Big Ten Network : Men's Basketball Top Stories

BIG TOP: Brent's Big Blog

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:56:00 +0000

BIG TOP: Brent's Big Blog

Big Ten notes: Conference title chase heats up

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 17:35:00 +0000

RACE FOR SUPREMACY: With just four weeks remaining in the Big Ten regular season, six teams are above .500 in the conference standings, with Michigan State holding a one-game advantage at 9-2. Three teams are knotted at 8-3 for second place in Illinois, Ohio State and Wisconsin. Purdue sits alone in fifth place with a 7-3 mark. Things heat up in the race this week when No. 10/10 Michigan State hosts No. 6/6 Purdue. A Spartan win could push them 2.5 games ahead of the Boilermakers. Tied at 8-3, Illinois travels to Wisconsin, as one team will gain the edge and pull ahead in the race. BADGER PROWESS: Wisconsin is the only team in the country that has beaten two AP top-five teams. The Badgers handed then-No. 4 Purdue its first loss of the season on Jan. 9 and last week, knocked off then-No. 5 and undefeated in conference play, Michigan State. Wisconsin is 5-2 against the Associated Press Top 25 this season and tied for second in the nation with the most wins vs. foes ranked in the AP poll. Georgetown is the only team in the nation with more wins (6). The Badgers are tied with Syracuse and Duke. The Badgers are tied with Georgetown in wins versus the top 10 with three to rank second in the nation behind only Syracuse (4). ARDUOUS TASK: Four Big Ten teams are among the nation's most-battle tested, playing seven or more games this season against AP Top 25 opponents. Ohio State has met eight foes this season ranked in the top 25. This tally is best in the nation along with Georgetown and Marquette. Michigan, Northwestern and Wisconsin have each played seven ranked opponents to date for second nationally with Duke, Seton Hall and Texas A&M. TURNING HEADS: Ohio State's Evan Turner is currently among the top two in points, rebounds and assists in the Big Ten. If Turner's numbers stand, he could become the only player in Big Ten history to finish in the top three in each category since assists became an official stat during the 1983-84 season. The Buckeye junior is averaging 19.7 points per game (1st), 9.4 rebounds (1st) and 5.7 assists (2nd). Only five players in Big Ten history have finished in the top 10 of those categories since 1983-84, including both Turner and Michigan's Manny Harris last season. No Division I player has achieved those minimums since at least 1996-97. The only player in NBA history to match those numbers in a season was Wilt Chamberlain, who did so in both the 1966-67 and 1967-68 seasons. INSTANT IMPACT: Northwestern's Drew Crawford is among only four freshman in the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10 and SEC who is averaging at least 11.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists. The first-year Wildcat is averaging 11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists while logging 27.7 minutes per game. THIS IS OUR HOUSE: Three teams enter the week undefeated at home in Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin. The Spartans will put their steak on the line Tuesday night when they host Purdue. Wisconsin welcomes two opponents to the Kohl Center this week as they look to remain perfect at home. Ohio State will keep its streak in tact for at least one more week, as the Buckeyes hit the road for contests Wednesday and Sunday. The Badgers and Spartans are tied with the seventh-longest active streak in the NCAA. The duo also have the longest active home streaks in the Big Ten at 18 games. Ohio State's steak of 17 home wins is good for ninth in the nation. 3O'S THE MAGIC NUMBER: Ohio State's Evan Turner scored 32 points in the Buckeyes' win over Iowa on Sunday. The performance marked his second and the 12th time this season for a Big Ten player. Turner joins Mike Tisdale (ILL), Maurice Creek (IND), Drew Crawford (NU), John Shurna (NU), Michael Thompson (NU), David Lighty (OSU) and Robbie Hummel (PUR) as all scoring 30 or more points this season. A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN: Penn State's Talor Battle is second in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 19.1 points per contest and one of 16 active players in Division I to record 1,300 points, 400 rebounds and 350 assists. The junior guard has recorded 1,391 career points, 433 rebounds and 376 assists to check in as the only non-senior among the 16 to accomplish this feat. THE ROARING 20s: Michigan State and Purdue are both one win shy of recording their 20th victory of the season. The Spartans host the Boilermakers Tuesday night. If Michigan State is victorious, it will mark the 18th 20-win season all-time for the Spartans and 10th in the last 12 years. If Purdue wins the contest, the Boilermakers will have their 22nd 20-win season in school history, and fourth under head coach Matt Painter.

