Around the Big Ten

Welcome to another week of “Around the Big Ten.” Let’s take a look at the week that was for the teams in the Big Ten. Enjoy!

ILLINOIS
The Illini were looking to go into Bloomington and prove to the conference that they are still players in the race for the conference’s elite. What Illinois got in Bloomington was a defensive machine, which held the Illini offense to under 50 points in the 49-52 loss to the Hoosiers. The Illini were led by Mike Davis’ 14 points, as Demetri McCamey was held to six points, his second straight game with under 10 points. Illinois will welcome Penn State on Tuesday.

INDIANA
Last week was a great week to be a Hoosier. Coming off a blowout loss to Iowa in Iowa City, IU welcomed Illinois to Assembly Hall in Bloomington, and urged by an energized crowd, defeated the Illini 52-49, triggering a stampede of students to rush Branch McCracken Court. Jordan Hulls placed the Hoosiers on his back, scoring 12 of his 18 points in the second half. With some momentum, the Hoosiers travelled to East Lansing to face the Spartans of Michigan State. With the Spartans coming off three consecutive losses, it seemed reasonable to expect an ugly game in the Breslin Center. These Hoosiers, however, seem to be coming of age, and despite a loss to MSU by a single point (or free throw…cough, cough) the Hoosiers showed that they are no longer afraid to play aggressive in the 84-83 overtime loss. IU was led in scoring by Christian Watford, who scored 21 points. The Hoosiers will face Minnesota in Assembly Hall on Wednesday. Tip is scheduled for 6:30 ET.

IOWA
Despite a strong start, Iowa faded down the stretch to Penn State, losing on the road 65-51. The Hawkeyes were led by Jarryd Cole’s 11 points. Iowa then headed to Ann Arbor only to fall again on the road to the Wolverines 87-73, despite a career-high 25 points from Melsahn Basabe. Iowa will return home Wednesday to face Michigan State.

MICHIGAN
The Wolverines travelled to in-state rival Michigan State to battle the Spartans in the Breslin Center, and behind hot shooting from deep courtesy of Zack Novak, were able to stun MSU behind his 19 points 61-57. Michigan then headed back home to Ann Arbor, defeating Iowa 87-73, led by Darius Morris’ 12 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, only the third triple-double in Wolverine basketball history. Michigan will head to Ohio State on Thursday.

MICHIGAN STATE
The Spartans are struggling. Coming off a loss to Purdue in West Lafayette, the Spartans were looking to rebound against the Michigan Wolverines at home. Unfortunately, MSU struggled from the floor and lost the game 61-57 despite 27 points from Kalin Lucas. Trying to forget the losses, MSU focused on defeating the Hoosiers on Sunday. It wasn’t easy, but the Spartans snapped their losing streak, downing the Hoosiers 84-83 in overtime on Tom Izzo’s birthday. Kalin Lucas again had a big scoring game, netting 26 points. Michigan State will head to Iowa to face the Hawkeyes Wednesday.

MINNESOTA
The Golden Gophers welcomed Northwestern to Williams Arena and got the win 81-70. Trevor Mbakwe had 18 points and 15 rebounds in the victory. Minnesota then headed south to face Purdue and lost the game 73-61 behind another good game from Mbakwe, who logged 17 points in the loss. Minnesota will take on the Hoosiers in Bloomington Wednesday at 6:30 ET.

NORTHWESTERN
The Wildcats battled Minnesota on the road, only to lose the contest 81-70, despite a solid 18 points from Michael Thompson. The Wildcats then hosted the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes in Evanston on Saturday, with John Shurna watching from the sideline. The upset bid for the Wildcats came up just short, as they fell 58-57. Thompson led the game once again with 16 points. Northwestern will host Illinois on Saturday.

OHIO STATE
The No. 1 Buckeyes are still perfect. Ohio State had no problem in taking down Purdue in Columbus 87-64 behind William Bufford’s 19 points. The Buckeyes would have a bit more trouble in Evanston, pulling off the tough win 58-57. Jared Sullinger had 21 points in the win. Ohio State will welcome Michigan to Columbus on Thursday.

PENN STATE
The Nittany Lions were able to take down Iowa in Happy Valley 65-51 behind a strong performance from Talor Battle, who scored 23 points in the victory. Penn State then welcomed the Wisconsin Badgers to their home floor, pulling off the upset 56-52 behind another solid game from Battle, who ended this one with 22 points. Penn State will travel to Illinois to face the Illini on Tuesday.

PURDUE
The Boilermakers steamed into Columbus to face the Ohio State Buckeyes and got stomped 87-64 despite 22 points from JaJuan Johnson. Purdue then welcomed Minnesota to Mackey Arena, winning 73-61 behind Johnson’s 24 points. Purdue heads to Madison to face the Badgers on Tuesday.

