.

Despite Weber’s repeated tries to calm his team with various diagrams on his plot board, the Illini could not settle themselves into a comfortable half-court game during this stretch as the Lions defense refused to concede good shots to Illinois.  With an inked-stained face, Weber could only look on as his Illini continued to self-destruct.

Mike Davis was fouled with 8 seconds on the clock and had a chance to widen the score to 65 to 62.  He missed the first of a one and one badly.  Credit DeChellis for a critical timeout just before Davis stepped to the line.   After a time out, the Lions placed the ball and their season in the hands of Talor Battle.  He delivered, giving Penn State their first lead of the second half and the win.

Role of Seniors

We’ve often cited the role of seniors in the battle for conference wins.  Both the Illini and the Nittany Lions have a good group of seniors.  The Illini senior Frazier played a very strong game and was instrumental in frustrating Battle all night.

For Penn State, the play of two seniors stood out.  First, Cornley was injured in a fight for a rebound late in the second half.  While he continued to play, he clearly was hurting.  His courage and strength of leadership may have been the catalyst for the Lions late comeback in this game and it is the hallmark of a senior stepping forward to do what is necessary to capture a win.  Another senior, Stanley Pringle, had a very strong night leading Penn State with 20 points, including 4 for 4 threes.

Through the play of two seniors and the inspired drive to the hoop by a sophomore, Ed DeChellis and Penn State now find themselves with their NCAA fate firmly within their grasp.  Still, heading into the season finale on Saturday in Iowa City, Penn State can afford no let downs.

Historic Milestones

This season for the Wildcats is one of achieving a number of historic milestones including road wins in East Lansing and the Assembly Hall in Bloomington.  The Cats had not won in Bloomington in 40 years- 1968 was the last time. The win last night against Purdue also was rare as the Cats seldom play well on the road against the stronger Conference foes. As to season records, the Cats already have won the most games ever with 17.  They will have a chance to add to this record with a road trip to Columbus and a first round appearance in the Big Ten Conference.

Craig Moore has established himself as one of the best ever three-point shooters in the Conference.  Should the Cats continue their strong play, they could get their first ever NCAA tournament bid.  Based on their performance to date, they probably are assured of a NIT bid with a first round game or two on their home court.  Coach Carmody has greatly strengthened his resume for the Conference Coach of the Year with this season’s end push.

Bench Minutes and Size

A key to last nights game was the play of Ryan and Williams.  Williams is a fifth year senior and has played a ton of minutes in the prior three years often as a starter.  This year, Williams is adding to his already stellar academic resume with a masters degree, and he has been patiently waiting for the call when the younger players fail to perform in specific game situations.  In the last home game against Iowa, Coach Carmody did not play Sterling even though he was honored at the beginning of the game as a senior.  So it was fitting that he played a significant role with Jeff Ryan in carving out the victory last night.  Between the two, Williams and Ryan scored 10 points in a combined total of 24 minutes at a critical juncture of the game.

Another key factor in the Cats play has been the steady improvement of Thompson.  No longer can defenses concentrate on the outside shooting of Moore and Coble as Thompson has improved greatly his outside shooting.  HIs three straight three pointers against Iowa late in the second half were keys to that win.

Another major factor in the Cats improvement this season is the steady improvement of Luka Mirkovic and Kyle Rowley, both freshmen.  Luka had 8 rebounds in the game last night and he has been able to make inside shoots when his teammates find him, which they are doing with more confidence.  Rowley has great potential with his long and wide body if for no other reason being his consumption of valuable real estate in the paint.  His game has steadily improved.

The growth and development of these two freshmen make the strong outside shooting game of the Cats much more effective as they often go inside and flip out passes to open shooters. Cat fans are very excited about the future as Mirkovic and Rowley improve the games to be dominant big men.  Lickliter would love to have players with the dimensions of these two as they would plug the big hole in the middle of the Hawkeye offensive and defensive schemes.

A NCAA Bid?

Can this Cat team add another historic milestone to their resume?  A win in Columbus would make their Conference record 9 wins and 9 losses.  This is not out of the realm of possibility in that they beat the Buckeyes in Columbus, and the Buckeyes are not playing very well at this time.  With a win in Columbus and a first round win in the BT Tournament, the Cats may well be headed for their first NCAA tournament ever.

Evan Turner Light

Despite a big turnover and late free throw miss, the talent of Evan Turner (22 points, 9 assists, 100% responsibility) was too much for Iowa to overcome as Dallas Lauderdale saved the game with a beautiful block of a Jermaine Davis layup with six seconds left.  Evident in the loss was the great burden given to and assumed by sophomore Jake Kelly (Carmel, IN).  Playing on a bottom of the Conference team with 16 losses, many of them too close to stomach, is not easy.  But as we conclude the Big Ten regular season, Kelly has acquitted himself with aplomb.  He plays hard; he plays with confidence; he defends; he leads; Iowa depends upon him.

With only Penn State remaining on the Iowa schedule, Kelly has adapted on the fly to his role as Iowa’s leader.  Since Valentine’s Day, the 6′6″ Kelly, a more natural off-guard, has entirely taken over the point guard role.  Over the last six games, Kelly’s averaging 40 minutes and 20 points in addition to the sole responsibility for initiating the Iowa offense.  Compounding the pressure, on most Iowa possessions, he seems to be the only Hawkeye confident enough to want to handle the ball under defensive pressure.

Like Turner, in addition to being the team’s best passer at 6′6″, Kelly is also Iowa’s best player at creating his own shot off the dribble.   And while he still turns the ball too frequently like Turner, his handle continues to get better.  Apart from the quick footed travel, often Kelly’s turnovers are attributable aggressive passes to teammates in the post who don’t possess hands as soft as Michigan State freshman Delvon Roe.

Room to Grow

Much as Geary Claxton’s injury last season fast-tracked the development of Penn State’s Talor Battle, the loss of Peterson in February has afforded Kelly the chance to become a better player.  In the scheme of things, a few Iowa losses that should’ve been wins could prevent them from playing any postseason basketball this season. However, Kelly’s growth in the absence of Peterson may give Iowa a taste in 2010 of the much-ballyhooed but less-appreciated comparison to the Butler Bulldogs, with two experienced guards competent with the ball and team full of shooters, including Matt Gatens, Bawinkel and hopefully a reformed Anthony Tucker.

Show Kelly Some Love

When we vote later this week on the 2009 All-Hoopraker Team, Kelly will certainly get some votes.  If traditional media appreciates the nuance of the game apart from the obvious metrics of wins and losses and scoring average, they too will recognize in some capacity Kelly’s contribution to his team.

First in Forty

Yes, that is right!  The Wildcats had not won in Bloomington since 1968, a 40 year draught of wins in the Assembly Hall.  Carmody may have been a teenager. Northwestern got off to a terrible start but clawed back in to take a comfortable lead at the half.  Northwestern usually relies on scoring by Coble and Moore, but Wednesday they had five players with 10 or more points.  Moore led the scoring with 17 with Tompson chipping in 16. 

They also received strong play from Mirkovic in the paint, a rare strength with the Cats. They shot 56 percent both overall and from the three point strip.  They did not abandon their defense, holding the Hoosiers to 53 points, who shot 42.9 percent and made only 3 from the three point strip.   For the Cats, this was a must win to keep any tournament hopes alive.  It was a nice bounce back from the awful game they played Sunday night in Minnesota.

Michigan Excels in Exam

The Wolverines may well have sealed their invitation to the NCAA with an impressive win over Purdue by a score of 87 to 78.  Though this was not a typical Big Ten score, both teams played hard on both ends of the court.  For Purdue, it is clear that Hummel is back to full strength.  The Boilermakers are known for their engineering prowess and they designed a back brace that allows their star to play hard and not suffer back pains.  The bad news for Purdue fans is that Calasen was battling the flu and was unable to suit up for the game.  In addition, J. Johnson who is having a great year got into early foul trouble and sat most of the game on the bench. 

The absence of these two performers showed up as a huge defensive liability in the paint as Sims had a career game with 29 points.  Harris added 27 points. Michigan shot 63 percent for the game and many of these shots were by Sims who was able to work free with some impressive post moves.  In addition, the patented Princeton backcuts were successful throughout the game.  Novak and Douglas, two freshmen known for their three point shooting, excuted a number of laser passes to their teammates for a easy scores. 

With Harris and Sims and their marvelous athletic talents, the Princeton offense and defense is a feast to basketball afficionados.  Kudos to Beilein for his successful teaching as the Wolverines wrote an impressive exam in their must win against Purdue.  They have two tough road games, Madison and Minneapolis, respectively, to finish the season.  

Illini Rain on Tubby’s Parade

Minnesota is a different team on the road.  Minnesota needs another good win to seal an invitation to the Big Dance.  They have two big games at home, Wisconsin and Michigan.  Two wins would certainly put them into the tournament, but a split also may seal their invitation, particularly if they have a strong game or two in the Big Ten Tournament.  Illinois, despite a record low 33 points against Penn. St. last week, again played very effective defense, but found some scoring with Davis (14), Meacham (13), and McCamey (10). 

Frazier, clearly in the lead for the Conference defensive player of the year, contributed 6 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block. His 5 points including a three at a critical point in the game was a bonus.  The Illini are one game from a 24 win season.  They finish out the season with a home game against the Spartans and an away game in Happy Valley. The Illini defense held the Gophers to one three pointer. This is quite a turnaround for a team that struggled to win 16 and only 5 wins in the Big Ten last year.  They are solidly in second place and could move into a tie if Purdue and Michigan State should these two falter in their remaining games. 

The Illini could provide a major aid with an upset of Michigan State.  The Illini are in the tournament this year and more wins will only add to their resume for a higher seeding.  Damian Johnson had a monster game for Minnesota with 18 points, 5 steals, and 3 blocks.  Hoopraker has commented on his defensive skills in the past.

Luxuriating in anticipation of high-quality tournament basketball, there is much for the college basketball fan to be sanguine about these days of late February. There is, however, one governor to the optimism. It is the continued dread of more displays of incompetence from the NCAA’s long-toothed, physically infirm, grossly overextended officiating corps.

Beyond A Reasonable Doubt

Surely the intrinsic imperfection of a three-man officiating crew is understood, even well tolerated in these precincts. But as anyone who has watched more than a few live basketball games in the last decade is aware, the issue isn’t the reasonable and natural fallibility of human beings trying to proctor a game that often proceeds at light speed. The problem is an NCAA-wide system of poor oversight that is giving us officials who are overworked into incompetence, and in more than a few individual cases, are physically unbecoming of the job.

Free Roaming Zebras

One layer of the problem is that today’s officials are independent contractors who are beholden not to individual conferences but are free to work in multiple leagues and as often as they see fit. The result is referees who are exceeding their natural capacities in pursuit of more money.
In a diatribe the spirit of which won him more than a few public reprimands by the Big 12 commissioner last season, Bob Knight got to the shank of the matter:

To have some guy 54 or 55 years old referee six times a week is a real disservice to the kids who are playing. But these guys are so greedy, they end up trying to work these six games a week. And they’re not capable of doing that. Check schedules and you’ll rarely see where kids play three games a week. These kids are 19, 20 and 21 years old.

Experienced Or Over The Hill?

With the average age of the officiating corps increasing and scant evidence of an infusion of young referees, the number of referees who are working more when their physical capabilities recommend the opposite is hurting the game. Viscerally obvious to Hoopraker from our perch on Big Ten sidelines is that there too many veteran referees still in heavy circulation despite suffering the kind of physical declines that make a solid acquittal of their jobs impossible.

And we’re not just talking about gray hair, pattern balding, and modestly expanding waistlines. There are refs who, due to injury, poor fitness, or age are simply unable to keep pace with a game made more challenging to call by its ever-increasing velocity and degree of athleticism.

While we are not privy to the NCAA’s or the conferences’ management of officials, it does appear that many veteran refs are being protected by a cronyish, tenure type retention system that demands little in the way of performance or fitness standards. And while long, loyal service to the game renders many excellent veteran refs who are still fit enough to perform admirably, there are plenty who need to face the music and gracefully take their place on the scorekeeper’s table or bleachers.

