Seven Big Ten teams were invited to the NCAA Tournament this year, but Michigan outlasted them all. After demolishing Florida this afternoon, Michigan will be the one Big Ten team to represent in the Final Four.

Wisconsin bowed out early to Ole Miss in the first round, and Illinois and Minnesota couldn’t make it past round two. Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Indiana all kept the Big Ten hopes alive by advancing to the sweet 16.

SWEET 16

Here’s where things started to fall apart. Indiana got knocked off by Syracuse 61-50, failing to make it past the Sweet 16 yet again (last year they were bounced out of the Tourney by eventual Champs Kentucky). Michigan State also fell to Duke by a similar margin, 71-61. That left Michigan and Ohio State as the two teams that could continue on to the road to the Elite 8, and perhaps history.

Ohio State battled with Arizona, and managed to scrape by with more late-game antics to grab a spot in the Elite 8. Aaron Craft didn’t make the last shot, but he did dish the ball to LaQuinton Ross for a last-second 3. The teams were tied 70-70, but Ohio State wanted to go ahead and get this game over with. Ross swooshed the ball into the basket as time ran out, and OSU would head to the next round. See The Poisonous Nuthouse for more.

Michigan also wanted to keep fans at the edges of their seat, and rolled out perhaps one of the best comebacks in the Tournament this year (oh quiet Marquette fans, this win was for a ticket to the Elite 8!). The Wolverines trailed Kansas by 14 points with more than 7 minutes left, and that’s when Trey Burke turned it ON. Burke was the reason the game went into overtime, and he scored all of his 23 points in the second half and in overtime.

The Wolverines were still down 8 points with 1:16 to go, and thanks to Burke, they were able to crawl back into the game. Glen Robinson III also made a layup in that last minute to help out, but it was Burke’s 3-pointer with 5 seconds to go that tied the game up, 76-76. Burke scored another 5 points in overtime, and the Wolverines outlasted the Jaywhawks to move on to the Elite 8.

ELITE 8

Two Big Ten teams made it to the Elite 8, but only one came out alive.

Ohio State made a habit of overcoming a large deficit in Tourney games, but this time things didn’t work out quite as well. Ninth-seeded Wichita State shocked everyone by beating Ohio State and moving on to the Final Four.

The Buckeyes scored just 22 points in the first half, while the Shockers had 35. Though things worked out better for OSU in the second, they were just too far behind to really come back. Last-second heroics failed to materialize, and Wichita State celebrated a 70-66 win. Wichita State will play the winner of the Duke/Louisville game going on right now.

Aside from that close call against Kansas, Michigan has had an easy time skating through the Tournament. Today was no exception. Up 47-30 at halftime, it was going to take a major meltdown this game to the Florida Gators.

Michigan finished off with an easy 79-59 win, and will be the last team to represent the Big Ten this year. They will move on to the final four and will face Syracuse next week.

The Big Ten had seven teams in the Tourney this year, and six will come back or another round. Wiscy was the only team who has to go home with their heads down, as they couldn’t handle Marshall Henderson and Ole Miss.  Here’s what went down, and what to look for next.

#3 Michigan State 65
#14 Valparaiso  54

Valpo hung in there as long as they could, but in the end Coach Izzo knows what he’s doing. He kept his team calm and will head into the next round.

Michigan State will play #6 Memphis on Saturday at 1:45. The Big Ten isn’t Conference USA, I’d expect Memphis to be overwhelmed and MSU to continue on.
Prediction: MSU

#4 Michigan 71
#13 San Diego State 56

This one wasn’t even close, and it never was. The Wolverines had no trouble mauling the Aztecs.

Michigan will play #5 VCU on Saturday at 11:15AM. I think VCU will give Michigan a struggle, but this might be the end of Shaka Smart’s Cinderella moments.
Prediction: Michigan

#1 Indiana 83
#16 James Madison 62

Poor James Madison just never had a chance. The Hoosiers spread the love around, with 5 different guys in double digits. Andre Nation had 24 points and Charles Cook had 18, but it turns out you can’t win a game against Indiana with just two guys.

Indiana will play #9 Temple on Sunday at 1:45.
Prediction: Indiana

#2 OSU  95
#15 Iona 70

Only in a Tournament game would a Big Ten team score more than 90 points. The Big Ten continued to prove that maybe this year they really are good, as OSU did not let Iona do what FGCU did to G’Town in that 15-2 upset.

