Big Ten Country

Battle In The Post

Post play is the story of the day as the Final Four gets set to tipoff on Saturday. Not since 1984 do I recall a collection of inside players as dominant as what we'll get this weekend. Back in '84, Akeem Olajuowon (later "Hakeem" of Houston Rockets fame) came with the Houston Cougars. Patrick Ewing (later of the Knicks) came with Georgetown. And Sam Bowie (later the #2 pick in the draft and forever immortalized by Portland fans as the man they picked one spot ahead of Michael Jordan) came with Kentucky.

Georgetown is back in the Final Four for the first time since the Ewing era. This time they've got Patrick's son, and they've got an elite post player in Roy Hibbert. The post play matchups are so juicy that The Washington Post deemed it worthy of a front-page story during a week when Congress voted to mandate troop withdrawal in Iraq.

Greg Oden needs no introduction to Big Ten fans, as he gets set to square off with Hibbert in Saturday's first game (tip time, 6 EST). National championship fever is running rampant in Columbus for the second time in three months. Meredith Heagney of The Columbus Dispatch reports that local fans are digging deep into the wallet for a chance in hoops they know may not come again anytime soon.

UCLA-Florida will be the second game. The Gators bring Joakim Noah, a hero of last year's title run. The prospect of watching a repeat hoops title--and the third national crown in twelve months for the UF program overall brings a double bonus for some Florida students. The Gainesville Sun notes that some students have worked opportunities for getting credits into their short trip to Atlanta.

The Bruins are defined by the personality of their coach. Ben Howland teaches a style of basketball foreign to Hollywood, but no doubt smiled up on by Bo and Woody. His toughness extends to his preparation in all facets of the game. Helene Elliot of The Los Angeles Times writes that no detail is too small for the UCLA coach.

Away from the spotlight, the searches move forward at Michigan and Iowa. Michael Rosenberg at The Detroit Free Press reports that John Beilen of West Virginia has emerged as the leading candidate in Ann Arbor. If true, this is a good hire for the Wolverines. While nothing can truly compensate for missing out on Tubby Smith, Beilen has done an excellent job in Morgantown and would be well-prepared to make the next step. The only note of caution would be that Tommy Amaker had done an excellent job at Seton Hall, and that did not work out to UM expectations.

Iowa doesn't have a replacement on the radar yet, but they have weeded out a couple candidates. They were rebuffed by Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl, and deny they have an interest in Vanderbilt's Kevin Stallings.

Good luck to Thad Matta, Greg Oden, Mike Conley and all the Buckeyes this weekend! I'll be back here on Tuesday after we watch it all shake out.

Rematches Await in Atlanta

If familiarity breeds contempt, then hatred will be on full display this weekend at the Georgia Dome. Both national semifinal matchups are rematches from last year's tournament. Ohio State finally let their fans breathe a little easier on Saturday, dominating the final five minutes to break open a close game against Memphis. For their trouble, the Bucks earned a date with Georgetown--the same Hoyas who bounced them in the second round in 2006. It's also a better Georgetown club. Last year was an upset. This year will be a war and Ohio State will finally pair up with teams that can at least try to answer Greg Oden down low.

The late game on Saturday will be Florida and UCLA, a rematch of last year's title game. This is the first time since at least the end of the Wooden era (1975) that finalists have played again in the tourney the following year. And for it to happen in the Final Four makes it all the juicier.

Ohio State has proven a lot of people wrong all season. Many of us felt their inexperience would show in key games, and cost them the Big Ten race to Wisconsin. We were wrong. This writer can take some consolation in that I wised up by March and picked them to reach the Final Four. But they continue to win games (Xavier and Tennessee) that an average team with this many freshman would blow. It's a tribute to the extraordinary talent of those kids, particularly Conley and Oden. And also to Thad Matta. Perhaps the greatest quote of Bob Knight is that "the will to win is overrated as a means of doing so. Of far greater importance is the will to prepare." Ohio State is prepared. Matta has been getting his kids ready all year long. Now he's got a rematch with Georgetown ahead of him, and perhaps the rematch that all of Columbus longs for--the one with Florida in the national title game.

