And Then There Was One

Five Big Ten teams down. Michigan State to go after coming back from a 13 point deficit to send last year's national champions packing for Lawrence, Kansas.

(3) Kansas 62, (2) Michigan State 67

* From Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS -- Goran Suton scored 20 points and Michigan State was steady from the foul line, defeating defending NCAA champion Kansas 67-62 Friday night in the Midwest Regional semifinals.

Kalin Lucas added 18 points for the Spartans (29-6).

Michigan State advanced to play Louisville on Sunday for a trip to the Final Four. The top-seeded Cardinals defeated Arizona 103-64 earlier in the night.

Sherron Collins scored 20 points and Cole Aldrich had 17 points and 14 rebounds for Kansas (27-7).

Iowa Basketball Coverage

Daily Iowan

Four players leaving Iowa basketball program
Jake Kelly to leave Hawkeyes
Basketball's Jermain Davis to Transfer

Rivals

Gatens and Tucker support Coach Lickliter
Barta pledges support for Lickliter
Lickliter confirms four players leaving

Press-Citizen

Photo Gallery: Lickliter News Conference
Peterson, Palmer also leave Hawkeyes
Lickliter to hold press conference
Father: Kelly leaving Iowa
Future looks rough for Hawkeyes

Follow The Leader

All I can say is, thank God you only need five players to field a team in basketball seeing as Iowa will have six scholarship players returning next year after three Hawkeyes followed Junior Jermain Davis' announced exodus on Monday.

Those who followed suit:

• Jake Kelly: 32 games, 11.6 ppg, twice Big Ten Player of the Week, all-Big Ten Honorable Mention. Averaged 30.8 minutes.
  
• David Palmer: 19 games, 4.1 ppg, averaged 20 points in back-to-back games Jan 18 and 21.
  
• Jeff Peterson: 25 games, 10.6 ppg, 4.2 assists per game, averaged 33 minutes.

(P.S. - Dear Jeff Peterson: This picture was ONLY taken because you asked for it to be. Happy trails. )

Everyone by now has already read/seen coach Todd Lickliter's press conference and knows what this means. However let's take a look at what I will and won't miss about each of these players.

Jermain Davis


Jermain, you jump really high. I wish I had your "hops" because I would be quite dominant at volleyball. I will also miss this priceless picture of your "I'm playing TOUGH defense" face.

However, dearest Jermain, I will NOT miss your for limping across the court for no reason every time you played, which really irritated me and my friends when we watched. El Fin.



David Palmer

David, I will miss the excitement you brought with your mid-season performances which you pulled out of your ass. Forty points in two games? What the...oh well, I'll take it.

However, David, I will not miss the fact you didn't even see the court in your final four contests. Not only that, after you scored 40 points in two games, you scored 21 points the rest of the season in eight games played. I will also not miss the completely enthused face you wear around 24/7. El Fin.

Jeff Peterson

Jeff, Jeff, Jeff...I will miss the hope of you being a pretty descent point guard by the time you would have been a senior. I will also miss your...courage?...to get under the basket for a rebound when there are four other guys on the court way bigger than you trying to rebound at half-court. A great effort you gave. Also, we had quite a funny conversation before you, perhaps accidentally and not in the best state of mind, told me a couple of weeks ago that Kelly would be transferring to Indiana State, and that you and Davis would also be packing your bags.

However, I won't miss your awful assists/turnover ration, especially in losses to teams like West Virginia when you had seven. I mean come on, not everyone washes their hands in butter before they play. Why did you have to?

Jake Kelly

Oh Jake...Jake! Jake! Jake!... Jake "the snake" Kelly.... At least you became an incredible player this year. It was pretty fun to have someone on Iowa's basketball team to actually root for. I will miss seeing an Iowa player average about 20 points per game consistently.

However, Jake "I should stop trying to showboat while dribbling" Kelly, I will not miss your showboating while you dribble. I will also not miss the way you wear your Indiana Pacers hat around campus. El Fin.
_______________

Oh, and Hawks, best of luck next year when you go to that tournament in Kansas City that features Pittsburgh, Texas, and Wichita State. Yeeeesh.