WISCONSIN
The Badgers headed to Penn State to face the Nittany Lions in front of a large crowd for PSU standards. This crowd was eager to see a Penn State win, and they got just that, as the Badgers fell to the Nittany Lions 56-52, ending the 12 game winning streak the Badgers had collected against Penn State. Jon Leuer had 18 points in the loss. Wisconsin welcomes Purdue on Tuesday.

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Around the Big Ten

By Logan Harper

Welcome to another week of “Around the Big Ten.” If you are wondering what that ringing sound is in your ear, it is the official’s whistle blowing another and-one foul against the Hoosiers. Enjoy!

ILLINOIS
The Illini welcomed Michigan State to the other Assembly Hall last week, and behind Brandon Paul’s 20 points, knocked off the struggling Spartans 71-62. Illinois finished off a home stand against the Buckeyes of Ohio State on Saturday, and despite hanging tough throughout, fell to the No. 1 team in the land 73-68. Jereme Richmond had a solid performance of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Illinois will travel to Bloomington to face the Hoosiers Thursday at 9 ET.

INDIANA
After coming off a confidence-boosting victory against Michigan, the Hoosiers were looking to pull off a shocker in Madison against Wisconsin. IU battled the entire first half, as Jordan Hulls hit shots from all over, eventually heading to the locker room at the half 34-30. Wisconsin came out in the second half, and behind five questionable and-one whistles rallied back to beat IU 69-60. Jordan Hulls led the Hoosiers with 16 points. After a tough loss to the Badgers, Hoosier fans were looking to gain a Big Ten road victory in Iowa City. That did not happen, as the Hoosiers got drilled throughout, eventually falling to Iowa 91-77, as Verdell Jones sat out with knee inflamation. Christian Watford dropped a career-high 30 points, but gave up way too many points on defense. IU faces Illinois Thursday in Bloomington. Tip is set for 9 ET.

IOWA
The Hawkeyes travelled to Columbus to face the hot Buckeyes last week. The one positive for Iowa was Andrew Brommer, who scored 12 points in the 70-48 loss. Perhaps the other positive is that Iowa travelled home to face fellow basement-dweller IU. Iowa, who scored just 48 points against the Buckeyes, dropped nearly double that against IU in the 91-77 rout of Indiana. Melsahn Basabe led Iowa with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The Hawkeyes will travel to Penn State on Wednesday.

MICHIGAN
Coming off a loss to the Hoosiers, the Wolverines were looking to bounce back against Northwestern on the road, but stumbled 74-60. Michigan was led by Stu Douglass with 17 points. Michigan then welcomed Minnesota to Ann Arbor, but despite 20 points from Tim Hardaway Jr., the Wolverines were unable to upset the Gophers, losing the contest 69-64. Michigan will head to East Lansing to face Michigan State on Thursday.

MICHIGAN STATE
The Spartans travelled to Illinois to face the Illini last week, but fell on the road 71-62. Kalin Lucas led the team with 15 points. Michigan State then headed to West Lafayette to face Purdue in primetime on Saturday, but fell in the spotlight 86-76. The Spartans were led by Draymond Green’s 21 points in the defeat. MSU welcomes Michigan on Thursday.

MINNESOTA
The Golden Gophers headed to Ann Arbor to face upset-minded Michigan. The Gophers, which had four players score in double figures avoided the upset to win 69-64. Minnesota will welcome Northwestern on Wednesday.

NORTHWESTERN
The Wildcats welcomed Michigan to Evanston, and behind John Shurna’s 24 points won the game 74-60. Northwestern then welcomed SIU-Edwardsville, and won huge 98-55 behind a 35-4 run in the first half. Northwestern then Welcomed the Wisconsin Badgers, and because of playing a poor SIU-Edwardsville team lost to the Badgers 78-46 behind 13 points from Luka Mirkovic and John Shurna. Northwestern will head to Minneapolis to play Minnesota on Wednesday.

OHIO STATE
The No. 1 Buckeyes welcomed Iowa to Columbus this past week, and behind David Lighty’s 18 points, won big 70-48. After the blowout against the Hawkeyes, the Buckeyes headed to Illinois to battle the Illini. Ohio State was able to avoid the court-rush and left Champagne with a 73-68 victory behind a huge game from Jared Sullinger, who finished with 27 points and 16 rebounds. Ohio State will welcome Purdue on Tuesday.

PENN STATE
The Nittany Lions travelled to Purdue in search of another upset. However, Jeff Brooks’ 19 points was not enough to grab the win, as Penn State lost 63-62. Penn State will look to recover from the tough loss on Wednesday when they host Iowa.

