Prior to conference play, Big Ten men's basketball looked like the most improved conference as teams compiled a winning percentage of .809 (106-25). Please, allow yourself to take a moment of time to thank the Indiana Hoosiers and their nine wonderful scholarship athletes for compiling nearly 30 percent of those losses.
Of course there were the typical non-conference poundings received from hardwood powerhouses such as ACC wonders North Carolina and Duke, as well as Gonzaga, Connecticut, and Texas, but the Big Ten had its moments too. Fighting Illini fans are popping corks in Champaign, Ill., after the team's 12-1 start sparked by the 7'1'' frame of sophomore center Mike Tisdale . And how about the Michigan Wolverines upsetting then-No. 4 UCLA – the first time they have beaten a top-5 opponent since 1997 (No.1 Duke) – before losing to Duke in the championship of the 2K Sports Classic. The Wolverines bounced back two weeks later against Duke handing the then-No. 4-ranked Blue Devils their only loss in the 2008-09 campaign. Hell, the Big Ten even came within a game of winning the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Since the start of conference play, the Big Ten has been fairly typical as teams beat each other up on their home courts, the bigger dogs seem to decide when the want to show up to play or not, and Ed Hightower is still making me crave a job where I would only have to get things right one-third of the time. Looking back at the Big Ten conference, whose winning percentage is now around .700, I've been thinking about the player who has made the most impact on each team. In the spirit of giving (otherwise known as there actually being 11 teams in the conference), I have composed a list of the most important role player from each team over the course of the season thus far. Go ahead and agree/disagree/agree to disagree if you must.
◊ Illinois: Mike Tisdale, C, sophomore.
◊ Indiana: N/A
◊ Iowa: Matt Gatens, G, freshman.
◊ Michigan: Manny Harris, G, sophomore.
◊ Michigan State: Kalin Lucas, G, sophomore.
◊ Minnesota: Damian Johnson, F, junior.
◊ Northwestern: Kevin Coble, F, junior.
◊ Ohio State: Evan Turner, G-F, sophomore.
◊ Penn State: Talor Battle, G, sophomore.
◊ Purdue: Robbie Hummel, F, sophomore.
◊ Wisconsin: Marcus Landry, F, senior.
Since the start of conference play, the Big Ten has been fairly typical as teams beat each other up on their home courts, the bigger dogs seem to decide when the want to show up to play or not, and Ed Hightower is still making me crave a job where I would only have to get things right one-third of the time. Looking back at the Big Ten conference, whose winning percentage is now around .700, I've been thinking about the player who has made the most impact on each team. In the spirit of giving (otherwise known as there actually being 11 teams in the conference), I have composed a list of the most important role player from each team over the course of the season thus far. Go ahead and agree/disagree/agree to disagree if you must.
◊ Illinois: Mike Tisdale, C, sophomore.
◊ Indiana: N/A
◊ Iowa: Matt Gatens, G, freshman.
◊ Michigan: Manny Harris, G, sophomore.
◊ Michigan State: Kalin Lucas, G, sophomore.
◊ Minnesota: Damian Johnson, F, junior.
◊ Northwestern: Kevin Coble, F, junior.
◊ Ohio State: Evan Turner, G-F, sophomore.
◊ Penn State: Talor Battle, G, sophomore.
◊ Purdue: Robbie Hummel, F, sophomore.
◊ Wisconsin: Marcus Landry, F, senior.
I'd now like to take a moment to talk about my blog for the spring semester. It is as advertised in the title, however, there will be periodic ramblings, rants, and debatable topics posted as well, some of which may occasionally stem from or have nothing at all to do with the Big Ten. I encourage those of you who take interest in my blog to provide input through comments. Finally, I will try to conclude all of my entries with a "sports fan of the day," but it will be left up to you as to whether it belongs in the ranks of the best or worst sports fans.
Check out today's sports fan here
Cheers.
Check out today's sports fan here
Cheers.
I agree about Ed Hightower. Why do announcers always say he's one of the best? In some games he is so awful it's ridiculous. It seems like he's trying to be a part of the action instead of just calling the game.
ReplyDeleteAs far your "most important role player" for each team, I really can't disagree too much if you're really just stating who each team's best player is. But why no player for Indiana? How about Tom Pritchard, who's averaging 12 points and 7 boards. And for Minnesota I'd probably take Al Nolen. His overall line is outstanding (8.4 pts, 5.2 asts, 3.7 rbds, 2.2 stls).