El Fin.

Hey Lickliter, Where's the Sushi?!

Let’s get this out of the way – Iowa basketball fans are few and far between this season, and the few that stay glued can only cross their fingers.

That being said, a whole new season starts today when the Big Ten Tournament tips off at 12:00 ET.

Tenth-seeded Iowa (15-16, 5-13) will take to the court against seventh-seeded Michigan (19-12, 9-9) at 1:30 p.m., a rematch of last year’s first round. Ninth-seeded Michigan won over eighth-seeded Iowa, 55-47.

In his second season coaching the Hawkeyes, Todd Lickliter led Iowa to a one and one record against the Wolverines, the latest being a 70-60 overtime thriller on Feb. 22 in Iowa City.

“Hopefully Iowa will come out with a spark since they already have a win under their belts against Michigan,” Coralville resident Mike Ephraim, said. “It’s a small crowd out there hoping for the best.”

Hawkeye fans will surely not be helping ESPN 2's ratings, and the venue will probably be close to empty.

“I haven’t watched a game all year and I don’t even know who is on the team,” University of Iowa sophomore Jessica Anderson, said. “Does that make me a bad supporter? I know there’s that Jake guy!”

Yes, there is that Jake guy, Jessica. He is Jake Kelly, the new 6-foot-6-inch star point guard, and he holds the key to success at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis this weekend.

Kelly is averaging 20.4 points over Iowa's last seven outings since taking over for injured sophomore point guard Jeff Peterson, and he has played 326 of a possible 335 minutes in Iowa's last eight games.

He has also nabbed his second Big Ten Player of the Week honor in the past three weeks, as well as honorable mention for all-Big Ten honors.

So where are these fans? Where are Kelly’s fans?

“I’m a huge Hawkeye fan but feel that their game play is sub par so I’ve only gone to one game and they lost,” UI junior Brett Kuzniar said. “Too bad Jake decided to show up with only a few games left because their play caused the fans to not appreciate them.”

Like Kuzniar, most of these fans are doing what they call “something better than watching Iowa basketball.”

One thing that could be under this category is eating at Sushi Kitchen in Iowa City’s Old Capitol Mall.

Maybe the basketball team just needs a new diet to go along with their new point guard. That’s it! I’ve got the answer – a simple math equation.

Iowa men’s basketball + Sushi Kitchen = Success.

They should have stopped to eat at Sushi Kitchen on the way out of town. The Iowa wrestling team practically eats there every night and look how they perform.

Either way, new diet or not, the Hawkeyes need a little bit of that thing called luck.

“I think the momentum they have from the double overtime win against Penn State can carry them to an unexpected win against Michigan,” Ephraim said. “Cross your fingers.”

Mike Ephraim, Brett Kuzniar, Jessica Anderson, Mike Pugh, Spencer Clark

Challenge Blog: FIGHT!

So...everybody (ok, maybe not everyone) enjoys fighting in sports. Here are some of my favorites. Feel free to post links to videos you like, and I'll continue to add more.

Hockey Fight - Flyers v. Ottawa. My favorite fight ever.




Oregon's mascot is the man. or woman. either way.



Zidane Headbutt



NBA Saudi



Baseball fight - How it begins...amazing.

2009 Big Ten Tournament Prediction

Click on the bracket to enlarge the photo. Also, I hope Iowa proves me a foolish predictor.

Kelly Nabs Honors Again

For the second time in three weeks, Iowa sophomore Jake Kelly earned Big Ten player of the week honors.

The honor comes after the Hawkeyes' thrilling 75-67 double-overtime win over Penn State on Saturday. Kelly had a double-double scoring 22 points and dishing out 11 assists.

Kelly is averaging 20.4 points over Iowa's last seven outings, and he has played 326 of a possible 335 minutes in Iowa's last eight games.

The Big Ten Player of the Week honor is the second for Kelly and the second for an Iowa player this season.

Kelly Rumor

I must note I don't have any citation for this, it's just word of mouth.