A Challenge For The NCAA

One potential remedy is for the Big Ten and other conferences to allocate some of their bulging revenue streams for recruitment, training, and the creation of a renumeration structure that motivates a stable corps of referees that work exclusively for the conference. Also imperative is that the conferences provide a more muscular management style that ensures a higher level, more consistent quality of officiating. As Knight points out:

You say, ‘All right, if you’re going to work in this league, this is how you’re going to work. And if you don’t want to work in this league, fine, you’ve got other leagues to work in. They have plenty of other places they can go. They can go to the NBA, they can go to the NAIA, they can go to junior college, they can go to high school.

NCAA officiating is a part-time, seasonal endeavor and those who want the biggest bucks and a career of it can vie for NBA placement. The remainder needs to understand that the system as it stands today is not working except as a mechanism for their greed. In exchange for a bump in their nightly compensation, they can work a bit less and within a single conference, but for the ultimate benefit of the game they love.

Zebra Breeding Grounds

As a pertinent aside, Hoopraker’s years of Illinois high school basketball observation, while anecdotal, has revealed the kind of officiating that the NCAA would be wise to study and recruit. Unlike too many of their NCAA counterparts these high school practitioners generally maintain the kind of quiet, nearly invisible control of the game that should be the rule on all levels of play.
And it isn’t as if they are performing in environments devoid of pressure. The gyms they are working are more often than not crucibles of passionate, knowledgeable fans packed close to the floor. Some of the Division I home courts should be so charged. And the athleticism and speed of the game is far from pedestrian.

The Time For Reform Is Nigh

When the quality of officiating has eroded to a degree that goes beyond the archetypal harping of hard-to-please basketball fans, a change is needed. When the mere arrival of certain zebra crews onto the floor during pregame brings groans and derision from fans and almost guarantees a game that will be noticeably compromised, it’s time for reform. Respect for elders is one thing. A senior welfare program that is hurting the game is another.

Last Year’s Model

Last year, D. J. White and Jamal Butler both epitomized the role of seniors.  White had every reason to throw in the towel given the coaching changes he experienced throughout his career at Indiana.  But he continued to develop his game skills and toughened up his athletic body for a great senior season that ended ugly with the Sampson exploison in late February. 

The Butler story is somewhat different in that he had been the point guard prior to the arrival of the fabulous freshmen (Oden, Conley, and Cook) who took the Buckeyes to a NCAA title game against Florida.  Conley assumed the point guard role on that team and Butler stepped aside in a supporting role as the shooting guard without a complaint.  Conley bolted for the NBA early and Butler was asked to step back into the point guard position, which he did quite effectively. 

After re-toning his body during the off-season, Butler led the Buckeyes to a good season and a NIT Championship.  Other notable seniors last year were Neitzel and Nymick (MSU); Butch, Stiemsma, and Flowers (Wisc.); Tollackson, McKenzie, and Coleman (Minn.); Coleman (Mich.); Hunter and Terwilliger (OSU); Crump (Purdue); Johnson, Looby, and Gorney of Iowa; and Pruitt and Randle (Illinois).  Geary Claxton would have been a key member of this group had he not blown out his knee in January 2008. 

While the current class of seniors is smaller, a number of them are in the category of White and Butler.  Let’s take a look!

All Senior First Five

For starters, we could go with the four top scorers- Moore, Cornley, Landry, and Pringle.  One could make a case for these four to be First Five picks, but let’s try to put a group of five that could be an effective team.  So our picks for this senior five are as follows:

Craig Moore (NU) The best scorer among the seniors and an “on the floor” leader and coach for his team’s Princeton offense.  Craig has had a number of big games this season, but his role in the upset of Florida State in December stands out as one of his best games. He has improved dramatically in his final two years and now is a very effective three-point shooter.  He also is in top physical condition following a strict diet that is important for optimal athletic performance.  The bottom line for Moore is that he probably has achieved as much with his physical basketball abilities as any other player in the Conference.  He is the shooting guard for this senior five, but also has good ballhandling skills.

Jamelle Cornley (PSU) Cornley has a very consistent career at PSU.  He plays much bigger than his 6′5″ length, but is a powerful force in the paint.  He can score of the easy lay-up as well as score off the short range jump shots in the paint.  Cornley has been a critical member of the three key players (Battle and Pringle) responsible for the great success Penn. State is having this year.  He is the power forward on this all senior five.

Chester Frazier (Illinois)  Frazier is considered one of the best defensive players in the Conference, if not the best.  He always takes the toughest defensive assignement for the Illini and has had great success in shutting down big scorers throughout the year.  He often guards scorers 5 and 6 inches taller, but is an effective defender no mater who he shadows.  In addition, he is a good ballhandler, sharing the point guard duties on the Illini team.  He is not a great scorer, but he does hit open shots when they present themselves.  He is picked for this team for his superior defensive skills.  Travis Walton (MSU) is a similar type of player- a strong defender with good ballhandling skills.  Walton does not play as many minutes per game as Frazier and is not quite as crucial to the Spartan team as is Frazier to the Illini.

Marcus Landry (Wisc.) Landry has been a key Badger Player for four years.  While very quiet at times, his athletic skills stand out on the Badger team and he is called on to use them at crucial times in close games. He rebounds, can score inside, and also is an effective three point shooter.  His recent play has been critical to the Badger recent string of wins this season.

Goran Suton (MSU)  Goran is the center on this senior five.  He has had to recover from knee surgery earlier in the season, but is critical to the Spartan half-court game.  He is a strong rebounder, can step out and hit the three, and is a very good free thrower. 

Off the Bench

For two guys off the bench, take Calvin Brock (Illinois) and Joe Krabbenhoft (Wisc.). Brock is a good leaper for his size, energetic, and has good shooting range.  Krabbenhoft has made a career of doing many of the little things that are crucial for wins including diving for balls, getting critical rebounds, and playing hardnosed defense.  Neither of these guys are fearful of putting their bodies at risk including diving for loose balls, taking the charge in the paint, and going up strong for rebounds.  Brock is the more athletic of these two, but both of them have heart and strong game motors.

And the Coach

For the Coach of this group, our pick is Ed DeChellis of Penn State.   His team has performed very well this year, making a dramatic improvement over last year with essentially the same players plus or minus a few injuries.  At this point, DeChellis has guided this team to the NCAA tournament. 

Later we will pick the All Conference team, but we wanted to give the Seniors their time in the light.  Given the extremely strong Sophomore class in the Conference, it will be difficult to make a case for most of these seniors in the First and Second All Conference teams.  But senior leadership is very important and teams that do not have a strong senior leader usually pay with critical losses in close games, particularly early in the season.  Ohio State probably suffers more than any other teams in the Conference from the absence of a strong senior player.  Illinois has three strong seniors in Frazier, Meacham, and Brock.  Iowa has Cyris Tate, but his role has been limited by injuries.  Michigan St. has Suton, Gray, and Walton, another threesome who have played roles of strong seniors in various games.  Senior Calasan has made consistent contributions to the Boilermakers throughout the year. 

We probably will be talking about the great work of Coach DeChellis when we make our all conference picks.  He certainly is high on the list of candidates for Conference Coach of the Year.

Boilers Steam the Spartans

Last week the “Paint Crew” packed Mackey Arena and the Boilers turned up the heat and steamed the Spartans bright red with a vicious man-to-man defense.  The Spartans could not organize themselves into a good, patient half-court game and they forced up a lot of rushed and missed shots.  Frankly, the Spartans did not play like a top ranked team.

Purdue’s JuJuan Johnson continued to dominate, both inside and on the perimeter.  His soft touch both inside and outside is a special trait that most guys his size do not possess. The performance by this strong Spartan team was disappointing as they could not hit outside shots and were unsuccessful in getting the ball into the paint for easier shots. 

The tough, man-to-man Purdue defense was at its best and it took away all of the weapons the Spartans use to rack up wins, including the fastbreak which they normally run to perfection.  Clearly, the Spartans will have to re-organize if they expect to make a deep run in the tournament, as many of the ESPN gurus think is possible.  They could even experience some difficulties in the Big Ten Tournament as they have had considerable difficulty competing in race for another conference championship. 

The bottom line for the Conference is that there are no longer easy wins at home or away.  Ask the Spartans about their home losses to Penn St. and Northwestern, which have been Conference bottom dwellers in recent years. 

A key to the revival of the Spartans is the full recovery of Raymar Morgan who has had his strength and diverse set of basketball skills sapped by a viral infection.  Unlike Purdue who have discovered other strong contributors (Johnson, Moore, Jackson, and yes “Buckets” Riddell) while Hummel healed his stress fracture, no one from the deep Spartan bench has not come forward to take up the Morgan slack with consistent play. Spartans, it is time to step forward and play up to expectations!  While the Spartans like to fastbreak and they are good at it, it is not a weapon that can carry a team in a conference that emphasizes great defense and likes to run offenses that are deliberate and designed to engage all five players. 

Illini Ambushed at Home

Let’s admit it, last week’s Illinois/ Penn State game was ugly.  A half-time score of 17 to 15 was a football score.  One expects these types of halves during a long season, but seldom do you see these types of halves back-to-back. Both teams continued to play ugly in the second half for a final football score of 38 to 33 and a win by the Litany Lions on the Illinois court.  Ugly or not, the end result is a great “must” win for Penn State. They may well have put themselves in position for a NCAA tournament bid. 

The Illini have been struggling to score in recent games and Coach Weber believes their problem is caused by the inability to penetrate into the paint area.  He apparently has been exhorting McCamey and others to be more aggressive in taking the ball to the hoop rather than standing on the perimeter and firing up outside shots. 

While Tisdale has a nice touch for a guy with his length, he is not able to exert physical presence in the paint.  His 6,000 calorie intake of food per day will continue to allow him to gain some physical heft, but he is a season away from being a force in the paint.  His promising teammate, Mike Davis, has a similar body build- long, lean, and athletic, but not a powerful force in the middle.  The Illini will have to adjust their game for they can not win by only playing great defense. 

Cats Bite Buckeyes

Northwestern has had some very close games on their home court this year including a 2 point loss to Purdue, a 1 point loss to Illinois, and a 3 point loss to Michigan.  The Wildcats were down by 9 against the Buckeyes at the half, 37 to 28.  The Buckeyes opened up a 12 point lead early in the second half, 40 to 28 and it appeared that the Buckeyes might pull away for a big victory on this night.  But Northwestern went to work on a 21 to 3 run to grab a 49 to 43 lead with 10:15 to go.  From then on, it was nip and tuck to the finish.  Both teams were hitting their three point shots. 

Diebler was on fire, making 8 of 10 threes.  Coble and Moore combined for 11 threes, 7 by Moore.  Factors in the game was the second half play of Kyle Rowley who made three lay-ups, unexpected production for this NU freshman project.  When the big guys can shoot lay-ups in the Princeton offensive sets, good things can happen. 

While Diebler was hot, Turner did not play a strong game even though he scored 14 points.  He visibly protested all three of the fouls called on him, missed three crucial free throws and generally did not provide the level of leadership that has become consistent for him this season.  Hoopraker has observed in the past that the Buckeyes lack a point guard and it was an obvious missing element in this loss.  Turner is excellent in passing the ball to open team mates, but he likes to dribble and penetrate for close in shots. He is an effective passer in these situations, but his teammates must find the right spots to receive his passes if he choses to pass and he will when he sees the defense has collapsed to him. 

Mullens in particular has been unable to position himself to benefit from Turner’s strong penetrating abilities.  The Buckeyes must develop a more diverse offense if they wish to make a good run in the NCAA tournament, and if they do not finish strong in the Conference race, they could slip out of contention for a bid to the big dance. 

The Cats big play came from freshman John Shurna who received a pass from Thompson and lofted a successful three-pointer with 3.3 seconds remaining on the clock to go ahead 72 to 69 for the win.  Shurna was suffering from the flu and had an IV prior to the game.  This was the first Northwestern win over the Buckeyes in 11 years as well as Coach Carmody’s first win ever over a Buckeye team.

The Cats have lost three home games (Purdue by 2, Illinois by 1, and Michigan by 3 in OT) by a combined total of 6 points.  Had they converted just one of these games into a WIN, they would be at 6 and 7, which would be a much stronger position from which to make a run for either the NCAA or NIT invitation.  But close never counts in the winning column and the young Cats are learning how to close out wins in the final seconds of close games.

