Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Penn State Dancing To A Different Tune

Michigan State isn't the last Big Ten team standing. No, Penn State plays pre-season Top 10 team Notre Dame tonight in the semifinals of the NIT inside Madison Square Garden.

The winner gets the winner of the San Diego State/Baylor game Thursday in the final. Ohio State won last year's NIT. Penn State will try to make it two NIT Championships in two years. If they can get past Notre Dame, I like their chances in the championship.

The Jamelle Cornley/Luke Harangody matchup should be a fun one to watch. Cornley is smaller, but probably possesses more quickness. Needless to say, watching them go at it on the block will be fun to watch. A Talor Battle/Kyle McAlarney backcourt matchup will also be good.

Root for the Nittany Lions tonight!

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Michigan State Has Motown Feel

Michigan State knocked out overall No. 1 seed Louisville earlier this afternoon in Indianapolis, officially punching their ticket to Detroit's Final Four next weekend.

This is Michigan State's fifth Final Four trip in the last ten years (2009, 2005, 2001, 2000, 1999), the most by any team in that span. If dominance is based on how many Final Fours you make, Michigan State is the best. They've been there more in that stretch than North Carolina, Duke, UCLA, Louisville... you name it. If you look at my earlier post from the week, the Big Ten now has had ten teams make Final Fours in the last ten years, and if North Carolina wins, they will give the ACC ten as well.

What's amazing about this Michigan State team is how they don't have one star like their other Final Four participants. The Spartans go deep into their bench and are extremely versatile, with every one of their players oozing with athleticism. Kalin Lucas has put himself on the map as one of the nation's best point guards.

There is no question that Michigan State will have a home court advantage next weekend, playing just 90 miles from East Lansing, but they've got a big challenge on their hands with Hasheem Thabeet and Connecticut. If they can make it to the championship, though, a rematch with North Carolina seems probable. Remember, on that same floor back in November, North Carolina wiped the floor with Michigan State. You don't think that will be on their minds?

In any case, congratulations are in order for Michigan State. They've earned their Final Four trip and hopefully should quiet some of the doubters around the country about the Big Ten.

Friday, March 27, 2009

What Could Have Been...

It's been a rough stretch for Iowa, as four players, Jermain Davis, David Palmer, Jeff Peterson and Jake Kelly have decided to leave the program. Davis plans to go to D-II Minnesota State-Mankato. Neither Peterson, Kelly nor Palmer's intentions have been official.

The biggest blow is arguably Kelly. He came on real strong during the last month of the season at point guard, being named Big Ten Player of the Week twice and an honorable mention all-Big Ten. He looked like he was finally coming into his own. His mother died in a small plane crash last summer and reference his desire to be closer to home as his main reason for leaving the program. He's from Carmel, IN, and has been rumored to be looking at Indiana State.

I cannot sit here and bash Kelly for making his decision. As he alluded to in his last interview with the media, there are more important things than basketball and family is one of them. It would be selfish for me to sit here in front on my laptop and criticize Kelly for giving up because the truth is, he isn't like that. This one stings for many Hawkeye fans, but I don't think anybody in Hawkeye nation can badmouth Kelly's decision.

However, I don't understand Jeff Peterson's decision to transfer. It's not a playing time issue; he played the majority of minutes at point in his first two seasons, but cited his unhappiness with the coaches and not knowing his role on the team as his main points for leaving. He was playing 40 minutes/game this season and was all but cemented to be Iowa's point guard next year and in '10.

But with the subtraction of Palmer, Peterson and Kelly, the last remnants of the Steve Alford regime are all but gone. Jarryd Cole is the lone exception, as is technically Matt Gatens, who was an Alford recruit. But Gatens would have played at Iowa if Bozo the Clown were the head coach. For the third season in a row, and this will pain Iowa fans to hear this, but the Hawkeyes have lost arguably their best player due to transfer for the third year in a row, making it painfully obvious just how different coaching schemes can be. Two years ago, Tyler Smith bolted for Tennessee. Last year, Tony Freeman went to Southern Illinois. And today, Jake Kelly left.