PURDUE
After a road loss to the Big East’s Mountaineers of West Virginia, Purdue welcomed Penn State to Mackey Arena. This was a great game, which had the Boilermakers come out on top in the end 63-62 behind JaJuan Johnson’s 25 points. Purdue then hosted Michigan State on Saturday night, and behind E’Twaun Moore’s 26 points, won the game on ESPN 86-76. Purdue will face Ohio State in Columbus on Tuesday.

WISCONSIN
Wisconsin hosted Indiana at the Kohl Center, and behind a career-high 28 points from Jordan Taylor won the contest 69-60. Wisconsin then headed south to Evanston to face Northwestern on the road. Coming out strong, Wisconsin never looked back, as they cruised to a 78-46 win. Wisconsin was led by freshman Josh Grasser, who scored 10 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists to record the first triple-double in the history of Wisconsin basketball. The Badgers will head to Happy Valley to battle Penn State on Saturday.

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Around the Big Ten

By Logan Harper

Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of “Around the Big Ten.” Enjoy!

ILLINOIS

The Fighting Illini travelled to the now dangerous Bryce Jordan Center to take on the Nittany Lions. Despite a strong performance from Mike Tisdale, who had a solid double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds, the Nittany Lions held on to take down the Illini 57-55. Illinois continued their road trip with a trip to Madison to face the Wisconsin Badgers. The road was once again unkind to the Illini, who fell 76-66 behind Demetri McCamey’s 23 points. Illinois will return home against Michigan State on Tuesday.

INDIANA

After a long break after losing to a surprising Northwestern team in Evanston, the Hoosiers returned home to face the Michigan Wolverines…and WON! This game showed the Indiana fans what this team is capable of, and even after a scary moment that saw Mo Creek hit the floor in pain, grabbing his knee, after the fact that he was almost ninja-kicked by Zack Novak, the Hoosiers and their loyal fans were able to celebrate the first victory after a long, agonizing six-game losing streak. He may not have led the way in scoring, but the player of the game was Jordan Hulls, who played tenacious defense, and connected on all four of his shots from the floor, two of those shots coming off slight Wolverine runs. Verdell Jones led the IU attack with 24 points in the 80-61 rout. The Hoosiers face Wisconsin in Madison on Thursday. Tip is at 9 ET.

IOWA

The Hawkeyes welcomed Northwestern last week, only to get hammered 90-71 despite five three pointers made by Matt Gatens who finished the contest with 20 points. Iowa then travelled to Minnesota to take on the Gophers Melsahn Basabe scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the 69-59 loss in Williams Arena. Iowa will face the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus on Wednesday.

MICHIGAN

The Wolverines welcomed rival Ohio State to Ann Arbor, and despite a rally in the second half, fell to the Buckeyes 68-64, led by Darius Morris’ 18 points. Michigan then travelled to the REAL Assembly Hall to take on the Hoosiers. The Wolverines never gave the Hoosiers a fight (unless you call cowardly attempting to kick a player recovering from a devastating knee injury a fight) and loss big time 61-80. Michigan will take on Northwestern on the road Tuesday.

MICHIGAN STATE

The Spartans took on the Wisconsin Badgers in East Lansing, and put on a show for Big Ten basketball followers. This game went down to the wire, and led by a career-high 26 points from Draymond Green, pulled off the victory in overtime 64-61. The Spartans then took on the Northwestern Wildcats at the Breslin Center in yet another overtime battle. The Spartans held on in this one too, behind freshman Keith Appling’s 19 points, winning the contest 71-67. Michigan State will face Illinois on the road on Tuesday.

MINNESOTA

Minnesota welcome Purdue to Williams Arena on Thursday, and pulled off the big win 70-67 behind Blake Hoffarber’s 26 points. Minnesota then welcomed the Iowa Hawkeyes, winning at home once again 69-59 behind a solid performance from Trevor Mbakwe, who had 16 points. Minnesota will battle Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday.

NORTHWESTERN

After a solid performance against the Hoosiers, the Wildcats rolled over the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road, 90-71 behind Drew Crawford’s 19 points. After a solid road win, Northwestern travelled to East Lansing to face the Spartans, and came up just short of a huge win, falling in overtime 71-67. Michael Thompson became the school’s all-time assist leader in the game, while also chipping in 15 points. Northwestern will face Michigan at home on Tuesday.

OHIO STATE

The Buckeyes hit the road to Ann Arbor looking for a solid win on the road against a rival. The Buckeyes did just that, as they took down the Wolverines 68-64 behind William Bufford’s 19 points. Ohio State then went home to face Penn State and got more than they expected from the upset-minded Nittany Lions. The Buckeyes won the game 69-66 behind 19 points from Jared Sullinger. Ohio State will face the Iowa Hawkeyes in Columbus on Wednesday.

