Big Ten Conference Notebook
It’s tough to win on the road in the Big Ten. It was tough, last year. But in the first week of the 2008 conference season, road teams went 5-4, and Penn State nabbed wins at both Illinois and Northwestern. PSU had two conference wins all of last season. Yes, it looks like the bulk of the conference will be very evenly-matched this season, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. The reason is that this is some sloppy basketball being played right now.
Michigan State and Indiana are clearly the heavyweights of the conference. Both won their conference openers, with MSU fighting off a pesky Minnesota team at home and Indiana holding off a frisky Iowa team on the road. With an 18-game conference schedule, I’d be surprised if either fell short of 14 wins. Wisconsin has a pair of Big Ten wins, and isn’t far behind the Spartans and Hoosiers. A 12-6 finish seems about right for the Badgers. Ohio State had a tough non-conference schedule, and although they don’t have a statement win, that will still bode well for the conference season. They’re already out to a quick 2-0 start.
After that, there may be four or five teams at or near the 10-8 mark, with none of them jumping out as a ten-win team. Would the NCAA selection committee give a bid to a 10-8 Penn State team, whose best non-conference win was against Seton Hall? How about a potential 10-8 Purdue team that lost at home to Wofford and Iowa State? Minnesota might be in the mix, but the best win on their schedule is… Santa Clara? Illinois looks to be in big trouble after dropping two home games this week, but with Iowa, Michigan and Northwestern patrolling the Big Ten basement, who’s to say they won’t be able to scratch out 10 wins?
Here’s the big picture: Ten wins might not be enough for any of the second- or third-tier teams to earn an NCAA bid. But because of the balance and the general mediocrity, a bunch of ten-win teams is what we may get. It’s going to take a big road win or two, or a couple wins against the conference favorites to push one team over the others, because none of them have the non-conference resume of a tournament team.
Early surprises
Penn State, after a 2-0 road start, heads this list. Not surprisingly, Geary Claxton and Jamelle Cornley got them there. The beefy duo combined for 69 points and 45 rebounds in wins at Northwestern and Illinois. They welcome Minnesota for their first home conference game on Saturday and a 3-0 start would set them up nicely, especially with games against Wisconsin and at Indiana on the horizon.
Wisconsin freshman Jon Leuer undoubtedly caught Michigan defenders off guard Wednesday, making all five of his 3-point attempts and finishing with 25 points. Leuer, who’s a gangly 6-10, had made four treys on the year up to that point. His ability to take opposing big men out of the paint could be a huge asset for Bo Ryan.
Impact freshmen
This is a theme nation-wide, and the Big Ten is no exception. Everyone by now knows Indiana’s Eric Gordon, but there are other names, Leuer included, popping up around the league.
Gordon’s teammate, Jordan Crawford, has proved to be a nice perimeter sidekick. He’s scored in double-figures in eight of the 10 games he’s played and played 30 minutes off the bench in their conference-opening win at Iowa. MSU sparkplug Kalin Lucas has been on a tear lately, averaging 15.5 points and 5.5 assists in his last four games. He’s the fastest Big Ten guard since Dee Brown. Seven-footer Kosta Koufos has been advertised for Ohio State, averaging 15 and 7 this season. He upped those numbers to 17 and 12 in a win at Northwestern Sunday. If Michigan has any hope of a better-than-terrible season, it will be because of Manny Harris, who was the only thing keeping the Wolverines close in a loss at Purdue Saturday. He’s proven to be a very exciting player. Purdue’s ballyhooed class has stepped up as well: Scott Martin leads them in points, Robbie Hummel in rebounds and E’Twaun Moore in minutes played. And Northwestern guard Michael Thompson is playing 36 minutes a game, going the distance in four games, and kept the Wildcats afloat while waiting for the return of Kevin Coble. Needless to say, selecting an all-freshman team will be quite difficult this season in the Big Ten.