Michigan State's Lucas questionable for Purdue

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 14:32:00 +0000

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- It's still not clear when injured Michigan State point guard Kalin Lucas will re-enter a suddenly wide open Big Ten race. Lucas could play when No. 10 Michigan State hosts No. 6 Purdue on Tuesday, Spartans coach Tom Izzo says. But Izzo worries how a still-sprained ankle might limit the jet-quick guard. "It is completely up in the air, still," Izzo said Monday. "I think he feels more like he's going to be able to play some. ... He's getting treatments almost all day long in between classes. It's improving." But Izzo is uncertain about Lucas's status in large part because speed is a key part of his game. If a tender ankle makes it difficult for Lucas to cut or get up and down the court, it may not be worth the risk of aggravating the injury at this point in the season. Michigan State (19-5, 9-2 Big Ten) has a one-game lead in the conference over Wisconsin, Ohio State and Illinois. Purdue (19-3, 7-3) -- entering the showdown on a five-game winning streak -- is close behind. The Spartans have lost back-to-back games at Wisconsin and Illinois after starting the Big Ten season with nine straight wins. Lucas was injured during the loss to Wisconsin and missed the Illinois game. He leads the team in scoring at nearly 16 points per game and is the team's most reliable player in clutch, late-game situations. "We're hoping Kalin is back," forward Draymond Green said. "We're pretty confident he will be. Kalin is a warrior." If Lucas does play, he might also help the Spartans cut down on turnovers. Michigan State committed 18 turnovers in their 78-73 loss to the Illini on Saturday. "To be a championship team, we can't turn the ball over like that," Green said. "We know that." Izzo is looking for Raymar Morgan and Durrell Summers to be more consistent scorers, especially if Lucas is going to be out of the lineup. Morgan and Summers, who each average nearly 11 points per game, combined for 19 points against Illinois. Purdue has been rolling since losing three straight in mid-January. The Boilermakers' winning streak includes victories at Illinois and Indiana, and unlike Michigan State, Purdue has limited its turnovers. The Boilermakers commit five fewer turnovers a game than their opponents, one of the better margins in the nation. The Boilermakers average 75 points per contest, led by E'Twaun Moore at 17 points per game. Robbie Hummel and JaJuan Johnson also average scoring in double figures.

Listen to the basketball coaches' teleconference

Mon, 1 Feb 2010 13:04:00 +0000

Listen to audio recordings of the 11 Big Ten coaches on their weekly call with reporters. Listen now .

NU sends reeling Indiana to 78-61 defeat

Sun, 7 Feb 2010 13:49:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. -- John Shurna led five Northwestern players in double figures with 16 points Sunday as the Wildcats defeated Indiana 78-61 for their first three-game winning streak against the Hoosiers in eight decades. Luka Mirkovic added 14 points and Jeremy Nash 13 for Northwestern (16-7, 5-6 Big Ten), which is only one victory from the single-season school record set in 1982-83 and matched last year. While Northwestern makes progress toward what it hopes will be its first NCAA tournament bid, times remain tough for traditional powerhouse Indiana (9-13, 3-7). Verdell Jones III scored a career-high 28 points for the young, rebuilding Hoosiers, who have won five NCAA titles and have made 35 tournament appearances but went 6-25 last season. They suffered their fourth consecutive loss and seventh in nine games.

Turner leads hot Ohio State past Iowa

Sun, 7 Feb 2010 11:08:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Evan Turner stayed up late on Saturday night, watching Michigan State lose to turn the Big Ten race into a free-for all. Then he got up early on Sunday morning to make sure No. 13 Ohio State stayed in the mix. Turner matched his career high with 32 points, leading the Buckeyes past Iowa 68-59 on Sunday and stretching their Big Ten winning streak to seven straight. "We got here at 7:45 in the morning," Turner said after the rare Ohio State game with a noon tip-off. "We caught the Michigan State versus Illinois game last night, so we were up kind of late. We came out and competed and got the job done." Every time that Ohio State needed a big basket, Turner had a part in it. He also had five assists and seven rebounds. "You probably saw about what he is," Iowa coach Todd Lickliter said. "It's not unique to us, what happened. He's tough to contain." Buckeyes coach Thad Matta was asked if Turner is the best player in the nation. "If there's one out there better than him, then I look forward to seeing him," Matta said. "Because he's playing really well right now." Jon Diebler added 12 points for the Buckeyes (18-6, 8-3), who have won four in a row overall and seven of eight. Eric May scored 16 points, Aaron Fuller and Cully Payne 11 each, and Matt Gatens 10 for the Hawkeyes (8-16, 2-9), who have lost four in a row and won just once away from home. It was Ohio State's second win over the Hawkeyes in 12 days. The Buckeyes finished strong in Iowa City to win 65-57 on Jan. 27. They moved to 15-0 at home this season, where they are shooting 54 percent from the field and 42 percent on 3-pointers. But this was not a typical hot-shooting home game. Ohio State made just 22 of 49 shots from the field for 45 percent, and was only 2 of 13 behind the arc. Ahead by five at the half, Ohio State pulled away when it held Iowa to 1-of-9 shooting to start the second half. Turner, who had 20 points in the last 20 minutes, got things going on what would become an 11-2 run, including Kyle Madsen's bucket to close the half. Turner hit a 15-foot jumper on the first possession and later hit another shot off an inbounds pass. William Buford hit two foul shots and had two assists, including on Diebler's 3 from in front of the Ohio State bench that made it 41-29. The Hawkeyes were able to get as close as 51-43, but Turner responded with a baseline jumper and a slashing drive through the lane. Iowa was down 55-46 but missed three consecutive 3-point shots on the same possession, thanks to two offensive rebounds. Turner finally ended the lengthy trip down the floor with a rebound, then dribbled the length of the floor, faked May out of his shoes on a drive and coasted in for an easy finger-roll. There was another point in the game where, after some physical defense from Iowa's John Lickliter, son of Iowa's head coach, Turner dribbled to the top of the key and held the ball behind the Iowa defender's head. The crowd laughed. There are moments when it appears Turner, a 6-foot-7 junior, can score at will. "It's cool to see the ball go through the net," he said. "Just for a moment you feel unstoppable. You kind of feel like you can do almost anything." The Buckeyes were without Turner for more than a month when he fell while dunking in a game on Dec. 5 and broke two bones in his lower back. Ohio State went 3-3 without him, losing its first two Big Ten games and another game at No. 22 Butler. "I'm going to state the obvious here but when he was out, they were a good team, a very good team," Todd Lickliter said of Turner's absence. "But when he came back, they were elevated to one of the best in the nation." Now, with Turner leading the way, the Buckeyes are among four teams that started Sunday just a game back of Michigan State in the suddenly wide-open Big Ten. They play four of their last seven league games on the road, including a gigantic one on Feb. 21 in East Lansing, Mich. "I've got faith this team can do anything," Turner said. "We control our own destiny. We decide what goes on. If we stay focused and play Ohio State basketball, we can do anything."