OSU will play #10 Iowa State Sunday at 11:15am. Iowa State is going to be a lot tougher than Iona, but I think OSU can get it done.
Prediction: OSU

#11 Minnesota 83
#6 UCLA 63

Boy did Minnesota prove me wrong. This was the one Big Ten pick I got wrong, and I got it way wrong. The Pac 12 went win-less against the B1G this year, proving what everybody suspected to be true.

Minnesota will play #3 Florida on Sunday at 5:10. Minny impressed me with a big win, but I don’t think it will continue.
Prediction: Florida

#7 Illinois  57
#10 Colorado 49
The Illini went into halftime with a comfortable 16-point lead, but if you know this team then you know that’s not going to last. The Buffaloes erased the deficit in the second and actually took the lead, but Brandon Paul stayed cool as a cucumber at the charity stripe and Illinois brought home the w.

Illinois will play #2 Miami Sunday at 7:40 PM. Illinois has a chance to win this game for sure, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. #2 Miami murdered #15 Pacific 78-49, so they’re going to be riding high and tough to beat.
Prediction: (would love to be wrong) Miami

Sorry to see you go…

#5 Wisconsin 46
#12 Ole Miss 57

Henderson struggled in the first half, shooting like 1-11 or something behind the arc. That sure didn’t stop him from shooting. He began to heat up and finished with 19 points, and shot 3-12 from behind the arc. The Badgers turned the ball over 11 times, which is way high for Bo Ryan and his guys. They won’t be playing any more games this year.

Seven Big Ten teams got an invite to the NCAA Tournament this year, tied for the most in conference history: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Wisconsin will all get to play at least one more game this season.

Not for nothing, but Iowa and Purdue will also make appearances in the NIT and CBI (that’s still around?), respectively.

There have been lots of proclamations that the Big Ten is the best conference out there, but we hear this a lot and the teams still get knocked out early. Last year, six teams were invited, four made it to the Sweet 16 and just one (OSU) made it to the Elite Eight.  Is this year going to be different?

Let’s take a look at this year’s matchups for the Big Ten in the South and East regions. I’ll make some predictions, but I wouldn’t recommend using my picks to fill out your bracket. Partly because it’s too much pressure, and partly because I want to beat you.

EAST

#1 Indiana vs. Winner of #16 LIU Brooklyn/James Madison
Friday, March 22 around 2:40 pm (All times are Central, because that’s how we do it in the B1G)

A #16 seed has ever beaten a #1 seed in the history of the universe, and it’s not going to happen here. Tom Crean and the rest are still smarting over the Conference Tourney loss to Wiscy, and they’ll come out angry. What they should be is grateful that they got handed that No. 1 Seed.

Winner: Indiana

#7 Illinois vs. #10 Colorado
Friday, March 22 around 3:40 p.m.

Would you look at that, Illinois and Indiana are both in the East Region. They wouldn’t face each other until the Final Four, but wouldn’t everyone love that?

The only time I saw Colorado play this year was when the refs robbed them of a win at Arizona.  A last-second 3 was waved off and the Buffs lost in overtime. They went on to beat Arizona at home later in the year, and they also beat Tourney teams Cal and Oregon (twice).

Illinois, on the other hand, has wins over 5 Tourney teams, including #1 seeds Indiana and at Gonzaga. The Big Ten defense is stifling, and a Pac 12 opponent could make it easier for Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson to get those shots to fall.

I’m biased, but still. Winner: Illinois

SOUTH 

#4 Michigan vs. #13 South Dakota State
Thursday, March 21 6:15 PM

Last year Michigan made an early exit with a loss to one of last year’s darlings, Ohio (coached then by current Illini coach John Groce), and people don’t seem to have a lot of faith in this year’s team, either.

The Summit League-winning Jackrabbits have a threat with Nate Wolters, who scored 53 points against IPFW in February. However, the Jackrabbits aren’t going to have an easy time stopping Big Ten Player of the Year Trey Burke, who was also named First Team All Big Ten with teammate Tim Hardaway Jr.