The other action in the Big Ten is taking place at Michigan and Iowa, who have coaching vacancies to fill. Drew Sharp at The Detroit Free Press sharply criticizes the Wolverine athletic department for dillydallying, while Minnesota snatched up Tubby Smith. While I often felt Sharp was too critical of Tommy Amaker, I am in complete agreement with the columnist on this one. If Smith was ready to make a move Michigan was either asleep at the wheel or clueless as to how good of a coach was at their fingertips.

And speaking of critical words, Hawk Central's Ryan Suchomel has a few for the departed Steve Alford. Suchomel looks at the record of the Hawkeye program pre and post-Alford, and admonishes the faithful not to settle for lowered expectations as they seek their next coach.

Insanity in Kentucky; Minnesota's Gain

While Ohio State was flirting with disaster last night in the Alamodome, before righting themselves and advancing to the regional final, it was two non-postseason Big Ten teams that dominated the news in the conference. Medical researchers have long studied the phenomena of mad-fan disease in Kentucky. But this time the symptoms of the disease will result in a cure--for Minnesota's ailing basketball program.

Minnesota stunned the nation by hiring Tubby Smith away from Kentucky. Smith did the right thing in leaving Lexington. He had reached the point in his career where fans seemed to dwell on his few failings rather then his many successes. Unlike many coaches, Smith decided not to put up with it anymore and left town ahead of the mob. The Golden Gophers are the beneficiary of his good sense, and Judd Zalgad of The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports the new coach got an enthusiastic welcome.

Steve Alford also left town before his seat got too hot. There were rumblings in Iowa City as to whether Alford could get the program to championship level. It certainly wasn't Alford's best season. It started around this time last year when he was spurned by his alma mater. No one is second-guessing Indiana's decision to pass on the hometown hero now. And Iowa struggled thorugh a horrible December, that even a solid 9-7 conference record was not enough to overcome. The final slap came when they were not only omitted from the Big Dance, but even the NIT. When a winning Big Ten team can't get an NIT bid, something is not quite right. And Alford is on his way to New Mexico. It's an ironic choice because the Lobos heavily courted Bob Knight in 1988. Iowa AD Gary Barta has announced his intention to launch a national search.

But ultimately the story of this day is the rabid insanity of Kentucky fans, that they actually ran Smith out of town. It's not a question of whether UK can get a coach who can win big. Of course they can. They're Kentucky, and they'll have the nation at their fingertips. The issue is whether they will hire someone demonstrably better then Smith, so they won't have to endure the "ignominy" of going a couple seasons without an SEC title. It has been noted that they haven't been to the Final Four since 1998, but that ignores the fact the Wildcats have been seeded 1/2 several times in the intervening years--meaning Smith is producing teams good enough to get there. But rabid fans will never recognize that sometimes you need a little luck to push you over the top. Tubby didn't have that in 2003 when his point guard, Keith Bogans, got hurt right before a regional final game the 'Cats ended up losing.

During the football offseason, the Minnesota athletic department was the incubator of insanity, in firing Glen Mason. It's ironic that as basketball winds down they are now the beneficiary of it.

Big Ten Storylines

Ohio State may be the only Big Ten team still playing as the regionals get set to tipoff tonight. But there's still some other storylines surrounding people with connections to the conference. Most noteworthy is that while Illinois may be gone, their coaching legacy carries on. Two former Illini mentors, Bill Self and Lon Kruger will be in action. Self is coaching Kansas, the #1 seed in the West who plays Southern Illinois tonight. Kruger coaches UNLV. Fresh off the upset of Wisconsin, the Rebels are matched up with Oregon in the Midwest bracket. They play on Friday and a win sets them up with a likely date against defending champ Florida. Which only heightens the intrigue, as Kruger's lone Final Four appearance as a head coach came in 1994 during a stint in Gainesville. Self has taken both Illinois and Tulsa to a regional final, but never gotten to the promised land.

