Big Ten Report: Up to this point

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To be honest the Big Ten season has provided little in the way of surprise. Before the season we predicted that Ohio State would be the best team in the conference, Jared Sullinger would be the best player in the conference and that there would be five to seven other teams battling for positioning. Of course there have been a few surprises like Indiana’s resurgence back to prominence, Wisconsin’s losses at the Kohl Center and Meyers Leonard making himself into a possible NBA lottery pick. Let’s take a look at how all the respectable teams in the Big Ten have fared so far this season (sorry Penn State, Nebraska and Iowa.)

1. Ohio State (21-4, 9-3 in Big Ten)

Jared Sullinger has led this team to the top of the Big Ten again this year but not without some bumps along the road, most notably this Saturday against Michigan State.

The Buckeyes were only able to muster 48 points against the Spartans after averaging more than 75 points per game this season. They shot only 26 percent from the field on Saturday, with Deshaun Thomas and William Buford going a combined 4 of 24.

This is unlikely to happen again but it does point to something that the Buckeyes may be missing this year: outside shooting. Last year when Sullinger was getting double teamed or Buford was off, the Buckeyes could turn to Jon Diebler to knock down perimeter shots to keep them in the game. That is something the Buckeyes simply do not possess this year, with nobody on the team averaging two made threes a game. This is something that could prevent them from making a run in this year’s NCAA tourney.

 

2. Michigan State (20-5, 9-3 in Big Ten)

After losing their first two games of the season to North Carolina and Duke, the Spartans were able to rattle off 15 straight wins. This comes as no surprise when you have Tom Izzo as your coach and Draymond Green as the senior leader on your team.

You can say the biggest reason for their success this year has been the emergence of Keith Appling as a true point guard. Last year Appling struggled playing mostly off the ball with Kalin Lucas handling many of the ball handling duties. This year Appling has shown the abiltiy to not only be a point guard but also run a team.

With these two players along with complimetary outside shooters and bigs, look for Izzo to have another of his patented runs in the tourney after last year’s disappointment.

3. Michigan (19-7, 9-4 in Big Ten)

Darius Morris provided the Wolverines with one of their best players in years and was almost able to lead them past the heavily favored Dukies in the second round of the tourney. After his surprising departure to the NBA many felt Michigan would take a step back. This has not occurred due to Trey Burke.

An unheralded recruit, Burke has been able to step into Morris’ place and lead Michigan to an even better season than it had last year. The Wolverines use balanced scoring, led by Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., and their patented 1-3-1 zone to get teams out of their rhythms.

Playing a mostly four guard lineup, the Wolverines have been able to beat bigger Big Ten teams such as Wisconsin, Michigan State and Indiana. This Saturday’s rematch against Ohio State will loom large in terms of NCAA seeding for this team.

4. Wisconsin (19-6, 8-4 in Big Ten)

Being a Badger fan, you learn patience. You know even when the shot clock is running down inside 10 seconds that the Badgers will be able to make something up and somehow score. This year, however, has been even more frustrating than most.

Bringing Jordan Taylor back, many Badger fans expected to be a Top 10 team nationally and maybe, finally make a run in the tourney under a Bo Ryan. Even though this may happen, I doubt it.

The Badgers shooting has been awful at times, so much so that teams have been able to solely focus on shutting down Taylor, and have succeeded in doing so. Players like Mike Bruesewitz, Jared Berggren and Josh Gasser have shown bright spots but their play has been too inconsistent for the Badgers to be elite.

5. Indiana (19-6, 7-6 in Big Ten)

Indiana has been able to bring back some glory to their program this year after living in the basement of the Big Ten since Tom Crean has arrived in Bloomington. The Hoosiers may have the two best wins of the year by anyone in the conference with their home wins against Kentucky and Ohio State.

Where I am hesitant with the Hoosiers is their inconsistent play on the road. In total they are 4-7 away from Bloomington but only one of these can be considered a quality win, a Feb. 4 victory at Purdue.

In order to be considered a contender the Hoosiers must be able to show better on the road. With two more away games left, at Iowa and at Minnesota, I will be interested to see if Cody Zeller and Christian Watford can show some fortitude and pull of these wins.

6. Purdue (16-9, 6-6 in Big Ten)

E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson were two of the best players in the history of the Purdue program and both are now playing in the NBA for the Boston Celtics. These two players, along with Robbie Hummel, formed a strong core of a team that lead the Boilermakers to the top of the Big Ten for a few years. With these two gone, the Boilermakers have struggled to stay there.

Old Man Hummel has provided leadership and scoring to this team but the Boilers have yet to produce a top notch win this year. Their best win, if you can call it that, came on the road at Minnesota. The Boilers will need to come up with a quality win against the Spartans, Wolverines or Hoosiers or they can kiss their tourney hopes goodbye.

7. Minnesota (17-8, 5-7 in Big Ten)

This really has been a hard luck season for the Gophers. They have lost two players who were supposed to lead this team in Trevor Mbakwe and Devoe Joseph. Joseph of course left the program last year, but he was undoubtedly pegged to lead this year’s team as a veteran point guard.

Mbakwe got off to a strong start, averaging 14 points per game, before tearing his ACL which ended his season. The Gophers have been able to chug along, keeping their hopes alive, while keeping 10 players in the rotation.

Unlike Purdue, they do have a quality win (at Indiana), but completing a comeback Wednesday against the Badgers would have gone a long way to bettering their resume. With four more games against ranked opponents it looks like the Gophers will need to make a run in the Big Ten tourney to earn a bid to the dance.

8. Illinois (16-9, 5-7 in Big Ten)

Oh, Illinois. Yet again under Bruce Weber the Illini have shown what inconsistency truly looks like. After starting off 15-3, including wins against Gonzaga and Ohio State, the Illini have lost six of their past seven. Of course, with the Illini, that one win was aganst the Spartans.

After missing the NCAA tournament two of the past four years, another bid-less season could spell the end to the Weber era in Champaign. After an extremly important game Wednesday at home against Purdue, the Illini will have to face three of the Big Ten’s best in their last four games.

If I was a betting man I would say Illinois will be looking for a new coach after the season. Think Tommy Amaker deserves another shot in the Big Ten?

9. Northwestern (15-9, 5-7 in Big Ten)

Another season, another March without Northwestern. This will most likely be the storyline again this year despite the best efforts of John Shurna and Drew Crawford.

The Wildcats have not been able to consistently win enough games to be in the dance and this year was no different. Games at home against Illinois and Purdue are simply ones that NCAA tourney teams must win and the Wildcats were unable to do so.

In order to make the tourney I suspect the Wildcats must win two of these three games: at Indiana, home against Michigan and home versus Ohio State. I am not holding my breath for “Chicago’s Big Ten team.”

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