Winner: Michigan

#6 UCLA vs. #11 Minnesota
Friday, March 22 around 9 PM

Here we are at another Pac 12/Big Ten matchup, which can either be a lot of fun or a disaster, based on their different styles. UCLA started the season off hot, fell off, and then sort of came back. Minnesota had a similar trajectory, and despite a first-round loss to Illinois in the Conference Tourney, the Gophers squeezed into the field of 64 (sigh, 68) by the skin of their teeth.

A loss for the Gophers could mean curtains for Tubby Smith, but that rarely means that a team will actually be successful (see former Illini Coach Bruce Weber). UCLA doesn’t have a ton of ugly losses, but they don’t have any really high-caliber wins, especially outside of the conference. Minnesota may have more notable wins (Memphis, Michigan State as well as Pac 12 teams USC and Stanford) but they’ve hit a deep slide as of late. They’ve lost three in a row to end the season, against teams like Nebraska and Purdue.

I usually don’t like picking the Pac 12 over the B1G, but Minnesota just isn’t the same team it was earlier in the season.

Winner: UCLA

STAY TUNED
Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the Midwest and the West regions, and the matchups for Michigan State, Wisconsin and Ohio State.

There weren’t too many surprises yesterday in the Big Ten Tournament, save for Wisconsin overcoming Michigan in the second game of the day. Despite the fact that Wiscy is ranked lower than Michigan in the polls, the higher seed was the winner in all four games last night.

#1 Indiana vs. #8 Illinois
Indiana was pretty pissed off about losing at the last-second in Champaign during the regular season, and it showed in the first game of the day. They had an easy time beating Illinois 80-64. Tyler Zeller scored 24 points, and Victor Oladipo had 12 points and 11 rebounds. Brandon Paul tried again to carry the Illini to a win, but his 16 points weren’t enough. Read a full recap of this game over at ZforThree.

#4 Wisconsin vs. #5 Michigan
Even though Michigan is technically the No. 6 team in the country and Wiscy is down at #22, both teams finished the conference season 12-6. Regardless, many had their money on Michigan to head into the next round, making this game the only somewhat surprise of the day with a final score of 68-59 favoring the Badgers.

Michigan was on top at halftime, 20-17, but this did not look to be a high-scoring game. Both teams picked up the pace in the second, and Wisconsin actually tripled their points. The Badgers took the lead about 3 minutes into the second, and never let go.  If anyone was still thinking about handing Michigan a No. 1 seed in the tournament, then yesterday’s game confirmed it wasn’t going to happen.

Trey Burke had 19 points, 7 assists and 2 steals for Michigan, while Ben Brust helped Wisconsin out with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals. No double doubles in this game, but Tim Hardaway Jr. (who briefly left the game hurt but returned) was awfully close with 14 points and 9 rebounds.

Indiana and Wisconsin will face off today at 12:40 (Central).

#2 Ohio State vs. #10 Nebraska
I’m sure the Cornhuskers were pleased as punch to make it to the second round of the Conference Tournament for the first time (to be fair this is only their second year in the league), but they got demolished by the Buckeyes, losing 71-50.

Nebraska made Ohio State work hard in the first, and they were only down by 3 points at halftime. The second half proved to be too much, and Ohio State had an easy time finishing them off.

Brandon Ubel led the Cornhuskers with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Deshaun Thomas had 19 points and 9 rebounds, while Sam Thompson had a career-high 19 points.

#3 Michigan State vs. #6 Iowa
Iowa was fighting for their Tournament life with this game, but fell just short of making that dream come true. Iowa started off very strong, but couldn’t keep up the momentum. Michigan State came back late in the game to win 59-56.

The Hawkeyes were up 10 points at the half, but the Spartans crawled back in. A three pointer by Gary Harris with 4 minutes left in the game gave Michigan State their first lead of the night. Down by 3 as the clock started to wind down, Roy Devyn Marble missed a 3-pointer with 7 seconds to go, and that was that.

It’s always nice to have a Tournament stuffed to the gills with Big Ten teams, but Iowa’s season may stop here. No one was in double figures, though Melsahn Basabe had 8 points and 8 rebounds. Michigan State had 3 players in double figures (Gary Harris, Adreian Payne and Keith Appling had 13, 18, 13 respectively). Also, Payne added 10 rebounds to his 18 points, nabbing a double double.

Ohio State will play Michigan State at 3pm today.

