Big Ten Country

An Ugly Beginning

Bowl season is off to an ugly start for the Big Ten, as we get set to head into New Year's action tomorrow. Purdue fell behind Maryland early and was never able to make a game of the Champs Sports Bowl on Friday night. Tom Kubat of The Journal & Courier explains why the Boilermakers are nursing a bowl hangover. That same evening, Minnesota looked like they were ready to get the conference off to a good start. Instead they made the kind of history you don't want to make. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune provides the breakdown of how a 31-point lead was lost.

Iowa acquitted itself well yesterday against Texas, but still faltered 26-24. Ryan Suchomel at Hawk Central says the team's effort can't be faulted, but he isn't so generous about the play-calling. The performance in non-New Year's Day/BCS games is alarmingly similar to last year when the conference got off to a lousy start. But fans can take heart in one thing--it was a near-miss by Iowa against a big-time name program last season (Florida in the Outback) that started the tide turning, and set the stage for Wisconsin, Ohio State and Penn State to ring up wins.

Overall though, the Big Ten's play in the minor bowl games hasn't been positive for a long time now. If you throw out the BCS games and also the Capital One and Outback Bowls, the conference record in these holiday week games is problematic. The Big Ten is now 7-11 in the 21st century.** This includes the Alamo, Sun and Music City bowls, the latter two of which the conference had committments in prior to this season. For a league that has traditionally prided itself on great top-to-bottom strength, even in years where no dominant team exists, this performance will blow apart a few illusions.

 

**I'm marking the 21st century starting in 2001, as any mathematics geek will tell you the new century propery started.

Around The Hoosier State

The main story out of Indiana came out of Lubbock, TX last night. Bob Knight missed his first chance to break Dean Smith's career wins record. As much as I love Coach Knight, I haven't really gotten into this chase at history. The main reason being that his achievement of the record is already a fait accompli. He also doesn't need the record for his vindication as a coach--that's been achieved even in the eyes of his worst critics.

The Tech loss to UNLV last night was significant though, because the Red Raiders are almost surely going to be on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Vegas looks very good and win last night would have looked awfully good come March. On the ESPN broadcast last night, a graph was shown that Knight is also tied with Dean Smith for another career mark--number of trips to the Big Dance (27). It's breaking that record that most affects this year's team, and concern about his current players achieving their maximum of their ability has always been what's driven the General most.

Elsewhere in the Hoosier State, Purdue took it on the chin at Indiana State. While the Boilermakers are still 10-3, they have not yet won on the road. They got one first out of way though-- coach Matt Painter picked up his first career technical.

And concluding a brief little tour around Indiana, we stop in at South Bend, where the Irish are getting ready for LSU in the Sugar Bowl. The featured piece in ESPN's college football section today is an article by Mark Schlabach talking about the pressure on Charlie Weis to produce the school's first bowl victory since the '93 Cotton. Schlabach goes on to detail the staggering personnel losses the Irish will suffer in the offseason. This is the underlying reason why Weis can really use a big-time win like this one. No knowledgeable fan could possibly rip the job he has done so far. Even allowing for a rebuilding year, ND is at worst going to enter his fourth season with two BCS appearances and be in a strong position to gun for the top in 2008. But if LSU does what everyone expects and hands it to the Irish on January 3, the coach will spend a long offseason and another long '07 listening to impatient boosters who don't realize how far he's brought the program in such a short time.

Purdue & Minnesota Get It Started

The Big Ten will finally swing into bowl action on Friday. Seems like eons ago that Ohio State and Michigan finished their business and the conference schedule. The first games on tap will be Minnesota's matchup with Texas Tech in the Insight Bowl (7:30, NFL Network) and Purdue's joust with Maryland (8:00, ESPN).

Minnesota will look to have a winning season against the high-powered Red Raider attack. But the Gopher quarterback isn't bad either. Bryan Cupito has never been one of the flashy names during his long tenure under center in Minneapolis. But he's consistent, and could exploit a Tech team which could use instruction on the importance of playing defense from the man who coaches basketball on their campus and goes for the all-time wins record tonight. But I digress. Cupito will conclude his career in Phoenix, and Chip Scoggins of The Minneapolis Star Tribune writes that the battle for succession will define the future of the Gophers.

