Big Ten Conference Notebook
With the first half of the Big Ten season coming to a close, and in honor of Hollywood’s awards season, it’s time to hand out some mid-year prizes. I present to you, the Tennies. Work with me people.
Best Visual Effects: Wisconsin’s Alando Tucker is usually good for a highlight or two. Michgan’s Brent Petway is probably the most stunning athlete in the conference. And several coaches, including Bo Ryan, Tom Izzo and Bruce Weber, are good for a spectacular meltdown or two. But come on, it’s high-flying Ohio State, with Mike Conley Jr. flying around the court, Greg Oden re-adjusting the rim and a myriad of deep threats patrolling the arc.
Best Cinematography: The Big Ten isn’t known for beautiful offenses, and it’s hard to classify any game as picturesque, but sometimes brilliance does show up. Ohio State has shown the capability to run a smooth, up-tempo offense, but has too often been slowed by worse-than-average defenses to take the honor. Michigan State still runs the best sets in the conference, and even though the experienced leaders are lacking, the movement and ingenuity is still there. After a three-year run by Deron Williams and Dee Brown, the Spartans are back on top here.
Best Screenplay: One of the key pieces to Michigan State‘s offense is the big man feigning a high screen, then diving to the hoop for a layup. This remains the best “screen play” in the league. It’s clever, I know. It’s really the only play that stands out, so the category had to be included.
Best Foreign Feature: A fairly sparse category for the conference, with lowly Northwestern sporting the most international lineup. Few global players have made much impact, with Indiana’s Ben Allen (Australia), Michigan State’s Idong Ibok (Nigeria) and Penn State’s Milos Bogetic (Serbia & Montenegro) making tangible contributions. The winner, almost by default, is Iowa’s Kurt Looby from Antigua. The 6-10 junior leads the surprising Hawkeyes in rebounding and blocked shots.
Eddie Murphy Shocking Performance: So many nominees: MSU’s Goran Suton has come out of nowhere to make himself a viable offensive option. PSU’s Danny Morrissey hit six three-pointers in back-to-back games. But it’s Indiana, who’s had a slew of surprise contributors (Joey Shaw, Roderick Wilmont, Earl Calloway, Lance Stemler), that houses the winner. Freshman Armon Bassett, an unknown, has scored in double-digits in six of Indiana’s eight conference appearances, and has displayed senior-like poise in clutch situations.
“Little Miss Sunshine” Surprise Contender: Indiana has made a nice run, topped off by their solid win over Wisconsin on Wednesday night, but most expected the Hoosiers to be in the top three or four. Wisconsin and Ohio State are the resident Scorseses and Eastwoods. And Michigan is just too inconsistent to take seriously. The Tenny goes to Iowa, for staying afloat and remaining alive in the postseason picture. With a nice road win at Michigan, the Hawkeyes improved to 4-4 in league play, sitting higher than previously mentioned Michigan, Illinois and Purdue in the standings.
Best Supporting Actor: Always an interesting category. Will the proven veterans, like Wisconsin’s Kammron Taylor and Purdue’s David Teague win as a sort of career achievement reward? Or will newcomers like Ohio State’s Mike Conley, Jr. or Iowa’s Tyler Smith inspire voters (I guess there’s only one)? Penn State’s Jamelle Cornley fits somewhere in the middle, and he takes home the mid-season honor. Alongside Geary Claxton, Cornley forms the most powerful forward combo in the conference. I’ll ignore the defensive numbers. The Tennies are glamour awards, anyway.
Best Director: It’s hard to argue against Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan, who’s managed a superstar while keeping the role players hungry. Ohio State’s Thad Matta has talent for sure, but he’s groomed it well. And Iowa’s Steve Alford has kept Iowa relevant, despite huge talent loss. But in his first season in the Big Ten, Indiana’s Kelvin Sampson has changed the identity of the Hoosiers and instilled toughness that Mike Davis could not. Despite losing stud wing Robert Vaden, Indiana has sprung to the top of the conference picture.
Best Actor: Several nominees have proved worthy thus far, with Iowa’s Adam Haluska leading the conference in scoring, Ohio State’s Greg Oden dominating the glass and controlling the paint (with his off-hand), Carl Landry making a nice comeback for Purdue and Drew Neitzel single-handedly keeping Michigan State in the tournament hunt. But the Tenny goes to Wisconsin’s Alando Tucker, who has shown the ability to take over tight contests while administering restraint to involve teammates.
Best Picture: This one, until Wednesday night, was not a tough call. But even after suffering their first loss of the conference season, Wisconsin gets the nod. The Badgers cleared a major hurdle by taking out second-place Ohio State in early January. With the leading star of the conference, a strong supporting cast and a proven director, Wisconsin has all the pieces.