Just like the regular season was full of exciting and unexpected results, the first day of the Big Ten Conference Tournament also did not disappoint. Even though the top four teams didn’t see action yet, the teams at the bottom still brought their A games. Here’s a quick roundup of where we’re at at the end of Day 1.

#8 Illinois vs. #9 Minnesota
Some would say that both teams are already locks for the NCAA Tournament, but others deemed this an important game for the Gophers and the Illini. For a full roundup, visit ZforThree, but here’s a quick overview. Illinois had a solid 25-16 lead at the half, before allowing Minnesota to crawl back. Tied with just 40-some seconds to go, Austin Hollins stepped out of bounds, giving Illinois the ball with 17 seconds left. Brandon Paul hit a bucket as time ran down, giving Illinois the victory, 51-49.

Paul had 25 points, and was the only Illini in double figures. The Hollins brothers, Austin and Andre, led Minnesota in points with 16 and 13 respectively. Too bad Austin gave Illinois the game by stepping out of bounds. Illinois should be solidly in the Tournament at this point, while the Gophers might feel some nerves this Sunday.

Tomorrow, Illinois will face No. 1 Indiana at 11AM.

#5 Michigan vs. #12 Penn State
Poor Penn State finished the season with just two conference wins, one of which came at home against the Wolverines (the other came at Minnesota). I’m sure Michigan didn’t forget, partly because it contributed to kicking them out of a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament (for now). The Nittany Lions still came in fighting, and they were down just two points at halftime, 35-33.

In the second, Michigan turned it back on and slid into an easy 83-66 victory. Trey Burke had a game-high 21 points, and Mitch McGary logged a double double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Nik Staukas both contributed 15 points.

Over on the Penn State side, D.J. Newbill – a sophomore who could be scary next year – had 20 points and 6 rebounds. Ross Travis followed McGary’s lead and also had a double double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. With an overall record of 10-21, Penn State’s season ends here.

Tomorrow, Michigan will play No. 4 Wisconsin 25 minutes after the Illini/Hoosiers game.

#7 Purdue vs. #10 Nebraska
Nebraska didn’t fair much better than Penn State this year, with a conference record of 5-17. The two teams met once this year in Lincoln, and the Boilermakers walked away with the victory.

Up 30-28 at halftime, the Cornhuskers held onto that lead for the entire second half, though it never stretched into double digits. Both teams went into this game with losing records, which means they were only playing for pride – or the hopes that they could pull off a miracle and win the Conference Tournament.

In the end, Nebraska, who held on tight to that lead. Ray Gallegos missed a free throw and then made the second, giving Nebraska a slim 2-point lead with 13 seconds to go. Terone Johnson missed a final shot, got his own rebound, and then missed again. Time ran out, and Nebraska got the win, 57-55.

Shavon Shields had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals for Nebraska, while D.J. Byrd (that makes three B1G teams with a D.J. when you add in the Illini’s D.J. Richardson and Penn State’s Newbill) had 15 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks for Purdue.

Up next, Nebraska will play Ohio State at 5:30.

#6 Iowa vs. #11 Northwestern
Each  year seems to get worse for Bill Carmody and his Wildcats, who have absolutely zero chance at getting their first NCAA bid ever. A loss for Iowa could’ve derailed the Hawkeye’s chances for a Bid as well, but they had no trouble stomping all over Northwestern, finishing with a strong 73-59 victory.

Iowa came out strong and led 36-22 at the half. Northwestern just couldn’t get any shots to fall, and didn’t even get a FG until about 8 minutes into the game. Though the Wildcats perked up a tad in the second, they never got off the ground. Iowa’s Tourney hopes are still alive (barely) but they’re going to need another win or two to really make the selection committee pay attention.

Double doubles were all over the place today, and Iowa’s Melsahn Basabe got in on the action with 10 points and 12 rebounds.  He also had a remarkable 6 blocks, and Iowa had 9 total for the night. Roy Devyn Marble had a team-high 19 points for Iowa, and Mike Gesell also was in double figures with 13. For Northwestern, Reggie Hearn decided he wanted a double double as well, and finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Alex Olah had 12 points, while Tre Demps contributed 11.

The Wildcats were outrebounded 44-27, and Iowa had 6 steals and just 7 turnovers.

Iowa will face  No. 3 Michigan State 25 minutes after the Nebraska/OSU game ends.  This win could be the one that solidifies their Tourney invite, but we’ll see if the Hawkeyes can actually pull it off.