PENN STATE

Penn State welcomed the Michigan State Soartans to Happy Valley and pulled off the shocker, defeating MSU 57-55 behind a strong performance from Talor Battle, who dropped 26 points. Penn State was looking to stay hot against the Buckeyes in Columbus, but came up just shy of the huge upset and lost 69-66. David Jackson led the team in scoring with 19 points. Penn State will travel to Purdue on Wednesday.

PURDUE

The Boilermakers headed to Minneapolis looking for a win last Thursday, but didn’t get it. Purdue, led by JaJuan Johnson’s 29 points and 11 rebounds, Purdue lost to the Gophers 70-67. Purdue then travelled to West Virginia to face the Mountaineers in Morgantown, only to lose again 68-64. Purdue welcomes Penn State to Mackey Arena on Wednesday.

WISCONSIN

The Badgers went against the Spartans on the road in East Lansing, and despite Jordan Taylor’s 21 points, lost to MSU 64-61 in overtime. Wisconsin then defeated Illinois 76-66 in Madison behind Jon Leuer’s 26 points. Wisconsin welcomes the Hoosiers on Thursday. Tip is at 9 ET.

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"Can't We All Just Enjoy This Win For Awhile?"

By Gary Sweeney Jr.

Indiana Hoosiers 80 - Michigan Wolverines 61

In our current era of ESPN, Big Ten Network, inexpensive smart phones, 3G networks (4G where available) and free public Wi-Fi the average sports fan has evolved into an impatient, overreacting, knowledge hunter with a demand for instant downloadable gratification. While I enjoy the technological advancements of the 21st century that allow us a plethora of easily accessible information, I think the Twitter filled blogosphere has a tendency to over analyze things. Can we all just hold off for a minute? The last time the Hoosiers put a notch in the win column was nearly a month ago (December 19th, to be exact.) when the calendar still read 2010. We've waited a long time to wash the bitter taste of defeat out of our mouths with the sweet taste of victory and we've earned it. It's still too early in the season to know where this team will stand in March. I don't know what our final record will be. I don't know where we'll finish in the Big Ten standings and I'm not really worried about it right now. I don't know if our big men will pursue rebounds like possessed madmen every night. I don't know if Jordy Hulls will inject ice into his veins and bury dagger three pointers months from now. I don't know if Christian Watford will be a double-double machine against the Big Ten powerhouses and I'm not really worried about that right now either. I do know that the combination of those three things mixed in with a smooth 24 points from Verdell Jones and 40 minutes of energized defensive intensity lead to the Indiana Hoosiers beating the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday night and that is all that matters. So what do you say? Let's put off our criticism of shot selections, defensive schemes and player rotations for a minute. Let's put the statistical analysis of field goal percentages and free throw attempts on the back burner. Let's put down the iPhones and Blackberrys, slow down, relax with an adult beverage, take a deep breath and just… enjoy this win for awhile.

At least until Thursday at 9:00 P.M. EST. Go Hoosiers…

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Thoughts from an alumnus: Indiana 80 Michigan 61

I am not sure if IU’s big men grew three inches each or if Coach Crean passed out a handful of hustle pills, but Indiana showed up and played from the first whistle. They out rebounded Michigan and looked like they knew what they were doing. I have been waiting to see IU play like they played tonight since the Kentucky game. There were plenty of things that I could nitpick on while thinking about the game, but I am not going to do that. Let’s enjoy this win.

First of all, I want to talk about our upperclassmen that lead the way early for us. Tom Pritchard, Jeremiah Rivers, and Verdell Jones III played like they played last year. I haven’t seen Pritchard play that hard and not foul out within the first ten minutes since he was a freshman! Rivers had been sticking to offensive players like white on rice, but he was looking for his shot and hitting it tonight. Jones had some stupid turnovers, but overall had an amazing game.

I am more excited for Indiana basketball more tonight sooner than I thought I would be after the lackluster Northwestern game. Hopefully we can come into every game with the same intensity Tom Crean brought tonight. Let’s go Hoosiers!

Next game: @ Wisconsin

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My expectaions for IU (Revisited)

Let's be honest, our team has underperformed. We haven't played to the ability we all think our players are capable of. A lot of that falls on the shoulders of the players wanting it more than the other team. Sometimes I question if that is the case. We still have a losing mentality in this program and unless that changes, the results won't change.

That being said, I didn't expect for this season to be that good. I went through the games at the beginning of the year and came out with these predictions. I had us 17-14, with the thought we'd probably drop one of the game i had us winning and be 16-15 and NIT bound.

We are currently 3 games behind where I thought we'd be. Creek, GMM are the biggest difference from this team now, to what I expected before it began. That being said, Sheehey and Oladipo are far better than I envisioned. (Side note: We all might not be as high on them if our other players actually put forth 50% the effort these guys do). Too bad for us, those 2 positive and 2 negatives don't equal.