Here's what Iowa's lineup could have looked like this season:

G -- Tony Freeman, Sr.
G -- Jake Kelly, So.
G -- Matt Gatens, Fr.
F -- Tyler Smith, Jr.
F -- Cyrus Tate, Sr.

Off the bench: Jeff Peterson, Jarryd Cole, Anthony Tucker, Devan Bawinkel

How far do you think Iowa could have gone this year with that lineup?

Congrats To Purdue

Purdue got knocked off last night by UConn in the Sweet 16, but kudos need to be handed out to Matt Painter's bunch for a fantastic season. Entering the tournament, they were one of the hottest teams, including a win of the Big Ten Tournament and for a while there, gave UConn a run for its money. In the end, Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet was simply too much for Purdue.

Still, consider the circumstances. Robbie Hummel played nearly the entire second half of the season with a broken back and still didn't miss much of a beat (in March, anyway). He's Purdue's best player, but imagine what he could be doing if he were 100%. Is he a game-changer? Sure looked like it in the first half.

But this Purdue team has all major weapons coming back. Their six best players should come back next year and all they lose are bench contributors Marcus Green, Nemanja Calasan and Bobby Riddell. Replenishing the bench will need to be important for Matt Painter, but Hummel returns, as does E'Twaun Moore, Keaton Grant, Lewis Jackson, Chris Kramer and JaJuan Johnson. Should have the making for another serious contender next year.

Also, congrats are in order for Penn State for making the NIT Semifinals. They could have easily packed it in and not tried after being shut out of the NCAA Tournament but they came to play against George Mason, Rhode Island and Florida. They play Notre Dame Tuesday in the Garden.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Another Big Ten Bashing...

Mike Imrem of the Daily Herald wrote a piece yesterday essentially bashing the Big Ten's basketball teams. As if the football bashing wasn't enough, apparently the Purdue and Michigan State don't deserve to be in. If you want to check out the article, click here.

I'm not surprised with Imrem's comments ("The Big Ten shocks me everytime it wins an NCAA Tournament game. It's like the stock market going up. You don't understand but you are grateful."). Geez, Mike, give us some credit. The Big Ten did get seven teams into the Big Dance this year, more than the alleged "ACC Powerhouse" and just as many as the "Big East Powerhouse". Oh yeah, did I mention the Big Ten is 2-0 against ACC opponents in the tournament this year (both upsets -- Michigan over Clemson, Wisconsin over Florida State).

I'd like to take this blog post to respond to some of Imrem's comments about the weakness of the Big Ten:

1. Imrem got his Wooden Award ballot and only Michigan State's Kalin Lucas, the conference's Player of the Year, was on the docket from the Big Ten.
Rebuttal: If Mr. Imrem is assuming that the Big Ten has few good players, he is gravely mistaken. Has he seen Evan Turner these last three weeks? What about what Manny Harris has done for Michigan? Or Talor Battle for Penn State? Same goes for Robbie Hummel, DeShawn Sims, Kevin Coble and Marcus Landry. Are you going to sit there and tell me that those seven guys aren't good? With the exception of Landry, all of those guys are underclassmen. The Big Ten's sophomore class is better than any conference in the country and if they stick around, they can be among the nation's elite players.

2. He remarks about Sam Smith's blog on the World's 30 best players not in the NBA. Two Big Ten players, Turner and his freshman teammate B.J. Mullens were on the list at Nos. 28 and 29. Rebuttal: Smith knows his stuff, so I'm not going to sit here and bash that, but this goes back to the previous point of the conference's perception of having no good players. Not true.

Imrem: "You probably get the idea by now. The Big Ten doesn't have as much talent as the rest of college basketball."

Really? Says who? You? Digger Phelps? Doug Gottlieb? Hubert Davis?

The Big Ten may not have an elite team like the Big East or ACC, I'll contend that. But do not, DO NOT, sit there and spew this anti-Big Ten garbage like ESPN tends to put out by basically saying this conference sucks. It doesn't. Perhaps you don't take into account the nine Final Fours Big Ten teams have been to in the last decade. Perhaps you missed seeing two of the best teams of all time in college basketball, 2005's Illinois Fighting Illini (37-2) and 2007's Ohio State Buckeyes (34-5), play for National Championships. Perhaps you are overlooking the best group of coaches in the country, right here, in America's heartland. I dare you, DARE YOU, to find a conference that has better coaches from top to bottom. Also, find me a program that you believe is truly not improving.

