Season 34 Big 10 Predictions

After spending some time with the crystal ball, Tanzetti is ready to deliver his predictions for the upcoming season of Big 10 basketball.

East 
1) Michigan State - With Damiano leading the way, small ball brings the Spartans a conference title.
2) Wisconsin - Luke Adams leads the Badgers to their sixth straight NCAA tournament, but they fall short in their bid for a third straight Big 10 title.
3) Michigan - The sleeper in the East, watch out for the inside duo of George Boes and Stanley Wilson, who should take the Wolverines back to the NCAA tourney after missing it last season.
4) Notre Dame - Watch out for Todd Thompson as a potential POY candidate in South Bend.
5) Iowa - With a new coach Hawkeye fans are excited about the future of the program.
6) Minnesota - Like Iowa, a rebuilding project, but fans think they have their coach and a great future ahead of them.

West
1) Penn State - This is a typical Goodyr team, experienced, balanced, and underrated.  Look for them to be a factor come tourney time this year.
2) Ohio State - The national runners up return everyone, but I'm expecting a little hangover until March Madness rolls around in Columbus.
3) Illinois - A dangerous team that will be as good as Stanley Crawford is.  If he can adapt quickly to the college game this team could be in the Final Four this season.
4) Indiana - This is Tanzett's most talented team since he's been at Bloomington, but are they tough enough to win in the Big 10?
5) Purdue - On paper the Boilermakers appear to be the fifth best team in the West, but don't sleep on them as they will be in most games and typically find ways to win the close ones.
6) Northwestern - Their run as the SIM Cinderella is over, and the conference hopes to land a solid coach in Evanston sooner rather than later.

POY - Damiano - MSU
COY - Goodyr - PSU
FOY - Crawford - ILL

1st Team All B10
PG - Damiano - MSU
SG - Haydel - PSU
SF - Gamble - PUR
PF - Adams - WIS
C - Thompson - ND

2nd Team All Big 10
PG - Madewell - IU
SG - Denney - ILL
SF - Boyd - MSU
PF - Varghese - PUR
C - Wilson - MICH

The end of the campaign offers a small amount of vindication for a tough regular season by winning the PIT.  The early entry of Dwight Horner to the NBA and the recruiting fiasco that led to running a 'small ball' lineup presented coach netgymrat numerous challenges and frustrations.  The initial setback was in scheduling as MSU finished the non-conference schedule with a 6-4 record and a strength of schedule in the mid 100's which did not bode well for conference play.  Peering closer at the numbers, the record was 1-4 against RPI top 100 teams and 5-0 against the weaker teams.  The resulting RPI meant that a lot of ground was needed to be made up if this squad was going to make the National Tournament.

The always tough Big Ten conference schedule proved challenging for a team that had been expected to contend for a conference title.  The Spartans ended up being swept in heartbreaking fashion by conference leader Wisconsin, once going to overtime.  Positive signs for this team could be found in upset wins against ranked Indiana at home and Purdue and Penn St. on the road, while cruising to solid victories against rebuilding Notre Dame, Iowa and Minnesota.  On the discouraging side, top recruit George Lang found himself ineligible for most of the conference season after failing to hit the books as a freshman.  

Even with the successful PIT run, the school administration is less than pleased with the status of the program.  Although stating that the program is still 'meeting their expectations', it is clearly a thinly-veiled threat that they expect an annual appearance in the Big Dance.  

As for the individual players on the team, a mixed bag as mirrors the season as a whole.  On the positive side, Michael Damianio was once again named to the conference First team and became the school's all-time leading scorer.  Two younger players Jimmy Vosburgh and Michael Krause were named to the All-conference second team.  On a less positive note, Ryan Fuller made the decision to leave the team at the end of the season after being unhappy with his lack of playing time.  The coaching staff has made it clear to freshman power forward Dalton Perkins that they were somewhat disappointed in his development during the season, probably due to his poor work ethic.  His future on the team seems cloudy at best.