To get to our much needed 16 wins, we are going to have to hit the remaining schedule I have and Beat PUke at home and the Illini or Wisconsin at home. That is a tough test to do. The only other possibility is we get one of those wins and make a tear in the BTT to come out 17-17. (Laughing hysterically as I type).

This season has been rough, but it can still be salvaged. It's time to see what this team is made of, Winning attidude or the MO of the last two years.
This post was edited on 1/14 12:53 PM by IU Hoosier41

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+/- Analysis

I just wanted to let everyone know I'm working on catching up with the analysis.  A little thing called work got in the way and I plan on catching up soon.  Sorry for the inconvenience and hopefully you'll start seeing them again soon.

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Around the Big Ten

By Logan Harper

Welcome to this week’s installment of “Around the Big Ten.” With Big Ten play in full swing, let’s get started…enjoy!

ILLINOIS
The Fighting Illini had no troubles at all last week in defeating Northwestern in Champagne. Led by a balanced scoring attack that saw five players scoring in double figures, including a game-high 14 by Demetri McCamey, Illinois won 88-63. Illinois will travel to Pennsylvania to battle Talor Battle and the Nittany Lions on Tuesday.

INDIANA
After dropping a New Year’s Eve game to the Buckeyes, Indiana was looking forward to an upset in The Barn against Minnesota. Despite a solid defensive effort and as much as a nine point lead on the Gophers, as well as a six point lead at the break, Indiana again faltered down the stretch to lose 67-63. After a disappointing loss to the Gophers, IU headed to Evanston to face Northwestern Sunday. Led by Christian Watford’s 17 points, IU lost…again 93-81. Northwestern’s 93 points was the most scored by the Wildcats against the Hoosiers since 1963. Indiana will face Michigan at Assembly Hall on Saturday. Game is set for 8.

IOWA
The Hawkeyes put a bit of a scare into the Buckeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena last week. Led by freshman Melsahn Basabe’s 22 points and 13 rebounds hung tough with the Buckeyes before falling 73-68. After an exciting game against Ohio State at home, Iowa travelled to West Lafayette to take on the Purdue Boilermakers. Despite a solid performance from Matt Gatens (18 points), Iowa fell big on the road 75-52. The Hawkeyes will return to Iowa City to face Northwestern on Wednesday night.

MICHIGAN
The Wolverines visited Madison to face the Badgers last week, but despite getting 15 points from Zack Novak, fell to the Badgers big 66-50 at the Kohl Center. After a grueling road game against Wisconsin, the Wolverines headed back home to welcome the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday. The Wolverines showed a lot of fight against Kansas, taking the Jayhawks into overtime before falling 67-60 behind Tim Hardaway Jr.’s 19 points. Michigan will welcome Ohio State to Ann Arbor on Wednesday.

MICHIGAN STATE
Michigan State took on the Northwestern Wildcats in Evanston, Illinois last week. In need of a win for some momentum, Draymond Green led the Spartans with 15 points in the close 65-62 victory. After surviving the scare against the Wildcats, the Spartans headed out on the road again to face Penn State. This game did not go as planned, as Penn State defeated the Spartans 66-62 to pull off the upset. Michigan State will face Wisconsin in Madison on Tuesday.

MINNESOTA
The Golden Gophers welcomed IU to Williams Arena last week, after dropping two straight conference games. After trailing by six points at the half, Minnesota rallied behind 11 second half points from Blake Hoffarber to win 67-63. After taking down the Hoosiers, Minnesota hit the road to Columbus to face Ohio State. After trailing big, Minnesota mounted a second half run, but came up short against Thad Matta’s Buckeyes and lost 67-64. Trevor Mbakwe led the Gophers with 16 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. Minnesota will face Purdue in Minneapolis on Thursday.

NORTHWESTERN
The Wildcats faced Michigan State at home last week, but fell to the Spartans 65-62 after a great effort. Led by Drew Crawford’s 17 points, Northwestern did not have an answer for Draymond Green and the Spartans. Northwestern then travelled to Champagne to battle in-state rival Illinois, and despite JerShon Cobb’s career-high 18 points fell to the Illini 88-63. Northwestern finally welcomed Indiana on Sunday and won 93-81, led by John Shurna’s 24 points. The Wildcats will face Iowa in Iowa City on Wednesday.

OHIO STATE
Ohio State travelled to Iowa City to face the Hawkeyes last week, and got more than they expected, but were able to hang on for the win 73-68 behind Jared Sullinger’s 24 points and 12 rebounds. Ohio State then welcomed Minnesota to Columbus on Sunday for yet another tough victory. Led by tenth-year senior…(okay, just fifth-year senior) David Lighty’s 19 points, OSU defeated Minnesota 67-64, and will face Michigan in Ann Arbor on Wednesday.