Senior Badgers Step Up

Clearly, the Badgers are playing great basketball after a very rough stretch when they lost 6 straight.  In beating Indiana 68 to 51, they played their patented aggressive defense and their veterans turned in good games.  Hughes led them with 21 points and Coach Ryan has been indicating that Hughes play will be key to their final run for another appearance in the NCAA.  Krabbenhoft scored 18 points and Landry added 9; these two seniors have been providing the level of leadership one expects from seniors who have a wealth of game experience in their years as Badger starters.  Indiana got 16 points from Jones, 12 points from Dumes (back after a stay in Crean’s dog house), and Story added 11. 

Boilers Spank Indiana Neighbors

The Purdue squad continued to roll with a 81 to 67 win.  Moore made 5 threes for a total of 26 points and Johnson added 14 points.  They shot 57.1 percent, 53.8 percent from three point land, for the game.  Indiana continued to get good play from Jones with 16 points and 12 points from Pritchard. 

 Hummel played sparingly and the good news for Purdue fans is that they do not suffer when he is not playing at his normal strength.  Resting him and making certain that his stress fracture is healed fully has been a wise move by Coach Painter, but they will have to get him increasing minutes to build up his conditioning for tournament play. 

The improvement of Johnson and the continuous improvements of Jackson, the freshman point guard, are all major reasons for Purdue fans to feel good about the future of this team.  It is a young team and they continue to get better, living up to the pre-season expectations.

Cats Lose Again

Then the old problem of Cat teams for many years was missed lay-ups and there were many.  Couple the missed lay-ups and the poor free throw shooting by Peljusic and you easily have the margin for a win.  Coach Carmody did remember to use his bench in the final seconds and overtime when he substituted Williams and Nash for Moore and Thompson to preserve fouls and energy for the two starters. 

Manny Harris played a very strong game and was unstoppable when he dribbled towards the basket.  He also hit some crucial freethrows late in the game including the overtime.  Mirkovic was unavailable for this game due to a foot problem.  Had he been able to play, it  might have made a difference.

If there were still any hopes for a Cat NIT appearance, they were dashed with this loss.  The Cats have lost three games by a total margin of 6 points on their home court against Purdue, Illinois, and now Michigan. 

Bo’s Badgers Are Back

The Badgers have a nice four game winning streak capped by a good win over Ohio State last night.  The key to this win was the strong play of Landry and Krabbenhoft, two seniors who know how to win games.  The young Buckeyes were visibly fighting among themselves for points in the scoring book as Turner continued to rack up a lot of points on his dribble penetration moves. 

Mullens was visibly asking Turner for the ball, but Mulens often was not in position to receive a good pass and use his height for easy buckets.  He only is effective when he is set up for easy dunks, but if he does not have an effective repertoire of post moves.   

If Coach Matta could teach Mullens some of the post moves a good 7 footer must have if they are to be effective at any level in basketball, the Buckeyes could be very dangerous, but until this part of their overall team game is fixed, they are beatable.  Bo Ryan teams play strong and physical defense and they were able to shutdown the outside shooting of Diebler.  Diebler in turn did a good job holding down the scoring of Bohannon, who have been hot in Kohl Fieldhouse.

Anyone who has run a marathon knows that a long race requires rigorous preparation including diet, conditioning, mental toughness, and tactical smarts.  The Big Ten Conference race is at the 20 mile mark in marathon terms and all of the preparatory steps begin to pay dividends for those teams that have conducted a ocmprehensive plan for the entire race.

The teams this week that seem to be ready for the very difficult and competitive run to the finish include Michigan State (they have a nice lead), Purdue (they are hanging on and showing some new energy), Ohio State (they are a bit shaky), and Illinois (ragged, but still running strong). 

Badger Dance

A team that has turned up its pace in the race for an invitation to the Big Dance is Wisconsin.  Credit the good coaching of Bo Ryan and the strong play of their two seasoned seniors, Landry and Krabbenhoft, for their 4 game winning streak after an unheard of six straight losses by a Ryan coached team.  Minnesota, according to the TV gurus, is in the Big Dance, but they clearly are fading after a great start.  They need a big win to stem the slide into the NIT.

Painter Brings Buckets

In the game Wednesday night, Purdue brought “Buckets” Bobby Riddell into the line-up and what a game this 4 year walk-on played.  With Robbie Hummel looking on and cheering on “Buckets”, Riddell sparked the Boilers with 13 points and some very impressive plays.  For basketball afficionado, his best play was not the three point shooting or the nice driving lay-up, but the missile precision bounce pass to a cutting Johnson for an easy lay-up.  It was one of the best passes of the season.  And what a better nickname than “Buckets” in the basketball crazy state of Indiana?

It was a nice win for Purdue and an encouraging sign that they can play strong without Hummel.  JaJuan Johnson is emerging as a very effective in the post in that he has the length of a strong post player, but the athleticism and outside shooting precision of a scoring forward.  His soft offensive touch is a joy to watch. 

Against Iowa, Hummel returned to the line-up, but his lack of play and conditioning were visible as he did not contribute much to the Purdue win.  Johnson, Moore, and Kramer all played strong games.  The Kramer face mask and the bandaged forehead of Iowa’s Jake Kelly were reminders of how physical play in the big ten can be.  The Hawkeyes continue to play strong even though Tate and Peterson were on the sideline with injuries and freshman Tucker sitting out due to academic problems.

Penn State Battles Back

Penn State pulled out a huge win over Minnesota, 68 to 63.  Since their dramatic win against Michigan State in East Lansing, the Littany Lions had lost three straight and Talor Battle, the leading scorer in the Big Ten scored a total of only 19 points in those loses, zero in the loss to Purdue.  He returned to his strong game yesterday in the Lions impressive win over the Gophers. 

The Gophers did find an effective three point shooter in Devoe Joseph, who hit 7 of 8 behind the three point stripe.  The Gophers will have to notch up their defensive pressure if they are to make a strong run to the finish line.

Cats Can’t Finish

As a long time Northwestern fan, the Thursday nite game against the Illini was one of the best games played in Welsh Ryan Arena.  Unfortunately, many of these really good games have been lost by the Cats in the closing seconds.  But credit the great play of Demetri McCamey as he simply strapped the Illini on his back and gutted out the win with a nice bankshot from the baseline with 2.9 seconds on the clock for a  60 to 59 win, and the first time the Illini were in the lead. 

Pingatore in the House

Perhaps it was McCamey’s high school coach, Gene Pingatore, presence behind the Illini bench who was special motivation to McCamey’s strong play.  Pingatore recently became the winningest high school coach in the State of Illinois with 827 wins and counting.  At 71 years old, he has coached at Westchester St. Joe’s in LaGrange, a western suburb of Chicago, for 40 years.  He has one state championship and a long list of great players who played for him at St. Joe’s including Isiah Thomas, Deryl Cunningham (Kansas State), Daryl Thomas (Indiana). Tony Freeman, Sr. and Jr. (Jr. now at SIU formerly at Iowa), Brandon Watkins (Penn. St.), Evan Turner (OSU), and Demetri McCamey (Illini).  If you have not watched him coach, it is a treat as he brings energy and a high level of expectation to the sidelines as he exhorts his teams on to success. 

The real high point of the Illini win was the effective defensive job that Chester Frazier did on Craig Moore.  Moore played hard and literally ran out gas at the end of game.  Moore is a competitor, hates to lose, and will do everything he can do to eke out a win.  A disappointing performance was the play of Coble who was matched up with Trent Meacham.  With a 6 inch advantage over Meacham, Coble should have been able to work free for a few more of his patented offensive moves that could have made a huge difference in the outcome of this game. 

In the final two minutes, Coach Weber went to a 4 guard line-up and the Cats were completely unprepared for the swarming Illini hordes.  Lucio Mirkovic was the outlet for the pressured Cat ballhandlers, but he did not know what to do with the ball so he called two timeouts, exhausting the final weapon the Cats had to be used in the final seconds.  In essence, Coach Weber and Wayne McClain are credited with this defensive twist, which proved to be the winning margin.  

Mirkovic played a very strong game and Carmody should never have left him in at this point of the game. Carmody was unable to recognize that he too needed to bring in some experienced ballhandlers; Ryan and Williams would have been the obvious substitutes.  The point of rigorous preparation and conditioning for a marathon is applicable here in that the Cats were not prepared for this game ending pressure.  This lack of preparation was admitted by NU players in the post game interviews. Hopefully, this deficiency will be fixed by Carmody for future games.

The Game of Their Season

Tubby Smith takes his Gophers (19-5, 7-5) into State College to play a desperate Talor Battle and Penn State  (17-8, 6-6), the first of three consecutive wounded and motivated teams on its immediate schedule (Michigan and Northwestern being the other two). After its upset of Michigan State in East Lansing, Penn State has rattled of three straight anemic performances, highlighted by Talor Battle’s much publicized zero against Purdue last Wednesday.

This is the game of the season for Penn State. The Lions need Battle to get back into the flow and for Jamelle Cornley to put the team on his back.   A loss and all dreams of a March Dance are over; they simply have to win.

On the heels of its loss to the Buckeyes, Minnesota somehow managed to snag a win against Indiana and in the process looked awful.  While acknowledging the Gophers should make the NCAA’s, the Daily Gopher viewed the win as an NIT worthy performance. Hopefully for Gopher fans, it was an aberration and not a harbinger for late season complacency, which would constitute a colossal disappointment to Gopher fans.

Me Must Win, Me Must Not Lose

Northwestern (13-9, 4-7) needs to come up for air on Sunday after absorbing one of the most brutal losses I’ve seen in years at the hands of Demetri McCamey and Illinois, 60-59 in Welsh-Ryan.  As our friends at Welsh-Ryan Ramblings point out with the aid of photographic evidence, the no-call against Trent Meacham on Michael Thompson with 12 seconds left was bad but even more gut-wrenching was watching the Cats blow a 14 point lead in five minutes. Much as he did in the wake of the Purdue loss earlier this season, how Coach Carmody gets his team to regain any confidence lost and refocus on Michigan will be the key to the game for Northwestern.

Michigan  (15-10, 5-7) comes in having been held to 42 points in their recent loss to Michigan State in Crisler and with Manny Harris still struggling to find a consistent rhythm.  While Michigan and its faithful hold out a slim reed of hope for an NCAA berth, Northwestern now looks solely to the NIT. A loss at home for the Cats, however, would likely end that hope.  A loss by the Wolverines would be their eighth in ten games and relegates them to the NIT provided they stop losing.

Woulda, Coulda

If you’re a Northwestern player, read no further.  Stop, please.  Thanks.  At some point in the season with the Cats, it always seems to appropriate to lament missed opportunities: All late, blown leads, and all against ranked teams: Butler (4 point loss); Purdue (2 point loss); Illinois (1 point loss).

Ohio State - Michigan State

Just watched some great college hockey as the Spartans upset Ohio State 2-1 in a shootout.

Thank Turner

An Achilles Heel throughout the season for Ohio State has been the play of its point guard. From badly timed turnovers, to ill-advised shots, to the inability to get the team into a crisp and balanced offensive rhythm, the Buckeyes, with five-star talent bursting at the seams, needed a player to step forward and give them stability.  This past week, Thad Matta tacitly if not officially handed that responsibility to the talent Mr. Turner, a 6′7″ guard.  No coincidence, Turner has exploded and Ohio State is rolling.

Since what be mark the low point of the season, a humbling 67-49 loss to Illinois where Turner scored a meager 4 points, he’s rattled off games of 19, 24, 24, 29, 18 points.  He now leads the Big Ten in scoring (18 ppg), is third in rebounding (7.8 rpg), and leads his team in assists (3.7 apg).

But it’s Turner’s decision making ability that’s propelled the Buckeyes.  While he still turns the ball too frequently, Turner creates opportunities for himself and his teammates off the dribble better than any other player his size in the Conference.  The most recent example being his play in beating Minnesota 64-58 where Turner, playing 40 minutes, took complete control of the ball down the stretch and sealed the win with seven straight free throws in the game’s final minute despite the best efforts of Blake Hoffarber.