Rumor has it that the latest face of the Iowa men's basketball team, Jake Kelly, may transfer next season. I have a few friends that have class with Kelly. Apparently, he was speaking to a friend about it while walking out of the classroom.

Last night I brought the rumor to the attention of a friend, and he said he had heard the same thing.

Let's hope Jake stays because that would cause the basketball team to implode and never recover.

Has anyone else heard this? If Kelly transfers, do you think Matt Gatens would think about it?

Close, But No Cigar for Iowa

When the margin of victory is slim, the Hawkeyes are right there. However, there were six games, all against tough teams, in which Todd Lickliter's squad lost by 4 points or less. Although Iowa still has one more contest at home against Penn State on Saturday, let's look back and see all the games the Hawks lost by a few points and why they didn't win. Hopefully Todd Lickliter will be able to capture these close games in the Big Ten Tournament and next season.

Losses and Margin of Defeat

Tue, Dec 2 @ Boston College: B.C. 57, Iowa 55 — 2 points

• Andrew Brommer missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 0.4 seconds — the only free-throw Iowa missed all game (8-9).

Wed, Dec 31 @ Ohio State: Ohio State 68, Iowa 65 — 3 points

• In an exchange of 3 point runs, Ohio State's John Deibler made everything he just threw up (7-10, 27 points).

Thu, Jan 8 v. Minnesota: Minnesota 52, Iowa 49 — 3 points

• Iowa can't finish as they blow a 13 point lead.

Sat, Jan 24 @ Penn State: Penn State 63, Iowa 59 — 4 points

• Hawkeyes let a 14 point lead dissapear. PSU's Jamelle Cornley too much inside (14 points).

Sat, Feb 14 v. Purdue: (19) Purdue 49, Iowa 45 — 4 points

• Iowa plagued by injuries. Purdue shot awful (20-43, 3-16 from 3). Iowa tired out.

Tue, Mar 3 v. Ohio State: Ohio State 60, Iowa 58 — 2 points

• Jermaine Davis misses a layup with seven seconds left that would have tied the game. Davis also got a good look at a 3 as time expired, but the ball rimmed out. Not in the cards for Iowa.
  

Buckeyes Prevail, Spartans Clinch

Ohio State 60, Iowa 58

The win for the Buckeyes (19-9, 9-8) was their first on the road since Jan. 31 at Indiana. Evan Turner scored 22 and had 9 assists for Ohio State.

Devan Bawinkel scored a career high and led all scorers with 24 points for the Hawkeyes (14-16, 4-13) on 8-of-13 shooting from behind the arc. Jake Kelly continued a hot shooting performance for Iowa, scoring 19 points and pounding the glass for 11 rebounds.

With seven seconds left, Jermaine Davis missed a layup that would have tied the game for Iowa, and he also shot a 3-pointer at the buzzer that looked good before it rimmed out.

The loss marks the fifth in the last six for Iowa.

(8) Michigan State 64, Indiana 59

By Michael Marot, AP Sports Writer

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP)—Tom Izzo spent most of Tuesday night scratching his head.

Now he can worry about protecting his soon-to-be clean skull.

On a night No. 8 Michigan State was anything but razor-sharp, Kalin Lucas and Raymar Morgan dug down and carried the Spartans to a 64-59 Big Ten title-clinching victory at Indiana to set up Izzo’s haircutting appointment after the NCAA tournament.

“Yeah, I don’t lie to my students,” Izzo said reluctantly, referring to the promise he made last fall to shave his head if the Spartans won their first outright league title in a decade.

Losing the locks was the least of Izzo’s concerns Tuesday.

He winced at his team’s uncharacteristic sloppiness, its inability to put away the short-handed Hoosiers and the continual calls from officials. Izzo even drew a technical foul during a second-half television timeout for arguing with the referees.

But after this decade-long drought, during which the Spartans (24-5, 14-3) made three Final Four appearances and won a national title, they’ll take anything they can get—even Izzo’s hair.

“It would be kind of crazy to see Coach Izzo bald and nobody’s ever seen him bald before,” said Lucas, who led the Spartans with 15 points. “That would be a different look for him.”

