coreyschucky
11-10-2004, 02:34 PM
From CBSSPORTSLINE.COM
Big Ten Conference preview
By Tony Mejia
SportsLine.com Staff Writer
Stock Chart
Team Stock
1. Illinois
2. Michigan
3. Michigan State
4. Wisconsin
5. Iowa
6. Indiana
7. Northwestern
8. Purdue
9. Ohio State
10. Penn State
11. Minnesota
The Big Ten's demise last season was not overstated.
Here are the facts: Three NCAA bids, seven teams with conference records of .500 or worse, No. 6 overall in conference RPI. The three tournament entries was the lowest total for the conference in 20 years, and only Illinois advanced past the first two rounds.
Whether it was an aberration or a sign of things to come won't be known until we have a few seasons to reflect, but initial signs point to freak occurrence. As many as seven teams enter the season with the NCAAs as a realistic goal, and four of them could play deep into March.
Which four? The top teams in our projected standings, of course. Don't you know we have the Big Ten pegged? Outgoing Purdue coach Gene Keady didn't believe it when a student reporter from Penn State told him SportsLine.com was projecting UAB to make last year's tournament while leaving Indiana out.
"I respect all those (Conference-USA) teams, but that's a joke," Keady said. "People that are saying that are not doing our (league's) games and not around us. Thank God those guys are not on the committee."
Nope, we're just right more often than not. Here's the forecast for the upcoming season. We hesitate to call it gospel, but only slightly.
Illinois
Top three: PG Deron Williams, SG Dee Brown, PF/C James Augustine.
On the rise: Bruce Weber's first season in Champaign featured early struggles, a makeshift funeral to bury the ghosts of the Bill Self regime and subsequently the first outright Big Ten championship since 1952.
Interesting year.
For an encore, he'll look to add a national title to the mantle in addition to repeating as league champs. The personnel is in place for such lofty goals, with everyone returning. Williams and Brown form the nation's top backcourt, and the hope is they will become more efficient as juniors than they have been while being thrown into the fire by two different coaches as underclassmen. Familiarity breeds success, especially for guards running an offense. With the game slowing down, even at the break-neck pace they like to play, expect greatness.
Michigan
Top three: PG Daniel Horton, SF Lester Abram, SG Dion Harris.
On the rise: The NIT has lost a lot of its luster over the years, but there's no question it served a purpose when it comes to Michigan. We forgive you if you don't recall, but the Wolverines won that tournament's title, finally jelling and gaining immeasurable confidence to take with them into this new season.
Everybody is back but senior captain Bernard Robinson, who should be replaced more than capably by Abram, last year's leading scorer despite coming off the bench. Horton is ready to put an inconsistent sophomore year behind him, while Harris and center Courtney Sims figure to build on promising freshman seasons.
Tommy Amaker knows he has something special on his hands, and he's eager to test it out against a challenging schedule that features the Preseason NIT, Notre Dame and visits to national runner-up Georgia Tech and UCLA. If they persevere early and prove to themselves they can compete with anyone, the Wolverines are going to be a factor late in the season.
Michigan State
Top three: C Paul Davis, SG Chris Hill, F Kelvin Torbert.
On the rise: Tom Izzo-coached teams can't stay down for long. The superstar head man has seen his guys repeat the same stomach-turning process the past two seasons, starting off brutally in non-conference play before rebounding to compete for the conference title and sneak into the NCAAs.
This year should be different. For starters, the early schedule isn't as daunting. Second, the arrival of freshman point guard Drew Neitzel is expected to let everyone settle into their conventional roles rather than play out of position as many had to do when Marcus Taylor foolishly decided to go pro.
With an improved Davis back to anchor the inside game, Hill able to concentrate on shooting and wings Torbert, Alan Anderson, Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown with another year in the system, the Spartans have what it takes to compete on a national level. Izzo's task will be to get them to defend better and find another big man (Delco Rowley? freshman Marquise Gray?) to help spell Davis.
Wisconsin
Top three: SF Alando Tucker, PF Mike Wilkinson, G Shariff Chambliss.