Westbrook beats buzzer, Penn State

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 13:11:00 +0000

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Lawrence Westbrook's long jumper as time expired capped a frantic final minute and Ralph Sampson III had 13 points and two key blocks late to lead Minnesota past Penn State 66-64 on Saturday. Westbrook skipped to center court to join his jubilant teammates after his desperation shot from the left corner went in to give Minnesota (14-8, 5-5 Big Ten) just its second road victory of the season. Talor Battle's layup with 9 seconds left after a scramble for a loose ball tied the game, sending the Jordan Center crowd into hysterics. But they would leave disappointed again after Westbrook's bucket. Penn State (8-15, 0-11) is off to its worst start in league play, and is two losses shy of its longest losing streak in coach Ed DeChellis' seven seasons on the bench. Battle had two shots blocked in the final 24 seconds by the 6-foot-11 Sampson.

McCamey, Illinois upset No. 5 Michigan State

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 20:13:00 +0000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Even without Kalin Lucas on the floor, No. 5 Michigan State almost held off Illinois. Demetri McCamey was just too much for the Spartans. "Playing without Lucas, it's no excuse. Everybody has to play without somebody," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "I told McCamey he's twice the player he was when he played at our place. He's so much of a different player." McCamey, who lost his starting job earlier in the Big Ten season, had 22 points and 11 assists to lead Illinois to a 78-73 upset of No. 5 Michigan State on Saturday night, sending the Spartans to another loss without Lucas -- who said he expects to play Tuesday against Purdue. The Illini led by a point at halftime and by seven in the game's final minutes. But they couldn't put the Spartans away until freshman D.J. Richardson hit a free throw with 15 seconds to play for a 76-73 lead. Mike Davis added 16 points for Illinois. Draymond Green's 17 points and 16 rebounds led Michigan State without Lucas, who sprained his right ankle in a loss to Wisconsin on Tuesday. "I told them it didn't matter, they were still going to come at us, they have a lot of weapons," Illinois coach Bruce Weber said. "Tom exerts his intensity, his will to be successful. Those kids just play off of that." Illinois (16-8, 8-3) got within a game of the first-place Spartans (19-5, 9-2) in the Big Ten. Richardson and McCamey finished off the Spartans in the game's final minutes. McCamey hit a 3 with 37 seconds to play and with MSU forced to foul, Richardson made three free throws in the final 26 seconds and Davis slammed home a dunk at the buzzer as the crowd rushed the court in Assembly Hall. Lucas nearly helped the Spartans win from the bench. With the Spartans trailing 57-64 and 7:17 remaining, he got into the huddle and told his teammates to calm down. Then he pulled his replacement, Korie Lucious, aside for a one-on-one chat. When play resumed, Lucas could be seen sitting next to Izzo, a spot usually reserved for assistant coaches. The Spartans eventually got within a point, making it 66-65 with 3:44 remaining, but never regained control. They were down two points with less than a minute to go, but McCamey's last 3-pointer of the night essentially iced it. Illinois finished 8 for 18 on 3s. "I'm 50 percent proud of my team," Izzo said. "But disappointed. We just gave them 3 after 3 after 3." The Spartans fought back from an early 10-point hole to make it 35-34 at halftime, and even briefly took the lead in the second half. McCamey opened the second half with 10 points in nine minutes to keep Illinois in the game. At times, he appeared to be the Illini's only option. His back-to-back 3s put the Illini up 53-47 lead with 13:10 to play, but Michigan State scored the next five points, and went ahead after McCamey missed a 3-pointer on the next possession and Chris Allen made one with 11:21 to go. Illinois tied the game at 55 with 10:05 remaining on a putback by Mike Tisdale. A minute later, Brandon Paul's dunk gave Illinois a 59-57 lead and started a 7-0 run. "We made our runs and they made theirs," McCamey said. "They kept coming back again and again."

Spartans' Lucas will not play at Illinois

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 19:28:00 +0000

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.(AP) Michigan State guard Kalin Lucas will not play against Illinois. Michigan State sports information director Matt Larson said about an hour before the 9 p.m. tip-off on Saturday that Lucas' ankle injury will keep him on the bench. Lucas sprained his right ankle Tuesday in the fifth-ranked Spartans' loss at Wisconsin. Lucas, last season's Big Ten Player of the Year, leads Michigan State in scoring at 15.6 points a game. Lucas, dressed in sweats, limped slightly as he helped teammates through pregame warmups. Larson said he was able to participate in some of the afternoon shootaround but wouldn't speculate on when he will practice or play again. Lucas will likely be replaced against Illinois at point guard by Korie Lucious.