The mid-majors of Big Ten Country are still in action. As noted above, Southern Illinois has a date with Kansas. The Salukis are the #4 seed and have been strong all year. And most college basketball fans became acquainted with Butler quickly. They knocked off Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue in rapid succession this December and claimed the state crown in basketball's hotbed. They've lived up to the billing in March, outlasting their three in-state rivals in the tournament. Butler now has a chance to shock the nation against Florida tomorrow night.

And if you really want a comeback story, the fans of the Chicago area surely remember Tim Floyd--albeit not fondly, as Floyd was the coach in charge of the Bulls when the Jordan-era dynasty came crumbling down. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and has been trying to resurrect his career. Floyd seems to have found a niche at Southern Cal, and his fifth-seed Trojans have already taken out Texas and freshman sensation Kevin Durant. On Friday they get a crack at powerful North Carolina. If Floyd can keep his building going, the city of Los Angeles could finally get a real basketball rivalry between USC and UCLA.

Even if you're not an Ohio State fan and even if you're out of your office pool, there's got to be a storyline left in this tournament that motivates you to root for or against someone.

Matchup Edge For Buckeyes

The South Region gets back in action tomorrow night from San Antonio. Ohio State's game with Tennessee will be the late one, with a projected tip time of close to 10 PM EST.

Tennessee is a good matchup for Ohio State. The Vols rely heavily on a three-guard attack. Chris Lofton, JuJuan Smith and Ramar Smith are the troika that key the offense. None of them go over 6'2", but they combine to average over 45 points a game collectively. Lofton was injured briefly in the middle of the conference schedule, and his return triggered a strong finish for Bruce Pearl's team. Good backcourt play is vital at this stage of the season, but this is an area the Buckeyes are quite capable of matching up. Lest you think OSU will be done in by their youth, Tennessee has the same liability, with three freshmen getting significant minutes.

The one area Tennessee can't match up is inside. They have no answer for Greg Oden. Matchup problems inside exist for both of the Buckeyes' potential opponents in Saturday's final as well. Texas A&M's best player, Acie Law, is on the perimeter. Memphis has balanced size throughout their lineup and they may be able to crash the boards from the wings, but Robert Dozier and Joey Dorsey repsent their post presence and they would be overmatched by the Buckeye freshman.

Of the three teams, A&M matches up the best (or least poorly as the case may be). They have a 6-10 big man in Antonas Kavaliaukus who may be able to put a body on Oden. And if nothing else, a big guy off the bench can hack away and give up his fouls at little cost. The Aggies should also have a home crowd working in their favor in the Alamodome.

But the most likely way Ohio State will be stopped is if they stop themselves. They've shown the tendency all year to settle for perimeter jumpers and forget Oden. They're good enough to have gotten away with it so far, but this time of year is more unforgiving. If we see OSU tossing the ball inside on a regular basis on Thursday night and again on Saturday, the odds are overwhelming that they'll be doing the same in Atlanta. If not...then it becomes a much iffier call.

The West Region will also play in the Thursday/Saturday slot. Kansas-Southern Illinois will tip off early (alongside Memphis-A&M), and Pitt-UCLA will be the late show from San Jose. The latter matchup is particularly juicy, featuring Ben Howland taking on the program he got off the ground in Pittsburgh. Don't think the natives of the Steel City are likely to view their departed coach gratefully. Folks in this neck of the woods can get awfully cliquish about anyone who dares leave the city. The two late games will each start 30 minutes after the conclusion of the opening game.

All Hope On Ohio State

Back on January 8, the Big Ten was looking at a disappointing bowl season, but knew an Ohio State national title would cure a lot of PR ills for the conference. On March 19, we're at the same spot in hoops. The Buckeyes are all that's left to carry the conference banner, and by the hair of their chinny-chin-chin. The young  Bucks have spent the season flirting with disaster--a road game at Penn State comes notably to mind, along with home games against Michigan State & Purdue. Nowhere did they ride the edge more then Saturday against Xavier. It looked like their tendency to forget Greg Oden exists on the offensive end was going to finally do them in, before the stunning rally to beat the Musketeers in overtime.

Now the question remains--was it the kind of win that every national champion wins somewhere along the way, a reminder they are a team of destiny? Or did it expose the problems that better opposition will inevitably do in this coming week in San Antonio?

