Travis Walton

Michigan State and Purdue had some big time struggles in their second round games, with each coming down to the waning minutes before both teams snatched victory. From a seeding standpoint, Purdue was the only mild upset, with a 5 over a 4 seed in Washington. But in everyone else’s case for the Big Ten seeds, they lost and are not in the Sweet 16.  So was it really all that a surprise that only 2 of 7 got further?

Ten NCAA Observations about the Big Ten

1) Illinois could have been the biggest disappointment of the bunch. The Illini really never had a chance in their game against Western Kentucky and only a flourish at the end made it respectable. Bruce Weber better get the offense more consistent next year if the Illini want to improve.

2) Travis Walton showed fans across the country just how deep the Michigan State Spartans are with his offensive performance against USC. If things like this keep happening, the grins will be permanent in East Lansing.

3) Michigan definitely has reason to believe that they are certainly a team of the future. They beat a good Clemson team and gave Oklahoma all they could handle before folding.

4) Purdue hasn’t been winning pretty, but that doesn’t matter at this point of the game. Their depth is also something to take note of and they will need every bit of it against the white-hot UCONN Huskies.

5) Minnesota certainly impressed me in their game against Texas. I personally thought that the game was almost unwinnable as soon as I heard it announced, and the Gophers really played the Longhorns with every bit of heart they had. Tubby Smith ought to be very proud of his team and excited about their future.

6) Ohio State’s loss to Siena was kind of surprising–kind of. Siena was actually one of those teams that everyone thought could make a run–and even though the Buckeyes were playing decently close to home,  I still thought that Evan Turner would win this game for OSU. But don’t fret–I got a feeling he’ll be back and very tough next year.

7) Wisconsin’s first round victory over Florida State should have given a bit of respect to the naysayers of the Big Ten. A win over Xavier would have solidified the legitimacy of the conference. Now it’s up to the Boilers and Spartans to keep the conference faith alive.

Proponents of the Big East have said that this is best conference ever according to the talent in this year’s pool. Well, I gotta say that they are not too far from the truth. It’s clear these teams know how to win, and unlike the Big Ten teams who had their chances, can close when it counts.

9) JaJuan Johnson is quickly becoming a huge X factor in almost all Purdue games and his NBA stock is rising exponentially. While he has said he intends on returning next year, he also hasn’t ruled out going pro. I think it all depends on his performance against UCONN that may make the difference on that huge of a stage.

10) The Kansas-Michigan State match up is really an interesting one. Michigan State beat them pretty bad a couple of months ago, but Kansas has improved greatly–winning 16 of their last 19. Izzo definitely knows how to plan for this team, but can he beat them again? Bill Self certainly has the pedigree in the tournament now to really question that…

Chester frazier Mike Tisdale Bruce Weber

This by far at this point is one of the more intriguing games of the tournament. Yes, Wisconsin and Ohio State should be a really good game, but the Illinois-Michigan battle really has a lot of things that could happen here. With senior captain Chester Frazier out for this game and possibly longer, the Illini will look for leadership that will be sorely missed with Frazier’s absence. The Illini also have been great defensively all year but suspect on the offensive end from time to time, and usually the X factor has been Trent Meachem. When he’s hot, the Illini usually roll, but when he’s off, everyone seems to struggle. As the purest shooter on the team, that’s no surprise. For Illinois to improve their seeding in this tournament, they will need large performances from Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale and hope that Alex Legion can get his stuff together NOW.

Michigan, on the other hand, has really kicked things up a notch and beat the living crap out of Iowa. Not to disrespect the Hawkeyes, but while this game wasn’t ALL that difficult even on paper, the fact that Michigan embarrassed the Hawks by almost 30 is something you simply can’t ignore. So the question is, will the hot shooting continue against Illinois, or will there be a fatigue factor involved?

Big Tenet’s Prediction: Michigan 69 Illinois 66

Yes, my first upset pick. The teams split the series and played evenly against each other in both matchups, but the loss of Frazier will really have an impact on the team’s chemistry, especially if it’s Legion who has to log more minutes, because frankly I have yet to see him embrace the “team” concept the Illini employ. Likewise, with the Wolverines shooting the lights out and with some of the three point prowess they have, it’s likely that this game will come down to the shooting beyond the arc, and I can really envision a shot at the buzzer winning it for Michigan. Sorry, Illini fans.