On the decline: Everyone wants to see how the Badgers replace Devin Harris, the team's heart and soul the past few years. It looks like we'll all find out together, Bo Ryan included.
Plan A consisted of having Penn State transfer Chambliss take over point guard, but he's still rehabilitating after major knee surgery in the offseason. Plan B was to have off guard Boo Wade slide over since he's familiar with the offense, but he had to take an indefinite leave of absence to deal with personal issues. There is no telling when he'll be back. Who's left? Sophomore Kammron Taylor, who has minimal experience, and freshman Michael Flowers.
If one of them can handle running the show, they will have a great supporting cast to feed with Tucker back from last year's foot problems and a bigger Brian Butch, formerly a top-five recruit, joining Wilkinson and Zach Morley up front.
Indiana
Top three: SG Bracey Wright, PG Marshall Strickland, SF Robert Vaden
On the rise: For the first time since 1970, Indiana lost more games than it won last season. Throughout the struggles, there was one comforting thought Hoosiers fans could hold on to before crying themselves to sleep: the 2004 recruiting class.
Josh Smith went the NBA route and Robert Rothbart chose to play for pay overseas, but Vaden and big man D.J. White actually did show up and are expected to start immediately. So did A.J. Ratliff, who will see a lot of time in the backcourt.
Mike Davis will have to do a lot of coaching, but this team has the talent to return to the NCAAs and get the program back on track. Wright, if his back problems are a thing of the past, is the most talented guard in a league filled with them. It's time for him to play like it.
Iowa
Top three: SG Pierre Pierce, SF Adam Haluska, PG Jeff Horner.
On the rise: It has been three seasons since Iowa made the NCAA Tournament, and the normally supportive Hawkeye fans have noticed. It's do-or-die time for Steve Alford, and luckily for him, it just so happens he has a team talented enough to save his job.
Pierce hasn't gotten much pub because of the team's struggles, but he can score with anyone in the country. A potentially explosive wing combination could be born if Iowa State transfer Haluska steps in and starts filling it up from the perimeter. His emergence is pivotal.
Greg Brunner will be the team's horse inside, although 6-foot-11 junior Erek Hansen could be ready for a greater role. He moves very well, so he should fit in with the uptempo style Alford has decided to go with as he looks to salvage his position in Iowa City.
Northwestern
Top three: PF Vedran Vekusic, PG T.J. Parker, C Mike Thompson.
On the rise: After posting its best Big Ten finish in 35 years, Northwestern can realistically harbor aspirations of its first NCAA Tournament appearance ever.
Everyone but leading scorer Jitim Young returns for reigning coach of the year Bill Carmody, who is proving you can compete with the Princeton offense in a major conference. Don't forget, it happened at Air Force, too.
Vekusic and Parker could play for anyone in the Big Ten, and Thompson, who transferred in from Duke, is going to play a vital role in the offense thanks to his size and ability to pass and shoot. He'll be eligible in mid-December. St. John's transfer Tim Doyle and freshman Stirling Williams will help upgrade the wings.
Purdue
Top three: PF Carl Landry, G Brandon McKnight, G/F David Teague.
On the decline: The final season for Keady could be a difficult one, though considering how underestimated his teams have been over the past few years, it's hard to say with certainty.
Last year's season fell apart after Chris Booker was declared academically ineligible, and no one else could stabilize the post and hit the boards. Keady should fill that hole with his latest JC import, Landry, who will be given every chance to flourish.
McKnight and another JC transfer, Bryant Dillon, might be paired together in the backcourt and split ball-handling responsibilities, while Teague will be counted upon to score and defend on the wing. If the newcomers deliver and buy into Keady's system of ball pressure and intense defense, Purdue could surprise. If not, it will be an anti-climactic departure for the legendary coach.
Ohio State
Top three: C Terence Dials, SG J.J. Sullinger, PG Tony Stockman.
On the rise: Thad Matta was the perfect hire for what essentially boils down to a re-energizing of Buckeyes basketball following the dismissal of Jim O'Brien.
He demanded his players report in better shape and will look to push the tempo and really get after teams, making full use of pretty strong backcourt depth. Stockman and Sullinger had their moments last season, but the former transfers must be more consistent with their shooting and decision-making.