Balance an Aircraft Carrier

Hoopraker’s been chirping about the import of balance all season, years in fact, for Matta’s Buckeyes. As Al McGuireoften said, when you’ve got an aircraft carrier (like BJ Mullens), use him.  In their four game winning streak, aside from Turner’s individual performance, the key has been balance (notwithstanding what appears to be an aberration at IU where OSU’s post was silent).

And the balance, too, is generally attributable to Turner’s decision-making. Through his ability to create shots for himself and teammates off the dribble, he’s made a concerted effort to get the ball into the post (sans IU game).  Mullens has scored 17 and 10 points in his last two games but its the effort to get him touches, to deliver the ball to the post, that has opened up the perimeter for players like Turner, John Diebler and William Buford, who’s confidence is developing so rapidly he looks more unstoppable with every tip-off.

A Week of Rest

Having played three starters each a full 40 minutes, Ohio State a week of rest and they got it.  On Saturday, the rested but hopefully sharp Buckeyes play the rejuvenated Badgers.  Yet another testament to the coaching prowess of Bo Ryan, Wisconsin weathered a six game losing streak marked by close losses that could have deteriorated into a full throttle tailspin.

It appears, however, players like Joe Krabbenhoft and Trevon Hughes (newly minted Mohawk and all) are to proud and mentally tough to quit.  They’ve rebounded with consecutive and impressive wins over Illinois, Penn State and Iowa holding them to 50, 44, 52 points respectively.  The Badgers are finishing games, playing trademark Ryan defense and players like Jason Bohannon, John Leuer and Keaton Nankivil are hitting their shots.

As always, expect Bo Ryan’s team to be ready to compete.  Wisconsion’s ability to defend Turner should be the key to the game, which will likely be a great one.

It’s hard not to have watched last night’s Carolina-Duke game and not come away reaffirmed in the belief of ESPN’s inherent conflict of interest. It’s even harder to argue that ESPN is an objective bastion of journalism, particularly when it comes to Duke.  From its tentacle reach into every aspect of major college sport, it’s clear ESPN is a commercial empire first and foremost, and its college basketball icon is Coach K.  Hold Duke accountable, let alone view them through an objective lens, and ESPN plays against its commercial self-interest.

From North Carolina’s News & Observer:

ANOTHER RIVALRY MOMENT: It wouldn’t be the Duke-Carolina rivalry without some sort of shove, push or elbow.

This time, it was the latter.

With 19:44 left, Duke’s Kyle Singler was laying stomach-down across Hansbrough lap in a scrum for a loose ball when Singler slung his right elbow back into Hansbrough’s face, earning a technical foul. Green buried both technical free throws to cut Duke’s lead to 52-46.

Asked if he thought the elbow was an accident, Hansbrough said: “You know how things are when you get up there in a pile, and that’s all I can really say.”

Said Singler: “I didn’t think I hit him. It wasn’t intentional. I was just trying to pop the ball out of his hands.”

One problem with that, um, explanation:  The ball wasn’t in Hansbrough’s hands;  it was in Singler’s.

Here’s the post-game commentary from the ESPN studio:

Jay Bilas: There’s no place for elbows in the game.

Rece Davis: Correct.

That’s it.  During the game, Dick Vitale causally called it a “no-no” and Mike Patrick even suggested that Duke could argue that Singler’s hand slipped off the ball.

Perfunctory.

In a world where loads of injustice exists, ESPN’s failure to hammer Duke as it did Michigan doesn’t constitute a tragedy.  But a Duke bias is a reality, from ESPN to game officials, and it’s one that creates an uneven playing field.  Last week, DeQaun Jones was ejected for his forearm shiver to Greg Paulus last week, which was replayed on the Cameron Scoreboard to the incitement of the Duke fans.  Earlier this season, Jack McClinton was ejected for swatting Ohio State’s Anthony Crater.  Devan Dumes was ejected and suspended indefinitely by Tom Crean for attempting to elbow Tom Herzog.

Gerald Henderson’s elbow to Hansbrough’s nose two seasons ago elicited from Coach K a perfunctory Gerald’s not that kind of player and Duke’s not that kind of team.  These four incidents, and there are surely more, including Zack Novak’s elbow to PJ Hill’s neck, were all intentional. But where Duke is the culprit, no contrition.

It’s hard to determine what was in Singler’s mind.  It did earn a technical foul.  What merits an ejection? What would have happened if Singler really connected, intentional or not?  It seems clear enough that Singler wasn’t being honest when he claimed he was just trying to “pop the ball out” since he had it.  It’s also clear that he could have hurt Hansbrough.  And finally, it’s clear that again, there was no contrition from the Duke bench or much real concern from Bilas or ESPN.

Michigan fans are understandably bummed with the unfulfilled promise of the early season upsets of UCLA and Duke not to mentioned being beaten by their in-state rival, but it’s worth remembering that Michigan is 18 months into the tenure of John Beilein and just one season removed from a 10-22 record.  Beilein offered no quick fixes as last season he admittedly spent the season teaching his team how to pass, shoot, and play defense, basketball fundamentals that were neglected during Amaker’s reign.  While losses hurt, it’s the long view that matters.

No longer do Michigan fans have to endure talented players going through the motions with half-hearted effort and less discipline.  Last night, the effort from former walk-ons CJ Lee and David Merritt was inspiring. They played their guts out, in Lee’s case literally. Beilein’s riding basketball savvy freshmen basketball Stu Douglass and Zack Novak hard and they’re giving him everything they have on virtually every possession.

And DeShawn Sims showed again how far he’s come since he arrived in Ann Arbor as a raw McDonald’s All-American.  He carried the team on his back and did everything he could to get a win on a night where Manny Harris was covered like a blanket by Travis Walton.  Even in a loss, Michigan played its heart out and that’s something the program can build upon, for this season and beyond.

Looking ahead, next up for the Wolverines are Northwestern, Minnesota and Iowa.  Despite the loss to Michigan State, the season’s clearly not over as 18 to 20 wins are still within their grasp. The NIT is a reality but, with a strong finish that needs to include a few upsets and a Big Ten Tourney run, the NCAA’s are still within reach.  To get to the postseason, Michigan needs to keep playing tough hoops and hopefully get a few Manny Harris shots to fall in the process.  If they do that, they’ll be on the winning side down the stretch.

A 2 Point Spartan

It’s rare that a player who shoots 1-4 from the floor and scores a mere two points imposes his will on the game and ultimately determines its outcome.  Last night, Travis Walton defended Manny Harris all over floor and essentially shut down the Michigan catalyst and star. Harris ended the night with 7 points 2-10 from the field in 37 minutes.  Spartans Weblog was equally impressed with Walton’s effort.

Much as the devastating injury last season to Penn State’s Geary Claxton fast-tracked Talor Battle’s development, the infirmity of Raymar Morgan has given freshman Delvon Roe and sophomores Durrell Summers and Kalin Lucas more opportunity to grow.  For Lucas, the team is now unquestionably his.  His first step is unreal.  His ability to create and score off the dribble reminds me of Mike Conley attacking the rim for Ohio State two seasons ago.

For Roe, each day removed from his knee injuries he looks stronger and stronger.  He’s a smart player, with good hands and an unselfish, team-oriented composition.  Our friend at Sparty Basketball shares the love from Delvon, another in the long line of top-notch players Izzo has plucked from Northern Ohio…Andre Hudson, AJ Granger, Travis Walton, Raymar Morgan.  Roe’s development and to a lesser extent the late surge by Draymond Green, gives the Spartans unparalleled depth and balance.  When Morgan gets back, presumably against Purdue…wow.

Michigan State is playing well even though Raymar Morgan continues to battle the viral infection.  The Spartans have such a deep bench that playing without Morgan is not as big a negative as it would be for lesser teams.  Morgan’s inability to play up to full strength in the Northwestern game at East Lansing is probably one of the reasons for that home court upset.  Still, the Spartans have adjusted and having Draymond Green come up big in Saturday’s game is a sign that they are strong even without one of the bright stars in the Big Ten, Morgan.

Missing A Boilermaker

Purdue is not the same team without Robbie Hummel and, unlike the Spartans, they do not have a deep enough bench to soften his absence.  The transfer of Scott Martin to Notre Dame now emerges as a much bigger factor than it appeared to be at the beginning of the season. We do not wish Hummel any further bad luck, but one can only wonder whether he would be well-advised to take the rest of the season off and file for a medical redshirt.  He has a wonderful future and messing around with an injured back is not something that should be taken lightly.

Watch The Buckeyes

The Buckeyes have put together a couple of nice games.  And who are the Big Ten pundits now promoting as a candidate for player of the year?  Hoopraker has been a fan of Evan Turner since his high school days and he has elevated his game immensely since the season began.  Coach Matta was hoping that Noopy Crater would fill the point guard void left by Jamar Butler, but that plan obviously did not work out as intended.

So, on the fly, Turner has basically filled this void by becoming a somewhat different type of point guard- one with forward type length and very solid ballhandling skills. He is able to penetrate and create offensive opportunities for himself in the paint or handoff to BJ Mullens or William Buford for dunks or open looks.  When there is defensive pressure, he usually takes control of the ball.

The rapidly developing Buford is the second reason the Buckeyes are playing well.  Many are labeling him as the best freshman in the Conference and it’s tough to argue with that.  Finally, the Buckeyes are getting Mullens into the offensive flow.  Mullens likes the dunks and it takes a creative players like Turner, Bufford, and Diebler to give him opportunities to score.

Cats Falter

There was talk in Evanston that they might be on the brink of finally getting a shot at a NCAA bid.  That talk was seriously muffled by their lack of effort in Iowa City.  This was a must win game for the improving Cats, but they have struggled for years with some fundamental elements of basketball- rebounding and making open lay-ups.  In Saturday’s game, they were outrebounded by a poor rebounding Iowa team and they missed several lay-ups at key points in the game.  A third chronic weakness with the Cats is poor free throw shooting, but that was not a factor in the Iowa loss.

Realistically, the Cats will have to play almost perfectly for the remainder of the season to get a possible invite to the NIT.  Perfectly means that they have to beat Iowa at home and Indiana on the road.  Then they have to find two plus wins against Michigan, OSU, Illinois, Purdue, or Minnesota.  It is not impossible for them to get to a 16 and 13 record, but that’s marginal record for even a NIT bid.  With a Big Ten Tournament win, they possibly could solidify a record that would let them sneak into the NIT.

Coach of the Year Candidates

At the midpoint of the season, there has been a lot of discussion about player, freshman, and coach of the year candidates.  I already have mentioned the consensus building around Turner and Buford as strong candidates for player and freshman players of the year.  I agree with those assessments.  With the Confernce title up for grabs, Coach of the Year remains wide open.  I’ve heard whispers for Bill Carmody.  While his team has made great progress, I do not believe he earns coach of the year unless the Cats make the NCAA and I do not think they will achieve that threshold this year.

A better dark horse case for coach of the year could be for Todd Lickliter, who is doing a marvelous yoemanlike job (through injuries and academic issues) in building the Hawkeyes into the successful program achieved under the leadership of Dr. Tom Davis or Ralph Miller.  Other more obvious choices are Bruce Weber and the turnaround he’s engineered from one season ago with basically the same players (less Brian Randle and Shaun Pruitt), Tubby Smith or Ed DeChellis.

Losing is Rough

My recollection of that Northwestern incident was a swipe by Dumes to the back of Craig Moore’s head as the two tangled on the floor for a loose ball.  Moore responded by getting in Dumes’ face and let Dumes know in no uncertain terms to back off, taking a strong stand for proud Wildcats throughout the land.  And then, before grazing Herzog with a malacious elbow yesterday, Dumes landed a shot to the groin of Goran Suton earlier in the second half, however he avoided getting the boot for that low blow.  Ouch.

It’s been a tough season for IU and losing in the quantity IU’s been losing can certainly wear on the best of men.  Inside the Hall reflects the sentiment of most if not all loyal IU fans when it calls Dumes’ conduct unacceptable and Crean’s response pitch perfect.  In the Teleconference, Crean said the decision to reinstate Dumes would be made internally and on a game by game basis.