PENN STATE
The Nittany Lions welcomed the Purdue Boilermakers to Happy Valley last week and lost big despite a good performance from freshman Jermaine Marshall, who added 18 points in the 83-68 loss. Penn State then welcomed the Michigan State Spartans to Happy Valley, only this time were able to pull off the upset and downed the Spartans 66-62 behind Jeff Brooks’ 17 points and 12 rebounds. Penn State will welcome Illinois on Tuesday.

PURDUE
The Boilermakers visited the Nittany Lions last week and got a big win 83-68 behind Ryne Smith’s 20 points. Purdue then played Iowa inside Mackey Arena, and again behind a solid performance from Smith (18 poins) won big…again 75-52. The Boilermakers will face Minnesota on the road on Thursday.

WISCONSIN
The Badgers welcomed Michigan to the unfriendly confines of the Kohl Center in Madison and won big behind Jordan Taylor’s 66-50. What was even more impressive was the fact that the Badgers went almost 19 minutes without a single turnover. The Badgers welcome Michigan State on Tuesday.

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Around the Big Ten

By Logan Harper

With non-conference play in the rearview mirror, the Big Ten opened up conference competition this past week. After seeing what how these first games played out, it is obvious that some teams have some BIG New Year resolutions to strive for…enjoy!

ILLINOIS
Coming off two consecutive losses, Illinois was looking for some confidence to start off the Big Ten season. Luckily for the Illini, it was found in Iowa City. Led by Demetri McCamey’s 20 points, Illinois was able to drop Iowa 87-77 in the opener. Hot shooting was the key in this one, as Illinois was able to hit their first seven three pointers of the game. Illinois headed back to Champaign to face the Wisconsin Badgers Sunday. Looking to gain a steady 2-0 record to start the Big Ten, Illinois followed Demetri McCamey’s lead of getting to the rim and playing aggressive basketball. McCamey once again led Illinois with 21 points as the Illini scratched the Badgers 69-61. Illinois will face Northwestern at home on Thursday.

INDIANA
Needing a glimmer of hope this New Year, the Hoosiers came off consecutive losses in Las Vegas to open up Big Ten play against Penn State. What happened in Vegas did not stay in Vegas for IU, as they continued to struggle. Christian Watford scored just three points on the game, as IU continued to have troubles defending the perimeter, utilizing screens and free throw shooting overall. In the end, the Nittany Lions mauled the Hoosiers at home 69-60. Looking to bounce back from the disappointing loss to Penn State, IU welcomed Ohio State to Bloomington on New Year’s Eve. This game was over early. Derek Elston would foul out of the contest with over 17 minutes to play. In the end it was an 85-67 loss, the fourth straight for IU. If every player on this team played like Victor Oladipo, things may look a bit better. The Hoosiers will travel to Minnesota to face the Golden Gophers on Tuesday. Tip is set for 7:00 ET.

IOWA
Coach Fran McCaffery’s Big Ten coaching debut was spoiled by Illinois last Wednesday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in front of a sellout crowd. The Hawkeyes fell to the Illini 87-77 after rallying to within six points after trailing by as many as 25 points. Matt Gatens led Iowa with 21 points who welcome Ohio State on Tuesday.

MICHIGAN
The Wolverines stormed into Big Ten play riding a seven game winning streak. That streak was snapped by Purdue at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, as the Wolverines fell 80-57. Stu Douglass led the Wolverines in the game with 15 points, but the Boilermaker’s shooting was just too much to handle as they shot 63 percent. Michigan then battled Penn State in Ann Arbor, and led by Darius Morris’ 16 points, Michigan defeated the Nittany Lions 76-79. Michigan heads to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers on Wednesday.

MICHIGAN STATE
After a grueling non-conference schedule that tarnished the armor in the record for the Spartans, Michigan State opened up the Big Ten season against Minnesota at home. Despite a slow first half, Durrell Summers would score 14 of his 19 points in the second half to lead the Spartans to victory 71-62 against the Gophers. Michigan State will now travel to Evanston to face Northwestern tonight. Tip is set for 7:30 ET.

MINNESOTA
Minnesota opened with their first of two extremely difficult tests to begin their hunt in the Big Ten in Madison against the Wisconsin Badgers last Tuesday. Led by Devoe Joseph’s 14 points on the night, the Gophers were unable to nab the victory at the Kohl Center, where it seems Wisconsin never loses. Minnesota fell 68-60. After losing to the Badgers in Madison, the Gophers headed to East Lansing to face the Michigan State Spartans, in yet another tough road matchup to begin conference play. A solid first half for the Gophers saw them hang on for a six point lead at the break, but this would change, as Trevor Mbakwe’s 17 points was just not enough to pull off the win in the Breslin Center. Minnesota lost the contest 71-62. Minnesota welcomes IU to The Barn on Tuesday.