Write what you want. Just don't kiss our ass in two years when the conference is elite.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Two Teams Still Alive

Congratulations to Purdue and Michigan State for making the Sweet 16. They have represented the Big Ten with class and truly are the cream of the crop. Had Chester Frazier been healthy, Illinois might have joined them, but as we all saw Thursday, the Fighting Illini aren't much without him. Wisconsin also proved their mettle, showcasing what we already knew of them: rugged defense, poor offense. With that said, Purdue and Michigan State are "sweet" right now but both have monumental tasks ahead of them.

Purdue, the fifth seed in the West, is slated to grapple with top seed Connecticut. Now, the Boilermakers are no stranger to playing great teams this year (Davidson, Oklahoma, Duke, Michigan State twice) and are fortunate to be playing their best basketball right now, courtesy of a five game winning streak. Purdue could have real problems matching up with UConn, specifically in the paint, trying to guard behemoth center Hasheem Thabeet and bruising forwards Jeff Adrien and Stanley Robinson. I think E'Twaun Moore, Lewis Jackson, Keaton Grant and Chris Kramer can handle UConn's backcourt play, specifically A.J. Price (calling Chris Kramer), but the key to Purdue's victory is whether or not they can contain Thabeet. Robbie Hummel looked fatigued in Saturday's game against Washington and took some shots, but I find it hard to believe he will NOT play in this game. The Boilermakers can stay in this game if they are able to knock down their early three-point attempts and if they decide to run a more up-tempo style of play. UConn doesn't play the fastest and Purdue should really utilize the speed of Jackson and Moore to establish the tempo. If they can make UConn play at their pace, they've got a shot.
Keys To Victory: Contain Thabeet, make three-pointers and run.

Michigan State looked very sloppy in their second round victory over USC, but they found a way to win, which is what good teams need to do. Their biggest problem is that they need to find someone who can knock down shots. Travis Walton (18 points) came through for the Spartans, but he is not a consistent provider of offense. Chris Allen, Durrell Summers and Korie Lucious are primarily bench players but when they get into the game, they have to knock down shots if Michigan State is to advance. They play Kansas Friday night, a team they beat in East Lansing earlier this season. Now I'm not wild about re-matches in the Big Dance because they traditionally favor the losing team, but Michigan State has the tools to defeat Kansas again. They're playing in a very familiar spot (Indianapolis) and should bring a ton of fans. This is the time of year the Spartans need to play their best and if they can jump out on Kansas early, they've got a good chance at advancing to the Elite Eight.
Keys To Victory: Find a shot maker(s), run Kansas out of the gym, suffocate Aldrich.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

NCAA Day Two Thoughts

-- What a gutsy performance from Wisconsin tonight. You may not like their style of play, you may get bored with what they do on the floor, but boy, do they execute when it gets to crunch time. Bo knows, as in Bo Ryan, and Wisconsin showed that experience in the NCAA goes a long way, opposing a Florida State team that hadn't been to the Dance in 11 years. Junior guard Trevon Hughes put up a prayer layup with 2.5 seconds left to give Wisconsin an overtime upset over another ACC opponent. Essentially, that's what it was -- a prayer. With the clock winding down, Hughes penetrated into the lane, spun and unorthodoxly banked the ball in off the glass with his left hand... AND got fouled. Jason Bohannon made some huge shots and relative unknown Keaton Nankivil was very impressive off the bench.
Next Up: No. 4 Xavier. This is a winnable game for Wisconsin. They've got to be riding high after this win and if they can make Xavier play at their pace, they've got a shot to make it to the round of 16.

-- Unfortunately for Ohio State, they were on the losing end of a gutsy performance, dropping a double-overtime heartbreaker to Siena. This was essentially a home game for Ohio State, playing just a short drive away in Dayton, but the Buckeyes had no answer for Siena's clutch shooting down the stretch. In the waining seconds of the first overtime, Siena's Ronald Moore hit a game-tying three to force a second overtime and five minutes later, hit an uncontested triple with 3.9 seconds left from nearly the same spot. Ohio State's Evan Turner, who turned in another fabulous performance (25 pts, 9 rebs, 8 asst) had a chance to tie the game, but his off-balance jumper hit iron.