                           Illinios Season 34 Recap

The fighting illini made another strong showing in the National Tournament under the direction of Coach Brown. Casey Denney and Frank White helped the illini reach their second Final Four in school history. With the emergence of Stanley Crawford at point the Big Three helped the illini reach another milestone in having the most wins in a season, with 29. After starting the season off to a 10-0 start the season looked very promising until conference play started, where the illini lost at Indiana. Then lost back to back games against Penn State who hit a buzzer beater to win in OT and the at Purdue. Brown was a little skeptical on the season outlook after a rough 2-3 start to conference play. However, the illini rebounded nicely to win 10 out of their next 11 games including two monumental games against Ohio State to decide the Conference Champion of the West.

Getting the one seed in the conference tourny looked great at first until Coach Brown saw the matchups against Penn State, Indiana, and Ohio State, but somehow found a way to win their second straight Conference Tourny Title. All that earned them a one seed in the National Tourny where they knocked off Mississippi Valley State, DePaul, Arizona State, and Texas Tech. Until they finally met their makers against a strong Texas A&M squad.

Coach Brown was very pleased with the play of his team this season and is most happy that he returns all three members of the Big Three. The backcourt will be loaded but was very suprised when he heard Larry Robbins was taking his talents to the next level. The illini will need another big recruiting class with a need for a backup point guard, a Small Forward has to be a very high priority with not having a single one on the team and a Power Forward to help fill the loss of Robbins. If Coach Brown can bring in a few elite players the illini could make an even deeper run in the National Tourny come next season. 

Indiana Hoosiers Season 34 Recap

Coming off a disappointing season a year ago, there were questions as to whether Coach Tanzetti was the man for the job.  Following an NCAA tourney berth in year one, his Hoosiers missed the Big Dance the last two seasons leaving the critics to wonder if he was better suited to run a mid-major program.  But those who'd seen the work put in by seniors Jay York and Robert Speece thought this year could be different.  The air was different this past fall in Bloomington and this team was eager to prove the doubters wrong.

They opened the season 10-0 against a weaker schedule when compared to the big boys of the Big 10, but that gave this team confidence they could play with anyone.  Their confidence hit a high when they opened the Big 10 schedule by knocking off a talented Illinois squad.  They followed up that win with impressive victories on the road at Penn State and Ohio State which many around this program believe helped this team realize they would get back to the Big Dance.  After struggling during the middle of conference play, they closed strong winning four of their last five including a big win over Wisconsin.  The win against Wisconsin sealed their invite to the NCAA tourney.  

The Hoosiers opened the tourney with a win in the first round, but then had to play the future national champion Colorado and lost in the second round.  The best news for the Hoosier though was that conference DPOY, and second team All American Stanley Madewell decided to come back to school for his senior year.  After seeing Madewell return, first team all conference center Peter Bush decided to return as well giving Tanzetti a great inside out combination for this upcoming season.

With four scholarships to fill, Tanzetti is looking to bring in a solid class to Bloomington.  There will be a need to grab some bigs after losing three solid players from this past season, but there is optimism that if they can land the right players then this team could become real dangerous come March.  

Big 10 News Network
by Ray Finkle

Preseason Q&A 

As we head into another year of Big 10 basketball I decided to meet with Coach Brown, from Illinois, to get his take on three big questions heading into season 35.  I've posted my questions here, but will wait for him to reveal his answers in a later post.

1) How will the departure of Coach Lhhr from Ohio State effect Big 10 recruiting this season?  (Especially considering they currently would be sim coached)

2) Purdue was the surprise team in the NCAA tourney last year from this conference.  Who will that team be this year?

3) With the Big 3 returning to Illinois, is the expectation National Title or bust in Champaign?

1) How will the departure of Coach Lhhr from Ohio State effect Big 10 recruiting this season?  (Especially considering they currently would be sim coached)

First and foremost I want to wish the best of luck to LH, he was an outstanding coach who had the Buckeyes thriving. He made a cinderella run just two years ago to the National Title game, where he came up just short but he put the Buckeyes back on the map after that. Coach LH is now taking his coaching skills to Lexington to revitalize the Wildcats, it won't be an easy task but I believe he's the man for the job. He will be missed and until last night at 11pm it appeared his former Buckeyes were going to be run by the Simmy, but CPKung came out of nowhere, and now is the new leader in Columbus. CP has 7 spots to fill and will benefit from being an A prestige and having several talented recruits within the Columbus area. With a strong recruiting class and Roosevelt Rodger leading the charge the Buckeyes have a chance to be good again. CP has a strong resume and did a fantastic job at USC, and I fully expect him to translate those coaching abilites into the Bucks. It's good to have another strong coach in the Big Ten and look forward to playing him twice a year.

