Big 10 Basketball Contenders
By Tom Stryker
When Purdue basketball standout Robbie Hummel went down in preseason with another season – ending knee injury, the Big Ten race just became more wide open. The conference is at elite strength this year, and Purdue still can’t be counted out of the title chase. We examined the Boilers, along with Indiana and Notre Dame a week ago.
This week we look at the contenders for the Big Ten throne. With Purdue – the list includes perennial powerhouses Michigan State and Ohio State, joined by Wisconsin and Illinois. And, we don’t examine them today, but the Golden Gophers at Minnesota can’t be forgotten. The Associated Press has Tubby Smith’s team at No. 17 this week. Here is a look at today’s four title contenders.
ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI
Bruce Weber has known the taste of success, including a national runner-up finish not that many years ago. But the Illini have not been to the NCAA tourney in two seasons and the quick start this year shows their target can be reached again. Good thing. The Illini faithful were restless after last year’s 21-15 campaign.
The Illini are 10-1 and ranked 12th in the nation. Weber’s players have beaten Gonzaga and North Carolina in early-season action, but lost by six to Texas in New York. Illinois has been on a roll offensively, currently one of only five teams from BCS conferences to have scored 70 or more points in every game.
Seniors Detri McCarney and Mike Tisdale have been forces for Illinois, averaging 15.8 and 11.0 points, respectively. The 7-foot-1 Tisdale, who beefed up to 252 pounds in the offseason, is the team’s leading rebounder at 7.2 per game. Sophomore D.J. Richardson has helped (11.9 points) as has senior Mike Davis (10.9) and sophomore Paul Brandon (9.0). The top freshman at this point of the season is 6-7 Jerome Richmond at 8.4 points a game.
Illinois plays Saturday against Illinois-Chicago, and goes to St. Louis on Wednesday to meet Missouri. The Illini open Big Ten play 12-29 at Iowa. With a good blend of size and speed, the Illini have the ingredients to again be considered as a conference contender.
Key ILLINOIS Angle: 45-25 ATS at home matched up against an opponent that checks in with momentum off a SU and ATS win.
MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS
There are not many teams that command high ranking with three losses at this point of the season. But Tom Izzo’s Spartans sit at No. 14 after losing so far to Connecticut, Duke and Syracuse, a yearly “murderer’s row” in college basketball. No one plays a tougher early schedule than Michigan State – and it may be one reason the Spartans have reached the Final Four six times in the past 12 years. Are they contenders for the Big Ten title? Absolutely! The Spartans aim at Final Four every year.
Last year’s 28-9 squad, one that fell to Butler in the Final Four, has enough returning veterans to know if the pieces gel, it could be another special season. Senior Kalin Lucas has again taken leadership of the team, his 15.2 points a game tops on the roster.
Balance is always a strength of the Spartans. Senior Durrell Summers scores at 14.6, junior Draymon Green is at 12.7, while junior Korie Lucious is at 86 and junior Delvin Roe at 6.7. Green is the leading rebounder at 9.1, with the 6-foot-8 Roe second at 5.1.
Michigan State hosts Prairie View A&M Saturday, stays home next Wednesday against Texas, then opens Big Ten play Dec. 31 at home against Minnesota.
Key MICHIGAN STATE Angle: 19-7 ATS in East Lansing checking in without momentum off two or more straight up losses.
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
When Evan Turner took his amazing talents to the NBA after last season, many wondered about the immediate prospects for continued success for the Buckeyes. Don’t worry. Thad Motta’s crew, featuring four returning starters, is 8-0 and ranked second in the nation behind Duke.
The Ohio State schedule has been soft thus far, but it does include victories in Florida against both Florida and Florida State.
Turner led Ohio State to a 29-8 record last winter before a loss to Tennessee ended their NCAA title dreams. The Buckeyes played Florida Gulf Coast Wednesday night, and face South Carolina on Saturday before beginning Big Ten play Dec. 31 at Indiana.
It’s a freshman, 6-foot-9, 280-pound Jared Sullinger, who has been the darling of the new season for Ohio State. And those four returning starters have mixed well with Sullinger to keep Ohio State unbeaten. He had a game of 40 points and averages 18.0 points and 9.3 rebounds to lead the club in both categories.
Senior David Lighty scores at a 12.5 clip, with classmate Jon Diebler, the school’s career 3-point shot maker, close behind at 11.3 Junior William Buford is at 11.7, while another talented freshman, reserve DeShaun Thomas, adds 11.6 points to the potent Buckeye offense.
Key OHIO STATE Angle: 39-25 ATS as a dog in Big 10 play battling an opponent that arrives off two or more straight up wins.
WISCONSIN BADGERS
The only one of the Big Ten title hopefuls currently not ranked in the Top 25, Wisconsin nonetheless stands at 9-2 with losses only to UNLV (at UNLV) and to No. 24 Notre Dame. Coach Bo Ryan has a veteran lineup and a system that almost guarantees success. Wisconsin was 24-9 a year ago, losing to Cornell in the second round of the NCAA tourney.
Senior Jon Leuer (6-10) is the main cog in the deliberate Wisconsin offense. He scores at a 19.9 pace and is the team’s leading rebounder at 7.5 per game. It is the rebound portion of the game that concerns Wisconsin the most. Junior Jordan Taylor is scoring at 15.1 to date, with senior Keaton Nankovil at 8.0 and freshman surprise Josh Gasser at 7.0.
Wisconsin doesn’t play until a home game next Thursday against Coppin State. The Badgers open Big Ten competition against Minnesota on Dec. 28.
Key WISCONSIN Angle: 27-16 ATS at home coming off a SU and ATS loss and battling a foe that enters off a straight up win.