-- As expected, Michigan State rolled to a first-round victory over Robert Morris. Raymar Morgan finally looked like the player of old, leading the Spartans with 16 points. Goran Suton added 17 rebounds and utilityman Draymond Green also added 16 points. From what little of this game that I saw, Michigan State looked in sync in every aspect and more importantly, looked healthy. This team is dangerous when Tom Izzo has his full compliment of players.
Next Up: No. 10 USC. The Trojans could provide Michigan State with some match-up problems and are playing well of late. This should be a classic case of athleticism vs. athleticism.

In other news, Florida beat Miami (FL), 74-60. Penn State, with the availabilities of Talor Battle and Jamelle Cornley seriously in doubt, will travel to Gainesville Tuesday to take on the Gators in the NIT Quarterfinals. Winner goes to Madison Square Garden.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Day One Thoughts: Two Out, Two Still Alive

Hope you all had a great day of hoops action aside from watching the same commercials over and over again. To be honest, I thought play was pretty dull. The only real big upset of the night came with one of the Big Ten's own (I'll get to that in a little bit), but most of the games weren't even close or weren't that engaging. Despite that, let's take a look into the four games today by the Big Ten teams:

-- In their first NCAA Tournament since 1998, the Michigan Wolverines showed no signs of timidness and were never really rattled in their 62-59 victory over Clemson. Don't let the score surprise you, though. This game wasn't as close as the three-point margin of victory indicates. Like most games this season, Michigan got manhandled on the glass but when they needed a basket, who better to turn to than #3, super sophomore Manny Harris. He led Michigan in points (23), rebounds (7) and assists (6), while going a perfect 6-6 from the foul line. He made a converted a huge three-point play with less than 30 seconds left to seal the deal.
Next Up: A bout with No. 2 Oklahoma Saturday. Michigan is no stranger to big games this season and should give the Sooners a run for their money.

-- Despite being shipped way out west, fifth-seeded Purdue got all it could handle from an upstart Northern Iowa team, but fended off a late UNI rally to move on to the second round, 61-56. The match-up resembled that of a Big Ten regular season game, two Midwestern schools duking it out in a physical, "grind-it-out" kind of way. Sophomore guard E'Twaun Moore made a couple of big shots down the stretch and Robbie Hummel grabbed 12 rebounds despite scoring only nine points.
Next Up: Purdue has been a one-and-done team the past two seasons, winning their first round game before being bounced by a superior seed in the second (No. 1 Florida in 2007, No. 3 Xavier in 2008). They're hoping third time's the charm Saturday, when they face fourth-seeded Washington. The Boilermakers will be the underdog again and will face a pro-Washington crowd in Portland, just a few hours south of Seattle.

-- Minnesota showed flashes of promise of what could be and what could have been, but lost a hard-fought battle to seventh-seeded Texas, 76-62. Rising star Lawrence Westbrook led Minnesota with 19 points, but Texas guard A.J. Abrams hit eight three-pointers, including a stretch of six straight to help the Longhorns pull away from the Golden Gophers. Minnesota ended the season losing 10 of their last 16, finishing with a record of 22-11.

-- And as I alluded to earlier, the biggest upset of the day came on the wrong end for one Big Ten team, as fifth-seeded Illinois was upended by 12th-seeded Western Kentucky, 76-72. The Fighting Illini were down by as many as 17 points late in the game, but a 17-3 run propelled them to within two with under a minute to play. Watching this game, Illinois never really looked interested. Without their senior leader, guard Chester Frazier (hand), Illinois starters really struggled. Look no further than center Mike Tisdale (0-4 FG, 1 REB, 4 PF in 19 minutes), who barely even sniffed the floor in the second half. Their other seniors on the floor, Calvin Brock and Trent Meacham led the Illini back into the game, but in the end, the defecit was too much to overcome. Had Frazier played, I think Illinois wins this game, but give Western Kentucky credit. They made some tough shots in the first half and made plays when they needed to in the second.