2) Purdue was the surprise team in the NCAA tourney last year from this conference.  Who will that team be this year?

What a year Purdue had it was one to remember that's for sure. I think Mcauley is still a little bitter that I picked him 5th in the pre-season thread I created. To clear the air the only reason I did so was the West had three ranked teams to start the season in illinios, Indiana, and OSU. Then I picked Penn State ahead of them because they were the highest rated team in the conference. None the less Mcauley really coached up his kids and made a heck of run through conference play where he took down my illini squad twice and led his team to to the Elite Eight in the National Tourny. 

If I had to pick a suprise team in the conference this year I think I would go with Michigan. Goofy has assembled a pretty solid team that has several upperclassman and a balanced attack. He has a solid backcourt with Robert Fuller and Stan Campbell. Then at the small forward position he has Culpepper whose a top tier athlete and then in the front court George Boes is a monster. If goofy can get his guys to play together this could be a dangerous team in conference play and has shot to make the National Tourny.  If Michigan can land a few solid recruits during the offseason I think they can address their depth, which may be their only downfall right now.

3) With the Big 3 returning to Illinois, is the expectation National Title or bust in Champaign?

As the coach of the illini, our ultimate goal is to always win a National Championship, but we have several other goals as well. We want to win the Conference Title and Conference Tourny every year, but so does everyone else in the league. I don't want my guys to feel like anything less than a National Title is a Bust, that's just unfair to my guys. Only one team can win it all and our group realizes that. Do we have the talent to compete with anyone in the country I believe so, but a lot of pressure will be on the Big Three night in and night out. If the Frontcourt can hold their weight the entire season we will have a very balanced team. The frontcourt must be addressed in a BIG way in recruiting to provide the depth that we need to compete among the Elite teams.   

Iowa Recruiting Recap

After a horrendous first season, the establishment here at Iowa is desperately hoping that the team will show some improvement after both a season of practice and experience with the new offense/defense and a season of growth for B. Rad's first recruiting class.  This year's recruiting was marked by a departure from the traditional scouring of Iowa natives.

The Hawkeyes began by setting their sights on finding a couple of backcourt contributors.  Looking at the talent that was available in the Midwest, there was a clear drop off between the elite (who were fought over pretty heavily by higher prestige programs) and the mid-range prospects.  We set out to find two guards who had a good work ethic and the potential to be solid players in a couple of years.  We at Iowa feel that we found exactly that. 

First, out of Indiana, comes the athletic Robert Russell.  With the lack of speed and athleticism currently in the Iowa backcourt, he will be a much-needed presence.  He projects to be a solid shooting guard by the time he adjusts to the college game and realizes his potential.  He should be a great defender, which is sorely needed in this conference.

Second, out of Minnesota, comes the project player Robert Nam.  While he has great potential, it will be at least a year before he sees decent playing time.  He should also be a very solid defender by his junior year.

Now, to the bigs.  Iowa made these a priority this year.  We set our sights on two good-looking bigs, John Caruso and Brandon Strauss.  We roped John Caruso right away and never really received much competition for him, but Strauss was another matter entirely.  After spending nearly 3/4 of our budget trying to steal him away from Minnesota, we eventually gave up and watched him sign with the Gophers.  Kudos to mbalding, you must have dumped a ton of money there to keep him.  We know Caruso will be good, and projects very well.  One out of two isn't bad.  We cut PF Anthony Dunklin, who barely developed at all, and at the last minute grabbed James James.  While his amusing name first attracted our attention, he's another player who probably won't see the court here but the coaching staff is waiting to see his projections before counting him out of the long term plans.  He'll spend a year redshirting while his progress is evaluated.