Bohannon, Badgers roll past Michigan

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 15:11:00 +0000

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Jason Bohannon heaved up a 35-foot shot just before the halftime buzzer, then pounded his fist as it went through cleanly. It was that kind of day for No. 16 Wisconsin. Bohannon scored 18 points to lead the hot-shooting Badgers to a 62-44 victory over Michigan on Saturday. Trevon Hughes added 14 points and Jordan Taylor had 13 for the Badgers (18-5, 8-3 Big Ten), who were 9 of 13 from 3-point range in the first half in taking a 40-26 lead. The trio combined to go 7 of 9 from behind the arc in the opening 20 minutes. "We did a tremendous job of finding the open guy," said Bohannon, who also had five assists. "And we shot the ball pretty well." Hughes had 3-pointers at the start and end of a 14-0 run midway through the first half that gave Wisconsin a double-digit lead it held the rest of the way. "That's how we play," Badgers coach Bo Ryan said. "We're opportunistic. "We shot exceptionally well when we got looks in the first half." The Badgers missed just seven shots in the first half but cooled off in the second. It mattered little, however, as Michigan (11-12, 4-7) made just one field goal in the first 8 minutes and never got closer than 12 points the rest of the game. Wisconsin had eight offensive rebounds, several of which extended possessions to as long as 70 seconds. Three ended with 3-pointers just before the shot clock expired. "We guarded them a couple of times for 60, 70 seconds," Michigan coach John Beilein said. "And when they get those late shots on you, it takes your heart away." Wisconsin outrebounded the Wolverines 21-4 on the defensive glass and held Michigan's Manny Harris -- the conference's second-leading scorer -- to 11 points, almost eight below his average. "When you're on the road in the Big Ten you've got to defend," Bohannon added. "Our defense was pretty good when we needed it." DeShawn Sims led the Wolverines with 18 points. The Wolverines, who expected before the season to make a run at a second straight NCAA tournament appearance, are 1-5 since upsetting Connecticut on Jan. 17. Wisconsin lost leading scorer Jon Leuer to a wrist injury on Jan. 9, but has gone 6-2 since then.

No. 8 Purdue holds off Indiana, 78-75

CLIFF BRUNT — Thu, 4 Feb 2010 20:48:00 +0000

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Purdue finally won a game in Bloomington after going a decade and then some without one. Robbie Hummel and JaJuan Johnson each scored 21 points, and No. 7 Purdue held off its in-state rival 78-75 on Thursday night. The Boilermakers won a road game in the series for the first time since 1999 to snap an eight-game skid in Bloomington. "So many players have passed through Purdue and never won here," Johnson said. "For us to be able to do that was great." E'Twaun Moore added 14 points for Purdue (19-3, 7-3 Big Ten), which won its fifth straight heading into a showdown at conference leader Michigan State next Tuesday. Moore said Purdue's only concern was the Hoosiers. "Anytime it's a rivalry game, you definitely stay focused," he said. "We definitely weren't looking ahead. We knew it was going to be a hostile environment. We knew it was going to be a tough game." Indiana's Verdell Jones III, who led the Hoosiers with 22 points, missed a long 3-pointer at the buzzer that could have forced overtime. Jones laid on the court for several seconds after he missed the shot. "I thought it was going in," he said. Jones was the intended shooter. He pulled up and fired from about 40 feet. "It was to go to me, but they sort of pinched on me, and I should have kicked it ahead," he said. The heavily favored Boilermakers never delivered the knockout blow to take the crowd out of the game. Hummel enjoyed the atmosphere, saying it was good for the rivalry. The rematch will be at Purdue on March 3. "That's how it's expected to be," Hummel said. "We wouldn't expect any less coming here. They'll get the same treatment when they come to West Lafayette." Tom Pritchard scored a season-high 13 points and Devan Dumes added 11 for Indiana (9-12, 3-6). It was the second straight tough loss for the Hoosiers. Illinois beat Indiana 72-70 on Jan. 30 when Demetri McCamey made a floater at the buzzer. "We practice late-game situations," Indiana coach Tom Crean said. "We had a guy who had 22 points, with the ball in his hands at the end of the game, with other guys right there. It just came down to not getting enough stops." Purdue asserted itself in the early minutes of the second half. Johnson corralled an errant pass from Lewis Jackson, then powered the ball in and was fouled. The three-point play gave Purdue a 57-51 lead five minutes into the second half. Indiana hung tough. Jones hit a 3-pointer to tie the game, then Jordan Hulls hit another to give Indiana a 69-66 lead with just under 6 minutes to play. Hummel hit a 3-pointer with 2 minutes left, then Moore drained a floater in the lane with 1:17 remaining to give Purdue a 75-69 edge. Jones made a 3-pointer with a minute to play to trim Purdue's lead to 75-72 and end a scoring drought that lasted nearly five minutes. Moore missed a short jumper and Indiana regained possession and a chance to tie. Jones left the ball short on a drive. Hummel rebounded, was fouled and made two free throws. Jones made a three with 4.8 seconds left to trim Purdue's advantage to 77-75. Purdue inbounded to Hummel, who was fouled with 4.1 seconds left. He missed the first free throw and made the second to give Jones the final shot. Hummel was fouled again with 4.1 seconds left. He missed the first free throw and made the second to make it 78-75 and give Jones the final shot. Pritchard averages just under five points per game, but he scored eight in the first 13 minutes. Indiana took a 31-28 lead on a 3-point play by Jones. The shot was part of a 10-2 run that gave the Hoosiers a 36-28 lead. Indiana led 45-38 before Moore hit a 3-pointer and Barlow got a steal and layup in the final minute to cut the Hoosiers' lead to two. Pritchard's two-handed power dunk gave Indiana a 47-43 lead at halftime. It was the most points Purdue has allowed in a half this season and the most Indiana has scored in a half. Pritchard went scoreless in the second half after Johnson stopped rotating away from him. "I think it was just a defensive adjustment by coach Painter," Johnson said. "In the first half, I was really hedging, which made it hard for me to get back to Pritchard down low." Hummel scored 15 points in the second half. He made 2 of 7 3-pointers overall, but the one with two minutes left was key. "I didn't shoot it great, but the guys kept finding me in places where I could go up and shoot, and where I thought I could score the basketball," he said. Hulls, Derek Elston and Jones each missed the front end of a 1-and-1 in the final 4:29. "That's really what the game came down to," Hummel said.