Dials, the team's best player, is the other key. He has to stay healthy, avoid foul trouble and remain motivated if this team is to make significant strides.
Penn State
Top three: SG Marlon Smith, F/C Aaron Johnson, PF Travis Parker.
On the rise: Ed DeChellis is beginning to put his brand on his alma mater, and that included picking up the first JC transfer to play in Happy Valley in 20 years. That should tell you something about how he feels about Parker, brought aboard to help anchor the frontcourt after standout Jan Jagla opted to turn pro.
He, Johnson and Jamaal Tate are bull strong and will fight you for every inch, important characteristics that will serve the team well when it finds itself in a hole. Being down often is inevitable given the amount of work the team needs to do to improve, but the team is making strides. Ben Luber and Smith, both sophomores, form an athletic backcourt that will also be better.
Minnesota
Top three: F/G Vincent Grier, PG Adam Boone, PF Dan Coleman.
On the decline: The Golden Gophers were brutal last season despite the services of double-double Kris Humphries, whose time at the school lasted just one divisive season. Also gone are most of the veterans who bickered internally and churned out a 3-13 league record.
Minnesota should be more harmonious this season, if less talented. Dan Monson will rely on JC transfer Grier, a former top-100 recruit who originally attended Clemson and was lighting it up throughout the offseason. Coleman steps into the power forward position vacated by Humphries, his former high school teammate. Don't expect him to be anywhere near as dominant.
Accolades
First team
F -- Lester Abram, Michigan
C -- Paul Davis, Michigan State
G -- Pierre Pierce, Iowa
G -- Deron Williams, Illinois
G -- Bracey Wright, Indiana
Second team
F -- Mike Wilkinson, Wisconsin
F -- Alando Tucker, Wisconsin
C -- James Augustine, Illinois
G -- Daniel Horton, Michigan
G -- Dee Brown, Illinois
Player of the year
Deron Williams, Illinois
Newcomer of the year
Adam Haluska, Iowa
Breakthrough player
Lester Abram, Michigan
Big Ten Conference preview
By Tony Mejia
SportsLine.com Staff Writer
Stock Chart
Team Stock
1. Illinois
2. Michigan
3. Michigan State
4. Wisconsin
5. Iowa
6. Indiana
7. Northwestern
8. Purdue
9. Ohio State
10. Penn State
11. Minnesota
The Big Ten's demise last season was not overstated.
Here are the facts: Three NCAA bids, seven teams with conference records of .500 or worse, No. 6 overall in conference RPI. The three tournament entries was the lowest total for the conference in 20 years, and only Illinois advanced past the first two rounds.
Whether it was an aberration or a sign of things to come won't be known until we have a few seasons to reflect, but initial signs point to freak occurrence. As many as seven teams enter the season with the NCAAs as a realistic goal, and four of them could play deep into March.
Which four? The top teams in our projected standings, of course. Don't you know we have the Big Ten pegged? Outgoing Purdue coach Gene Keady didn't believe it when a student reporter from Penn State told him SportsLine.com was projecting UAB to make last year's tournament while leaving Indiana out.
"I respect all those (Conference-USA) teams, but that's a joke," Keady said. "People that are saying that are not doing our (league's) games and not around us. Thank God those guys are not on the committee."
Nope, we're just right more often than not. Here's the forecast for the upcoming season. We hesitate to call it gospel, but only slightly.
Illinois
Top three: PG Deron Williams, SG Dee Brown, PF/C James Augustine.
On the rise: Bruce Weber's first season in Champaign featured early struggles, a makeshift funeral to bury the ghosts of the Bill Self regime and subsequently the first outright Big Ten championship since 1952.
Interesting year.
For an encore, he'll look to add a national title to the mantle in addition to repeating as league champs. The personnel is in place for such lofty goals, with everyone returning. Williams and Brown form the nation's top backcourt, and the hope is they will become more efficient as juniors than they have been while being thrown into the fire by two different coaches as underclassmen. Familiarity breeds success, especially for guards running an offense. With the game slowing down, even at the break-neck pace they like to play, expect greatness.
