Big Ten
Coaches, style of play
Blogging must come easily to Ohio State basketball players.
Last year, Club Trillion, a blog started by three Ohio State bench players – Mark Titus, Kyle Madsen and Danny Peters – became a minor Web sensation thanks to Titus’ funny bits riffing on life on the Buckeye bench.
So what’s life like as an Ohio State starter? Maybe Evan Turner can fill us in.
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Whoa. Minnesota déjà vu.
A day after announcing that forward Trevor Mbwake won’t play until his court issues are resolved, Gophers coach Tubby Smith revealed that star freshman Royce White is suspended indefinitely. He faces misdemeanor charges of theft and fifth-degree assault after being accused of shoplifting at the Mall of America.
That leaves Minnesota without its top two newcomers, a pair of skilled, athletic 6-8 forwards who could eventually start for a Top 25 team.
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The “what if?” game can torment a fan base, no matter how much their team’s won.
Perhaps that’s the a reason why Hoosier fans should steer clear of the new book “When the Games Was Ours,” by Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.
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In case you missed it, Minnesota basketball is relevant again.
Entering his third season, Tubby Smith’s molded his team into something Kentucky fans would recognize – a strong defensive unit that relies on winning low-scoring games because it doesn’t shoot well. Still, the Gophers return all five starters from an NCAA tournament team, which was enough to land in the preseason polls.
In short, the Gophers should be good this season. But they could be a March darkhorse if a few player issues are resolved.
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Sounds like John Beilein is college basketball’s version of Roger Ebert. Michigan’s coach is always watching tape
When he started coaching in 1976, Beilein poured over game tapes, which morphed from Super 8 to Beta and VHS as he advanced through the coaching ranks. By the time he reached West Virginia, his laptop was his own personal movie theater.
Now, there’s not a day that goes by when he’s not showing a Wolverine something on the computer.
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Thad Matta’s no dummy. Ohio State enters the season without a good option at point guard, so he’s doing the next best thing. Maybe even the better thing.
Turner ended up leading OSU in scoring (17.3), rebounds (7.1), assists (4.0), steals (1.8) and was its best 3-point shooter (44 percent).
As a result, expect to see even more of Turner at point this season. Matta wants the ball in his hands as much as possible. I’d say expect to see a lot more of him overall, but that’d be tough. He played in 90 percent of Ohio State’s available minutes last season. When you have a player like that, why not?
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Tom Izzo had himself a nice little Thursday.
Michigan State was ranked second in the AP and coaches’ polls, picked to win the Big Ten and even secured a commitment from a Top 25 prospect. If that wasn’t enough, his point guard, junior Kalin Lucas, was the Big Ten’s preseason player of the year.
Take a bow, Spartans.
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Hard to believe the cliché “nowhere to go but up” actually applies to Indiana basketball.
After all, the Hoosiers are one of the greats. They’ve won five NCAA tournaments and were the last men’s D-I team to finish a season unbeaten. In many ways, Indiana is college basketball.
Except last season. A 6-25 campaign featured 1 Big Ten win the school’s worst winning percentage in nearly a century. When that happens, you’re not rebuilding a program. You’re doing a complete overhaul.
That’s Tom Crean’s task. He’s even sounding a little hopeful about this season. The Hoosiers may not win the Big Ten, but they’re done being an embarrassment.
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Tom Izzo is trying to downplay his Michigan State squad that’s pretty much a consensus Top 5 team entering the 2009-10 season.
“I enjoy the expectations, but I’ve got to remind myself and you (media) what we lost,” Izzo said Wednesday. “I am concerned about living up to them, but I like the challenge of living up to them.
“I speak with guarded optimism.”
Wow. When did Lou Holtz start coaching the Michigan State basketball team.
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I can think of worse things than being Michael Jordan’s son. Unless I wanted to play basketball. Then all bets are off.
Pretty sure that’s what Jeff Jordan is going through.
MJ’s oldest son walked onto the Illinois team two years ago, earned a scholarship, then decided to quit the team last June. He said he wanted to focus on life after basketball, but at some point between June and now, things changed because now he wants to play again.
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