Purdue's good season and return to bowl action was marred by a season-ending loss in Hawaii over Thanksgiving weekend after conference play was over. But the Boilermakers still bring an 8-5 record to Orlando and have an opportunity to beat a team that came down to the last week with a chance to win its division in the ACC. Brendan Murphy at Boiler Station tells the story of a Purdue alum who is now a teacher at Maryland. She's loyal to her alma mater and the school is happy with the fan turnout they are getting. In bowl games like these, the fans can ensure their teams stay at the top of the invite list by showing up in droves.

A Thumpin' In Gainesville

Ohio State took it on the chin in Gainesville this past Saturday, and fell out of the top five in the polls. The new rankings have the Buckeyes at #6.

Like almost everyone else, I was surprised at how badly the Gators thumped OSU. The Buckeyes had acquitted themselves well in a recent road loss at North Carolina. But CBS analyst Billy Packer pointed out that Florida is a more experienced team then the Heels were, even if they are both highly ranked. Also worth noting, is that Ohio State did not have Greg Oden in the lineup when they went to Chapel Hill. While the big man is an unmitigated boon for his team in the big picture, his return means the team must adjust from the all-out running style they used at Carolina and integrate a half-court offense centered on their stud horse into the mix. Oden also looked tired several times on Saturday, and he's probably working himself back into shape.

So on balance it was a piece of humble pie for Thad Matta's team in the game serving as the appetizer for the BCS national title battle. But there is little reason for real worry in Columbus. It's not a Big Ten game, and the football implications aside, it's not a rivalry game of any kind. You play this kind of game to get experience for the conference grind and for March. And Ohio State got it in spades Saturday in Gainesville.

It's quiet week on the Big Ten hardwood, with conference play around the corner after the New Year. There's only two games of real note. On the subject of teams that were thumped on this past weekend, Michigan hosts Georgetown this coming Saturday. The Hoyas are 9-3, and like Michigan, they have yet to post a win of significance.

Wisconsin goes to Georgia on New Year's Eve day. The Badgers are holding at #4 nationally, and that game will whet the appetites in Cheesehead Country for the following day's football battle in the Capital One Bowl. Jeff Potrykus of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes that the combined excitement is sweeping over not only the fans, but players in both programs who pull for each other.

The Appetizer Is Served

Saturday afternoon provides the perfect basketball appetizer for the main course of BCS football action in a couple weeks. Playing the role of the Rose Bowl,  Michigan will be taking on the traditional powerhouse of the Pac-10 who is coming off a tough loss in the national championship game last season. In basketball terms that would be UCLA. And in a preview of the BCS national title game, Ohio State and Florida will tee it up on the hardwood down in Gainesville. Both games will be televised on CBS as a back-to-back doubleheader. Michigan at UCLA at two o'clock, followed by Florida-Ohio State at 4. If you're not in the Christmas spirit yet, this should do the trick.

Ohio State is ranked third in the nation and the Gators are fourth. Greg Oden is still not 100 percent, althogh Pat Forde notes on ESPN.com that 75 percent of Oden is enough to lead this Buckeye team to the national title. Thad Matta is wisely getting his young team tested in hostile environments early. OSU has four freshmen among its top seven players. They face a team that has the ability to defend its national title. Florida is big up front, going 6'9", 6'10" and 6'11" across. But the Buckeyes may get a break. Al Horford has been out with an ankle injury and there's still no word as to whether he'll play.

Michigan brings experience to the table, with four seniors in the starting lineup. They are off to an 11-1 start, although they haven't beaten anybody of note yet. Taking on the top-ranked team in the country in Pauley Pavillion doesn't seem like an ideal place to have to start. Like Ohio State, Michigan's front line is going to be tested on Saturday, and Courtney Sims and Brent Petway are going to have to negate the rebounding of Luc Richard Mbaha a Moute. If not here, Tommy Amaker's program will need a breakthrough somewhere. And fast, if this commentary by Michael Rosenberg in The Detroit Free Press is indicative of what the school is thinking.