Hopefully, Dumes gets the message because it’s apparent Crean playing the right way in Bloomington, for this season and for better seasons to come.  This year, purged of the debacle that was Kelvin Sampson, Crean’s undermanned Hoosiers are establishing a foundation for the future each time they take the floor, regardless of wins or losses.  Crean’s commitment to a long term vision is one reason I’ve been so impressed with his team’s effort this season. They’re proud to wear the candystripes.  They show up, they compete, they play hard.

Here’s the press release via IU Media Relations:

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana University men’s basketball coach Tom Crean has suspended indefinitely junior guard Devan Dumes for his actions during Saturday’s game at Michigan State.

“After coming home and having the opportunity to review the game film, I believe that discipline is necessary and deserved in this matter,” said Crean. “A line was crossed that was unacceptable. However, Devan is one of ours and like with all of our players we want them to learn and understand what it takes to be successful.”

Dumes will not play when IU visits Minnesota on Tuesday night.

“I truly regret my actions and I will learn from this situation,” said Dumes. “I apologize to everyone involved for doing something that is uncharacteristic of how I play the game. I am looking forward to putting this behind me and being a better leader to my teammates.”

Dumes will continue to practice and travel with the team.

Meet Mike Davis, Again

With an impressive display of passing (21 assists) and ball control (9 turnovers), Illinois was led by the resurgent Mike Davis.  Like the rest of his team, Davis slumped recently, explained by Weber as a two-front battle against tonsillitis and Bell’s Palsy, which could be career threatening if you happened to be a french horn player.  Fortunately for Illini fans, Davis is a silky basketball player and one of the most improved players in the Big Ten.  Against Purdue, Davis seemed to be his old self, grabbing rebounds, playing with passion and scoring in a variety of ways, including what is becoming a trademark shot, a half-jumper/half-hook from 8 feet.

No Hummel, Need Moore

Although officially medically cleared to play, much as Ohio State was earlier in the week, Illinois was the benefactor of the absence of Hummel and the stress fracture in his back.   Painter explained that Hummel hasn’t practiced in weeks and simply isn’t ready to play. “It just doesn’t make sense to me [to play him],” Painter said. “His future’s more important than the Illinois game.”

In Hummel’s stead, JuJuan Johnson continues to grow as an offensive force, scoring 17 against the Illini after pouring in 30 against Ohio State.  But, Purdue needs more from its most complete player after Hummel, E’Twaun Moore.  Again, Moore looked unsure of himself and with his dissipating confidence goes the fortunes of Purude.  In Assembly Hall, Purdue again endured another shooting drought in the second half when they hit just one bucket over ten minutes and marked by numerous misses we are accustomed to seeing Moore nail. Moore is good enough to lift the Boilermakers along with Johnson and Matt Painter hopes his confidence will kick back against Penn State and Iowa this week.

Applause for Chris Kramer

Not lost in the loss was the effort of Chris Kramer.  While Hoopraker has been an advocate of Damian Johnson as the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year, Kramer is making a strong late run.  In yesterday’s game, his defense was the difference in numerous possessions that turned Illinois turnovers into Purdue points and, in at least two instances, Kramer singlehandedly nixed Illinois fast-breaks.

Frazier Continues to Lead

Through its defense, Illinois held the undermanned Boilermakers to a season low in points, fg% and 3fg%.  Bruce Weber attributed the strong effort as the catalyst that “eventually broke [Purdue's] spirit.”  And the catalyst of the the catalyst was Chester Frazier.  He continues to inspire this season’s team with his tough effort on both ends. He attacked the rim and, even if his dunk attempt was blocked, his passion was undeterred  On defense, he shadowed and pressured Moore all over the court, making it even more difficult for the sophomore to get back on track.

Finally, not sure if Alex Legion (5 minutes) was ill or whether Weber is sending a message to the sophomore transfer regarding, presumably, his shot selection.  Weber rode a seven man rotation fairly hard, with Dominque Keller and Calvin Brock again coming off the bench.  Hopefully Legion is healthy or the message was received because the Illini could use a more under control Alex.

Next up for Illinois: Northwestern (A) and Indiana (A)

Get Healthy Purdue

A strong Big Ten needs a strong Purdue.  In its 80-72 overtime loss to Ohio State, the Boilermakers (17-5) simply couldn’t defend Evan Turner or his talented freshman running mate William Buford.  Chris Kramer (broken nose), Marcus Green (flu), and Keaton Grant (flu) rotated futility on the Buckeye wings while Robbie Hummel sat on the bench nursing a mild stress fracture in his back.  While Turner and Buford are great players at creating their own shots, their performance on Tuesday night was more an exploitation of Purdue’s infirmity rather than an alarm bell of a Boilermaker reckoning.

Still, the Boilermakers are hurting and Matt Painter realizes their season will have to churn on without a healthy Hummel.  With the steady progress of JuJuan Johnson who, like Turner, could not be stopped, Purdue essentially just needs Kramer, Grant and Lewis Jackson (concussion) to get healthy. With Hummel’s contributions unreliable as the season folds into March, the Boilermakers will need (and will likely get) a more assertive E’Twaun Moore than the player who showed up in Columbus.

Another Minnesota Thumping Lingers

Illinois found a shooting slump in Williams Arena on January 29 against the Golden Gophers and they haven’t shaken it.  In a 63-50 loss to Wisconsin, the Illini (18-5) shot an anemic 33% from the field and 4-21 from three.  On Sunday in Champaign, Illinois and Demetri McCamey and Trent Meacham in particular look to regain their confidence against the aforementioned Boilermakers. Hoopraker mentioned it before and most Illinois fans have surely jumped out of their chair about it, but Bruce Weber needs Alex Legion to understand the concept of passing the ball within the team’s offense.  In any event, Sunday’s game should be a good one.

Here Comes Bucky

Good to see Bo Ryan and his Badgers (13-9 ) win again.  Five of the six straight well-publicized Badger losses were painfully close (19 points in five losses), which a double-edged sword.  Sometimes it hurts more losing a game you know you could’ve won than one where you stood little chance.  From the opening tip against Illinois, it was evident Badgers haven’t given up on their season. We’ve been chirping about John Leuer all season and when he plays as well as he did against Illinois, he takes Wisconsin to another level.  Next up for Wisky: Penn State (17-6) (A) and Iowa (H).

Turner Takes the Reigns

Against Purdue, it was interesting to see Thad Matta rely more heavily on Evan Turner to initiate the offense. Late last season and looking ahead to this season, Matta took a similar path but aborted Turner’s full conversion to point forward on account of Jamar Butler and Turner’s penchant for turnovers.  Butler’s gone and while Turner’s still prone to turnovers, he’s a smart player who generally makes good decisions with the ball. With him controlling much of the flow on offense, the team was more balanced.  As a result, Mullens got more touches and more points, which in turn gave the perimeter players more consistent opportunities. This could be the decision Matta makes that puts the Buckeyes on track to playing to their potential.

In losses to Minnesota and Purdue, The Kohl Center mystique has been cracked to the chagrin of the Wisconsin basketball team.  Is the Breslin Center next?  With losses in East Lansing to Northwestern and Penn State, both perennial also-rans in the Big Ten but now much more, one wonders whether if the setbacks are aberrations or indicative of something deeper.  Perhaps, as Wisconsin displayed in its loss to Minnesota, overconfidence devolves into a lack of intensity

Spartans Weblog tends to take a more sanguine approach and chalk up the losses to huge games by opposing players.  Makes sense, but no doubt, Izzo will use the latest loss as an opportunity to teach even if he publicly discounts the 30 foot bank shot Talor Battle nailed on Sunday.

Granted, Kevin Coble and Battle were unconscious but is that an aberration or more indicative of an inability to clamp down or overcome a hot player?  No doubt, a big game by an opposing player hurts but it doesn’t necessarily kill you.  From our perspective, you lose when a guy like Jamelle Cornely snags a rebound off his missed free throw or Andrew Jones slips in on a back door late in the game.  That equates more to effort than anything else.

Alone in First

Thanks to Ohio State beating the Hummel-less Boilermakers last night, the Spartans are alone in first place entering tonight’s Minnesota game in The Breslin.  The Spartans are deep and talented enough, even without Raymar Morgan, to compete with anyone (and beat them) in the Conference.  If the Spartans are to win a regular season Championship, they’ll learn from the Penn State game and just go out and play to their ability.

Evan Turner is Very Good

So’s William Buford.

How Talor Battle Rolls

In March 2008 we wrote a piece called Waiting for Erin Andrews, in which we highlighted the talent of a freshman toiling in the obscurity that was Bryce-Jordan.  At that point in the season, Penn State was still Penn State and struggling to cope with the injuries to Hoopraker favorites Geary Claxton and Jamelle Cornely.  The upside of that downside was the opportunity those injuries gave the confident Talor Battle to fast forward his development.  Now, Penn State is Battle’s team, Battle is a B10 Player of the Year front runner and Penn State basketball is extremely relevant.

Lighty Looking Up To Oden

Oden? He and Lighty were in the same recruiting class. Oden was on campus a mere six months and he hasn’t done anything, at least yet, in the NBA.  Oden? In order to appear relevant to a younger generation, the Big Ten may think Oden makes more sense than the greatest Buckeye of all time, three-time All-American, three time Big Ten Player of the Year and one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players, a National Champion, the pride of Middletown, Ohio, Jerry Lucas.  Maybe.  But what about the best Buckeye I ever saw play in person, Jimmy Jackson, a two-time All-American and National Player of the Year.  If not JJ, how about Clark Kellogg?  In any event, thank goodness we don’t need to see any more Big Stage, Big Ten Poetry Slam commercials.  I know our friend Longbrake is in the Lucas camp.

Cheap Fouls

Is it just us but does it seem the referees are calling a lot more cheap fouls this season?  We’re not referring the Manny Harris elbow that caught Chris Kramer’s nose.  That one wasn’t cheap although we’re in John Bielien’s camp on that decision.  In the Ohio State-Indiana game this past weekend, both teams were in the double bonus midway through the second half with numerous fouls called away from the ball or out on the perimeter.  Later that day, in Evanston, Ed Hightower was calling ticky tack fouls 30 feet from the rim. Perhaps the camera ready Hightower was hypersensitive to anything that was a hint of a Harris elbow to Kramer, especially since he was running around the court and audibly telling everyone in earshot not to sweep their elbows.

Where’s Nathan Fenno

Big Ten print media has sustained a few body blows this year.  Earlier this season, we lamented the decision by the Chicago Tribune to jettison Skip Myslenski, who in our opinion was the best journalist covering Big Ten hoops.  Deeply out of Michigan loop, we also wondered what became of Nathan Fenno, the terrific Michigan basketball beat writer for the Ann Arbor News.  Thanks to a link from Jim Carty, another great and former Ann Arbor News writer, we found Fenno on his cool new blog which chronicles his amazing trip around the world.  It worth checking out here.

Barometer Week

After losses to Illinois and Michigan State, the Buckeyes regrouped and took advantage of the opportunities presented by John Bielien’s slumping Wolverines and an undermanned bunch of Indiana scrappers.  But this is the week, after two games against two tough teams, Ohio State fans find out whether the Buckeyes can sustain their current momentum into the post-season.  They can do it but it’ll take a balanced and consistent effort on both ends as well as a great game or two from Evan Turner and/or William Buford.

Boilers Up

Matt Painter’s Boilermakers, hopefully setting aside the bugs and various ailments that afflicted the team in January, play some of the toughest (if not the best) defense in the Country. Ohio State’s guards will have their hands full trying to get open looks as Purdue fiercely defends the perimeter.  While Robbie Hummel understandably garners praise for his heady all-around game, E’Twaun Moore has been Purdue’s best and most valuable player.

Balance

It’ll take a balanced team effort to beat Purdue, inside and out, offense and defense. After scoring zero points against IU, Ohio State’s post players, BJ Mullens and Dallas Lauderdale need touches and points.  The fellas at Boiled Sports are defending the ejection of Manny Harris but I’m sure they’ll throw up something about how bad Purdue’s going to beat Ohio State pretty soon.