Michigan
Top three: PG Daniel Horton, SF Lester Abram, SG Dion Harris.
On the rise: The NIT has lost a lot of its luster over the years, but there's no question it served a purpose when it comes to Michigan. We forgive you if you don't recall, but the Wolverines won that tournament's title, finally jelling and gaining immeasurable confidence to take with them into this new season.
Everybody is back but senior captain Bernard Robinson, who should be replaced more than capably by Abram, last year's leading scorer despite coming off the bench. Horton is ready to put an inconsistent sophomore year behind him, while Harris and center Courtney Sims figure to build on promising freshman seasons.
Tommy Amaker knows he has something special on his hands, and he's eager to test it out against a challenging schedule that features the Preseason NIT, Notre Dame and visits to national runner-up Georgia Tech and UCLA. If they persevere early and prove to themselves they can compete with anyone, the Wolverines are going to be a factor late in the season.
Michigan State
Top three: C Paul Davis, SG Chris Hill, F Kelvin Torbert.
On the rise: Tom Izzo-coached teams can't stay down for long. The superstar head man has seen his guys repeat the same stomach-turning process the past two seasons, starting off brutally in non-conference play before rebounding to compete for the conference title and sneak into the NCAAs.
This year should be different. For starters, the early schedule isn't as daunting. Second, the arrival of freshman point guard Drew Neitzel is expected to let everyone settle into their conventional roles rather than play out of position as many had to do when Marcus Taylor foolishly decided to go pro.
With an improved Davis back to anchor the inside game, Hill able to concentrate on shooting and wings Torbert, Alan Anderson, Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown with another year in the system, the Spartans have what it takes to compete on a national level. Izzo's task will be to get them to defend better and find another big man (Delco Rowley? freshman Marquise Gray?) to help spell Davis.
Wisconsin
Top three: SF Alando Tucker, PF Mike Wilkinson, G Shariff Chambliss.
On the decline: Everyone wants to see how the Badgers replace Devin Harris, the team's heart and soul the past few years. It looks like we'll all find out together, Bo Ryan included.
Plan A consisted of having Penn State transfer Chambliss take over point guard, but he's still rehabilitating after major knee surgery in the offseason. Plan B was to have off guard Boo Wade slide over since he's familiar with the offense, but he had to take an indefinite leave of absence to deal with personal issues. There is no telling when he'll be back. Who's left? Sophomore Kammron Taylor, who has minimal experience, and freshman Michael Flowers.
If one of them can handle running the show, they will have a great supporting cast to feed with Tucker back from last year's foot problems and a bigger Brian Butch, formerly a top-five recruit, joining Wilkinson and Zach Morley up front.
Indiana
Top three: SG Bracey Wright, PG Marshall Strickland, SF Robert Vaden
On the rise: For the first time since 1970, Indiana lost more games than it won last season. Throughout the struggles, there was one comforting thought Hoosiers fans could hold on to before crying themselves to sleep: the 2004 recruiting class.
Josh Smith went the NBA route and Robert Rothbart chose to play for pay overseas, but Vaden and big man D.J. White actually did show up and are expected to start immediately. So did A.J. Ratliff, who will see a lot of time in the backcourt.
Mike Davis will have to do a lot of coaching, but this team has the talent to return to the NCAAs and get the program back on track. Wright, if his back problems are a thing of the past, is the most talented guard in a league filled with them. It's time for him to play like it.
Iowa
Top three: SG Pierre Pierce, SF Adam Haluska, PG Jeff Horner.
On the rise: It has been three seasons since Iowa made the NCAA Tournament, and the normally supportive Hawkeye fans have noticed. It's do-or-die time for Steve Alford, and luckily for him, it just so happens he has a team talented enough to save his job.
Pierce hasn't gotten much pub because of the team's struggles, but he can score with anyone in the country. A potentially explosive wing combination could be born if Iowa State transfer Haluska steps in and starts filling it up from the perimeter. His emergence is pivotal.