NORTHWESTERN
The Wildcats opened up Big Ten play in West Lafayette to battle the Purdue Boilermakers on New Year’s Eve. Michael Thompson scored 18 points and Luka Mirkovic added a career-high 16 points in the game, but would fall short of the upset as Purdue’s hot streak took down the Wildcats 82-69 at Mackey Arena. The Wildcats will host Michigan State tonight at 6:30 CT.

OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes proved once again that they are well deserving of the No. 2 national ranking that they carry. Ohio State rolled into Assembly Hall in Bloomington and smashed the Hoosiers 85-67 behind an incredible 13-19 shooting from beyond the arc and over 60 percent shooting for the game. The Buckeyes were led by William Buford, who finished the game with 24 points. Ohio State will head to Iowa City to face Iowa on Tuesday.

PENN STATE
Penn State opened the Big Ten season on a high note this season. After falling to Maine, the Nittany Lions stormed into Bloomington and blasted the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall. The 69-60 win at Assembly Hall was just the second time Penn State had won in the building (also won in 2009). Jeff Brooks led Penn State with a career-high 23 points. After starting the season with a big win in Bloomington, Penn State headed into Ann Arbor looking to start the Big Ten season 2-0. The Wolverines had other plans, as the Nittany Lions fell 76-69. The Nittany Lions will face Purdue on Wednesday in Happy Valley.

PURDUE
The Boilermakers opened up Big Ten play in dominating fashion. Purdue travelled north to face the Michigan Wolverines. The game was close in the first half of play until Purdue outscored the Wolverines by 19 points in the second half, led by JaJuan Johnson’s 22 points before eventually winning 80-57 on the road. After an impressive first game of the conference schedule, the Boilermakers welcomed Northwestern to Mackey Arena on New Year’s Eve. Despite a career-high performance from Luka Mirkovic, the Boilermakers proved too much for the Wildcats as E’Twaun Moore added a career-high tying performance of his own with 31 points to take down the Wildcats 82-69. Purdue heads to Happy Valley to face Penn State on Wednesday.

WISCONSIN
The Badgers were looking to open Big Ten play with a statement against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at home last week. They did just that in taking down the Gophers 68-60, led by 38 combined points from Jon Leuer and Jordan Taylor, two native Minnesotans. After a solid statement win in the opener, the Badgers headed south to visit Illinois. Scorched by a hot 56 percent shooting performance from the Illini, Wisconsin was unable to keep up and fell in Champaign 69-61. The Badgers were led in scoring by Jon Leuer and Jordan Taylor once again, who both chipped in 19 points. Wisconsin will welcome the Michigan Wolverines on Wednesday.

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Thoughts from an Alumnus @Minnesota

Thoughts from an Alumnus @Minnesota
By Brian Hall

I normally wait until the next morning to write the article about the game, but I am also usually trying to think about something positive to write about. Well this game had plenty of positives aspects throughout the entire game. All right, if you forget about the first ten minutes, lack of rebounding, early fouls, Watford’s play, and all the missed layups in the second half, IU had plenty of positive things.

Indiana fought back every time it looked like Minnesota was going to blow them out of the Barn. I know that we had an eight point lead in the second half that was quickly turned around to a six point deficit, but the Hoosiers came back and was in it to the last second. I never remember IU playing well at the Barn. I do remember Coach Knight’s starters getting benched and we lost by 50 points, and I was worried that was going to happen to us tonight, but it didn’t. We battled back and if the referee didn’t blow the loose ball whistle against Jordan Hulls (which should not have been called) we might have won.

I touched on the negatives at the beginning; now let’s talk about the positives. The defense, most of the time, had quick hands and feet and disrupted a lot of shots and passes. Will Sheehey had an amazing first half as well. I am not sure why he was on the bench through most of the second half, but I was impressed by his intensity and the speed he brought to the court. Jeremiah Rivers played a great game on defense. He was in the face of every player he guarded.
I came out of this game with a much better feeling about Indiana basketball than I have had in a few weeks. Hopefully the players can continue to play the way they played throughout most of this game in the upcoming weeks. We need to win at Northwestern!

Next up: @Northwestern

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Big Ten Power Rankings - Week 5

The Power Rankings had a week off around the holidays. We're back and ready for action for Week 5.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (#2 Nationally, 14-0) Still undefeated, still atop the power rankings, still haven't played a close game all year.