I credit my hairdo to the snow that fell ALL DAY in Nashville.

Last night’s visit to Nashville started off pretty exciting, but the game itself lacked the fast-paced, tense ending we enjoyed in Cincinnati.

Memorial Gym was unlike any college basketball stadium I’ve visited before, which is entirely refreshing. The building was older, with a classic and original feel. They boast the first raised court in college bball, which also makes it unique. Also unlike other courts, the team benches were seated underneath their respective baskets, rather than on the side of the court.

Overall, the feel of the gym was like a theater rather than a basketball court. There were bleachers (I think I forgot to mention Cincy had actual seats with backs, which I always prefer) throughout most of the stadium, and though our seats were on the 3^rd level we easily snagged a pair in the second.

So while the court itself was pretty cool, the spirit of the game was lacking a little oomph. There was no band (Cincy didn’t have one either), and there weren’t any cheerleaders or dancers! The husband wanted me to note that had there been dancers, he would’ve liked to refer to them as the “Commo-whores.” So perhaps it’s best they weren’t present.

Cincy had a bowl game at the same time as basketball, and still managed to scrounge up plenty of ladies to get us hyped up. One security person told us that the band leaves for winter break. Hope they had a good time relaxing while the basketball team was getting slaughtered.

The game began with even less fanfare than in Cincinnati, save for a few commercials for Vanderbilt on the big screen. Vandy was full-on in the game in the first half, though neither team did anything spectacular. Similarly to the Cincy halftime score, Butler had the lead at the half, 25-22.

The halftime show was the worst I’ve ever seen, because it didn’t exist. One kid had to walk around blindfolded to find a fiberglass house in the middle of the floor, and that was about it. We took that opportunity to try out the nachos and hotdogs. The husband gave the hotdogs a solid 7 (Cincy had a 6) and the nachos were the same salty chips with orange goop. But, I got to select my own hot peepers, which means I had lots and lots.

The second half was rather dull, and probably upsetting if you’re a Commodores fan. Butler started to heat up, and Rotnei Clarke (who pissed me off when Illinois played Butler in Maui) went off and plopped in some 3’s. All of a sudden, Butler was up by nearly 30 points and the crowd got frustrated and antsy. The game went by rather quickly, clocking in at barely two hours. The stadium was practically empty by the end, with a final score of 68-49, Butler.

It was dark and snowy, but the campus still looked lovely. Everyone was friendly, and no one seemed to mind our Orange and Blue getup. Cincy had a more “college-y” feel, but that might because it’s a bigger school, and a larger amount of students live in the immediate area. There was no student section to speak of, and in general the fanbased skewed a lot… more mature.

We’ve arrived in Memphis, and bless the Comfort Inn for having free wi-fi. Now to find a place with tasty snacks (vegetarian preferred) and the Bears game. Thankfully, the snow didn’t follow us.

Tomorrow morning my partner in crime and I will embark on a basketball road trip that we have been planning for months. To reminisce about the many who didn’t understand what could possible be fun about this trip take a look at my original post.  Five cities and four NCAA basketball games in five days is what’s on the itinerary, and we can’t wait to get going.

Since planning the trip, the matchups have gotten a touch more exciting. Also during that time, various people have told the old ball and chain that I must be a saint for agreeing to go on this trip with him. He beams with pride as he informs them that the trip was actually my idea.

Here’s the schedule, and what to expect:

Dec. 27, 9PM Eastern – #10 Cincinnati vs. New Mexico

Well, this game would’ve been a tad more exciting had New Mexico won last weekend against South Dakota State, as this game would be a top 25 matchup between two undefeated teams. However, Cincy is still the No. 10 team in the country, so that’ll be neat to see. New Mexico was ranked No. 16 last week, and for some reason that one loss kicked them out of the rankings entirely. Since they will be a major underdog tomorrow, clearly I’ll be rooting for the lobos all the way.

Dec. 29, 8PM – #18/21 Butler at Vanderbilt

For our second game in Nashville, we’ll be treated to another ranked team in Butler. Normally I would root for the unranked home team so that I can fit in with the crowd, but since Illinois beat Butler earlier in the season I’m going all-out Bulldogs all the way. I will already get side-long glances for my orange and blue attire, and then I’ll be rooting for the guest. Will the crowd be wearing suits and Sunday dresses, or is that just football games?