Hope fading for struggling Hawkeyes

LUKE MEREDITH — Sat, 6 Feb 2010 10:04:00 +0000

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The Iowa Hawkeyes had high hopes a week ago. They had won three of their last five, including a convincing victory at Indiana, and stayed close in a loss to Ohio State. Iowa headed into the second half of the Big Ten season thinking that maybe its young roster had grown enough to avoid the school's first 20-loss season. Then came a rough trip to Ann Arbor. The Hawkeyes (8-15, 2-8 Big Ten) let Michigan jump out to a 17-2 lead en route to a 60-46 blowout loss on Sunday. They returned home Wednesday night and shot just 29.6 percent in losing to Illinois 57-49. Iowa heads into Sunday's rematch at No. 13 Ohio State (17-6, 7-3) in about the same spot it was at the start of conference play. Back then, some fans joked that the Hawkeyes might have trouble winning more games than the football team, which had 11. With just eight games left, Iowa will need to pull off a few upsets to reach that total. Third-year coach Todd Lickliter isn't ready to concede anything yet. "I've never gone into a game that I didn't anticipate winning, that I didn't come up with a game plan to win, and I'm not going to change now,'' he said. None of this was unexpected. The undermanned Hawkeyes have just one upperclassman averaging more than 15 minutes per game, so it's little surprising they're in 10th place in the Big Ten. The task now is to finish strong and build momentum for 2010-11 - despite five remaining road games against teams fighting for seeding or spots in the NCAA tournament. One bright spot for the Hawkeyes could be the return of sophomore guard Anthony Tucker. Lickliter said Friday that Tucker, who's been suspended since Dec. 20 for his second alcohol-related offense in two years, will travel with the team to Ohio State. It's not known if he will play Sunday. Tucker averaged 11.9 points before his suspension, which hurt Iowa's backcourt depth. Freshman Cully Payne is averaging 32.1 minutes while learning how to play point guard, and walk-on John Lickliter, the coach's son, has been pressed into service in a reserve role. The rest of the season will also be valuable to freshman guard Eric May and sophomore forward Aaron Fuller. The athletic May has done a little bit of everything this season, ranking in the top 15 in the league in blocked shots, steals and defensive rebounds. He's also raw - as evidenced by an assist-to-turnover ratio of 35-to-49 - but May is clearly one of the key pieces in Lickliter's rebuilding effort. Fuller, finally healthy after an ankle injury, has been Iowa's leading scorer (11.1 ppg) and rebounder (7.7) in Big Ten play. But he's only been a fixture in the starting lineup since the end of December. Meanwhile, the team's unquestioned leader, sophomore Matt Gatens, is playing through a sprained left ankle. Gatens aggravated the injury in a shootaround before the loss to the Buckeyes on Jan. 27, yet went out and played 38 minutes. But Gatens has shot 8 of 28 from the floor in his past three games, with six rebounds, one block and no steals. Gatens' toughness hasn't been lost on his teammates or the coaching staff, and in some ways it's symbolic of what the inexperienced Hawkeyes are going through. Deal with rough times now, in the hopes that the payoff comes down the road. "Inch by inch, life's a cinch. But by the yard, it's very hard,'' Lickliter said. "We're only promised today, and we've got use it to the best of our abilities and get better. I know it's cliches, but I think it's correct.''

Smith: Door isn't closed on Royce White

JON KRAWCZYNSKI — Fri, 5 Feb 2010 14:18:00 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Even though Royce White proved to be a rather significant distraction in his short time on campus, Minnesota coach Tubby Smith said he would "never say never'' when asked if the prized recruit who never played a game could one day return to the Golden Gophers. White left school on Wednesday after a series of legal entanglements kept him off the court during his freshman season. The saga has been one of several off-the-court distractions for the struggling Gophers (13-8, 4-5 Big Ten), who have lost four of their last five games. But Smith wasn't ready to turn his back on White just yet. "He did everything we asked him to do,'' Smith said Friday, referring to White's work in the classroom and at practice. "He just has to get other areas in his life together and you never close the door on anyone. That's just the way life is. We wish him the best in trying to get his life together, and if it is a situation where he could return, I'd be willing to talk to him about it.'' White was suspended last fall after an incident at the Mall of America, later pleading guilty to theft and disorderly conduct. On Monday, he was charged with trespassing in connection to an alleged theft of a laptop computer from a university dorm. Frustrated by the legal process, White told reporters earlier this week that he no longer feels safe on campus and expressed his displeasure for the university police force that investigated the alleged theft. His departure means he won't suit up this season, and possibly ever, for his home-state school. He won Minnesota's Mr. Basketball award as a senior last year at Hopkins High School in suburban Minneapolis and was a much hyped recruit when he stepped on campus. But the legal troubles soon followed, and the Gophers sorely miss his combination of size and athleticism. The remaining Gophers have been left to answer questions about White's transgressions during a season that has quickly spiraled downward after a promising start. "The team hasn't focused on that situation much,'' senior co-captain Damian Johnson said. "He hasn't played with us most of the year. I feel bad for Royce. He was a friend of mine. He was a good guy. But it was a situation we didn't let bother us throughout the year.'' The Gophers have also lost starting point guard Al Nolen to academic suspension for the remainder of the season. Trevor Mbakwe, a junior college transfer, has not played all season while an assault case in Miami drags on. Smith didn't think the issues provided much of a distraction for his players. The coach just knows they miss the players on the court. "They like and care a lot about all those guys and they are a part of the family,'' Smith said. "It hurts on the court because you've got a guy like Al who sets the tone for us, leading the league in deflections, second in steals. ... I'm sure in their mindset, they're hurt and they feel for the guys. "Whether it's a distraction, it can't help but be to some extent. But they're kids. They move on.'' They have to move on quickly if they hope to play themselves back into NCAA tournament bid contention. The Gophers are coming off an 85-63 blowout loss at Ohio State last weekend and play at Penn State (8-14, 0-10) on Saturday. A loss to the reeling Nittany Lions would likely doom their chances for an at-large bid. "That outing against Ohio State was one of the worst games in the three years that I've been here,'' guard Blake Hoffarber said. "We have to start from scratch and go on a winning streak here.'' Now that the White situation is behind them, the Gophers are focusing on the task at hand, which won't be easy. "I'm just trying to make sure that guys don't think the season is over because of what's been going on,'' Johnson said. "Wisconsin started off Big Ten play 3-6 last year and finished off strong and ended up getting an NCAA berth. Guys just have to realize it's how you finish.''