2. Michigan State Spartans (#19 Nationally, 10-4) Finding their legs after early struggles out of conference.

 

3. Purdue Boilermakers (#10 Nationally, 13-1) Two big double-digit wins to open Big Ten play.

 

4. Wisconsin Badgers (Unranked, 11-3) Always tough to beat at the Kohl Center, where they are undefeated this year. Badgers have a win over Minnesota and a loss to Illinois to open Big Ten play.

 

5. Illinois Fighting Illini (#20 Nationally, 12-3) Wins over Iowa and Wisconsin have the Illini in a 3-way tie atop the conference.

6. Minnesota Golden Gophers (#21 Nationally, 11-3) 1-2 Big Ten record is misleading with both losses coming to ranked teams on the road. Beat IU to earn their first conference win last night.

7. Northwestern Wildcats (Unranked, 9-3) Late rally brought them close against Michigan State, but in the end, an 0-2 start to the Big Ten season isn't ideal for the Wildcats.

8. Michigan Wolverines (Unranked, 11-3) Michigan was walloped by Purdue and beat Penn State at home. Tough upcoming schedule with 2 of the top teams in the country (Kansas, Ohio State) in the next week.


9. Penn State Nittany Lions (Unranked, 8-5) A good win in Bloomington over the Hoosiers started the Nittany Lions off on the right foot, but a loss to Michigan won't help their cause.

10. Indiana Hoosiers (Unranked, 9-6) Probably generous not to have them in last after losses to Penn State, Ohio State and Minnesota.


11. Iowa Hawkeyes (Unranked, 7-6) Five out of their first 6 Big Ten games come against ranked opponents. The Hawkeyes could be looking 0-6 in the face when they host the Hoosiers on January 23rd.



Brian

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Thoughts from the Alumni Section (Big Ten Edition

By Brian Hall

Thoughts from an Alumnus-OSU

Well this game started out with more of the slow start by the Hoosier offense and the “let’s see if you can make the three pointer before I guard you” defense. I was yelling for our players to get out and cover OSU’s three point shooters from the first thirty seconds of the game. Let’s be honest, nobody thought IU stood a chance against the second ranked team in the nation, but we did expect the team to be hyped up and ready to play from the opening whistle. Ohio State shot the three the way IU shot the three against Kent State in the 2002 tournament. (Hornsby, Coverdale, and Fife hit their first 8 three point shots and a game total of 15-19! I smile just thinking about that game.)

After IU found itself down 15 at halftime, they seemed to settle down. Well, everyone settled down except our big men decided to try the “let’s foul Sullinger every time he touches the ball” technique. I did not understand why Elston, Pritchard, and Capobianco were fouling Sullinger early in the second half. Not only were they fouling him, but they were not fouling him hard enough so it disrupted his shot. Also, I did not like Tom Crean’s comment that the best defense against Sullinger was sitting on the end of the bench (Guy). Well, we don’t have him on the roster and it is up to the coach to figure out what we need to do to move on without him. Let’s pick up our heads and tackle the problem before we turn every opposing big man into the next Wilt Chamberlain!

Now for some of the positives I found while watching the game. The first was the play of Christian Watford, especially in the second half. I noticed that he was looking to score more and was not intimidated to go into the teeth of the defense. Also, Jordan Hulls and Victor Oladipo had their offense in the groove in the second half. Also, Oladipo was doing his best AJ Moye verses Carlos Boozer impersonation (2002 IU vs. Duke). The ref called a foul, but replay showed there was no foul, not even close.

Up Next: January 4^th @ Minnesota

Thoughts from an Alumnus-Penn State

I am not going to waste too much time reflecting on the Penn State game because I am sure everybody has the same feelings about how the game went. Indiana was horrible. I was embarrassed that we were beat by PSU at home. There was not any part of the game that I was proud to say that I am an alumnus from Indiana University. That is all that I am going to say about that game!

Now I am going to discuss what most of the twitter board and the local radio shows were talking about after the game: Coach Tom Crean. Is his honeymoon over? Should the fans be questioning the head coach’s style? Why doesn’t he show more emotion on the sideline? Etc….. I understand that many people are frustrated with the effort that the team is showing on the court and they have been blaming the players for the past two years and they are now looking past the players to the head coach. I, on the other hand, am not there yet. Indiana’s pre-Big 10 schedule was one of the easiest in the nation and our hopes were up thinking that we were better than we actually are. I know that we are starting off many games slowly and if we wouldn’t have had such a big deficit to overcome we might have won the past three games. I am as frustrated as anybody with how we have played over the past two weeks, but I also remember how low we were two years ago. Coach Crean is building the program and we have come a long way in a short amount of time. I, and the majority of the alumni, realize where the program is going and we are on board. However, the “Big Heads” were cute when we had a roster full of walk-ons, but I think it is time to put them away. The heads just make us look like a JV team.

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