Unfortunately, for Indiana, this game had a familiar script.

The Hoosiers stayed close most of the night and even rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit before running out of gas. They missed eight free throws and couldn’t take advantage of four opportunities to tie the score or take the lead in the final 3:31.

Verdell Jones led the Hoosiers with 15 points. Nick Williams and Malik Story each had 11, not quite enough to avoid an eighth straight loss or two more dubious distinctions in Hoosiers history.

Indiana (6-23, 1-16) finished 5-10 at Assembly Hall, the fewest home wins since going 5-6 in 1969-70. The Hoosiers also matched the 1943-44 team for the worst home winning percentage (.333) in school history.

Coach Tom Crean, who was once on Izzo’s staff, saw it another way.

“We’re starting to play our best basketball because our mind-set is so right,” he said. “We played a great team tonight and we knew we would have to be almost flawless to beat them. They could have packed it in at the 13-point deficit, but they didn’t do it like they have in past games. That’s a sign of maturity.”

For the Spartans, the close call was a hair-raising experience.

They were heavily favored over Indiana’s short-handed team and had another advantage when the Hoosiers’ top scorer, Devan Dumes, went down with what appeared to be a right knee injury less than four minutes into the game. Dumes did not return, and Crean did not provide any additional details afterward.

“We’re not even sure if we can call it day-to-day right now,” Crean said.

Yet that wasn’t enough to make the feisty Hoosiers go away.

Morgan had 14 points and seven rebounds, and his thunderous dunk off a rebound with 27.5 seconds to go finally gave the Spartans a two-possession cushion. Lucas and Morgan sealed it by making three free throws in the final 15.5 seconds.

But Izzo was surprised his team didn’t play better two days after winning at Illinois.

The Spartans committed 14 turnovers and couldn’t seal until the final seconds because they scored only three points over an 8 1/2 -minute stretch.

That gave Indiana a chance to rally.

After trailing 56-43 with 9:10 to go, the Hoosiers scored on two straight possessions and Matt Roth hit two free throws after the technical to make it 56-49. Malik Story followed that with a driving layup to make it 58-51. When freshman walk-on Daniel Moore hit two free throws and Williams hit a 3-pointer from the right wing, Indiana was suddenly within 59-56 with 4:42 left.

Jones then missed 2-of-3 free throws and a potential go-ahead 3-pointer, and Michigan State’s defense buckled down to clinch the title—and force Izzo to grudgingly admit he would hold up his end of the deal.

“I lie to my other people, but I don’t lie to my students, which will be embarrassing,” Izzo said. “I’m not going to embarrass my team in the NCAA tournament. I’m going to wait till it’s all over and embarrass my wife then.”

Walton: First Goal Accomplished

(9) Michigan State 74, (20) Illinois 66

Champaign, Ill. – Michigan State held its own after allowing the Illini to fight back in the second half to earn at least a share of the 2008-09 Big Ten Championship.

The title is coach Tom Izzo's fifth, and the Spartans' first since 2001. But, the game may have been more special to senior Travis Walton.

Walton is the only senior on the team who hasn't won a Big Ten Tournament Championship, or reached the final four. If the Spartans don't reach one of those marks this year, Walton would be the only senior to play for Tom Izzo in the last seven years and not reach either goal.

However, his first goal was to win a Big Ten championship and have a banner in the rafters. Now he's helped that goal become a reality.

Sophomore – and possible Big Ten Player of the Year – Kalin Lucas led Michigan State with 18 points, and Walton added 8 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals.

Raymar Morgan scored 14 in 22 minutes, the most the Junior has played since Jan. 17 against Illinois, playing 31 minutes.

Morgan has missed 4 games and played only 64 minutes in the last 9 games as he was recovering from walking pneumonia. Morgan's performance is a good sign for Izzo's crew as they head towards the Big Ten and NCAA tournament where they will likely by a No. 2 seed.

The Spartans have two contests remaining but will focus first on their Mar. 3 contest at Indiana before finishing the regular season at home against (16) Purdue.

If Michigan State wins out they will outright claim the Big Ten championship.