Greg Brunner will be the team's horse inside, although 6-foot-11 junior Erek Hansen could be ready for a greater role. He moves very well, so he should fit in with the uptempo style Alford has decided to go with as he looks to salvage his position in Iowa City.
Northwestern
Top three: PF Vedran Vekusic, PG T.J. Parker, C Mike Thompson.
On the rise: After posting its best Big Ten finish in 35 years, Northwestern can realistically harbor aspirations of its first NCAA Tournament appearance ever.
Everyone but leading scorer Jitim Young returns for reigning coach of the year Bill Carmody, who is proving you can compete with the Princeton offense in a major conference. Don't forget, it happened at Air Force, too.
Vekusic and Parker could play for anyone in the Big Ten, and Thompson, who transferred in from Duke, is going to play a vital role in the offense thanks to his size and ability to pass and shoot. He'll be eligible in mid-December. St. John's transfer Tim Doyle and freshman Stirling Williams will help upgrade the wings.
Purdue
Top three: PF Carl Landry, G Brandon McKnight, G/F David Teague.
On the decline: The final season for Keady could be a difficult one, though considering how underestimated his teams have been over the past few years, it's hard to say with certainty.
Last year's season fell apart after Chris Booker was declared academically ineligible, and no one else could stabilize the post and hit the boards. Keady should fill that hole with his latest JC import, Landry, who will be given every chance to flourish.
McKnight and another JC transfer, Bryant Dillon, might be paired together in the backcourt and split ball-handling responsibilities, while Teague will be counted upon to score and defend on the wing. If the newcomers deliver and buy into Keady's system of ball pressure and intense defense, Purdue could surprise. If not, it will be an anti-climactic departure for the legendary coach.
Ohio State
Top three: C Terence Dials, SG J.J. Sullinger, PG Tony Stockman.
On the rise: Thad Matta was the perfect hire for what essentially boils down to a re-energizing of Buckeyes basketball following the dismissal of Jim O'Brien.
He demanded his players report in better shape and will look to push the tempo and really get after teams, making full use of pretty strong backcourt depth. Stockman and Sullinger had their moments last season, but the former transfers must be more consistent with their shooting and decision-making.
Dials, the team's best player, is the other key. He has to stay healthy, avoid foul trouble and remain motivated if this team is to make significant strides.
Penn State
Top three: SG Marlon Smith, F/C Aaron Johnson, PF Travis Parker.
On the rise: Ed DeChellis is beginning to put his brand on his alma mater, and that included picking up the first JC transfer to play in Happy Valley in 20 years. That should tell you something about how he feels about Parker, brought aboard to help anchor the frontcourt after standout Jan Jagla opted to turn pro.
He, Johnson and Jamaal Tate are bull strong and will fight you for every inch, important characteristics that will serve the team well when it finds itself in a hole. Being down often is inevitable given the amount of work the team needs to do to improve, but the team is making strides. Ben Luber and Smith, both sophomores, form an athletic backcourt that will also be better.
Minnesota
Top three: F/G Vincent Grier, PG Adam Boone, PF Dan Coleman.
On the decline: The Golden Gophers were brutal last season despite the services of double-double Kris Humphries, whose time at the school lasted just one divisive season. Also gone are most of the veterans who bickered internally and churned out a 3-13 league record.
Minnesota should be more harmonious this season, if less talented. Dan Monson will rely on JC transfer Grier, a former top-100 recruit who originally attended Clemson and was lighting it up throughout the offseason. Coleman steps into the power forward position vacated by Humphries, his former high school teammate. Don't expect him to be anywhere near as dominant.
Accolades
First team
F -- Lester Abram, Michigan
C -- Paul Davis, Michigan State
G -- Pierre Pierce, Iowa
G -- Deron Williams, Illinois
G -- Bracey Wright, Indiana
Second team
F -- Mike Wilkinson, Wisconsin
F -- Alando Tucker, Wisconsin
C -- James Augustine, Illinois
G -- Daniel Horton, Michigan
G -- Dee Brown, Illinois
Player of the year
Deron Williams, Illinois
Newcomer of the year
Adam Haluska, Iowa
Breakthrough player
Lester Abram, Michigan