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…

Two teams that are seemingly on a mission. One that is just trying to gain some respect in the basketball community despite a good record,

Etwaun Moore

the other trying to gain back the respect they lost after a preseason status of very lofty rankings. Ohio State has gone through a virtual gauntlet to reach the championship game of the Big Ten tournament, undergoing tough games against Wisconsin and Michigan State. Purdue, on the other hand, has had a bit of an easier road. They first defeated Penn State and then Illinois–and while these teams aren’t awful by any means–they are probably collectively not as stroing as OSU’s opponents. However, the Boilermakers put a whooping on both of them, which absolutely must be taken into account.

Big Tenet Prediction: Purdue 72, Ohio State 66

Well, I haven’t picked the Buckeyes yet, so why start now, right? I am doing this by sheer numbers alone–in terms of depth. Being that this is the third game in as many days for both teams, Purdue has been lauded for its depth and ability to have the game shift to many different people. Meanwhile, Ohio St. has definitely broadened its offensive horizons past William Buford and Evan Turner, but I think it’s a lot to ask John Diebler, Dallas Lauderdale, or BJ Mullens to suddenly take over. They have all been playing solid, but in a game like this, I think that Purdue will wear them down with constant rotations and a slew of transition changes that will keep the Buckeyes from taking this game. Robbie Hummel should be able to have another great game, and I foresee him being named the Tourney’s MVP.

Big Tenet Prediction: Michigan State 73, Ohio State 65

Goran Suton

Well, my crystal ball was a bit fuzzy yesterday, what with me picking Wisconsin over Ohio State and Michigan over Illinois. However, I don’t think the crystal ball is tough to read in this ball game. For one, we’ve got Ohio State playing a superior grind-out game against Wisconsin just 24 hours ago and Michigan State having to utilize some clutch offense down the stretch against upstart Minnesota. So what does this mean for this game?

Well, if Tom Izzo has his way, I think he will push the ball early and often, utilizing an inside-outside game that will keep the Ohio State defense off balance. While he wishes he could put Travis Walton on Evan Turner, that obviously won’t happen due to the size disparity. So, that being said, it should be interesting to see the switches in both offensive schemes and tempo in this game, because I truly believe OSU Coach Thad Matta will try to keep this at a slower tempo while the Spartans will be looking more for a faster track meet to take advantage of Kalin Lucas’ and the suddenly-adept Chris Allen to take advantage of a weaker Ohio State backcourt defense.

Down low, the telling story will be how Delvon Roe and Goran Suton can handle the physical nature that the Buckeyes have started to employ–although I think Suton could potentially have a huge game if he gets it going early.

I’d love to see an upset, but Michigan State now has a #1 seeding in their sights, and to that end, won’t let this game go. My gut tells me that the Spartans lead throughout in the 6-10 point range and then keep it steady in the second half, closing it out again with tough free throw shooting in the end.

Saying that this is a tale of two very different teams is an understatement. Ohio State started off red hot and had some

Marcus Landry

huge victories; meanwhile, Wisconsin stumbled out of the gate in the Big Ten conference and has been playing catch up ever since. Ohio State, on the other hand, has cooled off and has for the most part been underachieving. So, it’s only fitting that these two teams square off in the first round, because both have a lot to gain and a lot to lose in this contest. In order for the Buckeyes to go deep, the inside presence of Dallas Lauderdale and B.J. Mullens is an absolute must to give Evan Turner and William Buford open looks. This could be Mullens’ coming out party if the Buckeyes make a run. Wisconsin, on the other hand, continues to execute their game plans painfully–but with a winning edge. Arguably the hottest team in the Big Ten after finishing the season 7-2 with their only losses on the road at Michigan State and Minnesota, the Badgers have everyone scared of them again. Marcus Landry will need to work hard to get the Buckeyes in foul trouble for Wisconsin to lull the Buckeyes to sleep. In the season’s only match up, Wisconsin eeked by OSU at home.

Big Tenet Prediction: Wisconsin 61 Ohio State 55

Bo Ryan is one of those methodical coaches in the country, and he will pick apart the Badgers by pressuring the ball and harrassing Turner, who is basically the emotional and offensive catalyst the Buckeyes must have to win. Solid defense down the stretch and a grind it out offense gives Wisconsin a tough win at Conseco.

I will just come out and say it. The Buckeyes are hands down the disappointment of the Big Ten season. Just a few weeks ago I would be

Evan Turner Ohio State

saying Wisconsin, but since then the Badgers have gone on a big time rush of wins, while the Buckeyes have faded–hard. After starting out 9-0 with impressive wins against Notre Dame and Miami FL, the Buckeyes have gone 8-8 and are currently on a three game losing streak. While Ohio State wasn’t exactly supposed to light up the rankings this year, they still have the talent to be much better than what they are currently doing.

Remaining Conference games: 4

vs. Penn State: Win

The Buckeyes have a bit of an athletic edge on the Nittany Lions and will be revved up for this win after falling to Illinois. The best match up will be Evan Turner versus Jamelle Cornley.

at Purdue: Loss

The Boilermakers are way too deep for the Buckeyes and with Purdue fighting for the Big Ten title, Ohio State doesn’t stand a chance with this one.

at Iowa: Win

Ohio State’s inside game may prove too much for the Hawkeyes. Actually, with the game being played in Iowa, this is kind of a toss up, but I think that the Buckeyes don’t let this one get away.

vs. Northwestern: Win

This one will be big for the Buckeyes–as this will put Ohio State over the .500 hump in the Big Ten and put them in position for an NCAA seed.