DeShawn Sims Manny Harris

The skinny: Michigan is still hinging its NCAA hopes on its performance in the Big Ten tournament. Despite winning several games against great teams, the Wolverines do not have a gaudy record and have been wildly inconsistent. For the Wolverines to succeed, success largely lays on the broad shoulders of All-Big Ten first teamer Manny Harris and the depth the Wolverines possess. Iowa, on the other hand, has been playing good ball as of late–at least competitive ball–and the emergence of Sophomore Jake Kelly has everyone a little nervous. The Hawkeyes haven’t been really that great offensively all year and have for the most part been underachievers. Still, the two team split the series over the season and this game is definitely not a one-sided affair.

Big Tenet’s Prediction: Michigan 74, Iowa 60

Harris and DeShawn Sims will pick apart the Hawkeye defense early, and despite a good game by Cyrus Tate and another great showing by hometown hero Kelly, the Maize and Blue cruise in the second half. Michigan has much more to play for than Iowa and Coach John Beilein will make sure they advance to the next round.

Lawrence Westbrook

Well, if Minnesota pulls out the “W” in Champaign last night, this certainly would have been a much more pertinent and exciting post. But, alas, they did not, and with it comes a more downtrodden look at the Golden Gophers. More blah than anything. Why? Because that’s kind of what Minnesota is–blah. They aren’t flashy, they don’t have stars, but they are 20-8. Why is that? Because of their star roaming the sidelines–Tubby Smith. The team started off 16-1 but have only gone 4-7 since that time, which does not bode well for their NCAA chances. But–it is still very possible.

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John Beilein

In the world of college basketball, there is no denying that parity is king across the conferences and has been for quite some time. But when it comes to the Michigan Wolverines, not only has parity played a part in their season, but the Wolverines have had the highest highs and the lowest lows as well in what can wholeheartedly be attributed to a team of very good talent but not mature in experience against other seasoned teams in the rough and tumble Big Ten. Currently at 17-10 and 7-7 in the conference, the Wolverines are still a huge question marks–maybe even to themselves.

Remaining Conference games: 4

at Iowa: Loss

While on paper the Wolverines should win this game, I have a feeling that Todd Lickliter will have his crew ready after 8 days of rest.  Michigan has had 2 tough games back to back in terms of emotion and physical nature, so score the Hawkeyes for the upset here.

vs. Purdue: Win

I am doing this solely on the factor that if Michigan loses at Iowa, the boys will be aching to beat a great team again, and it also follows the inconsistency that the Maize and Blue have been painfully enduring this year.

at Wisconsin: Loss

Let’s face it, Wisconsin now at home with the level of pay they have been at for the last few weeks is probably more of a tough venue than Breslin or Mackey is. The slowdown Badgers will lull Michigan to sleep.

at Minnesota: Win

Another upset I am calling here–based on the fact that this win will basically put the Wolverines at 9-9 in play and keep them potentially alive for an NCAA bid. Combine that with the athletic ability that Manny Harris has and being given the driver’s seat for his team in this game, chalk up a dub for U-M.

Big Ten Tournament Outlook: One and done. The Wolverines will more than likely be playing Ohio State or Minnesota in the first round, and I don’t think they can do it at this level. Sorry folks.

Postseason Outlook: NIT. This is based on the fact that the Wolverines won’t go far in the Big Ten tourney and not getting 20 wins. However, this is a good step for the program after a horrible 07-08, but it will still be a disappointment.

After the first half of the Big Ten basketball season, there have been some surprises from certain players and there have been some that have lived up to their hype. While teams like Illinois and Minnesota have proven to be solid game in game out which wasn’t exactly expected, Michigan State has stayed the course and Purdue has gotten back their swagger as of late as well.

So with a little less than a month left in the season, what will the All-Big Ten team shape up to look like?

Here’s how I see it…

G Talor Battle, Penn State Nittany Lions–18.2 ppg (leads league), 5.2 assists per game (tied for first in league)–no guard has upped his game the way Battle has this year. In fact, he’s one of the main reasons the Nittany Lions have a very legitimate shot at making the NCAAs. He is not only a shoo-in for this team, but I think he has a very good shot at getting league MVP.

G Manny Harris, Michigan Wolverines–17.5 ppg (2nd), 7.3 rpg (3rd), 4.3 apg Harris has lived up to the billing that he started the year with and has really catapulted the turnaround in Ann Arbor. He’s also vastly improved in holding on to the ball this year and is every bit of the leader that Coach John Beilein needed to turn his team around.

G Craig Moore, Northwestern Wildcats–15.3 ppg (tied for 4th),76 3 pointers (43% from the arc). Kevin Coble may get all the pub and the hype, but Moore is the catalyst that allows for the defenses to extend and give Coble the open looks he needs. Moore is a sharpshooting senior who definitely can get the job done when needed.