Gopher Weekend

From the days of Randy Breuer, Jim Peterson and Trent Tucker, Minnesota has been an inhospitable guest for Ohio State hoops.  Led by Hoopraker’s candidate for defensive player of the year, Damian Johnson, Minnesota, like Purdue, is balanced and relies on strong team defense.  Just ask Bruce Weber, whose Illini put up a robust 36 points in 40 minutes against the Gophers last week in The Barn, a shooting funk they haven’t fully shaken. Against the Buckeyes, expect Tubby Smith to turn up the defensive volume to 11 against the Buckeyes from the opening tip.

Again, how well Ohio State’s guards control the ball will have much to say about the outcome of this one.  Pressure will be placed heavily on Simmons, who will be challenged by another stellar Gopher defender in Al Nolen.  Also, watch the match up in the post as three of the Big Ten’s best freshman post players square off, the rapidly maturing Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson for Minnesota and Ohio State’s BJ Mullens.  PJS at The Daily Gopher is understandably focused on a big game with Michigan State these days.

The Turner Supremacy

Here’s an understatement: Evan Turner is very good. If the Buckeyes enter next week on a four game wining streak, Turner and Penn State’s Talor Battle will duke it out for Player of the Year honors.  Turner’s an offensive zone these days and while he’s turning the ball over too much, it’s because he’s been aggressive. More often than not, his effort triggers better decisions on offense for his team, either with a pass, penetration or one of his many prime time moves to the rim.   The Buckeyes are his team; he’s becoming the floor leader, sort of a 6′7″ hybrid point guard, they’ve lacked all season.

Badgers Missing Flowers

Another close loss by the Badgers (12-9, 3-6) is no salve for their six game losing streak. As we’ve alluded to, the players wearing W this season don’t have the strength of recent Badger teams.  In particular, they lack a senior leader and to that point, Wisconsin really misses Michael Flowers.

Carl’s little brother Marcus, for all of his great athletic skill, for whatever reason has not assumed the leadership mantle.  Against Northwestern, Landry was essentially zero factor until the game’s frantic final minutes when desperation overtook him.  As Bo Ryan bluntly said in response to a post game question as to why Landry didn’t score more, “[H]e has to move.”

More Moore

Is there a more underrated player in the Big Ten than Craig Moore?  Through his ups and downs in Evanston, from a promising freshman year to a wicked sophomore slump, Moore has now become the team’s leader and the embodiment of the team’s mental toughness.  Among his 26 points and 4 three pointers, Moore’s six straight free throws to seal the game were flat out clutch.

Four Trick Pony

As he’s done against Manny Harris and Talor Battle, Bo Ryan seemed intent to defend Northwestern’s star, Kevin Coble, and see if someone else stepped up.  Unfortunately for Wisconsin, this Cat team isn’t the Coble Show as the senior Moore and sophomore Michael Thompson filled the gap in Coble’s scoring. Toss in the rapidly emerging Jeremy Nash (word from within the Purple Empire is that he’s lights out in practice) and Northwestern has options filled with confident players.

Where Northwestern has been a team perennially unable to win close games, unable to stand up to pressure, in this Big Ten season, they’ve found the confidence to win.  They still have a great deal of difficulty rebounding and their free throwing excluding Moore is not impressive, but hey, Wildcat fans won’t complain about four wins in five games.

In between his National Signing Day frenzy for Northwestern football, Lake the Posts was also on hand in Welsh-Ryan on Saturday and offers up his take here.  Hoorpaker concurs with Welsh-Ryan Ramblings, giddy on the win, on the value of Michael Thompson here.

Next up for Northwestern: Chicago State and Iowa.

Wolverines in West Lafayette

A Michigan team in danger of blowing the early season promise of two big wins needs to pull off a major Big Ten upset on the road.  When that team is a Purdue team that leads the nation in field goal defense, the task in herculean.  According reports from West Lafayette, Robbie Hummel is practicing again for the first time since early January. Unlike Michigan, Purdue, led by the silky E’Twuan Moore, is surging at the right time of the season.

Our friend T Mill from Off the Tracks runs though the pre-game material from a Purdue perspective over here. T Mill’s understandably optimistic and thinks Purdue needs to control Manny Harris and/or DeShawn Sims.  Both players are slumping, particularly Harris, who’s having trouble connecting on most of his jumpers these days. Solid team defense and a balanced Purdue attack should do the trick for Matt Painter.  For Michigan to pull off the road win, they’ll need balance, defense and for Sims and Harris to play some inspired ball.

Over at Mazie and Brew, in addition to breaking down the Wolverine slide (the sweep to Ohio State cut deep) the erstwhile Beauford picks apart ESPN’s Rick Reilly.  He points to some work by Slate’s Josh Levin as counterpoint to a Reilly fluff piece on Larry Fitzgerald.  There may be a common denominator here: ESPN.  With few exceptions, such as Pat Forde and Dana O’Neill, ESPN’s foray into serious journalism is jaded by its conflict of commercial interest.  In any event, in case you missed it, here’s another excellent Josh Levin piece, this one the demise of Sports Illustrated.

Badgers Take Evanston

As they have in recent seasons, Wisconsin alums and the faithful from across the Illinois border will invade Welsh-Ryan tonight.  Northwestern, led by the streaking Kevin Coble and riding a string of impressive wins and one near miss against Purdue, will look to ease the embarrassment of its 29 point loss to the Badgers on January 7.

Our friends at Hoops Marinara break down the recent five game losing streak that has put Wisconsin’s season on the brink.  They point to three criticisms of this year’s team: poor team defense, no true scorer and a Jason Bohannon slump.  Hoopraker thinks the genesis is the flat lining of Marcus Landry, which contributes mightily to their penchant for prolonged scoring droughts.  If the Badgers can salvaged the season, they need one of their veterans, Landry or Trevon Hughes to step up or step aside. An interesting story line to the game will be how much Bo Ryan plays Jordan Taylor in lieu of the slumping Jason Bohannon.

From the perspective of Northwestern fans, Welsh-Ryan Ramblings takes us through the pre-game ritual here. They expect a much closer game, presumably because its played in Evanston not Madison and because Wisconsin is in free fall. Still, while three of the five losses have been heartbreaking close calls, I don’t expect Bo Ryan will let his team pack up their tents.  They’ll come to play.  From our lawn chair 800 miles away, a key to the game will be, as it’s been for the past two weeks, Jeremy Nash at the top of the Northwestern zone and whether Kid Coble can stay white hot.

Young Wisconsin

While junior Trevon Hughes remains one of the Conference’s top five point guards, it’s hard for Badger fans not to recognize the disappointing Big Ten seasons played thus far by Hughes, Jason Bohannon and Marcus Landry.  Still, don’t expect two overtime losses and a one point heartbreaker to cause a Bo Ryan team to throw in the white towel.  It seems clear, however, that Ryan’s taking a peak at the next page and out of necessity.  With five weeks left in the regular season, the future now rests with the development of Leuer, Taylor and Nankivil.  Elsewhere, Badgercentric pines for Greg Steimsma here. Next up for Wisconsin, Northwestern (A) and Illinois (H).

Rodent Defense

The point total could’ve been 58, 37, or 48 but the fact remains the same.  Against Illinois last night, the difference in the Gophers’ 59-36 win was their defense of the perimeter: All shots were contested; shooters couldn’t find an open look; Minnesota was aggressive.

The defensive pressure started on the perimeter and turned viral.  Al Nolen and the defensively versatile Damian Johnson pressured Demetri McCamey, thoroughly disrupting his ability to initiate the offense. The mental part of the game is a fragile thing and from the opening tip, Minnesota challenged Illinois with blistering pressure that rattled Illini confidence.  The guards missed jumper after jumper and the misses went contagious as Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis missed bunny after bunny in the paint.

By the time Weber was able to impart the import of the game on the Illini deep into the second half, they were too far back on their heels.  Minnesota possessed too much confidence when Illinois tried to push the pull to the rim at every opportunity.  A missed layup by Dominque Keller ended any hope of a sustained Illinois run and Minnesota obliged.  Paint the Town Orange breaks down the loss from an Illinois perspective here.

Last night Illinois definitely needed somebody to put the ball through the rim, but one month into his Illinois residency, Bruce Weber needs to remind Alex Legion to turn down a few shots and pass the ball a little more regularly.  Game in and game out, a pass to Legion rarely leads to another pass.  Next up for Minnesota, Michigan State (A) and Ohio State (H).  For Illinois, Iowa (H) and Wisconsin (A).

Playing Above Themselves

Amid the chatter from the jettisoned Kelvin Sampson who, to the chagrin of Indiana faithful at Inside the Hall, cannot go quietly into the good night (despite a $750,000 buyout and Eric Gordon’s comments about a team unraveled with drugs not to mention bad grades) Indiana has played above its winless Conference record through the yin and yang of heart and effort.

It seems apparent that Tom Crean has insulated his current fresh crop of Hoosiers from the Sampson mess.  They’ve been more competitive in more games than I imagined.   And while they’re understandably losing more than any Hoosier team, maybe ever, it’s the way they’re losing that bodes well for future teams.  In the recent close losses to Northwestern, Michigan and Minnesota, they shown the determination to play hard; and as a college basketball fan, that’s something to be acknowledged and watched, regardless of the record.

Kid Coble and the Cats

With a tough loss to Purdue and two good wins against Minnesota and Michigan State, last night’s game was an important one for Northwestern. The boys at Welsh-Ryan Ramblings offer their takes on the win, focusing on Coble’s ability as a natural scorer and Jeremy Nash’s import to the rise of the Wildcat’s fortunes.

While no longer an easy mark, Bill Carmody has teased fans of the program in past years with unlikely wins scattered here and there.  As DJ Elsass recently observed, can Carmody sustain the Wildcats’ level of competitiveness for the balance of the season.  With Nash anchoring the defense and Coble playing as well as he’s playing, maybe.  Next up, Wisconsin, Chicago State and Iowa.

Ohio State’s Trifecta

A season sweep of Michigan in football and hoops makes most in Columbus smile.  In last night’s big win over Michigan, Buckeye fans should really smile because they withstood a tough run second half run with good decisions.  When Michigan cut the lead from 18 to 9, Ohio State looked inside to their center BJ Mullens.  Whether he scored or passed the ball back out of the post, running the offense through Mullens paid huge dividends.

If Ohio State keeps going to the Mullens faucet, they could make a late push against the better teams in the Conference.  On the flip side, Michigan is in danger of a February swoon with Purdue, Penn State, UConn and Michigan State next up.  All tough, tough games.

Illinois and Minnesota in the Barn

This one has the potential to be a great Big Ten game. Minnesota needs to win.  Illinois is playing solid basketball.  The winner here takes a huge upper hand in the Conference race.  Here’s the Daily Gopher’s take on it.

Wisconsin Loses, Again

Tough tough tough loss for the Badgers.  Big big big win for Purdue.  Hummel can flat out play hoop.

Hey Bacon Lovers

I’m contemplating making the Bacon Explosion for the Super Bowl. Tell me this doesn’t look good.  If you notice Hoopraker has stopped positng as of next Tuesday, do us a favor and please call an ambulance.

Lock Down

Against Minnesota, the Badgers coasted with a lead and the mental meltdown cost them, losing in overtime.  Against Iowa, they failed to respond, running into an exceptionally well-coached yet undermanned team on the road; they again lost a game they should’ve won in overtime.  Bookends to those losses, Wisconsin lost fair and square on the road to Purdue and Illinois.  Still, four straight losses could easily turn into seven if they don’t win tonight against the resurgent Boilermakers.

While comparisons to previous successful Badgers teams are inevitable, it’s premature to put a fork in Bucky. Win or lose, Bo Ryan stays true to his basketball DNA; defense; patience; execution; mental toughness.  It’s the mental toughness aspect Ryan will undoubtedly focus on in advance of the Purdue game. It encompasses everything important to Ryan and it’s ballast for their success.  Look for it to start on the defensive end and, most importantly, watch to see if it’s sustained 40 solid game minutes.

Hoops Marinara makes the perceptive observation that the Badgers could use a few warriors and at least one in the form of the graduated Badger superhero Michael Flowers.  How Wisconsin fights (and defends) tonight will be the barometer as to whether they have any warrior or Flowers in their blood.

Guard Up

Purdue holds teams to 35.6% shooting, a ridiculously low number.  Factor in the reality that Badgers guards Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon have struggled mightily in Big Ten play and you can sense the tension.  On a team that relies heavily on balance rather than one dominant scorer, having 40% of your starting lineup suffer a slump is a burden, especially against a team playing well like the Boilermakers.