Izzo, Weber to compete in FT contest

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 13:31:00 +0000

University of Illinois men's basketball coach Bruce Weber recently challenged Michigan State University coach Tom Izzo to a free throw contest immediately following the live broadcast of ESPN's College GameDay Driven by State Farm Saturday morning. Izzo, a friend of Weber's known for his free throw shooting marksmanship, has accepted that challenge. Fighting Illini fans should remain in their seats following the live College GameDay broadcast to watch this special event. Each coach will shoot 10 free throws. The losing coach pledges to raise a minimum of $5,000 per missed shot for Coaches vs. Cancer through appearances and other tie-ins during 2010. Weber and Izzo are two of the nation's top Coaches vs. Cancer advocates. Weber earned the Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award, the award for the coach who most vigorously raises funds for the cause, in 2007. Izzo earned the same honor in 2009. "The ESPN broadcast allows Tom and I a great opportunity to show our passion for Coaches vs. Cancer fundraising as well as give people a sense of the rewarding friendships that exist within the coaching community," Weber said. "This should put an exclamation point on the College GameDay event for Fighting Illini fans and put the spotlight on Coaches vs. Cancer once again. I'd love to see a sea of orange fill Assembly Hall for College GameDay in the morning and come back for the sold out game Saturday night." Doors will open for the live College GameDay Driven by State Farm broadcast at 8 a.m. Saturday. Free admission and free parking apply both to the show as well as the Weber-Izzo shootout. State Farm will donate $1 per fan in attendance to the Orange Krush Foundation, the Illini student-run charity, for each person attending the GameDay show on Saturday morning. "When Bruce asked me to participate, I said I'll do whatever you want me to do," Izzo said. "We're going to have a great time competing against each other, plus educate people about our shared commitment to the fight against cancer. It's something Bruce and I both believe in and this is a great way to let people know how much the cause matters to us." Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, Hubert Davis and Digger Phelps will be on hand for College GameDay Driven by State Farm this Saturday. More information about the live broadcast can be found at FightingIllini.com.

Ohio State takes over late, drops Penn State

Wed, 3 Feb 2010 17:34:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It wasn't a memorable game for Jon Diebler -- until the very end. The Ohio State guard had misfired all night and didn't have an assist or a rebound in 40 fruitless minutes. But the last shot he took, and the only one he made, saved the day for the 13th-ranked Buckeyes. Evan Turner scored 22 of his 27 points in the second half and Diebler hit a critical 3-pointer to lead No. 13 Ohio State to a 75-62 victory over Penn State on Wednesday night. Diebler had not scored and was 0 for 6 from the field until he hit a shot from behind the arc with 1:29 left to give the Buckeyes some breathing room after Penn State (8-14, 0-10 Big Ten) had cut what was once a 13-point lead to 65-62. "I was thinking, 'This one's bound to go in," said Diebler, Ohio's career prep scoring leader with 3,208 points. "I always feel that the next one's going to go in." His basket started the Buckeyes (17-6, 7-3) on a 10-0 run to close the game and handed the Nittany Lions their 10th straight loss. "It was just one of those games where they weren't falling," Diebler said. "We didn't play our best, but you have to give Penn State credit. Still, we won. That's all that matters." William Buford added 19 points and David Lighty had 12 for the Buckeyes, who have won their last six conference games and have beaten the Nittany Lions in their last 12 meetings. Talor Battle had 24 points and David Jackson 12 for luckless Penn State. "History kind of repeats itself," said Nittany Lions coach Ed DeChellis, whose team has played on even terms with almost every team in the conference but has yet to pull out a win. "We hung in there as long as we could. We're down three and what's-his-name hit a big shot -- his only shot of the game." Ohio State improved to 14-0 at home this season, where it is shooting 54 percent from the field. The Buckeyes scored eight of the first 10 points and never trailed, then got big buckets from Turner time and again in the second half whenever the Nittany Lions threatened to slice into the lead. But Penn State, down 12 at halftime, never really went away. The Nittany Lions cut the lead to seven points four times before finally narrowing it to 65-62 on two free throws by Jackson with 1:53 remaining. Ohio State worked the ball around before Turner -- who added 10 rebounds and six assists -- found Diebler open in front of the Buckeyes bench. The junior hit nothing but net. Turner then added three free throws and Buford four to close out the game. Battle and Turner were teammates on the U.S. World University Games team this summer. They guarded each other off and on throughout the game and seemed to enjoy attacking each other. "It's tough. He's been losing," Turner said of the losses piling up on his friend. "I know when we lost a couple around here it seemed like there were some gray clouds over our heads. He probably feels like it's a thunderstorm or a lightning strike." Battle, like Turner, also flirted with a triple-double, adding nine rebounds and seven assists. Asked if anyone can guard Battle, DeChellis said, "I don't know. Can anyone stay in front of Turner? Both kids make their teammates better. It was fun to see two top players in the league go at each other like that." The Buckeyes built their early lead on a 3-pointer by Lighty, three points from Turner and a vicious tomahawk dunk by Buford -- and never trailed again. Penn State's Bill Edwards, an Ohio native coming off a career-best 10-points, 13-rebounds effort in a loss at No. 10 Purdue on Sunday, limped off the court at the 11:26 mark with Ohio State on top 15-8 at the time. He twisted an ankle and did not return. Buckeyes coach Thad Matta didn't have any doubts when he saw Diebler go up for his last shot. "I knew the odds were he had to make it," he said. "We didn't shy away from Jon. He's a shooter." DeChellis saw the most recent game as similar to the nine losses before it. "That's kind of the way things have gone," he said.