Dec. 30, 8PM- Memphis vs. Loyola (MD)

Okay, this game isn’t any more exciting than it looked on paper months ago. Neither of us have been to Memphis, and even though the team hasn’t been the same since Calipari left it in ruins a few years back, there’s still some great basketball history in that building! And, I hope to make a stop at Graceland. At 7-3, the season is far from over for Memphis, and it will be the first stop where we’ll get to join the crowd and root for the home team.

Dec. 31, 730PM – St. Louis vs. New Mexico

Oh Lobos! There you are again. By the end of this trip we will be big fans. Again, this game was just a nice stop on the trip because it’s on the way home, and we have friends in the area. As a bonus, joining us at this game will be the Aerys Gold Rush’s own Marquette expert, Mary! And, if New Mexico manages to win at Cincy, they’ll be ranked again, and then we’ll get to watch another ranked team. Without Rick Majerus (may he RIP), this game isn’t too exciting, but it will be fun to see how many people show up for a New Year’s Eve game!

That’s the trip in a nutshell! Along the way, we’ll also get to watch an Illini basketball game in a bar in Nashville (as a cruel joke they’ll actually be playing in Chicago) and a Bears game in Memphis. Tonight we will pack as many orange t-shirts as possible, because we represent the I-L-L no matter where we are, and even if Illinois has nothing to do with the game whatsoever.

We’ll be blogging along the way to let you know who has the best fans, and who has the best nachos. You’ll get to read about the atmosphere at each place, and who is the most annoyed at our orange and blue shenanigans. See our briefer musings by following @zforthree (or my other half who is a much better tweeter, @jjhparker) or take a look at #jzroadtrip.

Basketball immersion, here we come!

The Big Ten has this to look forward to in 2014.

Rumors have been flying all weekend, and now it’s official: the University of Maryland will join the Big Ten Conference effective July 1, 2014.

Competition in all sports will begin in the 2014-15 academic year. According to the release, “The University of Maryland also looks forward to joining the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), a consortium of world-class research institutions dedicated to advancing their academic missions.” Just so we don’t forget that the Big Ten likes to boast that academics are also important.

 “Today is a watershed moment for the University of Maryland,” said university president Dr. Wallace D. Loh.  “Membership in the Big Ten Conference is in the strategic interest of the University of Maryland. It will not only ensure the financial vitality of Maryland Athletics for decades to come, but the extensive opportunities in the CIC for collaborations with our peer AAU and flagship universities in education, research, and innovation will boost the University of Maryland’s ascendancy in academic excellence.”

In order for an institution to be admitted to the Big Ten Conference, it must submit a written application, which must then be approved by at least 70 percent of the Big Ten COP/C.  The University of Maryland formally submitted an application to join the Big Ten Conference Monday morning. The Big Ten COP/C then met via conference call and unanimously approved UMD’s application.

“The Big Ten Conference is excited to welcome the University of Maryland beginning with the 2014-15 academic year,” said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. “Maryland is a tradition-rich institution with a history of academic and athletic excellence. They’re a great fit and we look forward to a great future.”

Word is that Rutgers will also be joining the Big Ten tomorrow. Maryland and Rutgers will both be in the Leaders division, while Illinois will be scooted over to the Legends category to balance everything out.

I feel like it was just yesterday that the conference SWORE they weren’t interested in adding any more schools after Nebraska, but I guess that wasn’t true. With DC and New York TV markets coming along with Rutgers and Maryland, I can see why it was hard for the conference to say no. I thought maybe Notre Dame would be the only exception, but I guess not.

The Big Ten will probably still be called the Big Ten, even though there will be 14 teams in the conference.

New Nebraska coach Tim Miles takes our picture!

Aside from losing my computer cord, I would say today’s Big Ten Basketball Media Day was a success. There were a couple of new faces like Illinois’ John Groce and Nebraska’s Tim Miles and some seasoned B1G vets like MSU’s Tom Izzo and Wiscy’s Bo Ryan. Everyone was excited to congregate in the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, and there was lots of talk about how awesome the conference was going to be this year.