So two teams advance to the second round and three more will get their shot tomorrow (Friday). Here's the slate:

No. 9 Siena vs. No. 8 Ohio State (Dayton, OH) -- 8:40 p.m. (CT)
No. 12 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Florida State (Boise, ID) -- 8:40 p.m.
No. 15 Robert Morris vs. No. 2 Michigan State (Minneapolis, MN) -- 8:50 p.m.

For those that are interested, Penn State moved onto the NIT Quarterfinals with a victory over Rhode Island tonight. Guard Talor Battle left the game with three minutes left with an apparent ankle injury and played the game without forward Jamelle Cornley, who injured his shoulder against George Mason Tuesday. Penn State will play the winner of (1) Florida and (4) Miami (FL), with the winner going to the NIT Semifinals in Madison Square Garden. The other Big Ten team in the NIT, Northwestern, lost to Tulsa Wednesday night, ending their season.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

NCAA Tidbits on Big Ten Teams

Hope everyone is getting "mad" for the right reasons as you are filling out your brackets. I've had a few days to digest everything that happened at this year's Big Ten Tournament and for those of you who need help picking your bracket, I've got some advice for you, specifically aimed at games featuring Big Ten teams...

-- Purdue is back. I think that is the most obvious point we can make after watching the Boilermakers basically breeze through three games in Indianapolis last weekend. They are a different team with Robbie Hummel healthy and they've got a lot of pieces to make a dangerous out for any team in the tournament.

-- Michigan's tournament fate will be decided behind the three-point line. When Manny Harris, Stu Douglass, Zack Novak and Laval Lucas-Perry hit their threes, Michigan usually wins. But if they are off, Michigan doesn't win.

-- Ohio State doesn't have to travel far to play in their first-round games (Dayton, OH). And after watching him in person this past weekend, forward Evan Turner earned my vote as the conference's best overall player. That kid can do everything.

-- Depth is Minnesota's greatest tournament weapon. Their roster is 11 players deep and depending on the match-up, they can go big, small, fast, slow, inside or outside. Tubby Smith has a great compliment of players at his disposal but his guards, Al Nolen and Lawrence Westbrook, need to play well if the Golden Gophers want to advance past the first round.

-- The loss of Chester Frazier (broken hand) has crippled Illinois' chemistry. After their semifinal game Saturday, Matt Painter called Frazier "the glue" for Illinois, the guy that keeps the team together through thick and thin. He is their defensive specialist, their point guard and leader on the floor. They struggled without him and his absence on the court will likely lead to their downfall.

-- Like Illinois, Wisconsin's tournament fate will fall on the shoulders of their senior forwards, Marcus Landry and Joe Krabbenhoft. This team may not be as talented as in years past, but they've got experience of playing in multiple NCAA Tournaments in their corner, something first-round opponent Florida State doesn't have.

-- And Michigan State is the conference's best hope for a Final Four team. They've had injuries, sicknesses, inconsistencies this season, but they are still the most talented, most athletic team the conference has to offer. They don't even have to travel outside the midwest (Minneapolis in the first round, Indianapolis in the Sweet 16, Detroit in the Final Four), which should help their fan base travel a little easier. They have all the makings to make a deep run. They defend with tenacity, they are one of the best rebounding teams in the country and their up-tempo style will give opponents in the later rounds fits, assuming they make it that far. Because while some teams get tired, Michigan State will continue to push the ball and run their opponent out of the gym. DO NOT be surprised to see them playing for the championship in Detroit in a few weeks.

Last impressions: Overall, I thought the selection committee got the right teams in. Penn State's double-OT loss at Iowa all but doomed their fate, but I was surprised Minnesota got a higher seed than Wisconsin. I think the Big Ten got great first round draws, though the location of the games were very puzzling (Wisconsin in Boise, ID; Illinois, Purdue in Portland, OR). All-in-all, I've got Michigan State in my Elite Eight (losing to Louisville) and Purdue in my Sweet 16.

I would love to see the Big Ten get multiple teams into the Sweet 16 to shut the critics up, but this is March. Anything can happen.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

I Need Your Feedback

Apologies if I said I will try to provide some insight into the Big Dance. This is my favorite time of year and I want to enjoy it as a much as you all, so with that said, I'm going to take some time off to watch the greatest sports spectacle today.