Illini Still Own Mizzou

A rivalry gets tough to maintain when one team can't keep up its end of the bargain. Long ago, the Michigan-Minnesota football battle was fierce. Now it's become a footnote to Big Ten fans. The Red Sox had to beat the Yankees in 2004 to pump real life into baseball's showcase brawl. Last night, another rivalry continued its one-sided pattern. Bruce Weber isn't complaining though. Illinois got a tough fight from Missouri, but ended up prevailing for the seventh straight year, as the Illini continued their dominance of the Braggin' Rights Contest, that is played each December in St. Louis.

Michigan State didn't have as juicy a matchup, with Belmont on the slate. But the Spartans struggled, and needed a strong second half from Drew Neitzel to pull out the win. Shannon Shelton of The Detroit Free Press reports that Neitzel isn't comfortable as a scoring machine, but with Michigan State depleted by injuries on the perimeter, he really doesn't have a lot of choice.

The Rise of Wisconsin

The new rankings for college basketball this week had Wisconsin rising to fourth in the nation. That's the highest position in the history of UW basketball. In a sport that goes to the opposite extreme that college football does in its method of crowning a champion (one won't use any bracket, the other lets in every Big Ten team this side of Penn State), this doesn't carry the same impact it would on the gridiron. But it is a mark of respect for the program Bo Ryan inherited from Dick Bennett and then continued in his own right.

Wisconsin basketball has gradually evolved from laughingstock to powerhouse. Stu Jackson put the program on the map with an NCAA appearance in 1990 (albeit off a seventh-place conference finish). Stan Van Gundy retained respectability, though not much more. Bennett arrived and began to consistently make the tournament, and a big run to the Final Four in 2000 off a #8 seed was the school's first major hoops splash.

Bo Ryan has been knocking on the door of the national elite since he replaced Bennett. He shared the Big Ten title in 2002. He won it outright in '03. He captured the conference tournament in '04. The following season, he caught lightning in a bottle when favorites in his bracket kept getting knocked off and reached a regional final before falling to eventual champ North Carolina. Last season UW took a step back, fading down the stretch and being blown out in the first round. But the Pitt win showed that this year, they are not just knocking on the door, they might be ready to kick it in, to borrow a slogan used by the old Houston Oilers in 1980. It hasn't been a dramatic turnaround in Madison, but one that's been a slow and steady climb. This year they've got a Player of the Year candidate in Alando Tucker and a potential national championship squad. And this week's AP vote showed that a lot of writers around the country recognize it.

Purdue hosts Wagner tonight, and looks to get what is shaping up to be a comeback season back on track after the tough loss to Butler on Saturday. Michael Pointer of The Indianapolis Star reports that Gordon Watt is the man the Boilermakers turn to for the dirty work.

Indiana won a rock-'em, sock-'em brawl over Southern Illinois on Sunday night in Bloomington. Jay Bilas at ESPN wonders why Big Ten schools don't get credit for wins over quality mid-majors. Bilas believes its time we give the mid-majors recognition--and the flip side of that means recognizing that a big conference team winning such a game is something that should get a little more ink and air time. (Subscription required to read link).

Knight Closes In

Bob Knight closed to within one victory of Dean Smith's all-time career wins record. Texas Tech impressively dismantled Arkansas in Little Rock on its way to an easy triumph. The General clearly prefers that the focus be kept on his current team and not its historical context. This Red Raider team looks better then I thought they would be. Knight's extremely young team struggled terribly last season, on their way to a losing season. I expected them to improve, but figured the NCAA Tournament was too high a goal.

I do not see it that way anymore. Tech is hardly a lock to dance come March, but they have the look of one of the teams that will be on the bubble come the second weekend in March, fighting for one of the last couple bids. Returning to the NCAAs this year would be a sound accomplishment for this team as Knight continues the process of preparing to hand the program over to his son Pat--and no doubt the old coach would be prouder of that, then he will be when Dean's record falls sometime in the next two weeks.

To watchers of Big Ten basketball, Wisconsin has nothing to prove, but if anyone doubted their fitness to compete on the national state, the Badgers surely dispelled the critics yesterday. A 14-point win over second-ranked Pitt shows they deserve their status among the national elite.