Against a defense as strong as Purdue’s, reversing a slump isn’t simple.  But, as Badgercentric points out, it could start with a few aggressive drives to the rim against JuJuan Johnson.  For the Badgers to defend the Kohl Center, not only will they need sustained defense, they’ll need their guards to step up.

Break Some Glass

Despite it’s reputation as a great home court (which is admittedly evidenced numbers), we’ve seen too many games in the Kohl Center where the crowd was a passive spectator, cheering only as an interlude to victory.  Tonight, however, Ryan and his Badgers will need the faithful to push them over the hump, raise the roof and maybe make enough noise to break one of those cool Chihuly sculptures in the lobby.

Who Do You Love

Storming the Floor gives honorable mention Hate Honors to Purdue’s Chris Kramer.  Honestly, STF’s squad is loaded with the usual ACC suspects and I suspect they needed to throw a Big Ten kid in their for the Hell of it.  Hard for Hoopraker to hate Kramer.  He doesn’t gloat.  He plays hurt. He plays hard.  The only guy who quickly comes to mind and who might engender some dislike is Ohio State’s PJ Hill, with his arms and hair flailing all over the place.

Rankings are Stupid

Boiled Sports offers its analysis of the latest version of the Top 25.  J Money asks where’s the love for Michigan and why is Notre Dame still ranked?

Stan Heath, the former Tom Izzo assistant via Kent State via Arkansas, kicked Mercer off the team and put Crater on the equivalent of double secret probation.

What Was Ohio State Thinking

Kids will be kids will be kids but Crater’s exodus from Columbus and subsequent arrest begs a couple of questions.  What really prompted Crater to quit on Ohio State or vice versa?  Surely, programs with the stature of Ohio State conducts thorough due diligence on their recruits.  They must have a pretty good idea of what they’re getting before they actually get it.  Regrettaby, Ohio State’s chance taken on Crater leaves them without a true point guard this season and holding the bag on next year’s recruiting class with no one currently committed and only Crater’s scholarship to offer.

Pass the Ball!

Tuesday’s 67-49 debacle to the Illini in Champaign is an exclamation point to the shortcomings of Ohio State’s offense. We’ve touched on this from time to time and it deserves a much more thorough post than we’ve got energy for tonight.  In the meantime, please find the trend in Hoopraker’s unofficial scribble of the first 12 minutes of last night’s Illinois-Ohio State game.

Possession 3 - William Buford misses a three, zero passes
Possession 4 - John Diebler misses a two, one pass
Possession 5 - Simmons misses a three, zero passes
Possession 6 - Buford misses a two, zero passes
Possession 7 - Evan Turner misses a two, zero passes
Possession 8 - Buford shot on baseline goes in, one pass
Possession 9 - Buford shot in lane misses, zero passes
Possession 10 – Mullens fouled and at the line
Possession 11 - Buford misses a three, two passes
Possession 12 - Diebler misses a three, zero passes
Possession 13 - Simmons misses a two, one pass
Possession 14 - Simmons misses a three, zero passes

Hint: would somebody please pass the ball?

Where’s Mullens

Excuses aside, five years into Matta’s tenure there isn’t a capable point guard on the roster.  Against tough Illinois pressure on the ball, Ohio State wilted and the turnovers and bad decisions soon followed.  Until Matta pulls a point guard out of his hat, expect more confusion and turnovers as the season unfolds.

Such deficiency in the back court is all the more glaring when big-time post recruits come to Columbus only to find an offense ill-suited to their skills. The Buckeyes are perimeter oriented and under Matta it’s likely they always will be.  They don’t run their offense, at any point in the game, through the post.  The post’s touches are off junk, at the rim, or by sheer happenstance.

Still, just as they had Terrence Dials, Greg Oden and Kosta Koufus, the Buckeyes have BJ Mullens, a game changing talent if given an opportunity to develop.  17 games into their season, it seems Ohio State doesn’t know what to do with him.  With height, strength and quickness, he was a mismatch waiting to happen last night.  Opportunity missed.  The Buckeyes, Matta included, barely gave him a glance as they dug a first half hole from which they couldn’t escape.

In the heat of the 2006 Big Ten season, Mike Conley addressed his and Greg Oden’s problem with Ohio State’s quick shot offense, one that ignored the post for long stretches of games: “I told the team, if you’ve got to pass up open shots to get the ball to Greg, you’ve got to do it sometimes.”  The problem remains the same, only the names and talent level have changed.

Can’t Lose This One

The obligatory pre-game reading can be found here (U of M) and here (PSU).  Boiled down, this is a game for Talor Battle and Manny Harris to shine.  However defends those players better wins.  With two good coaches matching wits, it’ll be interesting to see how often Ed DeChellis and John Beilein switch up their defenses in an effort to keep other off balance.

Penn State’s back court puts enormous pressure on a defense with its ability to penetrate or nail outside shots, but don’t forget about the pride of Brookhaven High School (OH), red hot Jamelle Cornley. Talor Battle and Stanley Pringle are a tough match up for most teams, as Michigan State learned in their near miss at the Breslin Center last week.  Expect Penn State to run and run fast.

If they want to win, Michigan needs to play better defense. Against Ohio State, Michigan had loads of trouble blocking the lanes to hoop as William Buford and Evan Turner got to rack and the line often. Stopping Battle may prove as difficult, if not more, on account of his passing ability around the rim.

Still, this is a game Michigan should be able to pull off if they’re worthy of the early season praise heaped upon them.  A loss knocks them below Penn State in Conference.  They’ll need a player not named Harris to step up tonight.  Should be a good one.

Buckeyes Head to Frozen Champaign

After a tough loss on the road to Michigan State, Illinois (15-3) hosts Ohio State (13-3) in Assembly Hall and both teams are tied at 3-2 in Conference.  For the Buckeyes to steal another road win, their thin guards (Simmons and Diebler) will need to handle tough Illinois defensive pressure. On that point, even Michigan State had trouble dealing with the Illini defense, committing 18 turnovers this weekend and Buckeye turnovers could be a problem.

Illinois is deep, and while they have a stockpile of five-star recruits, Ohio State is not.  The mercurial Demetri McCamey is due for another big game, this time against high school teammate and bona fide Big Ten player Evan Turner.  BJ Mullens is starting to play with more confidence and on paper, he’s a tough match up for Mike Tisdale, who’s prone to quick fouls against players his size.  We’ll see if Thad Matta zeros in on it and runs a few plays through the post.

Finally, look for Friend of Hoopraker (fresh from NYC) behind the Illini bench tonight wearing orange.  Hello Mister Redman!

Damian Johnson (Minnesota): Hoopraker’s choice for Defensive Player of the Year.  He’s a country mile ahead of anyone else in the Big Ten on the defensive end.  Never gives up on a play.  Makes his team better, much better.

Mike Davis (Illinois): Flashes of unstoppable scorer on the horizon. An unsigned recruit after his senior year in high school, Davis’ growth since the departure of Brian Randle has been nothing short of staggering.

Evan Turner (Ohio State): Seeing Turner, Demetri McCamey (Ill) and Garret Leffelman (Brown) play for Gen Pingatore’s St. Joe’s Chargers was a treat.  Turner plays hard and smart.  With a consistent jumper, Turner would be the best all around player in the Conference, if he’s not there already.

Goran Suton (Michigan State): We love him in spurts, which makes for a double edged sword.  When he unleashes sick post moves that remind me of Kevin McHale, I’m left asking myself why not more?  If Suton’s head stayed in the game, he could be ridiculous good.

Jon Leuer (Wisconsin): Another emerging sophomore in a Conference chock full of excellent sophomores. Leuer is the player that can take Wisconsin to the next level.  Marcus Landry and Trevon Hughes are good, but Leuer could be great by the time he’s finished in Madison. Plays with a bounce in his step.  Can handle the ball, pass, shoot and run.  Bo Ryan is waiting for consistency, which will come.

Zack Novak (Michigan):  How does Indiana keep growing kids like Novack?  Hard to believe he was unsigned last March.  Plays hard.  As a frosh shooter, he’s only going to get better under Beilein a la Mike Gansey.  A gem for Michigan.

Mike Tisdale (Illinois): Hard not to give props to a guy who clearly worked his rear end off all summer.  The rail thin Tisdale will battle weight issues throughout his career but still, but as a 7′1″ sophomore, he’s developed into a reliable scorer with a sweet stroke and a nice jump hook.  He’s a tough matchup for most Big Ten teams.

Talor Battle (Penn State): We’ve been chirping about Battle since he was a high school senior in Albany, New York.  For a guy south of six feet, Battle has a motor that runs full throttle 40 minutes a game.  He scores, rebounds and passes.

Jeremy Nash (Northwestern): Every time I see Bill Carmody play Nash, I wonder why he doesn’t play more.  Nash plays hard and adds an element of toughness and athleticism to the Wildcats and makes them a better team.

Steve Lavin (ESPN): Love hearing him call Big Ten games.  Knows more about hoop than I ever would’ve imagined when he inherited Jim Harrick’s UCLA team.  Has a coaches’ appreciation for the game that translates well to the tube.

Players we wished we liked a little more at this point in the season.  But there’s still time.

Raymar Morgan (Michigan State):  The team’s leading scorer but somehow it seems like he can do more, much more.

Demetri McCamey (Illinois): Far too inconsistent.  As the season progresses and each game takes on a little more meaning, McCamey could elevate his play.

Robbie Hummel - Could be the bad back is worse than Purdue’s letting on, but Hummel is pedestrian this season.  As we are with E’twaun Moore, we’re holding out hope Hummel gets it going soon.

BJ Mullens - If only Thad Matta tried to get the ball into the post, the frosh is too big and quick to stop in the block. Too quick for a seven footer.  But, if Matta refused to run the offense through Terrence Dials, Greg Oden or Kosta Koufus the past three years, he’s not going to start now.  The player to emerge for Ohio State the next six weeks will most likely be William Buford.

Flying Illini

No doubt, Michigan’s split against Duke this season and it’s upset of UCLA catapulted Michigan hoops to the forefront of most improved teams in the Big Ten.  Bielien has done in one season what Tommy Amaker was unable to do in what seemed like the fifteen years he was in Ann Arbor: get the Wolverines to play as a team.

But to Hoopraker, watching Bruce Weber spin his magic this season has been most memorable.  The development of the sophomores, Demetri McCamey, Mike Tisdale and Mike Davis, is a testament to coaching.  The growth of Chester Frazier as a leader is undeniable.  They’re balanced on offense and play tough, Weber-Keady defense. Still, perhaps because Illinois is perceived to lack a true star, the Flying Ilini are flying under the radar.

Spartan Tough

For the Spartans, they should have Badgers loss in the Kohl Center fresh in their noggins, a reminder to never overestimate the value of the home court, particularly against a well-coached team. Still, on paper the Spartans are a tough match up for Illinois, with depth inside and out, the ability to score inside and out, and a strong program-wide commitment to defense.  Kalin Lucas continues to impress with his ability to lead and play under control. Click here for Spartans Weblog’s pre-game.

With the North Carolina game now more of lesson of what it takes to beat a great team, the Spartans have slowly put together a streak of consistent and well-played games.  Illinois will need the confluence of three strong performances from McCamey, Davis and Tisdale to pull out a huge road upset.  Michigan State’s defense of those players will most likely determine the outcome of the game.  Should be a good one.

Gopher Aplomb

Watch out for Minnesota.  With the confidence garnered from last night’s win, Gophers fans could be in store for many more wins.  When a team plays hard like the Gophers, great things happen.  Exhibit A, the second half in the Kohl Center.  The continued emergence of Paul Carter and Devron Bostick coupled with the grit of Damian Johnson and Lawrence Westbrook has made Minnesota a must see.  The Daily Gopher can hardly contain his excitement.

Find a Mirror on State Street

For Wisconsin fans, blowing a 14 point second half lead must have been rough.  Losing it in Madison made it worse.  The false sense of security of the Kohl Center was evident in the nonchalant play of Wisconsin and Marcus Landry and Trevon Hughes in particular late in the second half.