Before I leave for hiatus, though, I am asking for your help. This blog, though written for a class, is written out of interest. Our assignment is to find a topic and see how many comments you can get. I've tried to think of an idea to toss out to all of you and think I may have found one.

I want to hear from you who the athlete is you hate the most. Everybody undoubtedly has one person they strongly dislike, whether that person is jealous of accomplishments or is just an ass by nature. For example, you might hate Terrell Owens because he's selfish and loves himself. You might hate Tony Stewart because he is a "different kind" of race car driver. Or you might hate John Starks simply because he was a member of the New York Knicks.

I want to hear from you. Who is the athlete you dislike the most? Why? PLEASE comment...

Monday, March 9, 2009

The Big Ten Media Is On Crack

When the Big Ten Postseason Awards show aired tonight on the Big Ten Network, I was perplexed with some of these awards handed out. It's clear that the media decided to hand out the hardware to the winners, not necessarily the best players. Let's get right into it:

Sixth Player of the Year
My Pick: Chris Allen, MSU
Actual Pick: B.J. Mullens, Ohio State (Coaches)
Why? At the beginning of the year, Mullens looked lost, but after conference play started, the 7-footer really started asserting himself despite not starting many games. There is talk about him bolting to the NBA, but it's clear Mullens could use some more years in Columbus to refine his game.

Freshman of the Year
My Pick: Matt Gatens, Iowa
Actual Pick: William Buford, Ohio State (Coaches and Media)
Why? I acknowledged that Buford could get this award, and sure enough, that is what happened. He's had a stellar year as Ohio State's point guard and is only going to get better. Both of these guys deserved this award, but Buford may have cemented his award after beating Gatens head-to-head last week in Iowa City.

Coach of the Year
My Pick: Bruce Weber, Illinois
Actual Pick: Tom Izzo, MSU (Coaches); Ed DeChellis, PSU (Media)
Why? I really felt Bruce Weber had a legitimate shot at winning this after the turnaround they've had. But perhaps no team has had changed in one year than Penn State, so I can understand why the media picked him. And Izzo is the coach of the Big Ten's best team. Bill Carmody also had a shot after leading Northwestern to one of their best seasons in years.

Player of the Year
My Pick: Manny Harris, Michigan
Actual Pick: Kalin Lucas, MSU (Coaches and Media)
Why? This pick angered me and completely threw me by surprise. There's no question Kalin Lucas is a great player and there's no doubt he is the best player on the best team, but he is NOT the conferece's best player in my opinion. I still contend that Manny Harris, Talor Battle or Evan Turner deserve this honor more than Lucas because if you take those three guys out of their respective teams, they are nowhere near as good.

All Big Ten Teams
First Team
My Picks: Harris, Battle, Turner, Lucas and Kevin Coble
Actual Picks: Harris, Battle, Turner, Lucas and JaJuan Johnson
Why? I got four of these right, but interesting that all five guys are sophomores. That should tell you where the strength of this conference lies and how good they can be if they all stick around. I had Johnson on my second team, but he certainly is deserving of the honor.

Second Team (Media)
My Picks: Johnson, Chester Frazier, DeShawn Sims, Jamelle Cornley, Robbie Hummel
Actual Picks: E'Twaun Moore, Sims, Cornely, Coble, Goran Suton.
Why? Goran Suton? Are you kidding me? The media must have seen something that I didn't in this guy. I can't argue with the other four, but I do take issue with Suton.

Third Team
My Picks: Moore, Lawrence Westbrook, Mike Davis, Mike Tisdale, Marcus Landry
Actual Picks: Davis, Demetri McCamey, Craig Moore, Robbie Hummel, Landry
Why? Davis definitely deserved some recognition, as did McCamey and Landry. I'm not so sure about Craig Moore. I felt Chester Frazier, with his defense and assists-per-game ratio felt on one of these teams, but he was merely an honorable mention.

Travis Walton was the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year as selected by the coaches.