F Evan Taylor, Ohio State Buckeyes–17 ppg (3rd), 7.5 rpg (3rd) While Taylor is 6-7, he qualifies as a tweener guard-forward. Turner is by far the biggest surprise of the 2008-09, as the sophomore has doubled his scoring average from 2008 and has really kept the Buckeyes in the Big Ten hunt. He certainly has impressed me.

C JaJuan Johnson, Purdue Boilermakers–13.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 55% shooting from the field. While Robbie Hummel and Chris Kramer have fought through injuries during the year, Johnson has quietly become the team’s leader and is a beast inside. Not only has he been a central buoy for the Boilermakers, he’s also proven that he has the defensive chops, only averaging 1.7 fouls per game, a phenomenal figure considering his position.

Is it just me in this thinking, or does it seem to be destined that the Big Ten Conference Trophy is going to end up in the state of Michigan? With the Michigan State Spartans currently sitting at 3-0 and Michigan improving to 3-1 after a ho-hum victory over a decent Iowa team, both of these teams seem to be heads and above others in the conference–for now.

Manny Harris scored 18 and had 8 boards with 5 dimes in the win over the Hawkeyes. DeShawn Sims added 16 and was the only other Wolverine in double figures. Unlike the Spartans, these guys seem to be the ones that MUST play well, so they had better find a third and maybe fourth consistent scoring option if they want to keep this momentum going into the postseason.

Iowa, on the other hand, is trying to get the bleeding to stop. They fell to 1-3 in the conference and committed 18 turnovers. The Hawkeyes are still relatively young, but I would have thought that after the emotional win in Bloomington this week that the Maize and Blue may have been primed for a letdown game. But this game just looked way too easy for them—which is definitely the sign of a very good team.

I’m afraid–for the Big Ten.

Because what I witnessed tonight in Michigan’s 72-66 OT win against Indiana was really interesting–and a glimpse into the future. The Hoosiers, who are expected to be the doormat of the league this year, streaked out to a 20 point lead early in the second half, only to fold to Michigan’s long bombs and could not make free throws in overtime as the Wolverines did not walk–they ran out of Assembly Hall with an oh-too-close victory.

I am afraid for the Big Ten because of the fact that Tom Crean’s team is just not that good–their experience and talent level at this point shouldn’t even be comparable to many teams in the Big Ten–especially with the improvement the league as a whole has made. But with the heart that this team is already showing, in a couple years you WILL be seeing a return to prominence of this Indiana program–mark my words. By that time, the recruits will be rolling off the top of the heap, the younger players will have matured, and Crean’s system will be fully in place–this is just a foreshadowing of what is to come.

But you also can’t underscore the improvement of the Wolverines either. Manny Harris‘ leadership and DeShawn Sims ability to take over a game when he wants to–along with a slew of three point bombers–may well have this team positioned to finish high in the Big Ten and at the same time grab a good seed in the NCAAs. I realize that this is a bit premature considering the Big Ten season just started, but this team is FOR REAL.

When I started watching the game, I thought-well this one will be over by the half–and it almost was–in IU’s favor. But then the leadership and talent caught up with the inexperience, turning the game upside down. But there’s one thing for sure–this is the reason why I love Big Ten basketball.

Perhaps the Gods of scheduling should have scheduled Michigan versus Duke in the Big Ten-ACC challenge. Maybe then I would be celebrating the first conference overall win in the series ever. Ah, one can dream.

This is stated because the Wolverines beat up on the Dukies in the second match up versus the ACC heavy of the season, downing the Blue Devils 81-73 in Ann Arbor. DeShawn Sims lead the Maize and Blue with 28 points, a career high. The win was the second of the season of not only a top ten team, but the second #4 team (the first was UCLA).

Looking at the statistics, the Blue Devils basically shot their way out of this game, making 7 threes, but taking 33 of them over the game for a whopping 21%. Michigan also helped themselves, only turning the ball over 11 times total for the game. However, I have already read Duke fans bellyaching that the discrepency at the foul line–22 attempts to 6 for the Blue Devils–was the biggest difference in the game and the catcalls has been of a “homer” refereeing job.

When you consider that over half of the Blue Devil’s shots were threes, which normally don’t have a good chance at getting fouled, I believe such a discrepency is valid–especially considering that Sims had 7 attempts at the line and he is normally an inside player where there IS a better chance of getting to the line. So, Duke fans…stand down. Your team is supposed to be the 4th best team in the country and just beat the heck out of Purdue–this should have been another victory for the Blue Devils on paper.

But give credit to Michigan coach John Beilein, who although he noted that it was just important for MIchigan to keep its head above water, has obviously shown his ability to reign in good talent and make it work in the biggest of games thus far. While some Big Ten teams seem to grasp defeat at the jaws of victory, the Wolverines are already the feel-good team of the year in my opinion.