With Indiana picked as preseason champs and Cody Zeller dubbed preseason Player of the Year, there was a lot of hype surrounding the Hoosiers. Let’s not forget that out of the 12 Big Ten Teams, three are ranked in the preseason top 5 (#1 Indy, #4 OSU, #5 Mich) and two more got a top 25 shoutout (#14 MSU and #21 Wiscy). While preseason rankings mean next to nothing, a lot of people think that this is the conference to beat.

Coaches Pressers

Usually these things are done in alphabetical order by team, starting with Illinois and finishing with Wiscy, but this year they mixed it up and went backwards.  Our moderator wore a bow tie, which elicited a few comments from coaches along the way, while others were just focused on talking as much as possible (I will refrain from listing who, but I’m sure you could guess).

Wisconsin – Bo Ryan

Ryan was among the jokesters, and commented he thought the bow-tied moderator was the valet guy. Sounds like Wiscy will have some good guards this year, which has Ryan excited. Zach Bohannon, brother of the successful Jason who was also a Badger,  is taller, loves the game, is ahead of the others coming in and can shoot 3′s. As for the high rankings in the league, Ryan thinks it’s great for the B1G and great for RPI.

Matt Painter looks like he shed a few pounds.

Purdue – Matt Painter

Purdue’s Painter was next, and it looks like the guy lost some weight! Congrats to him, as his waistband had been expanding as of late. Though he said he was excited, you could tell Painter wasn’t thrilled to report that he lost four starters. He says there is some talent on the Boilermakers, but not a lot of experience. “It’s going to be a youth movement for us,” he said. “I do like our talent level, I don’t like our experience.”

Penn State – Patrick Chambers

Oh yeah this guy! When fresh-faced Chambers took the podium I sort of forgot that he existed. He is excited about going into his second season, and there was a lot of talk surrounded Tim Frazier, who was named to the preseason All-Big Ten Team. When asked about the controversy surrounding the football team, he had this to say regarding recruiting: “I talk to the parents about it and the kids about it and I don’t want it to be the elephant in the room. I would rather get it out in front of it and let’s discuss it and if there are issues, then this might not be the right place for you.”

Ohio State – Thad Matta

Sitting pretty at #4, OSU may have lost William Buford and Jared Sullinger, but they return two all-Big Ten selections including Defensive Player of the Year, Aaron Craft. “I think they’re very aware of the challenges that lie ahead,” Matta said of the team, “and I like their demeanor to this point.” Deshaun Thomas is reportedly thinner and lighter, and has a better understanding of the game and is focusing more on defense. When asked about new Illini coach John Groce (who worked under Matta at OSU), Matta said the guy has a lot of passion for the game, and for the University of Illinois.

Northwestern – Bill Carmody

Apparently this is Carmody’s 13th year with NU, so perhaps this will be the lucky year when they finally make the tournament? Without John Shurna, that might be tough. “We have four starters back, we lost a good kid in Shurna and four starters back sounds great, but we have nine guys on our team that have never played for Northwestern,” he said. Drew Crawford will work to replace Shurna as the face (and everything else) of the team.

PSU Coach Patrick Chambers

Nebraska – Tim Miles

The first B1G newbie of the day was Miles, who came out with a huge grin ready to have a lot of fun. He cracked jokes throughout and had this to say about entering the conference “Technically, I haven’t had my brains beat in yet, but I would like to thank the Big Ten for starting us at home against Michigan State, and the beginning of the schedule, thanks, Rick! Santa is going to give him some coal in his stocking.” As a kid, Miles had a dream to turn Notre Dame into a basketball school, but he said he’d like a real challenge and thus came to Nebraska. Before stepping off stage he took a panoramic picture of us media goobers and tweeted it to his followers.

Minnesota -Tubby Smith

Far less energetic than Miles, Smith has been a head coach since 1991, and enters his sixth year as the coach of the Golden Gophers.  Things are looking up for the team that has been injury (and other issues) plagued as of late, Minnesota has 11 returning players, including 4 starters. Trevor Mbakwe had a knee injury last year, and some legal trouble (DUI) this year. He’s been cleared to play, and Smith believes he will be able to step in and contribute. Smith had this to say about  Mbakwe: “Trevor is a fine young man, hell, I’ve never had a problem with him on the basketball court or in practice or in the classroom. He’s graduated, he’s working on his Masters degree.”

Michigan State -Tom Izzo

MSU has 11 letterwinners returning, and Izzo joked they must have had a lot of walk-ons. The team has some youth and some depth, including guys who have been to the Final Four. With such a strong conference, Izzo knows the season will be tough, and credits the coaches for all of the B1G accolades.