Complete list of awards can be found here.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Big Ten Tournament Field Set

After Sunday's batches of games, the Big Ten Tournament bracket has been released. This could be one of the deepest, most competitive tournaments ever. The tournament begins this Thursday at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapois, IN. Here's the slate (all times are central):

Thursday
Game One: No. 8 Minnesota (21-9, 9-9) vs. No. 9 Northwestern (17-12, 8-10) -- 11 a.m., BTN
Game Two: No. 7 Michigan (19-12, 9-9) vs. No. 10 Iowa (15-16, 5-13) -- 1:30 p.m., ESPN2
Game Three: No. 6 Penn State (21-10, 10-8) vs. No. 11 Indiana (6-24, 1-17) -- 4 p.m., ESPN 2

Friday
Game Four: No. 1 Michigan State (25-5, 15-3) vs. Minnesota/Northwestern -- 11 a.m., ESPN
Game Five: No. 4 Wisconsin (19-11, 10-8) vs. No. 5 Ohio State (20-9, 10-8) -- 1:30 p.m., ESPN
Game Six: No. 2 Illinois (23-8, 11-7) vs. Michigan/Iowa -- 5:30 p.m., BTN
Game Seven: No. 3 Purdue (22-9, 11-7) vs. Penn State/Indiana -- 8 p.m., BTN

Saturday
Game Eight: Game Four Winner vs. Game Five Winner -- 12:40 p.m., CBS
Game Nine: Game Six Winner vs. Game Seven Winner -- 3:05 p.m., CBS

Sunday
Championship: Game Eight Winner vs. Game Nine Winner -- 2:30 p.m., CBS

I'll give my predictions and thoughts later this week. I will also be in Indianapolis starting Friday morning for all the weekend's games so I'll try to provide some coverage. Reminder tomrorow -- the Big Ten Postseason Awards will be handed out tomorrow as well as the all-Big Ten teams. Check back to see how I did last week with my picks.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Where's the R-E-S-P-E-C-T?

Greetings from courtside at Conseco Fieldhouse here in the Hoosier State. Right now, Lisa Bluder's Iowa Hawkeyes have about ten minutes left in shootaround in preparation of their Big Ten semi-final tonight against top-seeded Ohio State, so that's about how much time I've got to get something off my chest.

I don't understand why the Big Ten continues to get bashed in the national media. In my mind, they have as many worthy teams to make the NCAA Tournament as the Big East or ACC. But ESPN drives everything, and their anti-Big Ten campaign, as subtle as it may be, is hurting the conference's repuation nationwide. Now, I know first-hand that the Big Ten officials don't give a damn about what ESPN thinks and neither should their fans.

Yes, they have stumbled on the football field in the "Big Games" and I fear that "the Big Ten is weak" mentality is making its way onto the hardwood, and it's not fair. This conference deserves more respect for the teams that they have beaten (UCLA, Duke, Louisville, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Butler -- teams that find themselves ranked in the Top 25 right now) and they simply aren't getting it.

Maybe I've got a little bias, but I believe the Big Ten is just as good a conference as the Big East or ACC. Those other two conferences have powerhouse programs, but no other conference in the country will you find a better group of coaches and a better sense of competition. There are some great players in this league and March Madness is a perfect place for them to shine.

Time is running out, so it's time for me to go. Sorry for no predictions today, but I didn't feel like embarrassing anybody who wanted to choose against me.

Monday, March 2, 2009

All-Big Ten Predictions

As promised, here are my all-Big Ten predictions:

Third Team
E'Twaun Moore (PUR)
Lawrence Westbrook (MINN)
Mike Davis (ILL)
Mike Tisdale (ILL)
Marcus Landry (WIS)

Second Team
JaJuan Johnson (PUR)
Chester Frazier (ILL)
DeShawn Sims (MICH)
Jamelle Cornley (PSU)
Robbie Hummel (PUR)

First Team
Manny Harris (MICH)
Talor Battle (PSU)
Kevin Coble (NU)
Evan Turner (OSU)
Kalin Lucas (MSU)


Honorable Mentions: ILL -- Demetri McCamey; IND -- Tom Pritchard, Devan Dumes, IOWA -- Matt Gatens, Jeff Peterson, Jake Kelly; MSU -- Raymar Morgan, Delvon Roe, Goran Suton; MINN -- Al Nolen; NU -- Craig Moore, Michael Thompson; OSU -- William Buford, Jon Diebler, B.J. Mullens; PSU -- Stanley Pringle; PUR -- Keaton Grant; WIS -- Trevon Hughes, Jon Leuer.


