Big Ten
Coaches, style of play
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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Only a rube would doubt Michigan State’s place among college basketball’s elite programs. Recently, it has to rank among the top 7. Maybe better.
The Spartans may not have the name recognition to casual fans as Duke or North Carolina, but anyone who’s filled out a bracket in the last 10 years knows you ignore Tom Izzo’s team at your own risk.
Since 1999, Michigan State’s been to five Final Fours, more than any other school. Among active coaches, only Mike Krzyzewski (.763) and Billy Donovan (.759) have higher NCAA tournament winning percentage than Izzo (.750).
Throw in the 2000 NCAA title and five regular-season Big Ten titles, and Sparty has the résumé to match any team around.
Yet every year, Michigan State and the rest of the Big Ten are ripped for their slow-it-down, bruising, aesthetic-less style of play. But why is that? Doesn’t its record speak for itself?
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The 10th annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge began with a rarity – a Big Ten victory.
Still, the odds of the Big Ten taking its first-ever Challenge “title” aren’t so good. It’s going to be close, though.
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It’s fairly common to score less than 40 points in a loss. Scoring less than 30, not so much. Yet it’s already been done three times this season.
At this rate, we may see a team score less than 20.
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Michigan’s win against No. 4 UCLA shouldn’t be a huge shock. Expect nothing less from a John Beilein team.
Sure, the Wolverines (3-0) started off hot this season, mostly behind Manny Harris’ scoring touch. But it’s the third time a Beilein-coached team has beaten the Bruins. In 2007, Beilein’s West Virginia squad took advantage of a Darren Collison’s absence to snag a 70-65 win. In 2006, Kevin Pittsnogle & Co. pulled off a 60-56 win.
Whether it’s Beilein’s perplexing 1-3-1 zone or some timely 3s, his teams get it done vs. UCLA. ‘Nuff said. Especially since it wasn’t Thursday’s most remarkable game.
That would be Texas Tech’s 167-115 win against East Central (Okla.). Yes, you read the score correctly. 167-115.
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