I like OSU's chances, but this region is going to be a war. Rob Oller at The Columbus Dispatch notes how regional semi-final opponent Tennessee has already given the Buckeyes all they can handle once this season--and that was in Columbus. I look ahead to the regional final and see a possible date with Texas A&M, a team that will be playing very close to home. It reminds me of 2003 when Oklahoma was the #1 seed in the East, but had to play third-seeded Syracuse up in Albany in the final. De facto home court was too much in that case and the Orange won that game and later the national title. The Buckeyes may have to overcome a similiar challenge. But they're still playing, Thad Matta's still coaching and at this point in the season that's all that really matters.

Post-Mortems

It has to be considered a disappointing weekend for the Big Ten, with only Ohio State marching on. Not a disaster by any means. Not when five teams won first-round games. And three second-round underdogs gave the favorites a severe case of the jitters before falling. But only producing one Sweet 16 team in a year with two national powers and a few others who at least had the grit to be surprises does put the conference on the negative side of the ledger.

No one is more disappointed right now then the folks in Madison. I felt like you could see Wisconsin's loss coming. Of the high seeds in the tournament, the Badgers were the most vulnerable. The injury to Brian Butch meant that this team was really not the same one as the squad that posted the best basketball season in school history. UNLV was a very good team  and Lon Kruger knows Big Ten styles from his days at Illinois. Even knowing all that though, you can't be a #2 seed and not feel the sting of an early NCAA exit. Michael Hunt at The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes of how the UW slips showed up in the end.

People in the basketball capital of the world in Indiana had reason to be pleased with their teams. Indiana and Purdue each won their first-round games. The Hoosiers took revenge on Gonzaga, while Purdue knocked out talented, but inconsistent Arizona. Both teams showed plenty of heart on the weekend. IU rallied from 16 down to tie UCLA before falling in the end. The Boilermakers gave Florida all they could handle. Jeff Washburn at Boiler Station writes how this was Purdue's M.O. all year against top teams--gave 'em all they could handle for 35 minutes, but not quite enough to close the sale. They still closed more sales then anyone could have expected, and it looks like Purdue basketball is finally back on the map. Indiana's also back on the map.  They now await what's going to happen with D.J. White as he weighs his options.

Michigan State beat Marquette, and threw a tough fight against North Carolina. The Spartans are excited about 2008 and thinking title. Illinois has an ugly taste in its mouth after a late collapse cost them a game against Virginia Tech, and cost the conference a sweep of its first-round games. Herb Gould of The Chicago Sun Times writes that Weber will surely catch some heat, and questions about his recruiting remain--but there's no question he can coach.   

Bob Knight made his record 28th NCAA appearance, but didn't stay long. The Red Raiders got more offense then they are accustomed to, but Boston College exploited their defense in an 84-75 win. While the loss was disappointing--and Knight has to be wondering what BC has on him, that they have bounced him from the NCAAs three times since 1994--this was still a Red Raider team that overachieved in rebounding from the coach's first losing season in eons.

The Search Begins At Michigan

Tommy Amaker's firing in Ann Arbor seemed a fait accompli no matter what happened in the NIT. A 21-point loss at Florida State in the second round was the nail in the coffin, and the Wolverine coach was fired over the weekend. As the search for his successor begins, two columns in The Detroit Free Press take opposite views of the program. Drew Sharp, a harsh critic of the deposed coach, compares UM basketball to the Detroit Lions, and says they must rebuild from the ground up. Now that's harsh. Also unrealistic. Another piece by Mark Snyder takes a tack that I pretty much agree with--that whatever struggles the program has had, it is an elite job in the coaching fraternity. There's plenty of talent and it's a high-profile school.

Within Snyder's column is a quote by Jay Bilas, reminding people that as Michigan begins it's search it is now "at the starting line", whereas when Amaker was hired they were 20 yards behind. This is something that should be remembered by other ADs around the country as Amaker begins his own search as well.