Big Ten Tournament Outlook: If they face Minnesota or Wisconsin, it will be over for them. If it’s Michigan or Northwestern, the Buckeyes will be in the second round, but more than likely will be facing Michigan State or Purdue second round, where their run will end.

Postseason Tournament Outlook: If they win 1 game in the Big Ten tourney, the NCAA committee will be hard pressed to not let them in at 21-10 with several quality wins, although they probably will end up with a 9 or 10 seed. If they lose the first round match up in the tournament, it will be the NIT for Ohio St. and they should do well there.

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.

Ohio State had certainly built a decent resume for itself with a very impressive nonconference run, beating Miami, Notre Dame, and Butler, and looked to go into the Big Ten season undefeated, until the Mountaineers from West Virginia squared off against them in their Big Ten warm up game. And it wasn’t pretty–the Bucks losing by almost 30 at home–and since then, it hasn’t gotten much better.

Ohio State fell under .500 in the Big Ten with a double digit loss at home to Michigan State, dropping the Buckeyes to 13-5 overall. It was the fifth loss since that fateful West Virginia game on Dec. 27th, and while over all that means they’ve gone 4-5 since that time which isn’t all in all terrible, 2 of the four wins came against Indiana and Houston Baptist, teams obviously not of great caliber.

What has happened here?

Well, perhaps something can be said for the strength of the conference, but it can also be traced back to the loss of David Lighty to injury. The statistics didn’t often show Lighty as a leader, but his experience as well as assisting with bringing a young team along was like having a coach on the floor. And without Lighty, the team has struggled to find an identity. It still is fuzzy as to Lighty’s return, but with the way the schedule plays out for the Buckeyes, they had better find a way to get things going or this once-promising season may only spell out NIT in the end.

Steve Lavin made actually one of those “Master of the Obvious” comments during the Illinois-Ohio State game, stating that Illinois is basically the same team minus Dominique Keller and Alex Legion that lost 19 games last year. The thing is–the point he was making was that this team is now 16-3 as opposed to one from last year that just couldn’t seem to do anything and threatened Bruce Weber’s job.

So, is one year of maturity that much of a difference?

In Illinois’ case, absolutely. In the drubbing of Ohio State, the teamwork, hustle, shooting prowess, and depth made the Buckeyes just look bad all around, where Ohio State coach Thad Matta even commented that his team just looked shell-shocked in the first half, and it was every bit a part of the Illini’s great defense and shooting.

Keller had perhaps his best game of the season for the Illini, slicing inside of the match up zone, and the defense harrassed the Buckeyes into several unforced errors. While BJ Mullens had another improved game and he is showing sure signs of superstardom, it was no match for the upstart Illini overall.

Normally I am not too surprised when it comes to players opting to go for the bucks and bling of the NFL. But in the case of Chris Wells, I am at this point…Beanie, who came into the season as a Heisman candidate, was injured a lot this year but when he played–he was very good. He ended his college career with a great performance against Texas, but even then was hurt a lot of the second half.

So will NFL teams take Wells with this in mind? Apparently so–he’s already slated to be one of the top RBs in the draft. I just don’t get it–injury-plagued for 11-12 games and then going against super studs for 16+, and there’s no concern? Well, I guess that’s why I am not an NFL scout….

Read more here about Wells’ decision.

It’s kind of ironic to think that a team that made it to the BCS and lost actually gained respect, but in my book, that’s exactly what the Ohio State Buckeyes did. Yes, they lost a huge game to the Texas Longhorns, and yes, they gave them too much time at the end of the game, but other than the last drive of the game, the Buckeyes played stellar ball and gave Colt McCoy every bit he could handle. I am proud of being a Big Ten fan despite going 1-6 in the bowl season, and much of it is in due part to this game.

So call me a loser, call me someone who is relishing in defeat, but I look at it as a silver lining–Ohio State was given no chance in this game, not even by myself who supports the conference. But what they did was make every BCS promoter sweat until Quan Crosby crossed the goal line with less than 30 seconds left to give the Longhorns the victory.

Jim Tressel had them guessing–rotating Todd Boeckman and Terrelle Pryor? Putting Pryor at receiver? Those are things you just don’t normally do in a huge bowl, but that’s exactly what Tressel did, and the Ohio State defense rattled McCoy almost the entire first half and if it wasn’t for a huge adjustment that Mack Brown did in putting a hurry up offense in the second half that knocked the defense off balance, you may have been reading a different headline to this. Because that’s what it took to win the game over the Buckeyes–the Longhorns couldn’t beat them straight up, and had to adjust considerably from what they had done in the first half–which is ok, that’s what good teams do. But no one expected that McCoy and Co. would have to do as much to get the W.

Pryor was outstanding in an all-purpose way, the defense showed poise, Boeckman gained back the confidence he had lost, Beanie Wells looked solid, it was just a simple drive that beat the Buckeyes, and I know everyone will say “well if they were that good they should have won…” and you’re right. But to be sitting in bed watching this game to the final tics was enthralling and exhilirating to me.

Ohio State has nothing to be ashamed of; they came back from adversity and played their hearts out. It just didn’t turn out the way they really wanted it to in the end.