Michigan – John Beilein

New Illini head coach John Groce

With just 3 returning starters (out of five is that really so bad?), Beilein believes he’s got some challenges ahead. “We have challenges because so few of our players have a lot of game experience,” he said.  “But, there is great opportunity because of the young talent we have and the returning players who haven’t played
a lot but have worked hard at their game.

Iowa -Fran McCaffery

Coach McCaffery still looks like a chemistry teacher, and kind of speaks like one, too. It was nice to see him get fired up last year when he slammed a chair during a game against MSU, because in these things he doesn’t have much of a spark. “We have to be cautiously optimistic because we’re still a very young team despite the fact that we have 87 percent of our offense back, there is going to be a lot of young players in the mix,” he said. “I think we’re the biggest we’ve been in a long time and the deepest we’ve been in a long time, and I think we have a chance to be very good.”

Indiana – Tom Crean

Just as the media peeps started to get tired, out came the two of the most talkative guys in the bunch. Tom Crean came out without a tie, while pretty much every other coach had a tie that boasted their teams’ colors. Although, I suppose we should be glad he at least wore a sports jacket. Crean spoke for about 10 minutes before a question was even asked of him. But, with all the hype surrounding the team, it’s understandable to be excited. Despite the attention, it’s business as usual and he isn’t taking anything for granted. He had this to say as part of the Zeller lovefest: “Cody Zeller epitomizes so many things about the program and number one is the humble spirit he has. He’s confident but he has a humbleness, and he has a desire to improve.”

Illinois – John Groce

Last but not least, new head coach John Groce came out to the podium with a deep orange tie (maybe a little too dark, but I’ll let it slide) and a nice shiny head. Like football coach Tim Beckman, Groce is pretty intense. Groce had a lot to say about the guys working hard and showing improvement, especially Nanna Egwu, who will be trying to fill the big shoes of a guy that no one really mentioned: Meyers Leonard. Myke Henry, Jo Bertrand and Tracy Abrams were also given shoutouts. As for Brandon Paul’s inconsistency, Groce says they’ve been working on it, but we’ve heard this before. He refers to this Pat Riley quote with Paul: “Coaches will take consistency over greatness any day.” Perhaps that inspiration will do the trick.

I might have gone with too many rage faces. (screenshot via Yahoo Sports)

It was a rough day for several Big Ten teams, including two ranked in the top 25.

Wisconsin and Nebraska were both knocked off by Pac 12 teams Saturday. Wisconsin lost to Oregon State 10-7, while Nebraska lost to UCLA, 36-30.

The Badgers were held scoreless against the Beavers for most of the game until late in the fourth quarter when Jacob Pederson caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Danny O’Brien.

Wisconsin had an opportunity with the onside kick, but after being initially ruled as Badgers ball, the play was reviewed and the officials determined kicker Kyle French touched the ball before the ball traveled 10-yards.

Montee Ball had a rough game as he was held to 61 yards rushing.

UCLA and Nebraska turned into a first half shootout as the game was tied 24-24 at halftime. The Bruins stepped up their defense in the second half, holding the Cornhuskers to six points and even sacking Taylor Martinez for a safety.

Michigan was in a close one with Air Force, but they were able to hold on to win and avoid starting the season 0-2.

Penn State wasn’t able to avoid starting 0-2 as they lost a close one to Virginia, 17-16. The difference in the game was the kicking game for Penn State as Sam Ficken missed four field goal attempts Saturday, including a 42-yarder with one second left in the game in soggy conditions.

The losses didn’t end there for the Big Ten as Iowa, Illinois and Purdue all lost as well.

Iowa lost a low-scoring CyHawk game to Iowa State. The final score was 9-6. The only touchdown of the game came in the first quarter came when Steele Jantz completed a five-yard pass to Aaron Horne.

Illinois was blown out by Arizona State, 45-14. You can read all about Illinois Football at Z for Three.

Purdue meanwhile lost to a ranked Notre Dame team, 20-17.

It wasn’t all bad though as Michigan State, Minnesota and Indiana all picked up blowout wins against their teams. Ohio State was able to get the win over UCF and Northwestern scored 17 fourth quarter points to beat Vanderbilt.