Jon Leuer is clearly the next great Badger but last night it was incumbent on Hughes and Landry not to let their team lose.  In the face of a rejuvenated Gopher team that applied aggressive pressure defense, the Badgers were caught off guard and they wilted.  Hard not to call it a humiliating loss.  It’ll be interesting to watch how and if Bo Ryan is able to get the Badgers back to playing 40 minutes.

A Soft Spot Hardening

Hoopraker has reserved a corner of it heart for Northwestern, looking to Evanston with a hopeful eye for the little team that could.  Last night’s home loss to Purdue, a debacle of a second half replete with poor decisions by Kevin Coble and Craig Moore, is making it tougher to hold out hope for a Wildcat surge to competitive Big Ten basketball.

Close losses are no longer enough as true progress in Evanston needs to be measured in wins.  The Wildcats need to stare down victory and not blink. And Bill Carmody needs to win these games.

Friend of Hoopraker Plays Lebron James

Check out this video of King James taking on the fellas of GQ in a friendly.  In the video, Friend of Hoopraker is the dude who runs five miles a day (sometimes with me whenever I’m not curled up in ball begging for another fifteen minutes of sleep or fighting off another bug in the incubator that used to be my home).  A tangent.  What a game, eh?

Buckeye IQ

Minnesota faced its first Big Ten defense on New Year’s Eve and regrettably folded against Izzo’s Spartans.  The Golden Gophers face another tough defensive team on Saturday at 12 bells when Ohio State heads to the North Country.  Expect Minnesota to be revert to form.

The Golden Gophers match up well with Ohio State.  They’ve got very a point guard in Al Nolen; they’re much deeper in the front court with Colton Iverson, Sampson III, and Jonathon Williams; and they’ve got a true stopper in Damian “Sweet D” Johnson, who will likely draw the assignment of chasing Buckeye catalyst Evan Turner all over the court.  If Turner struggles, the Buckeyes will rely on Jon Diebler and, despite his 28 points against Iowa, that’s not even money in The Barn.

While the Buckeyes get results from their zone defense, on offense, their system is predicated on quick shots and endless impatience, which equates to mercurial fortunes for an inexperienced team without a true point guard.  In Ohio State’s blowout loss to West Virginia, Bob Huggins showed Tubby how to beat yet another of Matta’s continuing run of young Buckeye teams: aggressive pressure defense.

I saw today that the average Buckeye fan IQ is 138.  Having grown up in Columbus and knowing many Buckeye fans very well, I’m inclined to say that number is…um…a little high.

Beware Welsh-Ryan

Expect a competitive game on Saturday night when Michigan State hits Evanston.  Always a tough place to play even the most horrible of Northwestern teams, Welsh-Ryan is now home to a better Northwestern.  As Hoopraker has blabbered on about, the 2009 Wildcats, with a confident Craig Moore, a tough leader at the point in Juice Thompson, and offensive stars in Kevin Coble the emerging John Shurna, have more depth, size and shooters than any Wildcat team in recent memory.

As Izzo surely knows but perhaps his sophomores don’t fully appreciate, Northwestern has a knack of controlling the pace by lengthening possessions with a precise offense and by playing a tough, effective 1-3-1 defense that causes more athletic teams to make bad decisions.  On talent, Michigan State should beat Northwestern.  But as any casual observer of Big Ten hoops knows, Northwestern’s offense gets good looks no matter the opponent.  If the Kittens hit open shots and keep it close, they may roar.

Sparty Defends, Wins

Michigan State defended and Michigan State won.  The Spartans looked very good for a team still not at full strength.  They were confident and aggressive, and for a team replete with talent, top to bottom, that’s a recipe for success.  For Minnesota, they’re looking for a reliable scorer not named Westbrook. 

While Minnesota generally defends with more intensity than they did yesterday, we agree with PJS at The Daily Gopher that the defensive lapses can be remedied; it’s finding points when confronted with tough defenders that could become the Golden Gophers’ Achilles Heel.

Badgers Win, As Usual

Wisconsin defended and beat Michigan.  Seeing it referred to as an upset on ESPN is odd, even if Michigan did beat Duke and UCLA.  UM Hoops breaks down the loss by the numbers. If one lesson should have been learned by Big Ten devotees over the years, it’s never underestimate Wisconsin. 

The Badgers focused on shutting Manny Harris and that was enough.   Badger fans are smiling as Jon Leuer scored 12 points off the bench and has officially emerged as the offensive injection the Badgers have needed, even if Badgercentric is justifiably concerned with the sophomore’s turnovers.

Come Hither, Jumper

I hate to say it because Hoopraker has always held a soft spot for Matt Painter and Purdue, but the Boilermakers are burdened by the high expectations leveled on them by the National media.  Unfortunately, after a home loss to Illinois, it’s fair to say they’re overrated. 

As Hoopraker wrote a few weeks back, and as our friends at Boiled Sports pointed out in the wake of the Illinois loss, West Lafayette is pining for Keaton Grant’s jumper to resurface for air.  Omen: starting Bobby Riddell and relying on Lewis Jackson to get the ball to Moore and Hummel is a problem that will be exposed by good Big Ten coaches.  Please discuss amongst yourselves.

Bruce Can Coach

One hallmark of a great college coach is his ability to develop players.  Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale are two of the most improved players in the Conference and that makes Illinois dangerous. Another key indicator of a good coach can be found in the results his team produces out of timeouts.  Ohio State’s former head coach Jim O’Brien was a master.  Against Purdue on Tuesday night, Bruce Weber nailed a hat trick with precise sets late in the game, each, in its own way, determining the outcome of the game.  Bruce haters please take one step forward.

Buckeyes Win With Questions

Ohio State needs 27 points from John Diebler to beat Iowa at home.  Is this a sign the streaky gunner from Upper Sandusky is on track to score consistently or is it harbinger of tough games to come for the Buckeyes.  Hoopraker’s inclined to later.  The Buckeyes will have to on tough defense to win all season letting the offensive chips fall where they may.  Teams will key on Evan Turner and Thad Matta will have to hope Diebler or William Buford or BJ Mullens get hot.  For Iowa, nearly pulling this one out in Columbus and with Anthony Tucker buried on the bench is a good sign for a program in transition.

Battle’s Team

If there was any question, Ed DeChellis has officially tuned over the keys to the Penn State team to Talor Battle.  The sophomore guard from Albany, NY scores 26 and grabs 12 rebounds in 40 minutes against Northwestern.  How good is he?

Sweet D

The persistent effort to reduce the game of hoops to numbers, averages, tempo, efficiency, pace, effective percentage, etc. fails to account for the true value of Minnesota’s Damian “Sweet D” Johnson.  To appreciate him, you actually need to watch him play.  Put simply, Johnson is the essence of a complete, selfless player that makes his team better. The Daily Gopher and its fanatical base certainly has and the appreciation (including a nickname contest) is overflowing.

Watch him as he defends away from the ball, hawking his opponent with relentless energy. You can see the frustration mount in their eyes.  His hands are high and ridiculously quick, deflecting and altering passes on nearly every possession he’s on the court.  Frustration.  With quick feet, he’s in passing lanes on the perimeter preventing the opposition’s offense from running smoothly.  More frustration.  He blocks shots, he dives on the floor.  If you haven’t watched him closely, watch him play Raymar today.  It’s Sweet D.  It’s why we’re obsessed with college basketball.

While primarily a defensive force, on offense  Johnson is a prime example of the oft repeated never fully appreciated coaching mantra we all heard at summer basketball camps: you don’t need to score points to impact the game.  On a Tubby Smith team that has offered deep and varying player rotations during the preseason, Johnson is opportunistic, distributing the ball and scoring on offensive rebounds.  He’s a selective shooter, more comfortable facing the basket on the wing rather than posting up.

Perhaps the only thing holding him back from being regarded by the mainstream media as one of the Big Ten’s top players is his selflessness.  For Hoopraker, we’ll take the selfless, team-oriented Johnson any day of the week.

Sweet Match Ups

As the Fighting Illini’s 71-67 OT win over Purdue last night in Mackey Arena demonstrated and as Hoopraker has repeatedly noted, last year’s lower tier is this season’s resurgent tier.  With three starting sophomores including two of the most improved players in the Big Ten, Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale, a tough Illinois defense frustrated Purdue into a poor shooting night while Illinois showed the steely strength they lacked last year in holding off a tough opponent (with only one three pointer) on the road in a close game.

Today, Minnesota gets its chance to put notch in its belt when it takes on a talented, but banged up, Spartan team.  As noted by our friends at Spartans Weblog, the intensity of the Spartan defense, especially by Kalin Lucas and Travis Walton on Al Nolen, Lawrence Westbrook and Blake Hoffarber will be critical. Michigan State defends, Michigan State wins.  As noted above, win or lose, Raymar may have nightmares of Damain Johnson when this one is over.  Minny’s Colton Iverson, not BJ Mullens is the Conference’s best frosh Big Ten, as we enter January.

Finally, Michigan gets a reality check against Bo Ryan’s pesky Wisconsin Badgers.

n.b.: please forgive any and all typos until we edit this thing. deal.

What the Best?

With two cat quick guards and confidence aplenty, Ed DeChellis has the benefit of the Conference’s most productive if not best set of guards.  Scoring is one metric and in that regard, the 34 points Penn State averages from Talor Battle (19.5 ppg) and Stanley Pringle (14.5 ppg) lead the Big Ten. Both players markedly improved their offensive games since last season, particularly Pringle, from three point shooting to passing the ball.

Hoopraker has always been wary of measuring quality of teams and value individual players on a narrow set of statistics.  What draws us to the game is the competitive fire from college sport.  Watching individuals play together as a team.  Effort, teamwork, execution, growth.  It’s pride in process.  Backcourts in West Lafayette and Madison come to mind.  In this case, Penn State’s guards, in addition to their numbers, have excelled.  They’ve developed, they’re tough, they defend, they lead, they attack.

Lion Quick

A nod given to Michigan State’s Kalin Lucas, Battle has the quickest and most effective first step to the basket in the Big Ten.  Together, Battle and Pringle are the fastest guards in the Conference.   And perhaps most importantly to the fortunes of their team in the ensuing three months, Battle and Pringle are confident.  Each are comfortable with the ball and with the outcome of games in the balance, they don’t flail in the wind.  With a more diverse game, Battle is more dangerous due to his innate ability to know when to shoot or pass to Jamelle Cornley or Pringle.  With the guards, DeChellis has the ingredients for a surprise Big Ten team.

Cat Attack

Another dark horse to conventional media is the Northwestern duo of Craig Moore and Michael Thompson, Penn State’s opponent in the Big Ten opener this weekend.  As a senior, Moore has quietly become one of the Big Ten’s best three point shooters and, in an offense that gets open three point looks on seemingly every possession, that’s a good thing.  A sophomore, Thompson runs a patient and precise Wildcat offense with toughness and intelligence.  Together, Northwestern’s guards take the pressure off of Kid Coble and his heir apparent frosh John Shurna.

A Deep Conference

Entering the season, Purdue’s Chris Kramer and E’Twaun Moore were arguably the best combination of guards in the Conference.  While Moore may be the best player in the Conference when arch rolls around, Kramer’s great defense doesn’t necessarily offset his limitations on offense for a team that needs as much scoring as possible from his position.  Kramer hasn’t yet shown confidence in an outside shot, which is one dynamic the Boilermakers could use entering Conference play.  As it stands, Purdue will look with hopeful eyes for Keaton Grant to unearth the jump shot that won many games for the Boilermakers last season.

Michigan State’s Kalin Lucas and Travis Walton will, in all likelihood be the Conference’s best at the end of the season.  Resurgent Illinois has a three headed backcourt with sophomore Demetri McCamey (who could use a first step like Battle’s), an under-control and consequently effective Chester Frazier and Trent Meacham…and Alex Legion.

Even the more resurgent Minnesota has yet another of the Conference’s excellent sophomore points in Al Nolen, who along with Blake Hoffarber, make the Gopher’s a dark horse for the league title this season. Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohanon give the Wisconsin Badgers the experience and balance successful Bo Ryan teams always possess.

The Big Ten is chest high with guards.  All this and we haven’t mentioned two of the Conference’s best players Michigan’s Manny Harris or Ohio State’s Evan Turner.