You agree? Should people be moved around?

IT'S MADNESS!

March is finally here, and you know what that means, college hoops fans! Time to get mad!

This is my favorite month of the season precisely for that reason. Teams from every conference are grappling to make the Field of 65 and the best college basketball is played this month. As far as the Big Ten is concerned, there's three teams sitting at the top that should be pretty safe bets to earn Top-Five seeds in the Big Dance. But as far as teams 4-8 go, any of them have legitimate chances to make it. How will it shake out? We'll find out in the next 13 days...

For now, though, I want to have a little fun and give out my All-Big Ten Awards. In reality, they are announced next week prior to the Big Ten Tournament, but here are some people that, at least in my mind, deserve some recognition:

Most Improved Player: Mike Davis (ILL). This award could really go to any number of players, ranging from Purdue's JaJuan Johnson, Minnesota's Lawrence Westbrook, Iowa's Jake Kelly or even his own teammate, Mike Tisdale. But Davis has shown that he can consistenly hit that mid-range jumper and grab some rebounds. If he can fill out and add some more weight, he should be a true threat in his final two seasons.

Freshman of the Year: Matt Gatens (IOWA). This one is a tough one to give out, because there aren't too many candidates. Indiana's Tom Pritchard, Ohio State's William Buford and B.J. Mullens could also nab this award, but Gatens has been a solid force for the Hawkeyes in a season that hasn't had too many bright spots. He's the only Iowa player to start every game (29-29), averagine 11.0 ppg and 3.9 rpg (both second on the team). He's one of the best freshmen three-point shooters in the country (42%) and he's a 90% foul shooter.

Coach of the Year: Bruce Weber (ILL). It goes back to Illinois' vast improvement over last year's struggles. He has righted the ship, and with their strong recruiting class coming in next year, they look to stay near atop of the Big Ten for years to come.

Sixth Man of the Year: Chris Allen (MSU). Again, not too many candidates to choose from. Allen is Michigan State's given sharpshooter, draining 43 three-balls on the season and averaging 9.0 points. He's also logging close to 20 minutes a contest despite starting only five of Michigan State's 29 games this season.

And finally...


Player of the Year: Manny Harris (MICH). We've had this discussion all season, between Harris, Ohio State's Evan Turner and Penn State's Talor Battle. All three of these guys are deserving, but Manny Harris is an all-around player, getting it done in every statistical category.
This Week's Picks:
Tuesday
Michigan State at Indiana (6 p.m., ESPN) -- Michigan State shouldn't have too much of a problem with Indiana. They've been excellent on the road this season in the Big Ten.
Ohio State at Iowa (8 p.m., BTN) -- Iowa's played well at home as of late and almost beat Ohio State in Columbus earlier this season. They can get the Buckeyes, but Ohio State will no doubtedly be hungry after a 25-point road loss last weekend to Purdue and their tournament hopes hanging by a thread. If Iowa is healthy, they can stay in the game.
Wednesday
Northwestern at Purdue (5:30 p.m., BTN) -- Northwestern remembers letting one slip away against Purdue earlier this season in Evanston, but if Purdue, who is in line for a top-seed in the NCAA Tournament keeps its eye on the ball, they'll take care of Northwestern at home.
Wisconsin at Minnesota (7:30 p.m., BTN) -- This is an excellent match-up with a huge win on the line for both teams. Hopefully this one is as good as the first meeting when Minnesota stole one in overtime in Madison.
Thursday
Illinois at Penn State (8 p.m., ESPN) -- On the flip side, I think every fan hopes this game ISN'T like the first meeting, a 38-33 win by Penn State in Champaign. Penn State has been very good at home and Illinois will need to bring its "A" game. I think they get it done on the road.

Record: 42-10

Quick note to wrap up. I'll give out my All-Big Ten awards later this week (Wednesday maybe?) so be on the look out for that. Also, as per my job, I am travelling with the Iowa women's basketball team to the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis this Thursday and may be out of contact with the blog. I'll try to keep updated, but it depends how Iowa does.