McCamey leads Illinois past Iowa, 57-49

Wed, 3 Feb 2010 19:54:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Illinois took care of business against Iowa on Wednesday night. Now the Illini can focus on Saturday's showdown with No. 5 Michigan State. Demetri McCamey scored 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds and collected seven assists as Illinois tripped Iowa for the fifth straight time 57-49. Illinois, in a three-way tie for second in the Big Ten, can pull within one game of Michigan State with a victory at home Saturday night. McCamey, who leads the Big Ten in assists, scored the last six points of the first half as Illinois (15-8, 7-3) grabbed a 35-27 lead at intermission. The Hawkeyes (8-15, 2-8) pulled within three points late in the game but could never tie or take the lead. Mike Tisdale had 14 points and seven rebounds for Illinois. D.J. Richardson added 11 points. Matt Gatens topped Iowa (8-15, 2-8) with 12 points. Jarryd Cole scored 10.

Perfect no more: Badgers topple Spartans

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 20:13:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. -- With Trevon Hughes sitting on the bench in foul trouble and forward Jon Leuer out indefinitely with a broken wrist, Jordan Taylor filled another big role for No. 16 Wisconsin. Taylor scored 17 points and Jason Bohannon added 19 to lead Wisconsin to a 67-49 victory over No. 5 Michigan State on Tuesday night, snapping a perfect Big Ten start for the Spartans, who lost leading scorer Kalin Lucas to an ankle injury midway through the second half. "That's part of our program, part of Coach's philosophy," Taylor said. "If [Trevon] and Jon are out, you've got to go with what's next and somebody's got to step up and make plays. We try and stay aggressive and try and make something happen." Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, who improved to 21-7 at home against Top 25 teams in his nine seasons, said he has never judged players on their size. Good thing, because Leuer has at least 9 inches on Taylor, depending on who is asked. "I always say [Taylor's] 5-10. He gets mad, he says, 'Coach, I'm 6-1.' We replaced a 6-10 with a 5-10 in his stocking feet," Ryan said. "He's just smart, he just finds ways to get things done. And he cares, he cares about the ball and he cares about game. Whenever you take care of the ball, you're respecting the game." Wisconsin committed just five turnovers, four less than their NCAA lowest average of 9.4, and Wisconsin (17-5, 7-3) won its third game over a team ranked sixth or better this season and its 18th straight at the Kohl Center. Michigan State had 13 turnovers. "That's 13 times they're not getting a shot at the basket and only five for us, so that could be 16 to 24 points that we're getting extra from them," Taylor said. "You just try and make the right decision." Michigan State (19-4, 9-1) may have lost a lot more than its strong start after Lucas, last season's Big Ten player of the year, came down awkwardly on the foot of Wisconsin's Keaton Nankivil in the second half and injured his right ankle. "When it first happened, it was hurting a lot, but I still don't know what's wrong with it right now," Lucas said. "I think it's just a sprain to the ankle, I'll know tomorrow." Lucas did not return, finishing with seven points to snap a string of 33 consecutive games in double figures. "He's limping bad," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "It's not a good sprain, but it's not broke or anything like that -- at least it doesn't seem to be. I think the issue is whether he's a fast healer or not." Wisconsin clicked from the beginning, getting big contributions from Nankivil and Rob Wilson. Taylor started by scoring 10 of Wisconsin's first 13 points and later helped seal it with a 3-pointer to push the lead to 58-42 with 6 minutes to play. The Spartans, who haven't won in Madison since 2001, started flat before losing their floor leader. After Lucas left, Wisconsin went on a 10-2 run to seal the game. Meanwhile, Michigan State, which got 11 points from Durrell Summers, missed seven straight shots down the stretch, going more than 6½ minutes without a basket. "For the most part that was an old-fashioned whoopin'," Izzo said. The Spartans had been off to their best conference start ever and seemed poised to run away with another regular-season Big Ten title with four weeks of league play left. But Wisconsin dominated from the tip, trailing only 1-0 before scoring nine straight points. The Spartans never got closer than eight points in the second half. "When Lucas went down, it really compounded problems," Izzo said. "Wisconsin played awfully well, as good as I've seen them play all year." Michigan State tried to push the tempo early despite winning the first meeting 54-47 on Jan. 6, but it backfired and Izzo said he didn't prepare his team well. Michigan State's players said they felt a loss coming. "I think we all did," guard Korie Lucious said. "In practice, we just haven't been bringing it like we should have, we haven't had the energy like we should have and Coach has been telling us that for the last couple days." With the victory, Wisconsin joined Syracuse (No. 4 ESPN/USA Today, No. 3 AP) as the only teams with three wins over Top 10 opponents this season, and Taylor said Ryan has helped put him and the rest of the Badgers in the right position, even if the wily old coach can't judge height. "That's about the only thing," Taylor said. "For the record, I'm 6-1 with shoes on."