All-in-all, not a terrible class for my prestige level.  I was hoping for better, but I can make do.  Hats off to Minnesota, I really liked the look of Strauss.  Cheers to some out of conference wins this year!

                                  Illinois Recruiting Recap

Heading into the offseason the illini had a few holes to fill especially in the frontcourt. With the surprise departure of Larry Robbins to the NBA and losing Donald Bush and Nicholas Newman to graduation, Coach Brown had to find two bigs who could come in and play a backup role. Luckily, the state and region had several serviceable big men. After some intense evaluation Coach Brown, decided that Dustin Duckworth and Todd Cassity were the two players the illini needed to patrol the paint and were fortunate enough to have both in their backyard. Duckworth the number four rated player in the country will come in as superior athlete with the ability to be a force inside and out before his career is done. His role will likely be the backup small forward and possibly fill in as a backup power forward. Cassity the lesser ranked of the two big men, has the potential to be better than his counterpart. Coach Brown doesn't for see him playing a large role this season but will be called upon next year for some serious minutes.

As important as it was for Coach Brown to bring in two big men, the need for a point guard may have been the biggest need of all. Vernon Thurman is the exact player Brown was looking for, he has all the tools and potential to run the team next season. Thurman even though he is the lowest rated member of this highly talented class, he has the most potential. He has all the potential but his biggest problem will be his work ethic, hopefully when he gets to Champaign, Coach Brown can straighten him out. Coach mentioned the idea of trying to redshirt Thurman and call upon him the following season, but if not he will likely play the backup point for the illini. 

Michael Payne was the final member of the class, and even though he's listed at a small forward he may see time at shooting guard. LIke the other freshman his role will be a backup this year and will not really be looked upon to be a scoring threat this year. Coach Brown had targeted Payne early but decided not to go for him immediately because the Midwest had several teams with lots of open schollies and a lot more money than the illini. After Coach Brown had secured his three main targets, he went back and wooed Mr. Payne to play closer to home rather than traveling to play at Oklahoma State.

This may be the most talented class Coach Brown has brought into Champaign, with three five star players and one three star. The future looks bright and Coach Brown has to be happy with the way his team has taken shape. This will be the first year with all Brown's players and the illini will look to build upon the past two years postseason success. 

Michigan State Recruiting Summary

The primary priority entering the season for the cagers from East Lansing was to bolster the frontcourt.  At the center position, the Spartans are very happy to welcome Justin Patnode into the fold.   Justin possesses elite athleticism and solid defense, rebounding and shot blocking abilities.  He has a long way to go in his low-post moves, but the coaching staff is confident that he will be able to pick up the necessary moves to hold his own in the very tough Big Ten.  Joining Justin in the frontcourt will be Andrew Newton from Ohio.  Andrew does not ‘Wow’ in any particular facet of his game, but should be a solid backup to Michael Krause at the PF for the green and white. 

Taking Ryan Fuller’s open scholarship is Nicholas Poirier from Ottawa, Canada.  Again, not someone who has a particular area of his game that stands out, he should be a solid cog in the rotation someday.  However, with Vosburgh and Boyd ahead of him at the 3 spot it is difficult to see him getting many minutes in the next two seasons.  On a positive note, the coaching staff was pleased to see the WCAA waive the long standing unwritten rule of not allowing intra-conference transfers as Mr. Fuller found a new home at Ohio State.  

Minnesota Recruiting recap

Went for 5 guys initially and threw about 6K at each, I knew they were all developmental players so i *should* be the only team going after them.  Turned out i was the only team on each of them so I was in good shape.  Iowa made a run at one of the guys but with 80K left to battle, i knew i was going to win as long as no one else jumped in on anyone else. 

Realizing I had a bunch of money leftover I knew i could get a 6th player so I went after a guard who should end up with 80+ ATH 80+ SPD 80+ LP 80+ BH and 80+ P, but mid 20's PER.  I am curious to see how he does.

Anyway, none of my recruits are great, but all should be solid players capable of making a postseason run in a few years.