Candidates mentioned have included Lon Kruger at UNLV, who has a Big Ten resume from when he coached at Illinois. Rick Majerus has also been on lists I've seen. One of the more interesting rumors---and I stress it's no more then just somebody throwing out ideas--was making a bid for Tubby Smith. That the Kentucky coach can be under fire is one of those moments that make me think all sanity has been forever lost in sports. And if he's not happy and not wanted in Lexington, the folks in Ann Arbor would love to have him. I highly doubt this is going to happen, or even get serious, but it is fun to think about, particularly if you're a Michigan fan.

Tournament Schedule

Below is a brief listing of the schedule Big Ten teams will have in the coming postseason. Michigan got the league off to a good start last night in the NIT, beating Utah State in the first round. The Wolverines will be right back at it on Thursday when they play at Florida State. Tommy Amaker's team must win three games overall to get to Madison Square Garden at that tournament's national semifinals. Iowa was inexplicably snubbed by the NIT committee, so the Wolverines are the only non-NCAA team still playing right now.

On my bracket, I've got three #1 seeds and a #2 making the Final Four. I'm pegging Georgetown to join North Carolina, Florida and Kansas in the Georgia Dome on March 31. I've got the Gators beating the Hoyas for the title. Although I can't say I pick any of these teams with an incredible amount of confidence. This is a very balanced year, and if I could have found a mid-level seed I really believed in, I might have taken a flyer on an upset.

Since this will be my last post here until Monday when everything is all sorted out, I have also posted who each team will play if they win the opening round, as well as modest speculation on who they might get in the regionals the following weekend.

Ohio State
Thur--vs. Central Connecticut State (7:10 PM)
Sat--BYU or Xavier (TBA)
Regionals: Tennessee or Virginia awaits. The far side of the bracket is a balanced fight between Memphis, Louisville and Texas A&M.

Wisconsin
Fri--vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2:45 PM)
Sun--UNLV or Georgia Tech (TBA)
Regionals: Oregon, Notre Dame or Winthrop would await in the Sweet 16. Florida is on the opposite side.

Indiana
Thur--vs. Gonazaga (9:45 PM)
Sat--UCLA or Weber State (TBA)
Regionals: Duke or Pitt would be up third.

Purdue
Fri--vs. Arizona (7:20 PM)
Sun--Florida or Jackson State
Regionals--Arizona is the trendy hot pick for a Cinderella. Florida is the trendy pick to win it all. If the Boilermakers survive this weekend, they can show their Irish side for St. Patrick's Day and not worry about tomorrow in the least.

Michigan State
Thur--vs. Marquette (7:20 PM)
Sat-- North Carolina or Eastern Kentucky
Regionals--If the Spartans spring the big upset, Texas and Kevin Durant is probably next. On the far side is Georgetown who has a relatively easy ride to the regional final.

Illinois
Fri-- vs. Virginia Tech (7:10)
Sun-- Southern Illinois or Holy Cross
Regionals--Top-seeded Kansas is the likely Sweet 16 game.

Bob Knight
Thur-- Texas Tech vs. Boston College (12:25)
Sat-- Georgetown or Belmont
Regionals: If the veteran general can get his troops out of here (unlikely, I grant), a potential Cinderella is in the making. The winner of this foursome will play the survivor of the one of the weakest sub-regionals in the bracket (#3 seed Washington State, #6 seed Vanderbilt). North Carolina and Texas are on the far side as roadblocks to the Final Four, but feisty Michigan State might have enough to throw a monkey wrench into the mix. If the Red Raiders win their own games, this bracket is the most likely to get tossed into the kind of disarray that greases someone's path to Atlanta.

It doesn't get much better then St. Patrick's Day weekend with the NCAA Tournament mixed in. Corned beef and basketball makes for an excellent combination.  I'll be in Boston to enjoy the festivities of both. There is no truth to the rumor that I'm indulging my baseball passions by meeting with Theo Epstein. See everybody on Monday!

Final Four History

The NCAA field gets going tomorrow. Another drive at history is launched. It was 31 years ago that the UCLA dynasty led by John Wooden fell and a new era parity arrived in college basketball. In the following article, I take a look back at each Final Four played since then, with a couple paragraphs recalling the memorable moments of the game's showcase event. Who will fill up the next entry in Atlanta, just three weeks from know.
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