Lucas day to day; status unclear for Saturday

Wed, 3 Feb 2010 19:19:00 +0000

X-rays were negative on Michigan State guard Kalin Lucas, the school announced on Wednesday. Lucas sprained his ankle in the second half against Wisconsin Tuesday night in Madison. He is day to day with his status for Saturday's game at Illinois uncertain. Lucas, last season's Big Ten player of the year, went up for a jump shot with just under 11 minutes to play and landed on the left foot of Wisconsin forward Keaton Nankivil. "I went to move to shoot the ball, came down on his foot and my ankle just rolled over," Lucas said Tuesday after the game. Lucas is averaging 16 points a game.

No. 13 Ohio State mirrors '06 team in toughness

RUSTY MILLER — Tue, 2 Feb 2010 17:46:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio(AP) Thad Matta has coached two Ohio State teams to Big Ten championships in his five full seasons on campus. The one closest to his heart might not be the one you'd think. The 2006-2007 squad with one-then-done, first-round NBA picks Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook that made it to the NCAA championship game? Wrong. Rather, it was his team the year before, which featured a motley collection of role players that found a way to go 26-6. ``That team my second year here might have been my all-time favorite team,'' Matta said Tuesday. ``Just from where they were projected and what they were able to get accomplished.'' There are parallels between that team, which featured Big Ten MVP Terence Dials, and the current Buckeyes (16-6, 6-3), who have made a remarkable turnaround. Even before the 2005-2006 season got started, everyone was talking about the recruiting bumper crop coming in the next season, which included the 7-foot Oden and the rest. Almost no one paid any attention to that year's team. ``(They) had a little bit of an ax to grind and something to prove,'' Matta said. Already people are talking about Matta's glittering recruiting class coming in next season, which includes Ohio Mr. Basketball Jared Sullinger (J.J.'s little, 6-foot-9 brother) and 6-7 J.D. Weatherspoon from the nation's No. 1 ranked team, Columbus Northland High School, along with Indiana scoring machine Deshaun Thomas (averaging more than 30 points a game). Maybe this year's Buckeyes feel similarly slighted. They already have overcome a lot. They lost three of their first four Big Ten games and were trying to figure out their roles after losing standout Evan Turner for more than a month. Now they have won five conference games in a row, have climbed to No. 13 in The Associated Press poll three weeks after not getting a single vote and suddenly find themselves tied for second in the conference. ``In the toughness department, I think this team is probably more efficient than that team was offensively,'' said Matta, who made it clear that the team four years ago might have had more of an edge but less talent. Turner, getting some attention as a possible national player of the year, missed 4 1/2 weeks with two broken bones in his lower back. It took time after he returned on Jan. 6 for the Buckeyes to get a feel for who they are and what they needed to do. Since then, they have been fast learners. The Buckeyes haven't given up on winning a conference title, even though they trail Big Ten leader Michigan State by three games heading into the second half of the league schedule. ``That's what we talked about at the beginning of the season; that's what we want to do,'' said starting forward David Lighty, the only current Buckeye who played on the NCAA runner-up three years ago. ``There's not too many of us on the team with a ring. Like Evan preached before the season started, we don't want to come to Ohio State and leave without leaving our mark, with someone saying, 'They were a pretty good team but really, what did they do?''' Ohio State plays second-division Big Ten teams with a combined conference record of 5-21 in its next three games. If the Buckeyes continue to play the way they have, they should be close to Matta's 10th 20-win season in his 10 years as a head coach at Butler, Xavier and OSU. Penn State, which the Buckeyes welcome on Wednesday night, is the hard-luck story of the conference this season. Despite the efforts of elite shooting guard Talor Battle, the Nittany Lions (8-13, 0-9) have lost at Illinois by a point, at Minnesota by five, at Iowa by three and against Wisconsin in overtime. In each of those games, the Nittany Lions led late. The Buckeyes, who are 13-0 at home - where they are shooting 54 percent from the field - have noted how Penn State has had teams on the ropes. ``We can't take them lightly,'' said big man Dallas Lauderdale, who is 39 of 47 (82.9 percent) from the field at Value City Arena. ``We can't take any possessions off.'' Because a tough team wouldn't.

Minnesota grants White his release

Wed, 3 Feb 2010 16:24:00 +0000

University of Minnesota athletics officials today announced that freshman Royce White has requested and will be granted his release from all scholarship obligations as a student-athlete at the university. "We are deeply saddened by the entire chain of events involving Royce White this season at the University of Minnesota," said Minnesota head basketball coach Tubby Smith. "However, we feel like he will always be a member of the Minnesota basketball family and want what is best for him and his immediate family. We wish him the best of luck." White, a Minneapolis native and Hopkins High School graduate, practiced at times with the team this season but did not appear in an official contest.