Purdue got close, but in the end they suffered the same fate as archrival Indiana--a tough loss to Butler at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The best team in Indiana will not come out of the Big Ten, as Carl Landry was shut down in yesterday's game.

Ohio State buried Cincinnati. The Buckeyes' national title hopes may revolve around Greg Oden, but the 7'1" center's life does not revolve around basketball. The Columbus Dispatch has a good feature article on the man in the middle.

Surprising State Final in Indiana

There's some good basketball games on tomorrow in Big Ten Country. At noon EST, a battle of Top 10 teams goes down when Wisconsin hosts unbeaten and second-ranked Pitt. At 3:30 EST, consensus conference favorite Ohio State plays a nationally televised game against Cincinnati. But what were the odds that six weeks ago anyone looked at tomorrow's slate and saw the Purdue-Butler game as the battle for the state championship of Indiana? But that's exactly what it is.

Butler has gained national recognition for its early-season performance, knocking off both Notre Dame and Indiana on its way to a championship in the preseason NIT. The Boilermakers have been the surprise of the Big Ten. Jeff Shelman writes on ESPN.com today that Purdue is in position to win twenty games, a figure that would make denial of an NCAA bid virtually unprecedented since the expansion of the field.

After some lean years, basketball in the Hoosier State is back. Notre Dame is off to a good start. Indiana seems to be developing an identity under Kelvin Sampson. But the crown of this great basketball state looks to be settled tomorrow between Butler and Purdue.

What's At Stake This Bowl Season

Who's got the most at stake in the Big Ten bowl games? We'll throw out the obvious answer of Ohio State, since the Buckeyes are playing for the national championship. But in the remainder of the conference slate, who needs to win to validate their season and and who's in position to just have fun?

The teams I would most like to be right now are Wisconsin and Purdue. At 11-1 and 8-4 respectively, neither team can be considered in any danger of having its season tarnished by a bowl loss. The Badgers opened with a new and untested head coach, and an offense that needed to be rebuilt. In West Lafayette, Joe Tiller's star looked to be losing its luster, as he went to the JUCO ranks in the offseason. But both teams came up with solid seasons, and Wisconsin remains in position to rise as high as third in the polls if they beat Arkansas on January 1 and get some help further up the ladder. Wisconsin and Purdue can only gain, and not lose in terms of how they see their seasons.

Michigan would rank close behind these two in terms of *not* feeling the pressure. When you consider how much pressure Lloyd Carr was under at the start of the season and staring at road trips to South Bend, Happy Valley and Columbus, no one could have thought the Wolverines would have the year they did, and losing to Southern Cal should never tarnish that. But Michigan does remain a place with big-time expectations and they're already mad about being left out of the championship game. A loss would be the third straight year they closed with a loss to OSU and a bowl game defeat. So Michigan has to feel a little bit of heat, but not much.

The same applies to Penn State. With a rebuilding year at hand, no one could guarantee the Nittany Lions wouldn't fall back into the darkness of 2003-04. But they won eight games, played stellar defense and the losses to Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin were all competitive. They could use a win over Tennessee just to get one "name" win, but the recovery process still looks well underway in Happy Valley.

I would put Notre Dame in the same category as Penn State. The recovery is underway. The fact the Irish were so hyped at the start of the year is obscuring that fact, but this is a team going to a major bowl game two straight years for the first time since 1993-94. They still need to beat a big-time opponent and they have another chance against LSU. If they do so, they've cleared the one hurdle Weis has yet to leap. But if they don't, they can still rest easy knowing how much progress they have made.

Minnesota is not in an ideal situation. They got to 6-6 and made a bowl game, and for a program in the conference's midlevel that can never be underestimated. But this is a team that wants at least a little bit more then .500, and even beating Texas Tech is not going to make '06 a year to remember.

But the one team I wouldn't want to coach right now would be Iowa. Off a disappointing year at 6-6, the Hawkeyes have all the pressure on them to avoid slipping below .500. Beating Texas A&M would be a nice salve on the wound, but it certainly won't change the bitter taste that Iowa fans surely have in their mouths. To make matters worse, they are facing a team that's probably better then they are. So they start in a bad position, and even winning won't solve that much. Kirk Ferentz is a great coach, and Iowa will be back. But they are not who you want to be this Christmas season.